Girls in the ring, in the mainstream
Think you got the talent to fight it out in Thailand? Master Toddy of the hit Oxygen network reality TV series Fight Girls is bringing muay thai back into the mainstream and calling all girls to the ring for spring training in its upcoming third season.
Fight Girls portrays the side less seen by American television viewers: “Most reality shows are about people arguing with one another and doing other things,” explained Master Toddy, a Thai native who is the muay thai trainer for the show. “In Fight Girls, it’s all about the mind, body and philosophy of getting people to work together.”
As a muay thai champion himself, Master Toddy is enthusiastic about bringing American viewers a fresh perspective on the female mind and body. Instead of having beauty and materialism define its participants, the Fight Girls are fierce, brave and relentless in their pursuit of the ultimate goal: to fight well enough to join the top ranks of the original muay thai boxers in Thailand.
The idea for the show originated from Master Toddy himself. After the 2004 tsunami hit Thailand, he wanted a way to help his homeland deal with the death and destruction.
“They needed help very badly,” Master Toddy said. “I felt that the best thing was to get people believing in southern Thailand, with its beautiful beaches, again. After all, a tsunami only happens every 100 years.”
With the backing of executive producers Scott Messick and Tom Weber of Mess Media — the same pair who produced Survivor — the group set out to find 10 girls who could tough it out for seven weeks in a boot camp of sorts. Of the thousands of girls who applied, 10 were put into a single house, living, eating and training together.
Training consisted of three hours every morning and two at night. Every week, Master Toddy matched two girls up with one another in the ring, with the winner going to Thailand to box and the loser being sent home.
“It was all about toughening your mentality — mind over matter,” Master Toddy said. “We trained them to be tough physically and have a winning attitude, and they all had fantastic personalities. In a short amount of time, we were able to show that an American woman could do as well as the ‘original’ Thai muay thai boxer.”
With two seasons behind them, Master Toddy is on the lookout for new talent for the third. As a sort of informal recruiting event, he is holding a two-day seminar at World Team USA, a martial arts studio in San Francisco owned by Kru Sam Phimsoutham, who was trained by Master Toddy.
At the seminar held April 11 and 12, Master Toddy will teach muay thai, first step-instructor level fighting and general self-defense techniques, and will be on the lookout for new talent to pass on to the director of recruiting for when formal recruiting for Fight Girls begins.
“In the seminar, I want to see women who have good personalities, patience and the talent to handle any situation,” Master Toddy said. “I will also be looking at skill level and the ability to learn quickly. We also don’t want the girls to already have been champions or those who have already won fights — we want to keep it fresh and new, because we have more fun that way. If you think you have the talent, then come out!”
Official recruiting will begin around June and July. Master Toddy and the recruiters will be traveling to major cities to find fighters, and filming for the show will begin at the end of the year.
Master Toddy’s Seminar In San Francisco
April 11– 12, 2008
Registration:
$115/per day
$140/per 2 days (after 4/7/08)
Pre-registration:
$95/per day
$125/per 2 days (after 4/6/08)
Location:
2575 Ocean Avenue
(and 19th Ave.)
San Francisco, CA
(415) 333-3496
For more information: oxygen.com or mastertoddy.com. To sign up for the seminar at World Team USA: (415) 333-3496 or worldteamusa.com.
