Best Muay Thai gym in the Bay Area?

[Apexx]

I'm in San Francisco, currently looking for a good Muay Thai school. I've only ever grappled, no stand up striking training, so I don't really know what to look for in a good MT school. So far I've looked at a few different places, like World Muay Thai Team USA, El Nino, Fight and Fitness and K-One Fitness. Has anyone here trained at any of these schools? thanks

 

[lts5025]

Don't know anything about K-One Fitness, but World Team has Ky Hollenbeck, one of the best American nak muays currently fighting, El Nino has Jongsanan and Fight & Fitness has Bunkerd, two legends of Muay Thai.

I have personally trained with Jongsanan at El Nino and Neungsiam at F&F. I have not trained with Kru Sam at World Team, but my current coach in Sacramento sends members of the fight team to spar at World Team before a fight.

Hard to go wrong with any of those choices.

 

[LJW81]

K One Fitness' MT instructor is Boy Faphimai, son of Bunkerd of Fight and Fitness. I did a drop in at K One about two years ago. Class size is pretty small and instruction was good.

A friend of mine dropped in at Fight and Fitness and mentioned it was good but large class, 20-30 people.

Good luck

 

[DaGenius]

The best Muay Thai trainer in the entire western hemisphere teaches in San Franciso. His name is Jongsanan Fairtex and he teaches at El Nino. You will not be disappointed.

Bunkerd is awesome too.

 

[Harukaze]

I've trained under Bunkerd and Boy Faphimai before, and they're both excellent instructors. I owe my entire striking foundation to them, in fact. Bunkerd has more experience, but Boy has better English -- I never had a problem communicating with Bunkerd, but I know a number of people who do.

I've also trained under Jongsanan as well; he's just as badass as Bunkerd and his English is good to boot as well.

Both Bunkerd and Jongsanan have reached the highest echelons of Muay Thai achievable, and their style is as authentic as it gets.

Generally speaking, I've had a bad experience with World Team USA in the past, which is I why I've never trained there, but I have worked with a few people that came from there -- I hate to say it but their style is inauthentic, although it's arguably effective.

So it all just comes down to wherever suits you best!

 

[Apexx]

I think I'll give El Nino a try, and then maybe F&F.

 

[Paradigm]

I've trained under Bunkerd and Boy Faphimai before, and they're both excellent instructors. I owe my entire striking foundation to them, in fact. Bunkerd has more experience, but Boy has better English -- I never had a problem communicating with Bunkerd, but I know a number of people who do.

I've also trained under Jongsanan as well; he's just as badass as Bunkerd and his English is good to boot as well.

Both Bunkerd and Jongsanan have reached the highest echelons of Muay Thai achievable, and their style is as authentic as it gets.

Generally speaking, I've had a bad experience with World Team USA in the past, which is I why I've never trained there, but I have worked with a few people that came from there -- I hate to say it but their style is inauthentic, although it's arguably effective.

So it all just comes down to wherever suits you best!

just curious...describe inauthentic

 

[drewed]

Fight and Fitness - Bunkard and Neungsiam are great. Also Chris who is actually fighting tomorrow night in Brazil with the UFC is good as well.

El Nino - Jognsannan is great, I trained with him at Fairtex before the closed and he moved on.

If you interested in Oakland - Pacific Ring Sports is where I train now. Ganyo (also a Fairtex guy) trains there. Mike and Jason are great to work with too. School is right by MacArthur BART so it is easy to get to.

All these guys are ex-Fairtex fighters and very well known in the Muay Thai world.

