Daniel Docto: Kicking high in Muay Thai

MANILA, Philippines- “Filipinos have so much talent and they are excellent boxers. If they wish to try Muay Thai and put their spirit or soul into this sport the result will be an awesome human being who prays to God for true strength and understanding in life." Daniel C. Docto aka “Doc" made that inspiring remark on his ultimate desire to spread to Thailand’s famous sport called “Muay Thai" to his fellow countrymen. His undying enthusiasm to attract more Filipinos in setting off on “the safest and yet the toughest fighting sport in the world" evolves from his incomparable dedication to test the triad of his own physical-mind-spirit limit. Still at the age of 44, Daniel is unstoppable. He has the undying passion for “full contact" sports. From teenage to the prime of his life, he endured playing American football, boxing, martial arts and even underwent military training. And he never ceased. After his knee surgery from playing football, he got back to shape in three years and feverishly went into the ring to do a real Muay Thai fight last May 2007 in Thailand. Remarkably, even having grandchildren does not hold him back on his aim in serving his last fight at the age of 50. Doc who is a Filipino-American proves that there is so much more left to be done on his mission to reach out to the poor and orphans who are into Muay Thai boxing. He is now based in the Southern part of Thailand and has recently started his “Muay Thai Missions" by providing free English lessons to young boxers, and helping poor families of those who are involved in this non-lucrative sport. More of his unswerving testimonials in his high aim to promote a sport which he describes as part of his “radical sacrificial living" are dealt below. Q: Please give us more information about your family and personal background. DOC: I was born in Concord, California, USA with one younger sister. During my childhood, I was a spoiled brat and fat boy. Then I played football for seven years and started to fight in boxing just like my Filipino uncles. I also tried martial arts. I hold an AA and Engineering certificate. Then I worked at a structural steel business industry as a welder, draftsman, project manager and estimator for 15 years. I owned the first Muay Thai School in North California for 12 years. And now, I am a “missionary" in Thailand. I am living with my wife in the Southern part of Thailand. We’ve got three kids and four grand kids. Q: What and/or who inspired you to become a Muay Thai boxer? DOC: In the end I was inspired by God. I know that God has put inside each one of us a desire to sacrifice ourselves in a physical way that is motivated by our spirit and soul. I am a crazy full contact person. I like doing things that put everything on the line. Football was my first taste, then boxing and martial arts, army training, jumping out of air planes, working at San Quentin CA State prison on Death Row and now a long love Muay Thai. Q: How long have you been training as a Muay Thai boxer? DOC: I started to get into Muay Thai in 1990. I trained under Kru Vut Kamnark who was a college champion from the North East Thailand. He lived in the USA for 19 years and educated the State of CA, USA on Muay Thai. I have trained all over Thailand mainly in Chiang Mai, Bangkok, Pattaya, Ao Nang, Krabi and the best known trainers are Sityotong and Fairtex. Q: What were the amateur and professional fights you participated in? DOC: Actually, I had 10 full contact martial arts fights. I was a school champion in 1982. In 1993, I was a Nor-Cal Kickboxing champion and my last fight of the six kickboxing fights was in 1996. I did not fight that much because I had knee problems. I had replacement surgery in 2003 so it was a miracle for me to fight in Thailand in May 3, 2007. Q: What is your unforgettable Muay Thai boxing experience? DOC: My 3 May 2007 fight in Thailand. The realization that true Thai boxers pray at least 12 times before fighting and the miracle that I could fight in Thailand at the age of 44 even after the knee surgery. I felt strong enough to get back into the ring and I was ready to fight with full Muay Thai rules and to do it here in Thailand. To say the least this was truly a once in a lifetime come back and experience. I was scheduled to fight a big Thai guy who had less skill but taller and heavier than me. But he canceled the fight due to sickness. Then they had a Japanese fighter to step up to the fight and for some reason he could not do it too. So on the day before my fight, they found a Holland fighter. He is 6’ 2" tall and weighed 193 pounds. I am 5’ 8" tall at 177 pounds. He was younger and had more recent ring experiences but many thought he was a great match; so, they asked if I wanted to still fight and I said “YES." Real Muay Thai fighters do not try to go for a knockout. They just try to relax and deliver a strike as hard as possible and if a knockout is the result then it will just happen naturally. Q: Why encourage Filipinos to get involve in this sport? Martial arts is cool, and street fighting is illegal but most will agree that Muay Thai is the safest and yet the toughest FIGHT Sport in the world. I believe this is so because when the shin bone, the knee bone, and the elbow bone are the primary weapons; then, PAIN is a sure result. Muay Thai is also the safest way to raise the levels of PAIN and FEAR to make major changes in your heart and character. To me, fighting in a divine and pure way is only found in Muay Thai. Q: Are there any Muay Thai boxing tips you wish to share? LESSON 1: If you want to be a fighter then you must schedule a FIGHT. When you schedule a FIGHT you don’t miss workouts, your focus gets serious, you will not step up a level in training, and when you get tired you will not push yourself beyond your feelings to a new level of fitness. LESSON 2: Be honest about your training schedule and then just do It!! The point is to schedule an honest training routine. It should be done FOUR weeks before your FIGHT and take the TWO days off before your fight. Many try to train right up to the day of their fight; your body needs a time to catch up and to heal before fighting. LESSON 3: You will have an INJURY somewhere when you go into your fight and you must be determined that you can put up with the pain just enough to give your best at the time of the fight. You should accept the fact that you will have some type of injury. Be honest about whether or not you can fight with this injury, and make a decision to do what you can to avoid sickness and pursue “Divine Health." LESSON 4: You will have to fully prepare yourself mentally, spiritually and emotionally. You must have a fight PLAN. Keep it simple; have only three to five fight moves or combinations that you will try to do in your FIGHT, and again keep it simple. The second preparation is about PRIDE. LESSON 5: You must get your team ready to fully support you. This was the BIG lesson I just learned in my fight in Thailand. You will have to fully prepare your TEAM – corner people and main coach. Many fighters are not as successful as they could be because they train and fight as a one man show. You need at least ONE person to be in your corner who knows you and who can call out techniques for you to do when you can not see them. You must practice sparring with one of your coaches so that you’ll learn to HEAR his voice while in combat. Q: What is your plan in the future? DOC: God willing I will fight again and hopefully someone my size!! I hope I don’t get more and more ugly scares on my face … but again we only live once on Earth so I want to have as much experiences as possible. And this year I have started “Muay Thai Missions." I want to use Muay Thai to strengthen young men in Thailand and that is easy since it is Thailand’s national sport but I want to reach out to all who love Muay Thai and ask them to give back something to Thailand by helping me teach English to the Thai boxers and to reach out to the poor, orphans and widows who are involved in Muay Thai. Jesus said if you want to live life to the full then you must sacrifice your life to Him … that is my now and future plan--amen. - GMANews.TV