Muay Thai, Thailand’s national sport, is known as the art of eight limbs—utilizing punches, kicks, elbows, and knees. Niina Myller, through her Niina Carita brand, is a Muay Thai athlete and content creator with over half a million online followers on Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook, where she shares her passion for the sport through tutorials and humor.
The day Muay Thai found me
By Niina Carita
In 2010, I was called to help a friend and take photos at the Finnish Muay Thai championships. I said yes because I had been training in Japanese martial arts since 2002 and was curious to see the art of Muay Thai. I didn’t have any experience in actual competitions, so I was excited to see how I would feel about witnessing real fights.
I stepped into the dark Muay Thai arena with my camera. They had spotlights only in the ring. I smelled something strong in the air—it was the liniment Muay Thai fighters use to warm their muscles. I heard the traditional Muay Thai music playing. Then I saw these fit and strong men fighting in the ring, and you could hear the roundhouse kicks hitting flesh, followed by the “oowee” screams from the corner and from the audience.
The next fight gave me the full picture of Muay Thai. I saw my first-ever women fighters walking into the ring with their teams, and then the fighters started to dance before the fight. Every movement was meaningful. I realized that these female fighters were respected just as much as any other fighter that day. My heart felt on fire while watching these two women fight each other with no mercy, yet still with full respect for one another. I think I forgot I was supposed to take photos that day. I was shocked. That day, something inside me that had been sleeping woke up. The next day, I called the local Muay Thai coach and asked if I could start Muay Thai and maybe become a fighter too. He replied: “What if you come train first?” I often wonder why I asked if I could fight. I think it’s because I wanted to test the waters, to see if they were okay with a woman becoming a fighter in their gym, being an equal part of the team.
A fighters transformation
I started training and took Muay Thai very seriously. My athletic lifestyle helped a lot in the beginning. I had the balance and the cardio, both very important in Muay Thai. Our coach was (and still is) an amazing man. He believed in each one of us. After two years of hard work and fighting experience, I fought my way to the Finnish championship finals. I was the underdog, with fewer fights than my opponent, and from a small city where Muay Thai had been practiced for decades but still had not produced any champions.
The championship finals
The minutes, hours and even days before a fight can feel very strange. I’ve talked to many fighters (no matter their gender) and many agreed. It can be a place of wanting to step in the ring but also asking yourself: “Why did I sign up for this? I could get hurt.” A place where nervousness meets the bravest version of yourself. A place where adrenaline is born.
My nervousness stopped the second they announced my name, and I started walking to the ring with my coach behind me. This was the first lesson I learned about how we can change when we have to. It’s the adrenaline. I chose a song that spoke about walking in a strange land, far from my home city. I don’t know if it was the song choice or my nervous smile, but I won the audience over the moment I walked into the ring. These strangers were cheering my name. I felt at home. But one of the biggest lessons of my life was about to happen.
The adrenaline that changed my life
The fight started, and my opponent was known for being the aggressor. I had to figure out a way to win. In a fight, you can’t calculate things the way you can while sparring at your home gym. Your body works like a machine, repeating the hard work you’ve done in the weeks, months, and years before. You’re only as good as your training, I thought.
I found a technique that my opponent didn’t handle very well. I was probably as surprised as she was. I kept attacking with sharp elbow strikes and went straight into clinching, followed by knee strikes to her body. I suddenly felt stronger than I had ever been—not only physically, but mentally too. I broke her rhythm. I decided to take the win. I felt like the most beautiful animal in a quiet Finnish forest: like a deer with strong, powerful horns. I was a real female fighter, and I felt I could protect the village. Nothing could stop me from winning this fight.
I won the fight and surprised everyone. My coach was quiet for many hours afterward. We still talk about that day, even after 13 years. That day, we put our city on the Muay Thai map and earned a historical place in the Finnish Muay Thai national team.
The fight that revealed the best version of me
Today, I still go back to that day when I learned the biggest lesson of my life. I believe that as a woman—but also as a human—I can achieve anything I set my mind to. And I believe you can do it too. If I’m ever in a low place in life, I remember the woman in the ring that day and remind myself that the strongest version of me is still inside me today. I believe you have it too. Maybe you just haven’t harnessed it yet. You don’t have to go into the ring to find it. A little adrenaline can make you stronger.
Stepping out of our comfort zone is the key. Don’t put yourself in a box about what you can and can’t do. Maybe it’s not the world around you that’s stopping you, maybe it’s yourself.
When the stakes are high, we can become the best version of ourselves. The only question you have to find an answer to is: what’s the next step when you walk outside your comfort zone? It will be scary, but you know you have to do it. The second the adrenaline hits, you’re closer to the answer. You have to do the work. Only you can find the answer for yourself. Now go!
