Muay Thai Gym Q&A

[dat1978]

I have been doing some training in Thailand within past couple of months.

I started muay thai about 2 years ago, took it seriously pretty much 6 or 7 months ago, and am primarily a grappler. But I really fell in love with muay thai and nyc was cold so I decided to get out and train some.

In bangkok I trained with Poptheeratham.
Structure: Run one of three routes, a 20-25 minute short one, 35-40 minute medium one, or about an hour long one.
Very quick shadow boxing, then either you work with Kru Ni on technique/shadow for a while then pads.
Pad rounds were random, sometimes I would do one 15 minute round it seemed like, and then a shorter second round. Sometimes 3 rounds of about 5 minutes (don't know if they were timed).
Then kick bag for a while, and spar or clinch.

This gym was SUPER technical. It seemed that everything I did was corrected. I learned a lot of tricks and the fighters were very good. Also they have you shadow and hit pads from both southpaw and orthodox which was good and unique.

I lived on camp site, and I didn't miss a training and worked hard but ended up gaining weight! This is due to the food being so good that they make for you if you stay on camp.

Now I am at Sinbi in phuket, some people run and others just take class. Class starts with 10-15 mins of skipping or running around the gym, then a group stretch, then two rounds of shadow boxing. While you shadow box, sometimes a coach will come up to you and have you hit into their palms and work on some technique.

After, it is very structured. People separate to either do pads or do bag work. 5 three minute rounds, everything by the clock. After you are done with one or the other, you switch. After finishing both, you do one of the three : clinch, spar, or work calisthenics / technique with other people.

The training is good and very cardio intensive. They are extremely structured and have like 15+ coaches. Mostly foreigners though, a couple of thai boys sparring sometimes too.

Hope this helps some people!

Will be at Sinbi next week. What you said echos what I've read before. It's busy but they have plenty of trainers and you always get your guaranteed pad time. Cardio is what I need right now so that's a good thing.

 

[kingkokong]

Man I haven't been Sinbi in 4 years. I think i'll give it another go next year.

I'll be in Phuket, training at AKA from the 28 July to Aug 24th if anyones around. After that I may go back to WMC Samui for another 2 weeks.

 

[Ahm]

Hi guys!

I would just like to share my experience with a Thai gym, which I had in Feb/15, in Phuket. Since I read a lot of info from this thread and it helped me, I think it's cool to give info back and help others.

First, I am not a fighter, train just for fun and fitness, and have a regular office job, can't really dedicate myself as much as I should. Besides, I am better/more experienced at BJJ, but for the lack of time have been dedicating myself more to muay thai lately. My girlfriend has also been training for an year now, and loves it.

I got 3.5 weeks of vacation this year and had to take a shot at Thailand and training. This was the largest amount of vacation in over a decade, so I had to use this opportunity! Had to convince my girlfriend, she agreed but maximum one week of training, rest regular vacations... I know, too little time, but it is better than nothing right?

So, huge work finding the place to go, so many options, in the end I chose Sumalee Boxing Gym in Phuket. This is an English owned camp (the owner is a very nice lady called Lynne), trainers are all Thai (and they also fight), all with loads of experience. There are a lot of British sponsored fighters, the best one Scottish, and he just got to fight in Lumpinee, where he won.

The gym has great training space, nice rooms, good restaurant and a pool. Everybody is nice and friendly. I think it is expensive, but was comparable to other top camps in Phuket. Since I was with mt gf, I had to get a more comfortable option, and this one was great.

My package included 6 days of training, with 2 daily group lessons (I only did one) and one daily private lesson. So it was private lesson early on the morning and afternoon group class. Group class was good, but the incredible part was the private, really made a difference! But yes, one week will not really make you improve, but will open your mind for what you need to improve. Trainers spoke basic English but everything was ok, and they were very nice friendly guys!!!

