LOTUS MUAY
KRU YAI John Johnston
I started my Martial Arts journey in the summer of 1979 and received my black belt in Lotus Self-Defense (A Thai martial art from Ubon Thailand) in 1991. That Fall I took over as the lead instructor and enhanced the Muay Thai training Lotus had provided its students over the years. I really developed my coaching and teaching skills by concentrating on a tough physical regiment while also focusing on proper form and technique. I ran the program for two years while I finished my BA degree from Whitworth University and completed my collegiate football career. A few of the fighters I coached had success in the local venues. As MMA started taking precedence in the eyes of most people, I continued focusing on Muay Thai and promoting the stand up arts in my region. I feel that the most important aspect of Muay Thai is the enhancement and fulfillment of Body, Mind and Spirit. Years of fighting and competing in different arenas always brought me back to those concepts. Muay Thai strengthens the body through conditioning: physical training, exercise and performance. Muay Thai enhances the mind by: cultivating the mind through practice, execution and technique. Muay Thai develops the spirit by: developing the will, sense of significance and personal character. I was brought into the USEACA (United South Eastern Asian Cultural Association) and I was taken on as a student by Ajahn Suchart from Siam No.1 and promoted to the level of Kru (certified instructor of Muay Thai) and then later promoted to the level of Kru Yai (advanced instructor of Muay Thai). Besides my long Martial Arts career, I'm a former football coach, and strength and conditioning coach at both Gonzaga Preparatory High School and Ferris High School in Spokane. I also taught Physical Education at North Idaho College specializing in women's self-defense, weights and conditioning and I created a very successful kickboxing class.
MUAY THAI ROOTS
Siam1
Useaca
Useaca
Siam №1 is Canada’s first Muay Thai School. Beginning in the basement of Young Thailand restaurant at Gerard and Jarvis in Toronto, Ontario Ajahn Suchart shared techniques and practices of Muay Thai to the few who had heard of the martial art. The late 80s were a quiet time for Muay Thai in Ontario. 1992 marked the year Siam №1officially opened its own doors and it has been growing in numbers ever since. Now, students of Siam №1 are found all around the world. Students (now Krus) have opened their own schools, and are sharing the learnings of Ajahn Suchart. Ajahn Suchart teaches traditional systems from exercise to movements to technical sequences to fighting strategies. These traditional teachings are now being spread across the province, county, and world. This was the plan and project of Ajahn Suchart – to teach traditional Muay Thai to the world.
Useaca
Useaca
Useaca
United Southeast Asian Cultural Association, aka USEACA is a non profit organization that has a goal in preserving the Southeast Asian culture and tradition. USEACA is the first organization in Washington State to bring together different martial art and dance instructors to organize annual cultural events. These events offer the public a glimpse of Southeast Asian culture, traditional kickboxing (Muay Thai, Kun Khmer, Muay Lao), and traditional dance demonstrations (Khmer Classical Dance, Thailand Traditional Dance, and Lao traditional dance).
USEACA was an idea brought up in 2006 when three men (Master John, Srab Sroeuy, and Lo Heit) talked about how nice it would be to have an organization that would unite traditional martial art and traditional dance instructors and somehow showcase the relationship between Southeast Asian traditional cultural dance and martial art. From what was an idea a year prior, became the birth and reality of USEACA in
2007. Since then USEACA has grown and added new members, which include Muay Thai, Kun Khmer Kickboxing, Bokator, and Filipino Kali stick fighting instructors, as well as two traditional dance instructors (Khmer Classical/Folk Dance and Thailand Traditional Dance).