 

[Harukaze]

just curious...describe inauthentic

It's just not Thai-style Muay Thai (i.e. what you'd see in Lumpini and Rajadamnern, etc.); in fact, it's quite Westernized MT in a sense. All the World Team USA people I've trained with throw full 360 roundhouses ALL THE TIME, love the cobra/superman punch, have atypical kick mechanics (like they ALWAYS take a small 45 degree step before the roundhouse -- not just the n00bs but even the long-time guys; their arm swings for momentum/counterbalancing on kicks are unusual; they lean their upper body DEEP into everything as if they weren't scared of getting swept; knee and foot trajectory is unlike anything I've ever seen from any Thai MT camps), they use a more typically Dutch rhythm (i.e. jab, cross, L hook, R round) than a Thai rhythm (i.e. jab, jab, cross, R round), and have way more upper body movement than is typical of Thai-style MT. Now, I understand that every camp has its own stylistic differences (i.e. techniques from Sinbi look different from techniques from Petyindee look different from techniques from Eminent Air, etc.), but they all have certain basic common characteristics that mark the style as Thai-style Muay Thai. When you look at World Team USA, there are enough departures from these norms that it makes their style stick out as different than what's the norm among Thai camps.

It's not surprising considering Kru Sam has no stadium experience and is a protege of "Master" Toddy (don't get me started about that guy haha), but unlike Toddy he doesn't hire trainers/pad men that DO have stadium experience and instead relies on his own crew to instruct. But then again, it's enough for his guys to be effective on the American Muay Thai scene considering how low level it is here compared to Thailand, France, Holland, and Japan.

I don't want to sound like I'm talking shit about World Team USA, because I have met some pleasant people from there, and I do like the fact that they teach Thai terminology and the ram muay there, but that's about all I can say about them. World Team USA, "Master" Toddy, and Chai Sirisute's schools are all that sort of typical "inauthentic" Muay Thai endemic to the United States, versus the authentic-style schools run by former Lumpini and Rajadmnern champs (and there's a fair number of them throughout the US, just gotta look hard enough for them).

 

[Zoti]

It's just not Thai-style Muay Thai (i.e. what you'd see in Lumpini and Rajadamnern, etc.); in fact, it's quite Westernized MT in a sense. All the World Team USA people I've trained with throw full 360 roundhouses ALL THE TIME, love the cobra/superman punch, have atypical kick mechanics (like they ALWAYS take a small 45 degree step before the roundhouse -- not just the n00bs but even the long-time guys; their arm swings for momentum/counterbalancing on kicks are unusual; they lean their upper body DEEP into everything as if they weren't scared of getting swept; knee and foot trajectory is unlike anything I've ever seen from any Thai MT camps), they use a more typically Dutch rhythm (i.e. jab, cross, L hook, R round) than a Thai rhythm (i.e. jab, jab, cross, R round), and have way more upper body movement than is typical of Thai-style MT. Now, I understand that every camp has its own stylistic differences (i.e. techniques from Sinbi look different from techniques from Petyindee look different from techniques from Eminent Air, etc.), but they all have certain basic common characteristics that mark the style as Thai-style Muay Thai. When you look at World Team USA, there are enough departures from these norms that it makes their style stick out as different than what's the norm among Thai camps.

It's not surprising considering Kru Sam has no stadium experience and is a protege of "Master" Toddy (don't get me started about that guy haha), but unlike Toddy he doesn't hire trainers/pad men that DO have stadium experience and instead relies on his own crew to instruct. But then again, it's enough for his guys to be effective on the American Muay Thai scene considering how low level it is here compared to Thailand, France, Holland, and Japan.

I don't want to sound like I'm talking shit about World Team USA, because I have met some pleasant people from there, and I do like the fact that they teach Thai terminology and the ram muay there, but that's about all I can say about them. World Team USA, "Master" Toddy, and Chai Sirisute's schools are all that sort of typical "inauthentic" Muay Thai endemic to the United States, versus the authentic-style schools run by former Lumpini and Rajadmnern champs (and there's a fair number of them throughout the US, just gotta look hard enough for them).

^^^ That pretty much sums it.

And I'll vote for Jonagsanan and Bunkerd as well. Also Gangyao if you are a tall guy. He was too tall for me.

 

[agibmxmma]

Boi (Roy) is one of my bestfriends and my mma coach, his father is my original kru, Bunkerd.. met both bitd at Fairtex SF, when Alex was still alive. If you want to fight, go see Bunkerd. If you want to get in shape and learn the basics of Thai boxing, go see Boi.