[Training 2020 Bangkok, Pattaya, Chang Mai or Phuket?]

The seediness you're seeing in Pattaya is pretty well relegated to certain areas and is easy to avoid. Outside of the "red light district" areas, it's actually got quite a small-town feel. But you need a motorbike, it's not a great walking city, and there's not tons to do in terms of tourism. So your wife and son could very easily be bored. There's quite a bit of English, but not as much as in the other areas on your list. That could be good or bad, depending on what you want.

Chiang Mai is a walking/bicycle city for sure. Lots to do, lots of tour packages, lots of English, etc. Probably your best bet for a train-cation. It's less expensive than any other place on your list.

I've never been to Phuket, but if your wife and son love beaches that seems good. It's expensive.

Bangkok has tons to do in terms of visiting temples or shopping, good public transportation, and Attachai's is pretty central in terms of being on On Nut and near a BTS station. It's less expensive than Phuket, similar to Pattaya, I imagine. Motorbike taxis are cheaper in BKK than Pattaya.

[Sasiprapa, Kiatphontip, Petchrungruang, Keatkhamtorn - Reviews Needed]

On 11/15/2019 at 5:29 PM, KushGod said:

Hello all,

Currently planning my 2nd trip to Thailand, would be going for 1 month this December. Looking for personal experiences these gyms:

- Kiatphontip

- Sasiprapa 

- Petchrungruang 

- Keatkhamtorn 

The more recent the experience the better of course. Just a quick overview of the trainers, the level of people training there, general atmosphere, english level, distractions, etc. Was it like they had told you? Did you just smash pads and were let to yourself for the rest? Were you given tips during bag work/shadow boxing? Was it more technical or more cardio-intensive? Pros and cons...

I contacted them on Facebook and speaking with some already at the moment regarding pricing,  accommodation, airport pickup/drop-off and other services... So yah really looking for some personal inputs from anybody having spent time at any of these gyms. Please also mention the year at which you attended the gym(s).

Thanks

I can speak to Petchrungruang from personal experience:

You get 3 rounds on the pads, 4 minutes each with 1 minute rest in between rounds. Our trainers are all pretty different from each other, some are more instructive than others, but if you prefer more instruction you can always ask. When you're not on the pads, you're largely responsible for your own work. Shadow, bagwork and conditioning are on you; you will be called in and matched up for sparring and clinching. Clinching is every day, sparring is every-other day but if you want sparring just ask for a partner or find someone you want to work with. Mornings are more quiet, generally, but it's been pretty busy in November and I expect it will stay that way through December. Mornings are a run at 5AM and then you can do your own work directly after, or you can come back at 9AM and have pads and work with everyone who comes at that time. We do a bit of "group" drills and conditioning in the morning, like groups of 3 doing 100 kicks on the bag or whatever, but in the afternoon it's less structured.

Not all of our trainers speak English, but some speak it quite well. Communication is still pretty good with those who don't speak English, they can explain technique physically and generally pinpoint what the problem is without a lot of verbal necessities.

Thais and westerners all train together, there's no separation in the work we do. You'll be matched in clinch and sparring based on your size and level, so that might be with a Thai or might be with another westerner. It's a family-style gym, not fussy, not fancy, but we have good equipment and it's clean. Pattaya is a mixed bag. There are distractions if you go looking for them, but it's easy enough to avoid them. There is no on-sight accommodation, but you can find your own or go with the training/accommodation package at http://royalthairesidencepattaya.com/muay-thai , which is a 15 minute walk or 5 minute motorbike ride.

I love this gym. It's my home, it's my heart. But it's not for everyone and I don't universally recommend it. If you need a lot of structure, not for you. If you work hard and listen, you'll be okay.

[Catching kicks]

20 hours ago, Banana36 said:

Is it true that takedowns are not big scorers?

It depends. If someone catches your kick, your kick scored already. So what they do with that can either neutralize your score or kind of get a "bonus" on top of it. If they land a strike before sweeping you, it's a big score. If they just sweep you, it could just be a neutralizing move to the score of your kick.

I second what Kevin said, that you just need to have your kick caught a lot to take the fear out of it. Do it as a drill, then have your partner increase the unpredictability and pressure. The only way to stop being freaked out by something is desensitization therapy of experiencing it over and over. But start with control, then move toward more fight-real scenarios.

