Joseph Arthur De Gonzo

That might be it. If the farang name is Rafael and is from NY that would be him. He does go to Hongthong sometimes and knows the two brothers I was talking about. The other gym I was talking about was Lamnammoon Muay Thai, but it was not him who was there, though he did come once and elbows me in the face while holding pads (I mean by that just slightly touched to make me realize my guard was down, fucking scary but effective). I actually had the privilege to be elbowed by both him and Yodkhunpon which I am kind of happy about ahahah. The trainer taking care of the gym was Nuengtrakan Por Muangubon cause Lamnammoon was mostly in Singapour I think. Anyways, Joe from Hongthong had arranged for me to train there, he told me a bit about growing there and stuff. I think Hongthong is like a neighborhood in Ubon or something like this. I've been wanting to write a review of all the gyms I've trained at in my trips, but I have not yet. Keep doing your great work Kevin. You and Sylvie have had such an impact. I hope one day soon, Thailand offers you honorary citizenship. You guys deserve this.

Hey Alex, the other big dude here. I've been 3 times in Thailand and to a dozen gyms, so I think I might be able to help a bit. Silk Muay Thai, in Pattaya, is a great suggestion by Kevin. A friend of mine trained there for a while and fought a bunch of time at Max Muay Thai. The level is pretty high and quite a few westerners there. But I never been there. I would say, you need a gym with primarily Westerners or where a few westerners regularly train. I found that training with Thais was a "problem" only when sparring, but not training and clinching. By problem I mean that I find that size difference matter more in sparring. Thai are so strong and technical in the clinch, they can "overcome" size more easily than when sparring. The reach is a killer. For training, with pad holders, most gym will have a pad holder that is bigger for the big guys to whom you'll be assigned. For clinching, they always paired me with the strongest Thai and even if they were never taller than maybe 5'9", 5'10" and usually at least 60lbs lighter, they always, always dominated me. Some made me cry by dominating and raggdolling me around, which they enjoy quite a bit, the tossing around not making me crying lol.. (luckily, I sweat like no one, so who sees tears in sweat). Personally, Hong Thong Muay Thai in Chiang Mai, is my favorite gym, the owner Joe and the team there are just the best. They have very good connections if you want to fight and Chiang Mai is the best city in Thailand for my taste. There are a bunch of westerners there. Big turnaround, but you'll usually find some pretty big guys. The only thing is you'd be arriving in Jan. and the Smoky season starts like end of Feb. I did not have any problem with it, but I was lucky, there was basically none of it that year. Some say it's really bad, others don't. Sitjaopho in Hua Hin is another one with a lot of westerners and a Sweden or Norvegian connection (because one of the twins live there) so there are usually big(ish) guys. I personally did not like this gym, I had a very weird experience and would never go back, but so many people love it. If you want a very traditional setting, there are two brits brothers in Ubon who are like 6'7" and 6'6", significantly taller than me as I am 6'3". They are skinny, around 85kg if I remember well, but at that height, it's was a very good fit for me as I am not a lean 120kg, so not that strong. They were training alone in a gym that closed, they moved to a very traditional gym. I don't know the name but I could find out. They also often go to Hong Thong to train and fight in Chiang Mai. If you want I could put you in contact. Another option is Emerald in Krabi (and Phuket, they now have two gyms). The owner is a former European champion. He's very involved in the training and is there everyday. He's not a small guy and "destroyed' me in the clinch and sparring. But it's a French heavy gym. Which personally I like cause it's my first language and I am half french, but the personal connection might not be as good if you're not. French are... well French. Finally, I you're in Bangkok a few days, I would suggest going to pk saenchai gym. It's one of these gyms who "buys" fighters like Tawanchai and it's quite a treat to train besides a bunch of champions. There are a few westerners, but just to see how hard they train and the level. It's worth it. You have to impose yourself a bit if you want to spare and clinch and all, but once they see you train hard, it's all respect. I would say that's a golden rule for "overweight" people like me, leave it all there. Try not to look tired and try to be among the people who train the hardest. Thai are quite into fat shaming; they have no problem grabbing your belly and shaking it saying "why you so fat". A bit hard on the ego, but.... it is what it is. I found the first few days, they kind of automatically think I am a tourist who knows fuck all about Muay Thai and that I am absolutely out of shape (I think maybe that was the issue at Sitjaphaopho). But once they see your technique is decent and that you train hard and you have heart, then it's all good and I would say, they actually enjoy very much sparring and clinching with giants. They LOVE clinching with big dude and throwing them on the ground. They really enjoy it. So that's my 23 cents. Hope it helps. Please don't hesitate to reach out. I've been to other gyms, but these are the one I stayed for longer.

