COMING TO BLOWS INSTRUCTOR BRINGS MUAY THAI HOME MARTIAL ART HAS RICH CULTURAL HERITAGE.

Byline: Eugene Tong Staff Writer

CANYON COUNTRY - Kicks and blows pelted Pongsan Ekyotin like raindrops as the padded instructor drilled another student on the ring work and combinations of Muay Thai - Thai kickboxing.

``I want to promote fights here in Santa Clarita and teach the people more about Muay Thai,'' said Ekyotin, who opened his World Muay Thai Gym just eight months ago in a Canyon Country industrial center. ``It's my life. It's everything for me.''

More than 600 years old, Muay Thai is a fierce fighting system known for its devastating, direct kicks. It is Thailand's national sport, and has gained a loyal following in the West in nations such as France and the Netherlands.

``It adds another element,'' said Keith Lau, 26, of Saugus as he trained with Ekyotin Friday. ``Somebody with long arms definitely has the advantage in regular boxing. The legs are a great equalizer.''

But it remains overshadowed in the United States by such martial arts as tae kwon do and karate. Muay Thai can be brutal, and the inclusion of elbow and knee blows has sidelined it from the U.S. kickboxing mainstream, which bars such moves, said Ekyotin, himself a champion boxer and holder of several world titles.

Still, some its techniques have filtered into such mixed martial arts tournaments as the K-1 and the Ultimate Fighting leagues.

``Tae kwon do is good for action. And they have very good uniforms. Very clean,'' said Ekyotin, whose 5-foot-6, 130-pound frame could barely contain a swelling intensity as he pounded on a punching bag. ``Muay Thai is real fighting. Muay Thai is about power. It's momentum.''

``It's more realistic than most styles,'' said Victor del Rosario, an instructor at the Academy of Southeast Asian Martial Arts. The Canyon Country school includes some Thai kickboxing into its curriculum. ``The training and conditioning aspect of it is really intense. That's why we like it.''

Ekyotin, 40, began his training at 7 years old. He left his northern Thailand hometown of Petchabon for the bright lights of Bangkok, where he became one of the sports' mainstays.

``I was the smallest in the class,'' he said. ``I wanted to exercise and learn self-defense.''

He also worked as a police trainer and taught classes at universities, which allowed him to get a college education in Bangkok.

Even today, he is still thankful for the opportunities the sport has brought. At the gym altar sits a statue of Buddha - a majority of Thais practice Buddhism - framed by his robes and ``mongkol,'' the traditional headband worn by boxers in pre-match ceremonies.

``We give respect to the ring, and give respect to our teachers before the fight,'' he said.

In 1996, Ekyotin immigrated to the United States, teaching in gyms at North Hollywood and Huntington Park. But he left the San Fernando Valley two years ago for Santa Clarita, driven by the same impulse that fed the region's exponential growth in the last decade.

``My wife wanted to buy a house here in Canyon Country,'' he said, smiling. ``It's a nice place and a good area for my son.'' A photo of John, 4, in boxer shorts and gloves hangs on a wall by the ring, just above a championship belt.

And his business appears to have made in-roads here, with a roster of about 50 students - many on one- to two-year contracts. Lessons cost about $80 a month. He is also promoting an upcoming local martial arts tournament scheduled for April 24.

``A lot of people come here to stay fit, to stay healthy,'' Ekyotin said. He pointed to a photo of a student. ``When he came here four months ago, he was 230 pounds. Now he is 185. But he hasn't come in for a couple weeks. He hurt himself working at home - not from Muay Thai.''

Inside the ring, Lau came at Ekyotin with ferocity, kicking at his instructor while he calmly deflected the blows. One kick to the side met the teacher's thigh after he lifted his leg up to his stomach for the block.

``The first time I did some sparring, I was doing a limp kick,'' said Lau, who started lessons just six weeks ago. ``He did that block, and I was sore for hours.''

Eugene Tong, [phone]

eugene.tong(at)dailynews.com

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3 photos

Photo:

(1 -- 3) Keith Lau, 26, works out at the World Muay Thai Gym in Canyon Country. The gym already has about 50 students learning Thailand's national sport. Below, Muay Thai instructor Pongsan Ekyotin, right, blocks a kick from Lau. At bottom, Muay Thai items are displayed in places of honor at the World Muay Thai Gym.

David Crane/Staff Photographer