Here's a good example from Manop: https://web.facebook.com/329140641003498/posts/526036014647292/

[Hello - What's this Forum? An Introduction]

On 10/31/2019 at 11:03 AM, Kwanzama said:

Hey everyone, I'm Gene. I'm from San Francisco, California. I've been studying Muay Thai for about 10 years, I've only done a handful of smokers. By the end of 2020 I hope to transition to amateur Muay Thai since my coach thinks I'll be ready with a couple more smokers. I'm looking to compete as much as possible before amateurs. 

I'm here to make friends and learn to become a better nak muay. I'm hoping to contribute to the community as well! 

Welcome to the forum, Gene!

[Hello - What's this Forum? An Introduction]

On 9/7/2019 at 10:39 PM, Aurélien said:

Hi,

I'm Aurélien, 29, and I live in Caen, France. I started muay thai 1 year ago and instantly fall in love with it. I've always been fascinated by martial arts, even did kung fu for a couple of years and attended some MT class by accident in May 2018. 1 year and a few months later I can say that I finally found something that gives me a sense of fulfillment I never experienced before.

Even if I do not intend to fight (even though I'd be more than happy if I'd ever have the opportunity), I put a good deal of effort into learning, improving and constantly challenging myself physically and mentally.

Here to meet new MT friends, get some tips and contribute within my capabilities!

Welcome to the forum, Aurelien! Glad you've found something so fulfilling.

[Stupid Achilles Tendonitis, how to heal?]

I get this in stretches when I'm doing a lot of jumping knees on the bag, also get it from skipping rope, etc. I get some relief from using a foam roller. I kneel on the ground with the tops of my feet against the floor, put the roller on the backs of my Achilles and then just sit on the top of the roller to create pressure. I don't move much, just leave the weight on it. I do this as a warm-up and cool-down. I also tape my ankle when the pain is a lot, as the compression seems to help.

My husband is a basketball fan and loves to freak out anytime my Achilles are hurting. He has a point. It's a very common injury and he says they can just snap if you don't warm them up properly or injure them too badly. That's pretty terrifying. I do try to get them massaged when they're very painful, which in Thailand isn't expensive but massage in other parts of the world can be pretty limiting due to cost. But mine go away and I forget that they were a problem until they become a problem again.

[Sinbi MT Review (Phuket)]

I really appreciate you putting so much thought, consideration and time in this review. Thank you so much for that!

[Worth it to leave USA behind to train in Thailand?]

If you can get all the non-exciting parts sorted, like renewing your passport, buying a ticket, organizing a tourist visa and finding a gym, then for sure go. You won't regret trying the life of training and fighting in Thailand. The question isn't "should you come," it's how long you can stay. So, should you try? Yes. Are you willing to put in the work to make that happen? 

[Coach blind spot/men your perspective is welcome.]

On 11/3/2019 at 8:05 PM, threeoaks said:

She’s also an impatient & selfish partner with zero teaching skills.  I have so much respect for this instructor, but I’m losing it now.   Men, can you not see this typically female behavior?  Is this a real blind spot?  For myself, I’ll just train til I’m as good as her then make her pay #motivation lol.

It's interesting you call this "typically female behavior" but accepting the ego stroke by your coach isn't similarly called "typically male behavior." I'd call it that.

Sorry you're dealing with an annoying situation and dynamic. Smart to just get away form it but shitty that you have to miss training due to it. 

[Questions About Prah Rahu]

I don't have any resources at my disposal that aren't available through Google searches. You just have to keep looking. A lot of the information is from the Indian lineage of Rahu, much less on the Thai adaptations.

[Would it be looked down on to not complete road work in a thai gym?]

Don't decide before you get here that you can't run. Like Kero said, the pace is usually quite slow for most fighters in a gym. When we run in the morning, there's a huge gap between when the fastest runners finish and when the slowest runners catch up. It's not a race, it's what runners would call "junk miles," in that nobody cares how fast or slow you go, it's just that you're doing the work. 

I am 100% in the school of thought that if you don't run, you don't Muay Thai. People who argue otherwise, to me, are making excuses. When you see two fighters in the ring, you can tell with 100% accuracy, every time, who runs and who doesn't. That said, if you literally cannot run but can do something else, like skipping or jumping on the tire for ungodly amounts of time that make up for it, that's good. It's just important that you do something. But the short and blunt answer about whether you'll be looked down on by your gym for not running: yes. How much they judge you will depend on what kind of gym it is - a western-heavy gym where lots of folks don't run, not as much - as well as if you try to make up for it with something else. If you're doing other work to make up for the run, that will be acknowledged.