Neck lock is very good for smaller people indeed.

Yes, I try to focus on me rather than my opponent/partner. Like Don't back up, don't let them take a breather if I take the momemtum etc.

Oh that's too bad, did not know.

Oh and at Hongthong, the morning session are very quiet. At least when I was there. I was usually alone or with one or two other guys. So you basically get a private for "free". But maybe no sparring or clinching depending.

Don't know Santai but I've been at Hongthong recently for a month and it's a great gym. It was pretty quiet when I was there, and I think it's busier now, so the attention you get might be a bit different. When I was there, there was 3 women regularly training. Never heard anything bad from anyone there and the group of regular falang fighters there are really good guys, not macho and very respectfull. One of the pad trainer is a little flirty but I haven't seen him do anything innapropriate or even flirt without reciprocity. I would say for sparring and clinching in some gym you just have to impose yourself. Sometimes they don't know and they assume you don't want to or something. So when they say clinching clinching and sparring sparring, just go in the ring. Don't wait for them to take you by the hand or look at you. If they say no, ask why. In the end, you're paying. I would say for attention. In my experience, like any other think in life, the front runners always get the most attention. After the talented, then the hard workers. So, I would suggest, don't cut corners when they say do a 100 of this or 200 of that. Always do little more if you can and push yourself as much as you can and they will see it after a few days, and they will give you the attention you deserve. If you want to go on the Islands, Yodyut in Ko Samui is great too.

Yes, in Muay Thai you can def. press your head against your opponent, no problem here. Of course you can't head butt like in Letwei, but you can def. get that position and crush the face. You can also put your hand on the face blocking the airway and pushing on the jaw etc.

Are you sure that's the case or are you justifying it? Not judging here, just asking for your sake. I think Sylvie's right. Start by not quiting while training. Prepare for a little more than you're use to and make sure you power through. Good thing for this is Sylvie's knees challenge. I think it started as a advice from Yodkhunpon to do 1000 skip knees on the bag everyday. 1000 might be too much or enough. But maybe try to set a goal of finishing every training with 500 or 1000 knees and keep to it. Also "I dont want much from life im prolly never gonna make it big. But i do want to atleast fight like the thai guys and have around a 100, 200 fights " I mean, maybe you want to start by setting more realistic goal. How about, I want 10 fights. Then reset another goal if you make it. Unless you go like 5 years in Thailand, you will never get 100 fights. It depends where you are, but if in north america or Europe, it's hard to fight more than 4 fights a year. Maybe six. At 5 fights a years, it will take you 20 years to fight 100, just saying. They are reason for this. 1- there are way less fights and tournaments. In Thailand you can basically fight twice a week if you're motivated and don't care about travelling a bit. 2- Besides the news 3 rounds shows and all, fights in Thailand are usually less damaging on the body than in the west. Reason being the scoring and the fight culture is different. In Thailand winning but looking like a fool throwing off balance bombs and trying to take the other guy's head off is not encouraged. Muay Thai is supposed to be about form, balance, domination etc. In the west, KOs are seeked, encouraged and seen as the "real" victory, does not matter how bad you look if the other guy is unconscious. So, at least, in my experience, fights in the west are more damaging, less technical and more injury prone. Also, how the hell did you broke a collar bone training? Supplexed ?

