Muay Thai Gym Q&A

[cali_chute_boxe]

With a trainer behaving like that in the advanced class, why would you want to spend your money with them?

 

[Ryukyu Damashi]

I have heard the same thing about Robert Lek at Tiger Muay Thai bashing paying customers to boost his own ego.

 

[trebor]

glad it wasnt just me then, i usually get on with most people so i just took it on the 'chin' and carried on.

maybe this was how he was brought up and trained? whenever he did something wrong he got a kicking for it or maybe he's just a idiot.

to be honest its put me off training over there abit, im going back over in jan to train for a few months hopefully and the thought of paying for a week/month and gettin stuck with someone like that would be pretty grim!! i like to train hard and don't expect my trainer to be my best friend but theres no need to be a dick..

 

[Wiseyoda]

With a trainer behaving like that in the advanced class, why would you want to spend your money with them?

I just didnt know Cali. I have train around Australia before, but this was my first time over there.

As i said in my review though, the big mistake i made was paying all upfront when i got there. It restricted me and committed me right there and then. This will not happen next time.


If any Aussie's are interested, i can do a short review on Boonchu (John Wayne Parr's gym)

 

[anorak]

think you can just put it down to he is an arsehole, that shouldn't be accepted behavour from your trainer when you are paying money to train there

 

[cali_chute_boxe]

I just didnt know Cali. I have train around Australia before, but this was my first time over there.

As i said in my review though, the big mistake i made was paying all upfront when i got there. It restricted me and committed me right there and then. This will not happen next time.


If any Aussie's are interested, i can do a short review on Boonchu (John Wayne Parr's gym)

I feel your pain mate. Knowing is half the battle. I paid upfront once from a taxi ride from Suvarnabhumi Airport to Silom Rd my first time in Bangkok.(scam) I forked out 700 baht for that ride when it shouldn't have been more then 200 baht on the meter. You live and you learn.

I'd also like to read a review on Boonchu. Do you have any picks to post? Thanks

 

[trebor]

i paid 500 baht to silom, the thing is if you demand the meter be turned on they'll just take you round the world anyway...

 

[Wiseyoda]

I'd also like to read a review on Boonchu. Do you have any picks to post? Thanks

Will do one up tomorrow. At home with Gastro today :icon_cry2

Have a few pics. Was a bit hard, because i was there by myself.

Sherdog & Photo's?? hmmm.. not to sure about that one from what i have seen in the past.

 

[matthew3]

Shogun picked apart machida with his Muay thai...i guess mauy thai beats karate..i still dont get how machida won

 

[SaenchaiMT]

Shogun picked apart machida with his Muay thai...i guess mauy thai beats karate..i still dont get how machida won

while I agree with your statement, lets not start that here people, no need to clutter an informative thread with a muay thai vs karate debate

 

[noideaban]

If you take the AE1 bus at the basement of the airport, it cost merely 150 baht.

I am thaimuaythai. I was banned for a thread I created about vagina. You guys think you may want to email the mod to reinstate my nick. I can come back to help you all answer the questions on Thailand, since I have been arriving here since 2007

i paid 500 baht to silom, the thing is if you demand the meter be turned on they'll just take you round the world anyway...

 

[Wiseyoda]

while I agree with your statement, lets not start that here people, no need to clutter an informative thread with a muay thai vs karate debate

YES! there are already 6000000 Threads on this subject!

 

[cali_chute_boxe]

If you take the AE1 bus at the basement of the airport, it cost merely 150 baht.

I am thaimuaythai. I was banned for a thread I created about vagina. You guys think you may want to email the mod to reinstate my nick. I can come back to help you all answer the questions on Thailand, since I have been arriving here since 2007

They may ban you again.

 

[cali_chute_boxe]

Will do one up tomorrow. At home with Gastro today :icon_cry2

Have a few pics. Was a bit hard, because i was there by myself.

Sherdog & Photo's?? hmmm.. not to sure about that one from what i have seen in the past.

The idiots that photoshop people are mostly on the MMA side of the forum. I have posted a few pics of me and my family and no one was a jerk. I only received kind words.

 

[BaMBaM408]

ive read through a lot of these but no one has any reviews on pattaya kombat village any goood or no?

 

[cali_chute_boxe]

ive read through a lot of these but no one has any reviews on pattaya kombat village any goood or no?

I had never heard of that place till I googled it. It appears to be similar to a gym in Phuket but they also have Krav Maga there. Ask yourself this... Why go to Thailand to do MMA or another martial art other than muaythai? If you want to do MMA stay here in the states. You live in Modesto which is not far from me so you have a ton of choices for MMA training. If you are thinking about going to Thailand and desire to improve your muaythai, go to a reputable gym.

