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Super Export Shop had pretty good prices and selection for Fairtex gear. I also got Fairtex shinguards from Muay Thai Mall for a decent price, and they seem to be the only store open on a Sunday (it's near Channel 7 Stadium too). If you're after a good Thai brand, Thai Smai has nice quality gloves in a wide range of colours. Also much cheaper than your usual Fairfax, Top King, etc Boon Sport Shop is also worth checking out. They are my favourite for shorts and shirts. I don't have any experience buying in bulk though. I would recommend contacting the store/s ahead of time as the multi-brand stores may not have everything you want in stock and they can give you prices over the phone.

If you're training consistently, then the usual things like skipping, running/sprinting, kicking pads and bags, any other conditioning drills your trainer might get you to do (squats) should be enough. You will build strength overtime. Similar to picking up any other sport, just make sure you're getting more calories in to ensure you have enough energy and recover faster. Unless you have specific deficiencies, a well rounded diet (fruit&veg, protein, lots of carbs) containing wholesome foods should get you through.

Have you gotten a scan done to check for fractures, etc? I've had achy and occasionally sharp sensations in the ribs from kicks but nothing that didn't go away in a week. Might be a good idea to tell your sparring partners not to kick you on that side, or if they do to just tap their kicks on your arms.

It's hard to find out everything in the first session so I would recommend going for a full week or two before committing to any memberships. What's right for others may not be right for you. For me a good gym would be one which has active fighters at different levels (preferably has female fighters), has enough good padholders for people training for fights, encourages females and males to train together, and has sparring and/or clinching on most (if not all) days. If you are considering fighting anytime in the future, try to get an idea of what kind of opportunities would be available to you. At my gym we have days when we spar or clinch for most of the session..you definitely get a lot more out of those days than when we try to fit everything in and only have time to spar/clinch for a couple of rounds. But I would expect conditioning drills, 3-5 rounds pad work, and some technique instruction most days of the week.

Channel 7 stadium in Bangkok on Sunday afternoons is free and has an excellent atmosphere, but try to get there no later than 12:30-1pm to get a good seat. Rajadamnern and Lumpini are the two major stadiums in BKK, I believe they have fights on alternating nights but tickets aren't cheap. In Chiang Mai, I've only been to Thapae Stadium. You can watch female fights there just about every night.

It may help to build confidence in your defensive techniques. Doing check drills (e.g Sylvie's 10 Minute Blockout video), practising a strong long guard/dracula guard/turtle guard, building core strength and awareness of your centre of gravity (so you don't get pushed around as easily), and practising stepping to the side of your opponent when they come forward at you. Some of these things will come more naturally to you than others, so you could just work on reinforcing those first. Make a mental note before each sparring round to not go backwards. Block - counter right away - push forward/strike first

The Hayabusa Tokushu Regenesis Gloves have really good protection for small wrists due to the double wrist straps. I have the 10oz and weigh under 50kg. The outer material is also extremely durable and after almost everyday use for the past 1.5 years (I use them for pads, bags and sparring), there are barely any signs of wear and tear. They were quite expensive though so the above options may be more suitable depending on your budget.

Love reading about your journey, Kevin. You really capture that "everything is amazing but SO hard" feeling you get when you start muay thai, learn something new or when you work with a new padholder who challenges you.

US$8,000?!! Surely not :O

I alternate between running and swimming before training, as well as sprints after training, during a fight camp. My cardio has been pretty good in my last few fights compared to my first few fights; however, I believe that's not only due to improved cardio but, largely, better composure, more efficient technique, and greater awareness of when to strike vs when not to. My most recent fight last week I remember going back to the corner after the rounds 1+2 and barely breathing..compared to my first 3-4 fights when I was breathing heavily after the first round. I imagine running and training twice per day would lead to even better endurance (provided I can sleep in between training sessions :teehee:). However, I am quite thin already and wonder how that would impact muscle mass. I have lost about 1-2kg of muscle this year as I have been continuously training for fights since February, despite eating pretty much whatever I want, and I generally fight people up to 5kg heavier. Anyway, that may be a topic for another thread.

I train 6 days a week for fights and the body surprisingly adapts to it after a couple of weeks (of course some days are really rough). I've just come off a fight and am taking a break but I'm finding it's almost harder to cut the training down to 3 days a week. Don't know if that's because the body shuts down in between the training days so it's harder to get it going again. With all that said, I am yet to train 6 times a week twice a day but I plan to when I go to Thailand later this year.

This was great to read. Thinking of training here later this year.

While I can understand that the nak muay life in Thailand is not as glamorous as it may initially seem, I agree that he goes too far in his generalisations. I guess he has a lot of built up frustration and is using his experiences to make sense of what happened to Jordan.

Came across this blog written by Craig Dickson, a Scottish muay thai fighter at Sumalee Boxing Gym in Phuket and also friend of Jordan Coe. In his latest post, he reflects on the death of his friend and, along with it, the death of any trust he had left for Thais. Any trust which may have remained for Thais died with Jordan Coe. Until Jordan’s death, in my mind, the constant deceit, the malice, was a reaction to my own character. My fault, no doubt. Culture gap, lack of understanding. However, no matter the lengths we go to to integrate into this pretty sordid society, we are met with disappointment and failure. https://muaythaiadventurer.wordpress.com/2017/04/15/fallout

I have less than 10 fights so I still haven't found my style. When I started fighting about a year ago I just kicked a lot, but in my last few fights I have felt stronger in the clinch and found knees to be more effective. In my next handful of fights I would really like to develop my confidence in the ring so that I can display a stronger style as opposed to my current position of different styles for every fight..which I know is probably normal for an amateur but feels messy to me.