Attachai gym in Bangkok seems like the closest thing to a nice setting close to everything since it's in BK.

Thank you for the response @Kevin von Duuglas-Ittu That's too bad. I understand though, newsletters are a lot of work. It was really great and, like you said in a podcast, very different from any other stuff online about Muay Thai. I understand that the last week fight part and the what's coming next week was from a third person, is that person still publishing info about fight and links to fight and stuff?

Hello @Sylvie von Duuglas-Ittu and @Kevin von Duuglas-Ittu I was receiving the newsletter by being subscribed to it, but for some reason I stopped receiving it and now I can't find it. Is that normal? I thought you had stop it, but I heard in one of your last podcast that you were still doing it, where can I subscribe again?

Yes Hongthong will book you fight if they can (depending on your size etc). Althougth, as of early March, there was still no fights in Chiang Mai. If you want to fight like now and often, you'd be better off in Phuket or Krabi.

If you want to train with tall guys in a remote place, you can try Nuengtrakan gym formely Lamnammoon Sor Sumalee muay thai which is the gym of the golden age awesome fighter Lamnmmoon. There are only two fighters training there on a permanent basic, two brit brothers, one is 6'7" and the other is like 6'5". Nueng is a great, old school a bit nuts trainer. To give you an idea, he's a muay thai trainer by day and fighting roosters trainer by night. Basically all he thinks about is fighting. Also, Lamnammoon does pass sometimes and train people. Nueng will find you a Ubon style fight if you want to fight. But he will only like you if you train hard, really hard. He wants nothing to do with "casual" people who train once a day type of thing ahahah. Anyway, let me know if you want to go, I can put you in contact with Nueng or the brothers.

I had the same thing as a kid. Slipped in public showers and hit my head and needed a few stiches.

It's hard to hit people. I always struggle to hit hard. Even when I am sparring assholes that cause super hard, I find it hard to throw back with the same bad intention. I am actually working on been meaner in sparring. Not in a douchy way, but just, not giving a break and say I am sorry every time I clip someone good. Anyway, one thing that helps. Is before the bell ring, try to take the habbit of like closing your eye, concentrate and decide on your intentions and mood for that round. Don't go chatting, not thinking about what you're about to do as if you were just hanging out with your best budd. Go within yourself, be mindful and punch them in the face. Like yoga, but with blood, sweat and tears....

I am 230lbs and 6'4" and I've been ragdolled by thais who where at most 165 and like 5'9". And I would always be the first to be tired. If you get exhausted it's because you're not relaxing enough and you're not framing enough. When you frame, meaning, you use your bones instead of your muscle to control the space between you and your partner, you should be able to relax. Now, throws and sweep will be very hard against someone with that type of size on you. Thais are never able to sweep or throw me in clinch, which is frustrating to them because Thais LOVE to sweep falangs. But they can crank my neck, bring me to the floor and ragdoll me accross the ring enough to make me cry. I guess you're partner is taller than you, if that's the case. Work on getting very close to him, getting to neck and cranking the shit out of it. Remember to hold the head high, not the neck, basically where the jewish yamulka is. And work on locking this position and the kind of triangle lock that Sylvie shows in some clips, this is hell for a tall guy. Now, if your parnet is a short, stocky, hyper muscular guy, I don't really have any advice.

