Mythaistory
My Thai Story. A 2.5-hour documentary filmed in the camps of Bangkok. Narrated by Ronnie Green. Filmed by Darron Chadwick. Zero budget. All heart.
Part I: How It Started
"We went to Thailand on holiday. We took a camera, shot some video and took a few hundred snapshots. We never realised we had a real film about Real Muay Thai Warriors."
- Darron Chadwick
Filmed in Bangkok, Thailand, at Saengmorakot Camp - Jartuis' camp - in the heart of Bangkok, behind the busy streets of Khaosan Road and around the corner from the Mecca of Thai Boxing: Ratchadamnern Stadium.
Jartuis - Star of the Film
Circled in red. Jartuis - the Saengmorakot camp champion who appeared on the cover of Muay Siam magazine. Darron filmed his training camp for four weeks. The Lumpini Stadium fight card. The real warriors.
The best camps from Thailand are not the most marketed. Many speak only Thai.
Darron's own words on the making of the film:
"There was never any intention to make a film. We just wanted to show footage of Thais training. All the usual ways of making a film or documentary have had to go out the window. A bit like my own education - the film project has been like a fly banging its head against a window. Just kept going even though it hurts your head. It's all been produced back to front, which is the way I like it."
- Darron Chadwick
"In the camps, once the kids had a go with the camera, everyone wanted to have a go. We gave the camera to the young warriors so that you can see the world from their eyes. I can't even read and write well. So backwards we go. I decided to make a storyboard at the end. Usually you make that first. The storyboard came last."
- Darron Chadwick
Part II: Ronnie's Narration
These are Ronnie Green's words from the film narration. His voice. His journey. His Thailand.
"This is going to be one hell of an experience for me again. When I first went to Thailand in 1983, I had a journey, and that journey took me to the martial arts world and helped me to be the person I am. But now, I have the opportunity to show people what I saw back in 1983 - the camps, the people, and the lifestyle."
- Ronnie Green, Mythaistory Narration
"It was so overwhelming. It touched every part of my senses. It gave me such a warmth in a positive way, a positive feeling, to be strong. And that's what Thailand's all about. We know they have the best fighters, the best training system, the concept - but also they have the best way. The best way of the yim. The smile."
- Ronnie Green
Inside the ring. Red Bull sponsorship above. The most prestigious Muay Thai stadium in the world. Ready for the storm.
Mongkhon headband. Flower garlands. Trainer's last instructions. Raja gloves. The art before the storm.
"I saw it like Everest. Beating the Thais, competing with them - and I was showing I could do it because the good thing about it - the Thai Way of fighting works. The system works. That's what people are going mad about, the elbows and the knees. The Thais have a way of doing it and I learnt that way. I was positive in that way."
- Ronnie Green
"The key thing in Thai boxing, especially in the camps, is that everything is about light. Everything's about control. In sparring in the camps it was about control. They know how to control the techniques getting ready for the fight. The Thai fighters don't show any nerves. It's a feeling of relax. The Thai music is a very natural process now. Even the audience in Thai boxing are watching it, they feel it, there's an enlightenment there."
- Ronnie Green
"I realised I wanted to compete. I got rid of that fear. It was like it was my birthday, going somewhere excited. I'm thinking to myself - because I want to do it, I can control this. I didn't have to be frightened of it. I just stayed focused. And the Thais themselves just put a smile there, put a yim there, and for me it just felt right."
- Ronnie Green
Part III: Saengmorakot Camp
Darron filmed on location for 4 weeks at Saengmorakot Camp - Jartuis's camp in Bangkok. These are the real photographs from the production. Not staged. Not Hollywood. Real life inside a Thai boxing camp.
Behind the Gym Sign Post
The bigger view. A Thai temple rises behind the camp with its ornate blue and gold gable. Palm trees. Everyday Bangkok. This is where champions are made.
Golden Buddha Through the Railings
Outside the camp. A golden Buddha visible through white temple railings. Scooters, pot plants, palm trees. Spirituality and fighting living side by side.
The Children of the Camp
Two young Nak Muay sitting on the gym floor. Shin guards on the shelves behind them. Laundry drying on the line. Training frames and equipment all around. These boys live at the camp. They train. They eat. They sleep. They grow. This is not a holiday activity class. This is their life and their future.
The Film Crew
Four moments from the production. Top left: Darron with his camera on the tripod, Thai fighters crowding round to see themselves on screen. Top right: the fighters with a Western visitor. Bottom left: the young Nak Muay grabbed the camera and started filming themselves - laughing, flexing, directing each other. Bottom right: the local Thai motorcycle taxi drivers in their orange vests joined in, posing with the tripod and the crew. Everyone wanted to be part of it.
Food, Action & Family
This is what the film captured. Top left: young fighters grilling satay on the street BBQ while a Buddhist monk walks past in his saffron robes. Top right: the boys eating, one yawning after training, one smiling at Darron's camera. Bottom left: kids gathered around the tripod, curious about the technology. Bottom right: the whole camp gathered outside - fighters, trainers, children - while the red plastic chairs and the blue gym mats tell you this is home, not a set.