I highly recommend them, the only bad thing is that it is kind of isolated, especially since Phuket is a HUGE island, but by what I had researched, all camps seemed isolated. In the ideal world, you will have huge scooter experience, and rent a scooter which is cheap at camp. Since my scooter experienced sucks, I had to pay an expensive taxi to pick me up and negotiate with taxis/tuk tuks to get back to camp (which was actually much easier than I imagined, and not that expensive).

Buying Gear
Well, about gear, all camps sell them. Prices are better than buying at home, but you can get cheaper prices in Bangkok. In Bangkok, I went to Rajdmanern (God, how do you spell and pronounce this???) stadium and there is a Twins store inside with lots of gear and good prices, very limited apparel, but I got VERY CHEAP shorts there. There are other places also, everybody talks about a store called Actionzone, I highly regret not being able to go there.

About the stadiums:
Went to 2 stadiums: Rajdmanern in Bangkok, incredible experience, really loved it. Bangla Boxing Stadium in Phuket, this place is for tourists (while in Bankok 90% of the public was Thai here there were no Thais), and very expensive (same price as Bangkok). Fights were good/exciting, but at least half of them were like K1 fights, very different from Raj fights, almost like seeing two different sports. I did not go to Lumpinee because the stadium moved to the suburbs of Bangkok and taxis didn't even want to go there, and no public transportation...

Conclusion
Loved the experience, my girlfriend when we left said we should have stayed more (but SHE was the one who gave the one week limit!) and should go back next year. Sumalee is great! I am sure there are other great camps in Phuket as well, but I think that you should go to camps with experienced Thai trainers, because I noticed some camps are very westernized, and focused on MMA, so for having this kind of experience it's better to go to Vegas, California or something...

 

[AndiB]

Man I haven't been Sinbi in 4 years. I think i'll give it another go next year.

I'll be in Phuket, training at AKA from the 28 July to Aug 24th if anyones around. After that I may go back to WMC Samui for another 2 weeks.

What did you think about WMC? im going to samui later this year.. I dont know if im going to Wech pinyo or WMC.. wmc seems to have a bit better location but the on-site acommondation is very expensive.. (35 000) high season..

 

[kingkokong]

What did you think about WMC? im going to samui later this year.. I dont know if im going to Wech pinyo or WMC.. wmc seems to have a bit better location but the on-site acommondation is very expensive.. (35 000) high season..

I never trained at Pinoy, but I have heard good things. Apparently a while ago some of the trainers split and opened Jun as the story goes. (Also another gym I hear good things)

WMC seems to cater more for the tourist, as we usually draw a crowd during afternoon sessions. which attracts alot of beginners. There is also a section for the fighter. Good trainers, friendly/fun attitude, close to the beach, restaurants, accommodation and markets make the gym ideal for most. Good luck with it!!

 

[AndiB]

Is there any hotel/appartments nearby WMC that is cheap? Can you recommend one that is popular for people that train there? as i said, 35k bath a month for on-site is way to much..

 

[kingkokong]

Is there any hotel/appartments nearby WMC that is cheap? Can you recommend one that is popular for people that train there? as i said, 35k bath a month for on-site is way to much..

You want a bit of privacy and a bit of cheap luxury, try the Amadeus just a minute walk.

http://www.tripadvisor.com.au/Hotel_Review-g1188000-d4870694-Reviews-Amadeus_Hotel-Lamai_Beach_Maret_Ko_Samui_Surat_Thani_Province.html

