TUCKED BEHIND the bustling Loyola Schools (LS) covered courts is Ateneo’s Martial Arts Center–home and training ground of Coach Andre Puertollano and the Ateneo Muay Thai team. Puertollano, or Kru (Coach) as his students call him, is also known by the LS community as the figurehead of the Physical Education’s (PE) PHYED 146 class. Apart from his time in the LS, Puertollano has also organized Muay Thai clubs and organizations in the Ateneo Grade School (AGS) and Ateneo High School (AHS)—instructing generations of Ateneans.
At first glance, Muay Thai may appear to be brutal, rough, and to an extent painful to watch; certainly not what comes to mind when one thinks of a PE class. This initial impression of Muay Thai as a violent and dangerous art is what Puertollano has worked on debunking throughout his tenure as a Muay Thai practitioner and instructor. Though his PHYED 146 class has gained a reputation for being challenging, testimonies on the Ateneo Profs to Pick Facebook group collectively attest that Puertollano’s class is one of the most rewarding and sought-after LS subjects.
However, Puertollano’s imprint as the founding instructor of the University’s acclaimed Muay Thai program doesn’t reveal enough about the character behind his titles. Beneath his seemingly tough and athletic exterior is a man who wears many hats: A fighter, a father, a mentor, but most importantly—a teacher at heart.
Coming full circle
The genesis of Puertollano’s ties to Muay Thai can be traced back to his undergraduate days in the LS, later becoming an instructor of the sport when he was an AGS faculty member. Symbolically beginning his career as an instructor in the same place where he first learned to love Muay Thai, Puertollano always knew of his strong desire to help shape the youth.
“I’ve always wanted to teach. Even before my graduation from Ateneo, I wanted to teach already, and then coach Muay Thai on the side,” said Puertollano.
In his last term as a LS undergraduate, an ambitious Puertollano eagerly approached the AGS faculty for a teaching position, only to find out there were no openings quite yet. Undeterred, Puertollano decided to pursue his side hobby of coaching Muay Thai to a few kids in the AGS, just like how he spent childhood summers in Ateneo learning martial arts. Starting out with a small two-student class, Puertollano’s sessions soon expanded when he was offered the chance to be a club moderator for AGS.
As fate would have it, teaching positions for Science and Araling Panlipunan eventually opened up and were offered to Puertollano. At this point, he had already achieved his goal of being a teacher who coached Muay Thai on the side.
The big shift in Puertollano’s career as an educator happened two years after his employment in the AGS, when then LS PE Director Alex Torres asked him to consider offering Muay Thai as an actual PE class in the LS.
At the time, Puertollano was perfectly content with his current setup; teaching in his alma mater and coaching a Muay Thai club had always been his dream career. Yet something inside him stirred upon hearing the invitation, as the chance to introduce Muay Thai into the lives of more people was something he could not ignore. The veteran fighter couldn’t pass on the opportunity to establish Muay Thai as an official PE subject. Formally requested to head Ateneo’s first Muay Thai PE class, Puertollano’s mind was set on pioneering the sport’s integration into the LS.
Goal in mind
Puertollano spearheaded Muay Thai’s growth in Ateneo by establishing student clubs and organizations in AGS and AHS, then pioneering the sport’s PE course in the LS. Outside the walls of the LS Martial Arts Center, Puertollano busies himself maintaining the Muay Thai clubs he set up in other schools such as Miriam College, Assumption College Antipolo, University of the Philippines, and De La Salle University.
With the help of his students from all over the country, Puertollano has been working towards another ambitious goal: To spearhead the establishment of Muay Thai as an official event in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines.
In pursuit of developing Filipino Muay Thai, Puertollano pushes himself first and foremost to be a transformative force in the lives of all those seeking to learn the craft from him. “It’s not just [about] my development, it’s [about] seeing someone develop as well and go beyond their limitations,” he said.
Puertollano places constant emphasis on the need to instill both a winning attitude and a tenacious mentality in his students. “You need to shape this person [so] that he trusts himself, [and] understands his strengths and weaknesses,” the veteran instructor opined.
However, his journey as a Muay Thai coach was not simply a production line of teaching self-defense and instilling values in students. Puertollano’s career as a Kru had multiple difficulties, especially with the inherent physical nature of Muay Thai as a martial art. As the sport became an established PE course in the LS, Puertollano recognized that more measures must be taken to ensure the safety of his students. This led to him removing certain techniques—such as splits—that put the students at a greater risk of injury, and making sparring sessions purely voluntary.
Puertollano described his training sessions with all of his students to be highly adaptive, quickly adjusting to the individual needs of each of his pupils. While Puertollano teaches a wide array of individuals with varying skill levels—from kids, to college students, to competitive Muay Thai practitioners—he ensures that all those who enter his class receive the same quality of instruction.
As such, Puertollano stresses that the only variation in his method of instruction is his stricter disposition towards competitive athletes so as to mentally condition them for the ring. “If you don’t know what to do [in the ring], you are gonna be facing a crazy amount of stress and pain. [So,] you need to prepare your mind and body,” stated the experienced Kru.
Building a community
Beyond his vast and varied experiences with his pupils, Puertollano hopes that his students transcend the preconceived notion of Muay Thai as merely a method of fighting.
Inherent in Muay Thai is the importance of building a family-like community and wishing one’s opponents well post-game regardless of the results. These practices are what Puertollano hopes to imbibe in his students. As Muay Thai is a sport heavily rooted in the Thai culture of respect, Puertollano teaches through it the philosophy of Wai Kru, which encourages students to pay homage to their family and teachers. Through Wai Kru, Puertollano hopes to be able to foster in more Filipinos the unique sense of respect, honor, and discipline that the martial art of Muay Thai has to offer.
From his early days as a club moderator up until his ever-expanding Muay Thai revolution, what has remained constant throughout Puertollano’s journey is his wholehearted commitment to teaching. “Overcoming your limits and finishing strong” is the philosophy that enables Puertollano to fuse his devotion to Muay Thai with his vocation for education.
Andre Puertollano emerges as an individual concerned with molding a life-long passion for Muay Thai; a passion that he proudly continues to build on to this day.
