Since he's appeared on the History Channel's "Human Weapon: Pradal Serey", Paddy Carson has been trying to drum up some more interest from foreigners keen to try the art.
Name: Paddy's Gym, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Location: At the top of Sisowath Quay, 50 metres from the Japanese Bridge ("Chruoy Chang Var"in the local parlance), in a dirty big warehouse.
What they teach: Powerlifting, Olympic lifting, boxing, Khmer-boxing, aerobics, bodybuilding, square-dancing.
Instructors: Paddy Carson, Bill Byars, various Khmer and Filipino coaches. And me.
Cost: To use the gym is $3 per session, or $45 per month, locals pay 75c. If you are there to fight you train for free. Private one-on-one training can be arranged.
When: Most weight-lifting related activities usually happen around 3pm, when Bill and his jolly crew of bodybuilders turn up. Khmer-boxing starts at about 4:30 every weekday, or 7pm on Mondays and Wednesdays if you are an ex-pat ($5 for you, whitey). Aerobics starts at 6pm, and continues until the music stops.
Paddy can be contacted at
paddycarson1@hotmail.com, and I'll be there for another couple of months. Anyone thinking of going off the beaten track from Thailand for stand-up fighting should give it a thought; just going out to get the newspapers in Phnom Penh can be an adventure in itself.