For Fitness and Martial Arts (FaMA) Muay Thai Director of Curriculum and Instructor, Jerel Louie, martial arts has never been a singular track. He believes in learning different martial arts and taking what is good to create a complete system for fitness and self-defence.
He can always be heard preaching to students that martial arts is not something that we do once in a while but consistently over a long period of time.
Jerel started his martial arts journey approximately 20 years ago with Japanese Jujitsu before moving on to American Kenpo.
As Jerel started learning more about martial arts, he decided to focus on his striking and moved to Thailand to learn the art of eight limbs. Jerel fell in love with Muay Thai and focused his energy on becoming a proficient Muay Thai striker and eventually an instructor. Jerel thrived as a Muay Thai instructor and was even recognised by the Thai Ministry of Education.
“I started learning martial arts because I knew I wanted to work in law enforcement,” said Jerel, who spent a few years being a police officer in Australia. “Martial arts isn't the way it is now. It was still very traditional back then but there were many concepts that we can still use till today. For example, American Kenpo instructors have a very systematic and methodical way of teaching, something different than other martial arts.”
Learning different martial arts has helped Jerel grow as an instructor as he is now able to use different teaching methods and concepts when he is teaching Muay Thai at FaMA.
He also draws from his knowledge as a former law enforcement officer to help students be mindful of their surroundings and how to address an unpleasant situation.
Student of the Game
Jerel believes in constant improvement and he does this by paying close attention to world class coaches. One such coach is Duane Ludwig before the world knew about him.
Duane is a former professional kickboxer turned UFC fighter and was a long time student of the legendary Bas Rutten and Trevor Wittman before hanging up his gloves to be a full-time coach.
His claim to fame was through UFC Bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw, who became a champion after working with Duane. Currently, Duane is touted as one of the best striking coaches in the world and it comes with no surprise that Jerel draws inspiration from him.
“I watch what these coaches are doing, how they are running their classes, the combos that they are teaching, and their training philosophy and I try to implement that at FaMA,” said Jerel.
Learn from everyone and learn everything has been Jerel's attitude towards training martial arts since day one.
More to Come
As FaMA’s Director of Curriculum for Muay Thai, Jerel is always looking out for new ways to help students grow and be better. Currently, the focus is to ensure everyone has good basics before moving on to the intermediate class.
“With good basics, students can eventually come up with their own style based on their physical attributes and personality. All the great fighters have a strong foundation in basics which enables them to showcase their own style when they are in combat,” said Jerel.
Besides training Muay Thai for fitness, weight loss, and sport, Jerel also believes that whatever is shown in class should be applicable in real life.
“Muay Thai, at the end of the day, is for self defence. When I started training martial arts back in 1999, I always wanted it to be applicable for self defence. Muay Thai is not singular and there are many variations. There are things that you can’t do in the ring but you can do in the street,” said Jerel.
“It is our goal to equip students with the right tools based on their needs.”
FaMA - Fitness and Martial Arts Established in 2016, FaMA is a world-class martial arts training facility located in the heart of the Central Business District in Singapore. Walking distance from the Clarke Quay MRT station, FaMA’s main goal is to help people improve their lives through martial arts regardless of age or athletic capability. Each program is led by experts in their respective fields. Whether it is weight loss, a fun workout, camaraderie, competition training, or just to break a sweat, FaMA has something for everyone.
Muay Thai
Muay Thai, or The Art of Eight Limbs, is a martial art developed in Thailand thousands of years ago to help the Kingdom protect itself against invaders. Using the human body as a weapon, Muay Thai practitioners are well-versed in punching, elbowing, kicking, kneeing, and clinching with their opponents. What was once only used for self-defence and protection of the Kingdom, Muay Thai has grown to become one of the most popular sports not only in Thailand but in the world. Muay Thai is known to provide a complete total-body workout that will help build lean muscle, core strength, and help with weight loss. At FaMA, Muay Thai classes are taught daily by Tanaphong Khunhankaew, or better known as Kru Ping, and Kru Jerel Louie.
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