I don't think it's a tough dude issue or whatever like this, it's a technique issue. To answer about thailand, no, there is no padholding from fighters or students only pad holders and pad hitters, but you don't exchange role cause you pay more to get "personalized" training. In the "west" or anywhere else, if you're a member of a gym, you'll hit pads and hold pads alternatively. I am 6'4" and 230 lbs, so I kick pretty hard. I had big guys struggling holding pads for me and I had tiny girls holding pads just fine. As a kicker, you can see when the pad holder would pay to be somewhere else and when they is some sort of wiplast effect in the movement of the pad holder. Like other said, pad holding is an art and good pad holding is quite rare, even in Thailand where in my opinon, lots of pad holder, to protect themself, are holding the pad way to hard. My guess is you do not "come to meet" enough, you're a bit to loose, so the power transfer from the kick to your arms and then your neck. I would ask a more advance big dude at your gym to help with that. Try to find the sweet spot between been to loose and leaning to hard and preventing the kicker to kick properly. You want to meet the kick with force but without going through if you see what I mean. Like a short, brief, intense shove, leaning a bit, keeping your elbows tucked and absorbing the blow with your core more than with your arms. Good luck and hope you'll be fine and don't hate on us big guys, we were born this way. Not our fault.

Hello, I am wondering if anyone experienced or know some gyms to be good in and around Krabi? Thank you

I've trained both in the winter and in the summer in Bangkok and elsewhere. Honnestly, to me, from Canada, it's just freaking hot and humid and I want to die for the first two weeks. I would not say I saw that much of difference. Maybe more the evening. The evenings in Jan. where cooler than the evening in June. Besides. if you're used to train inside, it's though at the begining.

It's a complicated issue that is actually federal. They changed the criminal bill on prize fighting when they modify the Bill to permit pro-MMA, but they added a clause made amateur mma, muay thai, bjj or any other combat sport not recognized by the Olympic committee, illegal. Now, the Lieutenant Governor in each provinces can change this, but it's quite complicated and the combat sports community needs to get together and lobby as a group. Problem is that, in Québec, few gyms have been in a feud (KB vs MT) so it is not happening. Actually the whole thing started (because the police had not known about the clause and was letting people fight for years) because a gym sntiched on another one for organizing an event, then the other did so too with resulted in amateur MMA, KB, MT and BJJ to be banned throughout the province and only organized in first nation reservations. Anyway, long story short, since MT is not recognized by the OIC, it should be okay if the gym owners get they head out of their asses. I don't know Loiseau's gym is still a thing. Tri-Star: Well, it is what it is, you know. When a gym become that popular....

Just to understand, by So, it was ruled a no contest?

Thank you @Sylvie von Duuglas-Ittu I pretty much decided I am only going to do January in Chiang Mai and then February and March elsewhere to make sure I avoid the burning season. One think I don't understand is that googling "burning season in Thailand" I only find information about Chiang Mai. But the phenomenon of farmer burning fields + densely populated city in a valley must not be unique to Chiang Mai in the country. Do you know if the burning season affects only Chiang Mai or is it also bad in Chiang Rai, north of Bangkok and Isaan?

Hello all, but mostly @Sylvie von Duuglas-Ittu and @Kevin von Duuglas-Ittu since I know you lived in Chiang Mai for years. I'll be in Thailand Jan til April and for some reason I thought the burning season was closer to june but I just realized that these months are basically the heart of it. And from what I've seen it seems that it's getting worse avery year. Anyways, would like to have your input. My main concern is that I am traveling with my 8-months baby and I thought, well, maybe it's not the best to impose a crazy smog to my little girl. So instead of doing three months in Chiang Mai, I am now thinking of doing January in Chiang Mai, February in southern Isaan and April on the Islands, maybe Krabi. Would that make sense in terms of avoiding the worse of the burning season? Also, would like your opinion on the burning season in general, am I freaking out? I get contradicting messages online about it. Some say it's the worse, others that the worse about it is people complaining about it. Personally, I did not mind training in Bangkok or Pattaya as far as pollution goes. Thank you very much

100% agree with everything Kevin said. If you can't afford training, the MT librairy is a gold mine. I mean, I think everyone who likes MT should be a patreon. What Sylvie and Kevin are doing is basically sport anthopology and you get sooooo much for the amount you pay. I would only add that if you're training alone, maybe taking video of your shaddow, bag work and sparring session would be helpful to seee what you need to focus on.