gconley
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Posts posted by gconley
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Hey there everyone, just thought I would stop by and finally share my 2 week experience at FA group in November of 2019. I know, I'm a procrastinator lol. First off I will say it was the greatest experience of my life to say the least. I was so nervous about going, never travelled anywhere close to being that far away, I am from Chicago, IL. I had never been away from my wife and my dog for that long, had pretty much zero clinch experience. I am also 35years old so was a bit nervous about hanging with the young guys. Also wanted to challenge myself with the running every morning, which I did at my own pace, but i still did it lol.
My main purpose for picking this gym was clinching, the little bit of clinching that is done at my gym is with people that have little experience and don't know what they are doing. most people just want to get two hands behind the head and pull down lol. I have always loved watching thais clinch and how beautiful it looks, and brutal of course lol.
I will say my biggest surprise about the gym, which was a big shock to me, was there was no drilling. I have been doing muay thai for a few years now here in Chicago and did mma on and off for over 10 years and there has never been a class in which an instructor didn't go over drills to work on with a partner. With that being said, I couldn't have been happier with not having drills to work on. The way the gym operated was perfect for me. I didn't know that going in, but loved it immediately.
We ran at 6am in Chatuchak park, came back to the gym around 7am, jumped rope for about 15min. I will also say i was shocked that all the jump ropes were weighted ones. I had never used a weighted one so needless to say, my shoulders and arms burnt out very quickly. After jumping rope, everybody walked into the ring. Kru Diesel was waiting there already and matches everyone up to clinch. We clinched for 30-45min.
After clinching, we would do some thai pushups in the ring and then everyone would wrap up their hands and get ready for some pad work with the trainers. Everyone gets 2x 5min rounds. if your not picked first out of the 3-4 trainers then you just shadow box, stretch out, hit the bag, etc.. until your called upon. After your pad rounds are done, you start doing your 300 knees on the bag.
After this first day I went back to my room and had no idea how i was going to continue because my neck was shredded from the first clinching session. I was matched up with a guy from Sweden who was taking full advantage of my lack of experience and just cranking on my neck. I was seriously worried about being able to continue for the afternoon session.
3pm came around and its the same routine except no running. Some guys would run a bit at the end though. Kru Diesel saw me struggling with getting my neck pushed down with the same Swedish guy again and he showed me a couple counters which helped big time. I learned very quickly how to defend that.
I will say that by the last few days of training my shins were pretty much done. I think it was mainly from the running, I have never ran that much in my life.
I can't say enough great things about this gym. Everybody was so friendly and generous. I truly was humbled by the generosity and friendliness of the people i met, as well as the instructors and fighters. I made some friends, hung out some nights to go see some fights, get some beers, eat some food, etc...
I will say that my 2 week experience had helped my clinch game immensely at my gym back home. Its night and day compared to before I came to FA Group. I wasn't sure how much I had actually learned from being thrown into the fire immediately without drilling some clinching techniques. I am now the clinching guy at my gym lol.
I have just made my reservations for returning in September. I will be 36 in July and plan to go back once a year as long as my body can handle it. It was a mental and physical struggle to train 2x a day in that heat, with only Sundays being an off day. I have never pushed my body to those limits.
By the way, that picture of me with bruises was just one side of my body, and this was only after a couple days lol.
Lastly I want to thank Silvie for having this platform to share my experience with you guys. Watching her videos on youtube also gave me a lot of motivation to pull the trigger and challenge myself like I never had before.
Thanks Silvie.
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well, tomorrow i leave. thanks for everyones help and input. much appreciated. i will hopefully take some good video and pictures if i can, to share with you guys when i come back.
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On 10/14/2019 at 7:23 AM, Snack Payback said:
Just send SL residence an e mail and let them know what time you're likely to arrive. Hotels/guesthouses in Thailand almost always have someone there for night shift who can let you into your room. In the highly unlikely event you can't access SL residence, you could just get an affordable room at another hotel. Bangkok is full of hotels and it's pretty much a 24 hour city, easy to grab a taxi, a meal or a beer at any time of night. Don't stress, sabai sabai as the Thai's say.
I have not found an email for them, and i don't have a Facebook account or any social media for that matter. ill figure it out hopefully lol. not too worried. just sucks that I'm getting in so late. only about a week to go until i leave, I'm getting super excited/nervous.