 

[Wiseyoda]

I'd also like to read a review on Boonchu. Do you have any picks to post? Thanks

Sorry for the late reply Cali, and all, but been busy.

Reveiw on "Bunchoo" gym. Home of the legendary John Wayne Parr..

w w w . b o o n c h u . c o m | J o h n W a y n e P a r r | M u a y T h a i

First, I have trained there twice now, and both times, my time has been limited to only 1 week stays, as i have family commitments. So it was a bit of a whirl wind both times.

Faciliteys were very good. Although, confined to one area, i thought the ring, and matted area with surrounding bags where of great quality. Plenty of kettle bells floating around and other pieces of equipment, with a small area to work with outside of the training main areas.

So, 6 days a week you can train, with the fighters classes starting early, and the normal classes after.

Class structure.

Morning and nights available.

This area here is touchy for me. I am not one to walk into a place and start talking myself up. I dont bother with saying what i have done, and where i have traveled etc. So, in saying this, i was doing most of what i call the public classes. ie non fighters, or amateur fighters mixed in.
In saying this, i can not give enough respect for the attitude that is adopted into the classes from everyone. There is a special presence in the gym, of giving respect to everyone that is there participating in the classes, and doing right by everyone. Very hard to come by in my opinion. Beginers could go there, and work on technique quite easily as everyone is prepare to work with them or help out.
Through all this, either Wayne himself, or Angie (his wife), will walk the floor and instruct and give tips on technique. This is very helpful for new people. Get my tick thats for sure.


Fighters classes.
I cant comment to much on this, as this is dedicated time for Waynes amateur fighters and Professional fighters (ie, Flip Street. etc) to work together and hone there skills. I did go down and watch for a while on few occasions, and they seemed to be very in touch with what they are doing. Once again, all showing great respect to one another and helping each to better the skills.
I hope next time, to spend some more time up there, and be invited into these classes. (I just didnt have enough time to train, to display i new what i was doing.)

Pad holders..
First time i was there, he had a guy over from Thailand. Didnt see him there again, but i herd he was away on a trip. One of the best pad holder i had ever seen. Would catch anything.
Other guy there was a guy by the name of Adrian Ormrod. I was very impressed by his pad holding also. I liked the way he gave his time and advice to everyone person that stepped in and kick his pads. Never looked like it was a get in and get out, type of scenario.


My Privates...
Well hell, you cant go all that way and not train with the best Aussie ass kicker we have!! lol. $100 and hour for a private (AUSD) and you work with Wayne. One thing i like about him, he was very genuine for his dollar. Never in Thailand, did i get anyone picking up on small corrections with shadow boxing or my work in front of the mirror. Wayne likes good technique and why not! I found small touches as that, which also included taking just a small few minutes to record me on his iphone, only to replay it back to me, to make the adjustments that he pointed out and wanted me to fix at the time, was a small thing but he paid attention to detail and i felt comforted by that. Also, you could have laugh and a joke with him. That was great.


Sparring..
Sparring is held on the Saturdays. It does require the ok from Wayne himself to participate in the sessions, as most of the fighters sparr on this day also for extra training. I really enjoyed these sessions working with the more advanced guys, as i felt a bit held back in the public classes (but like i said, im not going to go in there and talk myself up like a cockhead). %99 percent of the guys sparring know whats going on, and you can feel in the round, when you both want to take it up a notch, without badly damaging one another.

Summing up..

Well, i was on my last day there, morning session, and i had to wait untill the fucking late afternoon for my flight home! So what do you do in between?? Well, you go have lunch. Nice though that you get an offer by Wayne and his wife to come have lunch on the Coast with them . This was very cool, and yet humbling at the same time.
One massive thing i learned from Wayne and Angie while i was there (although, only small amount of time), was no matter how big of a fighter you are, or what you have done, its always important to stay close to your roots in life. Wayne and Angie are very humble people. They almost have and aura around them, that rubs off on you. Respect is of a high importance, but time for the public and fans is of a major importance also. Nearly every night, after training, i looked over and someone was standing there, waiting for a piece of the legend, John wayne parr. Wether it be signings, promoters, tickets .. some other shit.... He still gave his time a patience to them. Very inspiring. It goes right through there gym also, and everyone seems to pick up on it, and leads by there example.



Summary...

If i go back again, i want to stay for a month. Wayne and Angie would get you a match up not a problem, as there is promoters bashing at the door all the time and the Gold Coast is very active for the fight nights.
Or
You could train there and enjoy your time for no matter how long you stayed.