Or Lamoon just around the corner.
http://www.agoda.com/en-au/lamoon-lamai-residence/hotel/samui-th.html?asq=mbtnRq82z%2bseDpxq%2bleSn2uVlATeH1OlF6zkqb%2bymsURoA533b76hfpozlihMHK5%2fFVacIn%2fjAb9yginnYI513fPXWzo6hW%2bGlePOQwVmeoboG5eslo0awxh9tnRc9XqXqP%2fqYKttCYSJfPbB%2fVC09jBlYKxhyDR42V3ztjW%2b0s2uT8H5y%2bH3ZX9WArSVDjl%2brHw%2byYB7ZsE%2f%2f80Dl3McWwh2ukAB%2bfQ1%2byAjTY2HTQGF0KVRuLQQ5XdfgGG1ED8WIB53bkZMHO1QpoziYHHMlkmnDpyoKQguWC%2biAjNg4ATz3fL091whA1ccyF0l49hIpJb119gbxWcQdMelrEMhsFzGeADQqo6gymLryhAnm9qgyS6dxS4emuwBX%2f1tmBAQAYyZ%2bKqdilNgzscnyY99g%3d%3d&cid=1590326&tag=hid479566

take into account that you are paying for the training as well as daily breakfast when staying on camp. And the on site budget rooms should be cheaper

 

[Vinzr]

Done a bit of a research

I've narrowed my options down to 3 gyms , and yes I know all 3 are in different parts of Thailand

Sinbi
Chay Yai
Sitjaopho

I'm looking for good authentic thai training, not too crowded and getting some good training by the trainers rather than the typical "class" / group workouts. Also would like to be near a beach (guess that crosses Chay Yai in Chiang Mai off the list?) and do some fun things like snorkelling, golf etc during down time. Will either of the 3 gyms above cater to what I'm looking for?

 

[AndiB]

You want a bit of privacy and a bit of cheap luxury, try the Amadeus just a minute walk.

http://www.tripadvisor.com.au/Hotel_Review-g1188000-d4870694-Reviews-Amadeus_Hotel-Lamai_Beach_Maret_Ko_Samui_Surat_Thani_Province.html

Or Lamoon just around the corner.


take into account that you are paying for the training as well as daily breakfast when staying on camp. And the on site budget rooms should be cheaper

yeah but still.. very expensive.. looking for an accommondation for maybe 10 - 15 000 bath/month..

 

[kingkokong]

@AndiB Are you going to Samui for a few months? There are cottages/houses around the area (10 minute by Scotter) for that price range, but they usually rent out for a minimal of 3 months. You might have to google the info for rental houses around Lamai.

 

[kingkokong]

Done a bit of a research

I've narrowed my options down to 3 gyms , and yes I know all 3 are in different parts of Thailand

Sinbi
Chay Yai
Sitjaopho

I'm looking for good authentic thai training, not too crowded and getting some good training by the trainers rather than the typical "class" / group workouts. Also would like to be near a beach (guess that crosses Chay Yai in Chiang Mai off the list?) and do some fun things like snorkelling, golf etc during down time. Will either of the 3 gyms above cater to what I'm looking for?

Ryukyu did a review on Sitjaopho http://forums.sherdog.com/forums/f11/sitjaopho-muay-thai-camp-2784347/

I can't speak for Chay Yai but I'm sure that Ryukyu would agree with me that Sinbi would be your best bet

 

[Vinzr]

Ryukyu did a review on Sitjaopho http://forums.sherdog.com/forums/f11/sitjaopho-muay-thai-camp-2784347/

I can't speak for Chay Yai but I'm sure that Ryukyu would agree with me that Sinbi would be your best bet

Have heard that Sinbi is quite populated nowadays, is that true? I'd prefer smaller classes than a large 20-30 person class

 

[Ahm]

Vinzr,

About Sinbi, I have not been there, but it is not very close to the beach, at least not walking distance. And it is pretty isolated as well, you would need a scooter (which is cheap to rent in Phuket) or taxi (expensive).

But this happens to most if not all gyms in Phuket, because this island is HUGE, and most gyms are isolated far from the beach, since they need space and being close to the beach would be too expensive.

So if you actually want to walk to beach I would try Samui, seems to be more possible than Phuket. But if a scooter is ok, then Phuket will work.

I stayed in Sumalee in Phuket and was great, not very crowded.