[Questions About Prah Rahu]

On 8/21/2019 at 2:11 AM, Dave G said:

 

Hi Sylvie
I have seen several of your posts on your trips to Thailand and  what I am really interested in is Phra Rahu.and your experiences with this deity. I myself have been very pulled towards him and the connection is just there. However, many are afraid of him.  I am also a westerner, Scottish, working out how I relate to Phra Rahu.
Thanks

Dave

I'm not sure what is your question, exactly. Yes, people are afraid of him but he's a demigod and semi-demonic, so that makes sense. It's my feeling that this is a misunderstanding of his powers, but those people aren't wrong. So, walking around with that kind of thing on my chest certainly gets different reactions from people. But the only path away from ignorance is knowledge, so you just have to do as much research about him as you can in order to understand what he means to you. It sounds like you have a kind of inherent connection, which is beautiful. I have that, too. And he's not specifically villainous enough that you don't see the tattoos on fairly normal people. I've seen a number of women getting a Rahu on their lower backs in the years I've been visiting Arjan Pi, so clearly not horrific to any and all. But Arjan Pi was definitely skeptical about my Sak Yant, on my chest and in the middle of an already-not-for-women-generally Sak Yant. I think if he's tattooed on people, women especially, it's generally in a place that remains hidden by clothing.

[I don’t have real life Muay Thai friends (yet) so i’ll Ask you all ( ‘ whip lash’ ??)]

I used to get a sore neck from punching the heavy bag, until I built up the appropriate muscles for it. It's just the strain of holding the "shields" (I say pads, sorry) and you're probably bracing hard and straining your neck. Tucking your chin will help, but in general it's  matter of building up the muscles needed to prevent that kind of thing. My hips still get really sore when I decide to up my teep counts.

[Hello - What's this Forum? An Introduction]

On 8/23/2019 at 8:43 PM, Nicolas said:

Hello everyone! 

I am Nicolas, French but living in Barcelona, Spain. 

Been in love with Muay Thai for 5 years but only began training 3 monts ago. 

My goal is to go to a Thailand Camp in 2021 fro 3 to 6 months and hopefully fight! 

 

Wonderful, welcome Nicolas! Hope you make your goal of 2021, but be sure to let us know how your training is going in these threads in the meantime and maybe some of the advice and posts here can help you plan your trip

[Getting to Pattaya and Petchrungruang to train - Low Budget]

Tyler is right, inexpensive accommodation doesn't have cooking options. You can buy a hot-plate and a pan, which is an investment on your own part. Middle-level rooms will have a balcony with a sink where you can kind of turn it into a kitchen with a microwave and electric kettle. It's much, much easier to just buy your food from stalls but obviously the tradeoff is you don't have as much control over your diet at all. 

Chicken+Rice is a common meal, generally running 40 Baht for a serving. Anything that's served on rice is about 40-100 Baht, soups are about the same at most stalls. If you get a dish plus rice (not the same as "on rice"), the vegetable or meat is a bigger serving and so the price is maybe 60-120 Baht. I go to a place near the gym that's grilled chicken and Somtum (spicy salad). A whole chicken plus the salad is 199 Baht and it takes me two meals to finish the chicken.

If you sit down at an indoor restaurant with air-con, food prices are around 120-250 Baht per dish. If you get western food, it's 200+ for almost anything.

Cheap rooms can be as low as 2500 Baht per month (for any price I give, water and electricity are not included), but usually they don't have air-con or hot water. 5000/month is the lowest I've seen for having air-con and hot water, but the room will be small and often there's a 6 month contract on those. We did this in Bangkok our first trip out and just paid the penalty for canceling the contract before 6 months, which was the cost of our deposit (1 month's rent). 

I recommend a motorbike in Pattaya, those are probably 1500 Baht for a month, plus whatever gas cost to fill it, which depends on how much you drive. I drive a lot and it's probably 120 Baht/week in gas. Otherwise you can walk and use the truck-busses or motorbike taxis for longer trips.