I still am so impressed at the level of respect that goes through the gym. Its a fantastic feeling, and you feel comfortable in there from day dot. You can see how people who live there, would want to train on a regular basis there. I still think to this day, that is because of Wayne and Angies attitudes and staying true to the people they are, that rubs off on everyone.

all in all i give it 8.5/10

Only thing that stops me giving it higher, is that i couldnt get into the fighter sessions (well, i didnt press it anyway). next time i hope to get in, and step it up a notch, as i have when i trained in Thailand.

 

[SarahSunwalker]

Hey,

I live in Thailand doing Muay Thai; I'll give a review on these 2 gyms, but I'm full of other knowledge; if people have questions then don't be afraid to ask.

Tiger Muay Thai and MMA, Chalong, Phuket

Muay Thai, MMA & Thai Boxing training Camp Phuket Thailand - Welcome to Tiger Muay Thai

I trained at Tiger for 9 months. I lived there for 1 month; the other 8 months I had an apartment.

Accomodation:

A few levels depending on luxury. Basic is 5,000 a month; single bed with fan and TV/DVD player; shared toilet and shower facilities.

Better accomodation is available on site with air con and also private toilet and shower and double bed, TV/DVD player.

Many nearby bungalows have slightly better accomodation for the same prices and may also have swimming pool.

Training:

Training is broken into 3 classes; beginner, intermediate and fighter; so you should have partners at your own level.

Start off with either a 30 minute in depth technique class where the trainers will explain slowly very complex techniques and you drill them slowly with a compliant partner; good for learning new things and taking them in.

Or you could do a 30 minute run instead. Up to you.

Then, about 20 minutes skipping or tyre jumping (you can show up late half way through this bit if you're not a cardio enthusiast).

A few warm up stretches.

Shadow for several minutes.

Do some technique work; lets say you have Boxing sparring coming up, so you'll do some non compliant Boxing drills. Muay Thai sparring; do some kick block practice.

Then you do either sparring or clinching depending on the day; Monday, Wednesday and Friday are sparring (Boxing in the morn, Muay Thai in the arvo); Tuesday and Thursday are clinching. Saturday has niether of these exercises.

It's usually 3 - 4 rounds of sparring/clinching. I think about 4 minutes long.

After that, 3 rounds on pads, 3 rounds on bags; about 4 minute rounds.

Then do some drills; maybe 200 kicks on each leg on the bag. 200 knees. Something like that.

Then finish up with about 200 sit ups and about 100 push ups and some warm down stretches.

Then you have to do the gay gym thing, say "1, 2, 3, TIGER" with your hands in the middle with everyones in a circle and throw them up in a huge *** fest as you yell out Tiger... homos.

Morning and arvos are the same drills, pretty much.

I dunno about MMA training; I never did it. But Ray Elbe is both good on teaching fitness and explains grappling very in depth; I watched him training a lot and I doubt you metro assed man huggers will be dissapointed.

So, I thought the training was alright. Most people who're not pro had trouble doing 2 sessions a day. The sessions are 3 and a half hours long, so a lot to do for some newbies. No one's going to stop you if you're tired and wander off half way through the session, anyway.

A lot of people complained it was too cardio intense and not technical enough. I don't really agree. I would prefer more power work, but it's up to you.

The gym also has a professional body builder and an impressive weights facility; he's there to help you in the same times the classes are on to do weights.

Tiger is the biggest gym in Thailand. It does have authentic trainers, but it is very commercial. Best facilities in Thailand, but it is very commercial. You will learn to fight here, but it is very COMMERCIAL>>>

Food:

It has it's own little restaurant on site. Food is okay. They double the price for non Thais; racist bastards. That's why I left; I have a Thai step son. I thought his breakfast looked pretty fucking good, so I ordered the same meal for lunch. It cost him, a Thai, 40 THB. But speacial price for me (even though I'm not a tourist) was 80 THB. I was gone the next day; this kind of pricing is not real Muay Thai. No familyness in the air; Muay Thai gyms, traditionally, are like a commune. Muay Thai is communist; everything is shared round and there's a lot of love. You don't get that at these tourists gyms, and it wasn't what i was after.

But yes, their food is good... maybe a bit small portions, but...

Price:

Price is standrad for a tourist gym. You could stay on site with training for about 15,000 THB a month. Buy your own food elsewhere; a lower class tourist could make it in Phuket at Tiger for 30,000 a month. A tourist who likes to see the sights more might want 40 - 50,000 THB a month. It really depends on you. But I would not expect to make it on less than 30 at this place. Fucking expensive.

Location:

Miles from the beach. The gym itself is very quiet and tranquil with few distractions, but Sinbi and Rawaii are better options for beach lovers.

Given Tiger is remote for Phuket, you'll want to rent a small motorbike (many people do this, it's not hard to learn to drive these little scooters, don't be scared, but do be safe). I think about 5,000 a month for one of these thingys in automatic. Manual is cheaper.

