Joseph Arthur De Gonzo

I have the same exact worries. Thought it's not my meniscus but my MCLs that are the problem. From what I've heard, meniscus surgeries have good % of success and are not so long to heal (like 8 weeks). I just partially teared my MCLs for the third time (1996 and a month ago for the right knee and 2011 for the left). That one of the reason I had to postpone my training in Thailand to 2018. I got surgery in 1996 not in 2011 and waiting to know for this one. But anyways, even before I torn it again it was a concern for me. The biggest. Really I fear not the whole training in Thailand but I fear the 10km run of the morning and the 5k in the afternoon six times a week BIG TIME. This is a major concern for me as I heard you do not get the respect from the coaches if you do not do the running. So I second you question. I'll do 2 hours of bike if needed, but I know that I probably won't be able to do that amount of running on a regular basis for more than two or three weeks without seriously injured myself. Is there any way around it and still getting the respect of the coaches in Thailand?

Thanks again. Actually, I've "decided" on Lana after talking to you on facebook (facebook name being Joseph Arthur de Gonzo). I think your advice of not booking in advance and trying two gyms before I take a final decision is very sensible so I think I'll do that.

Thank you. I have another follow up question. The thing is I am planning to go train in Thailand for a few months next year (I have a MCL partial tear that needs to heal and I need to save money so realistically it will be in about a year). I will probably go to Lana for the most part. But my girlfriend is suppose to join me eventually in the trip. Probably the last 3 weeks or so. I would say she's not super serious in her training yet (not that she as to become) would probably train only once a day and I thought that the area of Phuket might be nicer than a city setting. But I don't know, I never being in Thailand. That's why I am looking for a women friendly gym. I would guess thought that the dynamic of possible unwanted advances or agressions is very less likely if you arrive at the gym as a couple? (that's my actual question because I know your husband is often around when you train) But I would also like for her to be able to have female training partners (thought she's pretty big, she would probably need western partners since she's 6' and 135lbs) and a place that she feels welcome to. All that said, I don't know. Maybe Chiang Mai is also very nice to visit and from what I understand of Lana, it could be a nice place for her to train, also considering the fact that I would have been there for a while, know the trainers and the other fighters and stuff. Can you share you thoughts on this? Thank you

Thank you Sylvie for this detailed explanation. I thought, there was a bit of "And in some ways I'd like to keep the gym my little secret." ;) I was also wondering. I know that Phuket is not known for being the most serious place to train but if one would like to train there to be in a beach area what gym would you, or others, suggest. What would be the 3 top gym in Phuket or other beach area? From my research online these are the top 3 gym I found. 1- Singpatong Sitnumnoi: Seems like a very legit gym with serious fighters thought more western fighters seem to train there (mostly from France) 2- Simbi muay thai: from what I read seems fight oriented but also female "friendly" 3- Tiger Muay thai : That would really not be my first choice since it seems too much like a western gym and I don't really care about the tech facility and the BJJ.

Hi there, First post here. First of all, I've been training Muay Thai for roughly 2 years, sparred a lot but no fight yet. mostly a question for the ones who had a few fights to a lot in Thailand. So my question is about elbows. When sparring, we practice everything except we do not usually "point" our knees. But, we never ever spare with elbows. I know there is some elbow pads that can be used but I never seen anyone sparring with them I've never even seen them in a video. I've only seen them in fights in Montreal (There is no full thai rules in Quebec. The better it gets and it's new from 2016 is no shin guards and elbows pads and no knees to the head). On of the main reason of sparring is learning to apply technique in real fight situation. To develop fluidity. To reach the point where you do not think but do right? But how can you reach that point if you only practice them in the heavy bag? How do you do? Do you take the time to pretend or visualize you're throwing them in sparring? Beside fights, do they have other drills or very light sparring in Thailand? Thank you

Question for Sylvie here. I was expecting to see Petchrungruang gym in your list? Can you explain why it is not?