I'll try to add more to this as I think of things. But ask if I've missed something and I'll try to find out.

[Why do you train/fight?]

I totally feel that destructive, super-passionate relationship thing. The way the very same thing that builds you up and makes you feel AMAZING, also tears you apart and makes you question everything you are. But the good times are sooo good, it makes you think the bad times are worth it. Basically, find something you love and let it destroy you. But not in the abusive relationship way, in the "you cannot possibly remain the same person through this process" kind of way. Destroyed and rebuilt, all the time. All the time.

I've never thrown myself into anything the way I've been consumed by Muay Thai. Not only is it my whole life, it's Kevin's whole life, too. Maybe it's not possible to answer "why" you're obsessed by something, because the answer is always the same, that you're just fascinated and enamored and it never dries up. I can't picture myself doing anything else. The frequently asked question of "what are you going to do when you stop fighting?" is fucking heart-breaking. It would be like meeting someone's dog or husband and asking them what they're going to do when the thing they love the most dies. I don't know... feels like the end of the world.

[Hey! Is Sylvie about to fight soon? It’s 11Am Monday aug. 26 in the USA so I think it’s evening in Thailand]

On 8/26/2019 at 10:05 PM, MadelineGrace said:

I’m stalking her fb page so I don’t miss the live fight! Thanks! 

I'm fighting tonight, Wednesday the 28th, in Chiang Mai. I don't know where I am on the card yet, but probably around 10:30 PM Thai Time I should be in the ring

[Hello - What's this Forum? An Introduction]

On 8/3/2019 at 6:47 PM, standbystandby said:

Hi Guys/Girls,

 

I have a bit of mma background, previously been to Thailand for a little trip a few years ago and used to be a member of the infamous Muaythailand.com Forum. I have recently got the urge to get back into Muay Thai and currently in planning stages for a 4-6 month trip! This is a very interesting and useful forum to help plan a trip to Thailand!  I like the positive vibe of this forum and the lack of flame wars! Will try and contribute as much as I can post a review of the gyms I visit!

 

Welcome to the Forum and Welcome back to Muay Thai! See you in the threads

[Drawing the line with critique, criticism and commentary]

I watch my trainers let someone be "wrong" for a really, really long time with no correction. Then they'll make a small correction, enforce it, and then let it go. Kevin's reference to the Inner Game of Tennis is really good because it's about the learning process, and correction, critique, and commentating really don't help that at all. Very often, people are already over-thinking and not feeling, so over-verbalizing is counter-productive.

But in terms of where the line is, to me the most important aspect was raised by LengLeng: did this person ask? If you offer a small point, unsolicited, did they then ask for more?

[Opinion on UFC - Aggression vs Muay Thai Composure]

I don't mean to imply that ALL of Muay Thai is not aggressive. The point I try to make is that aggressiveness is not in and of itself a positive quality, but dominance always is. Sometimes that looks aggressive. Dieselnoi was aggressive; violent, even. I love him. Rotdang is fun to watch, he's very "aggressive," but also unaffected when he's hit back.

Kevin and I used to follow the UFC, we don't anymore. The fights just aren't as good, as far as my eyes go nowdays. That's fine, it's just not interesting to me anymore. Even when I was watching it pretty regularly, the problem with MMA in general to me was the caliber of knowledge from each fighter was pretty low. It's like being able to ask where the bathroom is in 5 different languages, but can't hold a conversation in any of them. But there are some fighters who had depth of knowledge in one martial art, like Lyoto Machida. He was interesting to watch. Rousey, before she tried to become more "well rounded" with shitty boxing, she was interesting to watch as  Judo player against very different skills.

[Heading to Thailand]

As an American you can get a 6 month Tourist Visa (as of my fingers typing this; immigration stuff changes ALL THE TIME) before coming. I'd advise that. 

We have a thread on gym recommendations and reviews. If you're willing to go outside of Bangkok a bit I'd recommend checking out Sasakul Gym, Samart's Gym, getting a private with Sagat at 13 Coins (best private in Thailand); Chiang Mai is all pretty close together so you can see a few gyms in a period of a few days.