Iff you don't have a motorbike, taxi price will kill you every time you go out.

Overview:

Many people are happy with Tiger. It did not grow to be the biggest gym in Thailand by being a shit gym. But I was not very happy. The training wasn't bad and some of the trainers were cool guys, but it just wasn't my style. It's modernized Muay Thai and I don't like leaving the tradition behind.

I suspect a lot of you American MMA fans will like it a lot. People who're more consumerist capitalist dicks, like Americans. I mean, the owner is an American. But for those who're more interested in authentic Muay Thai and learning about the Thai people, stay away from Phuket for fux sake. I'd recommend Kiat Phon Thip, which already has a review here, if you want a tourist friendly yet still traditional camp.

But yeah, it's good for the right person.

Muay Thai Institute, Rangsit, Bangkok

Fuck me. What a fucking shit fight of a gym.

I'm not going to properly review this place, as it does not deserve it, I'll just give you the basic run down:

The gym is a McDojo; it provides packaged training for foreigners and gives them certificates of achievements to prove their "qualification".

I learned Muay Thai basics here; I did their first 3 courses. After that, I met someone on the internet who told me a lot about Muay Thai, and then I moved to Tiger.

You should not accept certificates of achievement for Muay Thai; it is not traditional and it will eventually contribute to the McDojoization of Muay Thai. If a gym is offering certs, fuck off from there.

There were no pro Thai fighters at the gym. The foreigners who came to fight there would fight other people from the gym (the gym doubles as a stadium, and they host dodgey Muay Thai shows for retarded Chinese tourists who come on tour buses). So you fight your friend; real cool.

The training itself, I did not do much sparring. I don't like sparring, anyway. But I think I only spar 3 times there.

You will learn to kick and punch correctly, but you will not learn clinching. You will not learn complex techniques or tricks.

The training is okay for fitness, actually. The pad rounds are 5 minutes long and you get 3 every lesson.

They did teach me some good drills, but this was not enough to make up for the other stuff.

The accomodation was fucking expensive; 500 THB a night. That's 15,000 THB a month. Get fucked.

They also gave my passport details out online to a nobody who randomly asked for them coz they new I trainer there. Get fucked.

The only thing the gym is good for is they offer courses to become a "qualified" instructor. This is pure McDojoism, and I don't like it. However, it can be a lot easier for a Western man to get his insurance in the West if he's got a official certificate recognized by the ministry of education, Thailand.

However, you should understand, they will "qualify" you as an instructor after only 5 pro fights. No Thai kid would learn from you if you only had 5 fights; they'd laugh at you. In Thailand, there is no official qualification, but no one will pay attention to you if you've less than about 100 fights.

In my view, you're not a qualified teacher in the West if you've less than 30 pro fights.

So yeah, this gym ain't proper.

Also, look at this shit:

Welcome to www.muaythai-institute.net

Welcome To www.muaythai-institute.net

Ity does not take Miss Katie Estigher to figure that they're pretty fucking racist in pricing; but most gyms are. Yet I had a particular disgust for the bodacity of this shit.

___________________________

So what gyms do I recommend?

Por Pramuk, Chachoengsao
::: Por Pramuk Gym :::

Kiat Phon Thip, Bangkok outskirts
KiatphontipGym Muay Thai (Thai Boxing) Gym :: Home

Why? They check the following boxes which are what you should be looking for when looking for a gym in Thailand to learn authentic Muay Thai:

Traditional

They have pro Thai fighters WHO ARE NOT TRAINERS fighting hardcore to set and example to you

Non commercial; family atmosphere that will make it much more pleasant and is the key to a fighter gyms success in Thailand (communism!)

Other stuff like this. But you'd be surprised how many gyms fail to tick important boxes like these (Tiger and the MTI don't tick these boxes).

______________________

As for me, I ended up in a backwater gym out in the sticks where I could train for free and live cheaply and fight professionally; career development is different than being a Muay Thai tourist and requires different advice. Ask if you want it.

I like the gym I'm at now better. Traditional and Hardcore Muay Thai.

 

[Wiseyoda]

but you will not learn clinching.

That is Not a good Gym in my opinion
___________________________

So what gyms do I recommend?

Por Pramuk, Chachoengsao
::: Por Pramuk Gym :::

I have herd good stuff about this gym also

 

[SarahSunwalker]

Por Pramuk is very traditional and very good.

I've been and stayed there, but I didn't actually train there then, but I know a lot about it.

There are a few differences with the Western training, I.e. they do not spar (not much, anyway; almost never) and they do a lot of dead drills and "unscientific" training. But their style works; Buakaw proved that.

They WILL turn your body to stone and if you stay long enough they'll make you a very powerful and aggressive fighter.