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1 hour ago, 515 said:
Yes some amount will be for calling, or just use your internet with Line (most used application for communication in Thailand) to call.
You will see it, or can aks it, when you get your SIM card package.
There are a lot of branches of Super Rich so no need to go back to the airport for it. As example Central LadPrao also has a branch of SR inside and is a lot closer to SL residence. I would take a bit from an ATM or exchange at one of the exchange office that are still open at the airport when you arrive for the first days and taxi to SL.No idea about their website but I also can not reach it. I will ask them.
Yes it is super easy, especially with your location (and relatively cheap compared to a taxi) only the operating hours... I think it will be closed when you get out of the airport?
And they have a (too?) strong AC inside also.i wish i was not arriving so late to the airport. my wife booked everything for me and she said she was having trouble finding other times. i will have to make the best out of it and figure it out.
my contact with fa group gave me two phone numbers to call when i arrive. she said its the owner but she did not say if it is the owner of sl residence or fa group.
i also don't speak thai so i hope whoever answers the phone will speak english. if i am stuck, maybe i will just sleep in the gym until somebody comes in the morning lol.
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6 hours ago, Snack Payback said:
The sim card will come with minutes but you can purchase extra credit when you buy it, or at a 7 eleven.
No, a taxi driver definitely won't accept USD. Make sure you always have smaller notes for taxi journeys. They don't carry huge amounts of change, so if you try to pay for an 80 baht taxi fare with a 1000 baht note they won't have enough change. 7 elevens always have plenty of change, so just buy a drink or something cheap there to get some smaller notes from a 1000.
You get charged every time you use an atm there - by the Thai ATM (they charge 200 baht per transaction) and by your bank back home who will charge you a fee. So you might as well take a larger amount out, seeing as you get charged anyway. I think the most you can withdraw from an ATM in one hit is 20,000 baht. Otherwise it's a 24 hour airport so there'll be somewhere open to change USD.
i am reading that the rail system is super easy, would you guys take a taxi or use the rail system?
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i have not been stretching after running. i time my runs so that i jump right into class after the run. after wrapping my hands and changing clothes. i don't stretch much at all, which i feel is bad. how do you get more limber without stretching???
also, i gotta say, i have been running consistently for 35-40min before my thai class begins and i can honestly say that i have seen major improvements in my cardio during class. i am surprised at how much it has helped. i run at a snails pace but i run at a consistent pace for the entire time.
I've only started running to prepare for my trip to thailand in a couple weeks. glad i did because i didnt expect it to improve me as much as it has.
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On 10/10/2019 at 2:05 PM, 515 said:
From what I found inline now the SIM would be no problem
https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g293916-i3687-k12224379-Buying_a_Sim_Card_late_at_night_at_BKK-Bangkok.html
Super Rich will be closed (5am - 11pm), but I am sure that the ones on the floor that you arrive will be open (rating is less good/bad) and they have ATM's, make sure that your card is opened to work in Asia (if that is needed for American cards, no idea).
Change a bit for some food, taxi, ... and ask the contact person about the payment for SLso do the sims have minutes to actually talk or is that an extra fee?
also, i will check with my credit card and bank card because if the atm is my only option they i will have to use it as i will need to take a taxi and I'm sure they won't take usd.
i have heard of super rich being the best there. do you think its worth it to take a little bit out of the atm when i arrive and then after a few days return to somewhere that i can exchange more? or just take out everything that i need for the month from the atm?
1 hour ago, 515 said:I read that their IG account got hacked so that is why they started a new one.
ahhhh that explains it. how about their website though, there was some great info on there but i can not even find a link to their website either. strange.
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19 hours ago, 515 said:
Exciting
1) The AirportRailLink/BTS (SkyTrain) is very convenient especially with your location but will probably be closed when you get out of the Airport (ignore anyone inside the airport that is offering you a taxi), so like told above follow the taxi sign to the correct floor get outside and get a ticket from the machine and go to the corresponding number, these taxi will use his meter + a 50 baht fee. The expressway fee is also for you to pay (if you use it).
The cost will be around 300-500 baht so make sure to have some money changed or to withdraw it from and ATM at the airport (also a fee will be paid normally each time you withdraw from an ATM, no matter how much money always the same fee).2) The best rate you will get if you exchange your cash money at one of the exchange offices, like Super Rich they have a good rate, in Thailand (don't exchanges much money at the airport! They give a bad rating. At the lowest level of the airport the exchange rate is better (but I'm not sure that they will still be open at midnight).