Watching The Martial Way Evolve
Under the trees and sun. A young Nak Muay on a red motorbike. The temple and golden Buddha behind him. A Pepsi sign. Bangkok life. He is watching. He is learning. Praxis in observation. The martial way evolves through the eyes of the next generation.
Ronnie on the camp, the children, and the community within:
"In Thailand you see the kids out there. They're helping. They're actually developing and walking the same walk the champions walked. They took on the responsibility. In the west the kids don't want to do anything except fight. They don't want to clean the gym. They don't want to really look in to see what it's all about. Take lead, follow and then become a champion outside and inside the ring."
- Ronnie Green
Every nation's flag. Japan, Malaysia, South Korea, Germany, Croatia, South Africa, USA, UK. All under one roof because martial arts brought them together.
"The concept of Arjan and Master - it's a big thing in Europe. But in Thailand the Arjan, the Master, he was part and parcel. A smile. He was part of the camp. He also would set the example for the fighters. He would clean. He would help. He wouldn't walk around like he ruled the place. He walked around with respect for the people, and the people had respect for him and his knowledge. That's what I found in the camps - there was a community there."
- Ronnie Green
"I was a foreigner in a strange land and yet they made me feel at home. They also wanted me to be the best that I could be. You have to be honourable and this is what Muay Thai is all about. If I'm going to promote such a positive side of Muay Thai, it's always going to be from the people rather than me just throwing the kicks and the punches. The art of Thai boxing is the Thai people. The way."
- Ronnie Green
Part IV: The Real Warriors
Ronnie's notes for coaches and athletes on what it means to be a real Thai warrior:
The Numbers
Some champions in Thailand train and fight from an early age. Some retire at 24 due to having had 250 fights. Some are so good that they still may only win 75% of their fights. That is about 60 losses.
Many in the West, if they lost against those odds, they would be considered failures. Many Western fighters don't ever get to 50 fights. Some champions in the West have about 20 fights in a career and fight 3 to 4 times a year.
A Nak Muay Thai from Thailand's camps has to fight at least once a month at a main league competition. 250 fights is hard. 50 fights is hard. Those 75% losses and injuries can all be soaked up in the Thai sun, but what keeps them going is they love their sport.
They fight for love in Thailand. For honour and pride. Family pride. Something that seems to be lost in the West.
Part V: Praxis
Resilience is transferable via praxis.
Mythaistory is a documentary about praxis - practice and preaching. Many in the West don't practice what they preach. Ronnie and Darron, as pure martial artists, were driven to show teaching methods that have historical and cultural origins about protection, safety, and turning fighting into an art and a sport.
The First Ghost-Writer's Review
"Mythaistory is a documentary based on the way of the Thais and how it differs from the way of the West. The narrator Ronnie Green explains how going to Thailand as an educational journey has made him become an overall better person in the ring and also in life. Through the Thai system Ronnie has learned the art of Thai boxing from the original masters and also how to fight with a clear mind instead of fighting with anger and aggression."
"The children in the camps all want to be like the elders, the teachers, and have a hunger to learn. They are willing to clean and help around the camps. They have a sense of maturity and feel it's their responsibility. The masters show authority but are not trying to make themselves look better than everyone else. The masters also help with the cleaning and the hard jobs. It has a feel of family, community, and that everyone is equal to one another. The only difference between them is the knowledge they possess."
- C.M., First Ghost-Writer for Mythaistory Project
Ronnie Green with friends from across the world. The big guy in the Red Bull vest won gold. The shortest man in the photo made the film.
Part VI: Bruce Lee's Way - The Connection
From the original Bruce Lee tribute - the words that started this whole journey:
"Bruce died on July the 20th 1973. His legend still lives on. People are still fascinated by his life and his achievements. It's truly amazing the impact one person can have on the whole world. Bruce gave us the martial arts movie genre and used the movie industry to express himself. Why did he have this burning desire to bring Kung Fu to the West? Because martial arts are not just about punching and kicking - it's also about sharing, passing on one's knowledge to the next generation. Teaching."
"I personally do not believe in 'style'. Because of 'styles', people are separated. They are not united together because styles became law."
- Bruce Lee
"If you always put limit on everything you do, physical or anything else, it will spread into your work and into your life. There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them."
- Bruce Lee
"I remember growing up and being too young to watch Bruce Lee films. My dad was a huge fan. He would tell me stories of watching his movies in Jamaica in an open air cinema. My Dad passed that martial arts buzz onto me. For me Bruce Lee's image symbolised strength, justice, reason, love, protection and skill. I still have Bruce Lee posters up in my house. It reminds me to train, to not be lazy. The first Bruce Lee film I saw was Big Boss. What I loved is that they demonised the negative and celebrated the hero. As a child I could understand that martial arts should not be used to bully or take advantage of those weaker."