Keep in mind that to get the best of these camps you should get at least some private sessions.

 

[kingkokong]

Have heard that Sinbi is quite populated nowadays, is that true? I'd prefer smaller classes than a large 20-30 person class

Sinbi is popular as a lot of gyms around Thailand cater to foreigners. It really depends on the season you go. June -August are the most busiest times that I've seen, whereas September-November have only a handful of students.

Sinbi when I last went had roughly 10-15 students, period was late August.

If you get a scotter, and do more privates - everything is smoother/less hassle

 

[Vinzr]

Vinzr,

About Sinbi, I have not been there, but it is not very close to the beach, at least not walking distance. And it is pretty isolated as well, you would need a scooter (which is cheap to rent in Phuket) or taxi (expensive).

But this happens to most if not all gyms in Phuket, because this island is HUGE, and most gyms are isolated far from the beach, since they need space and being close to the beach would be too expensive.

So if you actually want to walk to beach I would try Samui, seems to be more possible than Phuket. But if a scooter is ok, then Phuket will work.

I stayed in Sumalee in Phuket and was great, not very crowded.

Keep in mind that to get the best of these camps you should get at least some private sessions.

Sinbi is popular as a lot of gyms around Thailand cater to foreigners. It really depends on the season you go. June -August are the most busiest times that I've seen, whereas September-November have only a handful of students.

Sinbi when I last went had roughly 10-15 students, period was late August.

If you get a scotter, and do more privates - everything is smoother/less hassle

Thanks for the replies guys. Yeah, will be getting a scooter for convenience if required. Definitely will be doing private lessons over there

 

[AndiB]

Vinzr, Yeah you will definitly need a scooter to the beach.. I was at Sinbi from 3rd october - 3rd december, even in october there was alot of people. But they run the training very good and you will always get your pad time and there is alot of good trainers..
Try to stick with 1-2 main trainers, if you get into a ring to do padwork a trainer that you usually go with will call for you. And if you do a private and get to know a trainer he will give you more attention during shadowboxing and clinching.
I went alot with Nai, he

 

[AndiB]

@AndiB Are you going to Samui for a few months? There are cottages/houses around the area (10 minute by Scotter) for that price range, but they usually rent out for a minimal of 3 months. You might have to google the info for rental houses around Lamai.

Thanks for the answers man! My trip will be for 2 months, so i will probably sign up for 1 month at Wech Pinyo, they seem great and have a cheap training + accommondation package.

After 1 month im thinking of going over to Koh Phan Ngan for 1 month, or maybe a couple a weeks to finish of my trip. Chorenrit and Chinnarach looks quite good, anyone that got any experience from there? Hows the training, enviroment and location?

 

[Chipmunk1337]

Hey guys, pretty much a noob here that just want to go to Thailand, get fit and most importantly find new friends and be social. Have only trained muay thai/boxing for a couple of weeks in total but I know its fun stuff.

From what this thread has recommended its down to Sinbi, Yodyut, WMC and wech-pinyo.
Can anyone please explain why WMC is so freaking expensive(~30K/month) vs Yodyut and wech-pinyo that is around 12K-20K a month included with accommondation?

From what Ive read ITT about Sinbi its seems to be too much off road, but Yodyut and wech-pinyo seems somewhat "central". Anyone that can recommend these two to a beginner and someone that wants to meet new people? Also been thinking about Jun muay thai camp but they didnt have accommondation included, probably will take a look at it while im there.

Also do I have to book weeks/months in advance or do they usually have free spots open?

 

[Ryukyu Damashi]

Why do you think Sinbi is not in a good location? It is the best location in Phuket IMO. Far away from Patong and Soi MMA. Near the beach, chill bars, and somewhat normal locals.

 

[Chipmunk1337]

I was only referring to Ahms posts. But it seems like he hasnt even been there. But is Sinbi good for my purposes? Guess I will have to look into sinbi more