Exchange rate: https://daytodaydata.net3) A lot of options in your area!! The street of and next to SL haves a lot of streetfood options where all the people that work in the neighborhood eat at noon. If you walk to the big road and get a taxi (or one station with MRT, or a bit of a walk) you are in Central LadPrao/Union mall quickly.
http://www.bangkok.com/magazine/central-plaza-ladprao.htm
http://www.centralplaza.co.th/lardprao/directory.asp4) Do your best! But don't go ALL OUT at your first session.
For the running, sometimes they went to the park with their car some people run together, some don't, just do your thing, try your best. Some people did 2 laps some people did 4 laps.
And if you are to exhausted think about the rest you can get after 2 weeks, or skip one training to be able to train twice again the day after.5) Being a ghost myself, I would advise long sleeves to run in (especially in the afternoon) and a cap maybe. The sunscreen gets of easier when you sweat and believe me, you will sweat
Also cheap to get at Decathlon normally.
6) Make sure you have some contact from the gym to help you when you arrive at SL, because maybe their is no one to help you out that late (and they only spoke Thai at SL 3 years ago
).
Most of all enjoy your time!! And keep us posted.
SIM you figured out already and yep it is easy and cheap.
Grab is really easy like explained above, sometimes it is a bit hard to explain to a regular taxi driver where you want to go (sometimes they don't understand, sometimes they act like they don't understand you ).
If you use a regular taxi in Bangkok be sure that they use the taxi-meter, if they tell you that their fixed price is cheaper because of whatever kinda reason, why would they offer you a price that make them earn less? If they don't want to use the meter you just get out and take the next one.
You will mostly clinch with a Thai and switch up so you get different clinchpartners.
Works fine here.
thanks so much for your response.
i was just starting to think about what will actually be open in the airport as far as sim cards, money exchange, etc. if all i have as an option is the atm, should i take enough money out for a couple days and then go somewhere to exchange more for a better rate?
my contact with fa group has sent me a phone number for when i arrive so i should be ok once the taxi gets me to the gym.
also, could you send me the links to their social medias as well as their website because none of them are working for me anymore, its very strange. i asked my contact about this but she never responded to it lol.
also, how do you quote individual sentences here instead of the entire reply?
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On 10/5/2019 at 9:01 AM, Oliver said:
FA always interested me but I never tried it unfortunately. If you're a western guy, will they give you a Thai to clinch with every day, or do they just pair up the farang with eachother?
Appreciate if anybody knows
If you watch their videos on YouTube and their Instagram, you can see westerners with Thais. As far as I have seen and heard, you are paired up with Thais.
3 weeks and 1 day to go now, super excited.
also, anyone having trouble still viewing their Instagram, website, and Facebook?
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cool, see ya there.
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1 hour ago, LengLeng said:
You can buy thai sim cards in every 7/11 so you can stay online during your stay. At the airport they have some spaces where you can buy them, I think it's TRUE and DTAC stands just close to the exit (either same exit as taxi or one level below).
Grab is Asia's version of Uber. When I arrived end 2017 you had both but if I'm not mistaken Grab purchased Uber and now there's only Grab. It is currently being (or will be) legalised and for that reason taxidrivers have been protesting outside Ministry of Transport lately. There are reported cases on taxi drivers having beaten up grab drivers. Regular taxi is cheaper than Grab taxi. Grab motorbike cheaper than regular motorbike taxi. Obviously grab has the advantage of the customers not having to explain where to go, which can be tricky with regular taxi. I use Grab motorbike every morning to work. Home from work I use the bike taxis standing there to support them but also becauss, as almost every taxi driver, they're big muay thai fans :).
I don't think you need to worry about being rag dolled or exhausted. If by this you mean being swept and thrown a bit yeah that happens (for fun but no serious) but if you are an MMA guy you already got that advantage. They will pair you up in clinch and it's either gonna be with a trainer or student and it would be a dick move to go hard on a new guy.
Thai gym trainers are used to westerners being tired just having arrived. The big risk is if you say you are tired but the trainer can see you are not (they know for sure) they might not respect you. But they will see if you are super tired and really try. If you are new they not gonna try to break you. Except padrounds and to some extent clinch training pace will be up to you. Personally I'm more concerned with getting easy padrounds and not being pushed at all. It happens I get a trainer who thinks I'm not strong enough and will give me short padrounds with very few speed kicks and never tell me to do pushups or anything in between. That hurts more than being so exhausted from padrounds. If you only stay 2 weeks unfortunately there's a risk trainers won't invest in you too much to push you too hard.
