There is no doubt that Muay Thai has become a very popular combat sport all across America today. A lot of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighters are even incorporating it into their fighting style to win Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) competitions. Well-respected Muay Thai referee, judge, and instructor Christopher M. Aboy recognizes the sport’s potential to make a lasting difference in the lives of young athletes, and it is for this very reason that he hosts multiple sparring exhibitions so that they will have exposure and experience in playing the sport.
Chris has been passionately teaching Muay Thai for more than a decade. His love and dedication to the sport eventually made him a sought-after referee and judge active at both local and national levels. His accumulated years of experience allowed him the opportunity to host his own sparring exhibitions and other sports events for his students at TAG Muay Thai, a thriving gym that offers lessons to students of various ages. Chris hosted his first exhibition in 2015 in Herndon, Virginia. This coming December 18th will be his 17th exhibition at his new facility in Sterling, Virginia.
Sparring exhibitions are instrumental in building the self-confidence of athletes, especially young ones. They will be compelled to step out of their comfort zone and apply what they have been training for. According to Chris, there are multiple levels to compete, which he explains further in his book titled “Conquering Muay Thai.” Athletes get to spar with other people outside of their gym, motivating them to be in their best fighting form prior to the exhibition.
“From sparring at your gym with familiar peers that you drill with, it’s a lot different if you take that same person and put them inside a ring where your movement is now limited. It’s a lot different when you don’t train or know the person once the bell sounds,” Chris shared.
Chris’ exhibitions, however, are a little different from the regular ones being mounted by other organizers, which normally see first-time athletes getting knocked out during the first round. Throughout the course of his career as a referee, Chris has always prioritized the safety of all athletes involved in a match. For this reason, he allows both athletes in the ring to be pushed to their limits without compromising the chances of the less dominant athlete.
For Chris, one of the main reasons why he organized sparring exhibitions is so that he would see how well his students learned from their classes. He wants to be able to see first-hand what other areas his students can improve on so they can better prepare for the next match.
Other gyms have caught wind of Chris’ exhibitions and are signing up to join to give their students the exposure and experience they need to step up their game. Thanks to the massive reach of social media, Chris was able to put TAG Muay Thai on the map.
To elevate the sparring exhibitions and to add value to the experiences of athletes, Chris has continually invested in new and high-quality sparring equipment in the last five years. Additionally, he facilitated the certification of some of his students with various sanctioning bodies to empower them to grow more as athletes. In the end, what these young athletes experience in the sparring exhibitions will help them build character, a goal that Chris believes will be his lasting legacy to his students.
