by Junior Galeas
Bronx Journal Staff Writer
Since he was seven years old, William Kru Rivera was drawn to martiaI arts. He started with Kung Fu and eventually got a black belt. But in 1989, he discovered a unique type of martial art: Muay Thai. Originating in Thailand two centuries ago, Muay Thai involves the use of both legs, both knees, both fists, and both elbows. Rivera said he was attracted to it immediately.
“I’ve always liked fighting,” Rivera said. “In Muay Thai, you use your elbows and your knees. It’s different, even the uniform.” After discovering Muay Thai, Rivera, 43, spent eight years in Thailand studying and training in the martial arts. As a result, Rivera started the very first martial arts school in the Bronx that teaches Muay Thai. The school, Lion’s Roar Camp, is located in the Bedford park section of the Bronx.
So far Rivera is training more than a dozen students. To warm up his students, he has them do 300 jumping jacks, 100 squats, 100 push ups, 100 sit ups, hands on the wall while kneeing for 10 minutes, and running for another 10 minutes. All these exercises take place straight through-no breaks.
Angel Rierra, one of the students describes what he feels after practice, “Very sore.”
Muay Thai is rooted in a strenuous, and what some would describe as a brutal martial art. It is called the science of eight limbs because eight parts of the body are used – unlike other martial arts where a practitioner only uses their hands or their legs and feet. In the very early forms of competition in Muay Thai, participants used their bare fists along with head butting, and kicking in the groin. But as time passed, the rules changed and certain things were restricted to make the sport a bit less dangerous.
However, the martial arts is still considered brutal, compared to other forms of fighting. Bleeding occurs with frequency when a match is going on, as well as knockouts. Ilelanie Cruz, another student, said she’s been injured plenty of times. “I recently got a chipped tooth because I wasn’t wearing my mouth piece, “Cruz said, “ever since then, I’ve been wearing my mouth piece everyday. You learn a great deal.”
She also expresses how she feels about training in the first Bronx martial arts school that teaches Muay Thai. “It’s great, it’s great to know that my trainer trains in Muay Thai,” Cruz explained. “I have a lot of confidence in my trainer and in this gym. I have a lot of confidence in myself.”
Rivera is glad to open up the gym in his native borough. “This is where I’m from. I’m from the Bronx,” Rivera said. “There’s a lot of talent in the Bronx. I like to train fighters and this are where the fighters are at.”
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