Just be yourself, make sure to give an effort and enjoy your time. Let me know when you're there I look for you during the morning run
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Thanks so much for your input. Verizon wants around $10 a day for their international plan so I will be doing the SIM card replacement. I actually found a video on YouTube with a man who shows you exactly where to go in the airport to get them lol. Gotta love YouTube.
as far as spotting me, it won’t be hard. Very white, tall and red hair lol.
thanks again for your input. I am so excited to learn clinch. I just want to learn so much.
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Will you be staying at the sl residence also?
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Hey there, I will be there for 2 weeks starting November1st. I fly in on October 31st at 11pm. When will you be there?
i had them set me up at the sl residence as they don’t offer private bathrooms if you use the accommodation at the actual gym.
i did pay months ago for the gym and hotel through the gym using PayPal and they just refunded me a few days ago. They stated that I will have to pay upon arrival as the apartment has a new contract.
i also noticed that fa groups website, Instagram and Facebook are all down. Can anyone else confirm this?
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Thanks so much for the input guys. Much appreciated.
couple more questions...
1. Can you explain the SIM cards or send me a link. I have Verizon but am assuming it would be crazy to go through them for an international plan for the month.
2. What is the general consensus on their version of uber? grab I think it is called?
3. i guess this next one isn’t so much a question but more of a concern. My biggest concern is being rag dolled and exhausted to the point of surviving and not learning as much. I would imagine I can just go at my own pace to some degree? I don’t want to be a bother to anybody Or an annoyance but I know I will have so many questions about technique. I don’t want to overstep their boundaries or interfere with the flow of the class. Am I thinking too much into this?
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Hello everyone, first post here, just joined. Just want to start a thread on my upcoming Training. This is going to be a life changing experience and im super excited/nervous.
My name is Gary and I am 35 and from Chicago. On October 30th I leave for Fa Group. I will be there for 2 weeks by myself and staying at the SL residence that they set me up with. I would of stayed at the gym but they didn't have private bathrooms as an option. My wife will be coming out at the end of the 2 weeks and we will stay another 2 weeks but not in bangkok. we will be traveling to phuket, krabi, and koh samui where i will be training morning sessions only at the nearest gyms to our hotel.
I have been doing only muay thai for 3 years now but have done mma since my early 20's, on and off. I always enjoyed the muay thai portion of the mma training the best as im 6'1" and skinny lol. never fought, just do it to stay in shape and because i never enjoyed lifting weights lol.
I must admit i am very nervous. I have been running every day but i run about a 10min mile and haven't been able to push myself past 40min yet. I run right before my class starts at the gym. since the running i have absolutely felt gains in my training sessions at my gym.
I will be running every morning and afternoon with the guys from fa group, but being 4.5 weeks out and only at 4miles, I imagine i will be left behind during the run and will have to just keep at my pace and end it when i need to. My biggest fear is pushing myself too much for the run to where I will be too exhausted for clinching and the rest of the session. Im only there 2 weeks so i want to soak in as much knowledge I possibly can.
I have a couple quick questions.
1. what is the best means of transportation from the airport to the gym? taxi or their version of uber? i will be arriving very late (11pm)
2. is it best to convert my usd to baht once I am there or here in the states? i have never been anywhere near that side of the earth lol
3. tips on food in that area? things to stay away from or things that i must have?
4. tips on training in general? i do not have an ego so i will absolutely not be trying to prove anything.
5. maybe a silly question for some but i am very very white, almost ghostly lol. i must wear sunscreen when exposed and im a bit worried that it will be disrespectful to train with sunscreen on? is there rinsing stations?
my main concern is being rag dolled and exhausted to the point where learning things will be too hard and i will just be in survival mode.
thanks so much guys, looking forward to feedback and i am excited to share my experiences with you.
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My Time at F.A. Group Muay Thai Gym in Bangkok
in Gym Advice and Experiences
Posted
thats khun pluk pluk holding pads in the second picture. he's not in the fourth picture though.
he is absolutely brutal though, got to see him fight my 3rd or 4th day there too. he is a killer. very unassuming power in the clinch. he beat the crap out of me in the clinch.