To all my students,
I hope this letter finds you well. It’s been almost 50 years now that I began my mission to bring Muay Thai to the United States and the rest of the world. Along my journey, I’ve created strong friendships and bonds with all of my students. Without you, I would not have been able to accomplish my mission. I want to thank you all for your loyalty and respect through the years. The bond that I have with my students is the most important thing to me. I consider you all my extended family.
I started as a “one-man show” and it grew into one of the largest Muay Thai organizations in the world. All this happened with your help. As you know, the Thai Boxing Association recently changed into the World Thai Boxing Association for the reason of unifying it as a global organization. With growth comes challenges to organization and structure and we have experienced this within the last year. Ajarn Bryan Dobler was in charge of many of the organizational duties and has recently stepped down to focus on his health issues. I am grateful and thankful for Ajarn Bryan’s contributions and support over many years.
I would also like to acknowledge the previous team members, Alan Baker, Bob Burgee, Don Garon, Tonya Paulson and Erik Paulson, for offering a proven strategy and stepping in to help launch the movement of the organization and positioning it for future improvements. I am most appreciative for the time they spent to ramp things up and I thank them very much for all their efforts from the bottom of my heart.
I will now be taking over and forming a council with some of my senior instructors that will assist me in forwarding the direction of the World Thai Boxing Association. My dream is to have this association continue long after I step down and for many generations to come. I am grateful for your patience and understanding throughout this transition. I look forward to continuing this mission with integrity and standards of excellence.
I hope all of my students will join me to support the WTBA and continue to make it stronger. If there is anything holding you back from joining or you still have questions, please email me and my team directly at WTBAoffice@gmail.com.
This communications will be the first of many to come to keep you informed on some of the improvements I have planned. Again, thank you for your support and I look forward to seeing you all soon!
Sincerely,
Ajarn Chai