"Growing up I wanted to be like Bruce - strong, just, loving and respectful. There is a beautiful scene in Way of the Dragon when he fights Chuck Norris. The fight scene still stands today as one of the best ever filmed. Chuck is beaten and Bruce gives him a chance to surrender. Chuck has too much pride and lunges at Bruce. Bruce is forced to end his life. At that precise moment the emotion on Bruce's face is one of regret. He then honours the fallen warrior by laying him down gently and covering him over with his Gi. It's a beautiful moment in the movie."
Mongkhongtong - Golden Dragon
Mongkhongtong is Thai for Golden Dragon. Darron Chadwick's martial arts organisation that aims to provide effective and practical self-defence. Focus: safety and confidence along the journey of life.
Darron started Shotokan Karate at aged 7, back in 1974, taught by Master Kevin Masterson of Leeds. Then Shukokai Karate under the SKU, taught by Dave and Joe Grinion. Judo at Roundhay High School from a science teacher. Competitive fighting was never on Darron's agenda.
"Darron is a sportsman first then a martial artist, and a purist at that. His main goal was to learn traditional Muay Thai but this journey took a long time. From the days of Alan Whicker on TV in the early 70s, Muay Thai for the UK was just a few minutes' glimpse of some very young looking monks in Bangkok training like men."
Fight for fun and learn to protect yourself. Go home safe, is his motto.
Big Joe Egan's Review
Big Joe Egan - Mike Tyson's former sparring partner - invited Ronnie and Darron to his pub in Birmingham in 2012 to view the Mythaistory draft. This is what he said:
Big Joe Egan & Andy Farrel - RIP
Big Joe with Andy Farrel - their best friend, the bouncer, Randy Couture's big mate, the Judo man. When the crew needed security on tour, Andy was THE MAN. After book tours, Randy and Andy sang all night to bug Daz while he balled with laughter. Tough guys? Where? Andy's Judo was better than good. Rest in peace, Andy.
"My name is Joe Egan. I love sports, and I love films. As a young boy I was bullied in England and in Ireland. Even though I am Irish the Irish people didn't like me because of my English accent and the English people didn't like me because I was Irish. I took up western boxing to help defend myself against the bullies and through my training I developed a passion for combat sports."
"I liked how two athletes competed against each other and at the end of the fight, they embraced. We understood that it was a game and we respected our opponents - not fighting in the streets or in the playground, aggressive, violent and destructive. The fighters in the ring competed and displayed their skills, their power, not their hatred. And that's how my love for the sport began."
"I had the delights of being a sparring partner with Mike Tyson in his early years."
"I have watched Ronnie Green's Mythaistory and I never knew how beautiful Thailand was - the people, the scenery and the lifestyle. I can't wait to go there myself to visit such a vibrant and energetic country. Just speaking it, it sounds exotic and full of life, full of ambition and that's just what Mythaistory portrays. Thailand - a place of fantasy."
"Mythaistory is a fun and enjoyable film, with action packed scenes, dazzling animations and the narrator, Ronnie Green, manages to captivate you, entice you. It leaves you wanting to know more. The people documented in this film, the kids, the champions, they remind me of how sport and friendship is meant to be - helping one another, learning together and walking together."
"The famous Ronnie Green asked me to view the film - how exciting meeting yet another world champion athlete, a fighter, teacher but more importantly, a gentleman. Ronnie narrates over the film speaking from his heart about his experiences, meeting, training, fighting and living with these Real Muay Thai Warriors."
"Mythaistory is about the Thai people, their smile, their way. Beautifully filmed alongside some fascinating and heart-warming words from Ronnie Green. The choice of music is perfect and the animations made from photographs of the journey are superb. Mythaistory is a must-see movie."
"It takes me back to my days and friendships, and the camaraderie in the boxing gyms. Ronnie - Thailand looks beautiful."
'Happiness' from Big Joe Egan.
Big Joe Egan. Mike Tyson's sparring partner. Bullied in England and Ireland. Found himself in western boxing. Watched Mythaistory in his own pub in Birmingham. And said: "It takes me back." That is the highest review a film can receive - when a man who sparred with the most dangerous fighter in history says your documentary about Thai children reminded him of friendship.
V0 Bruce Says
This chapter contains words that are 10 to 15 years old. Notes from phone memos, ghost-writer drafts, film synopses, and narration scripts. Preserved here because Ronnie Green's voice matters and Darron Chadwick's film matters, whether it is in a cinema or in a cathedral of code.
The Mythaistory documentary film - over two and a half hours - is coming. When it arrives, it will sit alongside this book. The viewer's surprise. But the words came first. The words always come first. Even when you cannot write.
Resilience is transferable via praxis. That is years of work in one sentence. That is Ronnie Green's gift. That is the Thai Way. That is Bruce Lee's legacy. Zero trees got chopped down.