[Considering amateur fight but wondering about time commitment]

8 hours ago, LengLeng said:

 

The thing is people can say things like yeah we did skipping rope for 30 minutes and I did 5 rounds on the bag. But in reality they didn't skip for 30 minutes there were several breaks and the bag rounds were not efficient work. They pretend time spent in gyms is time spent training. But they just goofed around half the time not engaging in efficient training. So I feel it's difficult to get a true answer to how much time you need to prep. People are way lazier than they think. 

Personally (and I'm not very experienced in terms of muay thai but I've competed in other sports and have a decent understanding of how my body works) I want to keep a decent level of conditioning to always being able to train and learn. If I'm exhausted on the pads I will learn less and my movements will be sloppy. I train to train. 

What I find important is to drive yourself to and beyond point of exhaustion. This because I feel it increases my level of fitness, but it also teaches me that I have much more to give when I feel I'm dying. So it's both for mental training and for body conditioning. I love metcon workouts to do this. 

 

This is such a hard pill to swallow, but you are so right that when people say "I train 3 hours a day" that's not super accurate. I'm lazier than I think I am, too. But the honest answer is also what you get to next, which is that the amount of time required is just whatever gets you fight ready, mentally to the point where you know you did the work. I don't know that an "x" number of miles works for everyone, or "y" number of sparring rounds. I've fought with zero clinching and sparring (due to stitches or whatever), or with daily clinching/sparring leading up. I'm an anomaly in terms of how often I get to fight, but not in what those training methods' purposes are. They're to make you ready. And to me "ready" is a state of mind more than anything.

If someone walked into my gym and said, "Sylvie, put me on a program to get me ready for a fight," I'd just make sure that the rounds of pads and on the bag are at least 1 minute longer than the rounds of the actual fight. So, 2 minute rounds in a fight = 3 minutes or more for each round in training. 3 minute rounds in a fight = 4 minutes in training, etc. And more rounds than the fight will be. So, if it's a 3 round fight, do 5 rounds on the bag and on pads. If it's a 5 round fight do 6-7 on pads and the bag. Although, padwork is largely up to your trainer, so you might have to do whatever they say and then get your extra time/rounds on the bag. Shadow a lot to get the feeling of movement and timing. I'd tell this person to run every morning (mileage doesn't matter, as long as it's pushing you to do it every day). Situps, knees, pushups, pullups, and teeps.

[Names, nicknames, thai gyms etiquette and customs]

4 hours ago, Malik said:

I guess I have another little question, at what point in life and by whom are play names chosen?

Usually the parents or grandparents and really early on. Babies have them and keep them. Tons of people called "ouan" (meaning fat) aren't fat anymore, but were as babies.

[Names, nicknames, thai gyms etiquette and customs]

On 8/6/2019 at 5:07 AM, Malik said:

Thanks Sylvie! So for example how should I call Kaensak? "Arjan" sounds too much because he looks young lol, I don't know if I could use "pi", and if so, can I ask him his play name? May be I am overthinking all this since I'm in fact in the US and all that is not as relevant as I would like it to be...

Thanks Emma! So I assume that if I were to have a casual encounter in the street, and I would ask their name, they would automatically respond with their nickname, right? And I could even know them for a long time without knowing their first name?...

I call him Pi Ken (Kaensak), as his play name is Ken. Arjan is very respectful, but given how he talks on Facebook you'd be the only person ever doing that. Kru is respectful and not too formal. But just ask him how he wants to be called. That's the 100% best way to know.

As for people's given names, you might never know them. Play names are what's used almost all the time.

[Drilling without shin guards - do's and don'ts?]

On 8/5/2019 at 2:43 AM, Gibu said:

Hi all!

What are your thoughts on doing partner drills without shin guards? Shin to shin contact sucks, does it keep sucking, or do you get used to it?
What's the prevalent opinion on training without shin guards in Thai gyms? Do fighters train without pads prior to competion?

Thanks!

Gilles

 

It's a great thing to get used to if you AND your partner have good control. There's not a lot of shin-to-shin contact without shinguards in Thailand. Trainers and folks sparring will kind of use the bottom of their foot to "kick" on the leg, if it's blocked, rather than go shin to shin. But kicking the arms, legs, and sides of the body with control and bare shins is totally fun and much more realistic to what kicks will feel like in a fight that doesn't have pads. You'll often see one pair of shinguards split between 2 people, so your blocking leg has a guard and your kicking leg doesn't, but in a same-stance pair it's the opposite, so their blocking leg also has a guard and their kicking leg doesn't.