Micc

Hi, I need some advice as I'm not sure how to handle this situation. I was planning on joining a summer camp in August - a 8 day camp with at least 2 trainings a day. It was planned to be catering more to the K1 style instead of Muay Thai, but as my trainer was also one of the coaches there, I was sure I would get to learn a style that I like at least from him. I paid the advance money to secure a place last month and yesterday I learned that my trainer is out of the camp. So now I'm facing a situation I've never really been in. Apparently, he transfered the money to the organizers, so I don't know how and if I'd get my money back. And from whom? I don't really have a contract, it was a spoken arrangement. I didn't talk to my trainer yet as I'm not sure how to approach the topic. My first reaction was: if he's not there, then I don't want to go. I barely know anyone there. If my trainer's not there, then none of the other trainers know me. There will be no Muay Thai, only K1 and boxing and MMA. (I'm not into boxing and MMA.) And I'm not a fan of the other coaches. From a training camp which was supposed to be a big part of my training plan this turned into a "bootcamp" - yeah, I will work out, I'll probably learn something and spar a bit and chill a bit at the lake, but...it's not what I've signed up for... So for now I'm thinking about ways to get my money back. Sad thing is, I already planned my days off at work, all my friends have their own vacation plans during this time, so even if I wanted to use my days off and go to the sea, I'd have noone to go with, which sucks. I just don't see a point in going to a camp where no trainer knows me and my abilities. Thinking about it I see two options, both bad: first, I get put with the beginners and be wasting my time (and money). Second, I'd be put with more advanced then me and risk an injury. I wanted to have this comfort of having my trainer around, who knows my skill level and can put me in the right group as he knows most of the participants - I don't know anyone, coz noone from my gym is going (my trainer teaches at 3 gyms). Now I don't see a point in going, other then working out and meeting new people...which is not the main reason I signed up for this - main reason was to train k1/MT under the guidance of my trainer. What would you do in my situation?

Congrats on a successfull experiment! :) I trained 2 years ago like that, went slowly from training 2x a week, to 3x, then 4 and then 6x a week. I don't remember how long it took me to go to the 6x a week, but I'd say I added up to it over the span of 6 months and then I kept at it more or less for a year and half. With some minor breaks and minor injuries. In preparation before going to Thailand I really trained 6x a week going strong every session. I managed to do my 2 weeks in Thailand training twice a day, minus the running :) I was around 28-30yrs then. Now I have a much more different training schedule, with specific interval trainings and weight lifting sessions. I do Muay Thai only twice a week now, but I workout 4 times a week for sure. I'm working on adding to it. In August I'll go to a training camp, where apparently up to 3 training sessions a day will be available to the participants, but it will be a mixed K1, MMA, boxing camp, so I suppose not all trainings will be interesting to me, but I'm aiming to go at least twice a day. Now I'm taking it kinda easy, but already mapping out a schedule of 6 workouts a week to prepare for the camp. I'll also add more cardio - running or sth along the lines to work on my conditioning :) It gets easier once you get used to it and work out a good schedule that fits around your adult responsibilities ;)

Yay! Glad you liked it! :D :D

Yup, it's Bartosz. He spent two years (if my memory serves me right, might be more) in Thailand, training and living at the gym, fighting out of Sinbi. He's the first Polish person to fight at Thai Fight at a New Years eve event (Kard Chuek -spelling?) and basically the best in his weight class in Poland at the moment. I only spent like a 10-day camp with him as a guest trainer, so I have no idea how his "usual" trainings look like at his gym (he has a gym in Wroclaw - Breslau and I'm from Warsaw), but I really liked how he teaches tricks in the clinch. He has a really "Thai" style, if I can say so. And he has a funny personality, so trainings with him are a lot of fun. I'd love to train with him again, I feel like I can learn so much more!

Ringside Berlin, I second that, but only because a trainer I had the pleasure to train with during a summer camp is now there as a guest coach until end of July :D As far as I saw from his pictures on social media, he seems to be impressed with the level of the gym, so that speaks volumes to me.

First off, props to you for the courage to try out a new gym! I can relate to your experience as I also have a gym close by, which is pretty nice and new, but the intructions and training is...just horrible. So I stopped going there and commute to a gym that's a bit far away, but I like the way we train there. But it's only half an hour for me, so not as bad. If you felt bad already after the first training than it's probably not the right place for you. BUT. I am a fan of giving a new place time. Maybe there's a rotation of trainers and on a different day it would be better? Maybe go to BJJ more often and to MT when you feel you have it in you to keep up with the instructions there? It's hard to say for sure what you should do, because you know best what kind of training and instructions you need. But sometimes, out of doing something uncomfortable, something good comes about. If I were in your place, I'd give it a try and endure it for a month or two. And decide after I got some understanding of how this particular gym/trainer does his thing. If even after a few times you still feel bad about the training then...well...you need to look for other options :(

I'm with NewThai... To get a grasp if it's expensive I would check how much I'd have to pay if I didn't pay as a "bundle", but each of the composites. So if you pay 3000Baht/week of training - it's basically 428baht/day. Next up, housing. How much do you pay for a week of housing in the same conditions? ...and so on.

A guy who I met last year training in Phuket visited Fighters Gym last month or so and he said it was great. He only did drop-ins tho, so can't say much about long-term. If there's something in particular you'd like to know I can get in touch with him and ask him.

Can you tell more about the heat rash? Do you mean like an allergy? I remembered now that I got a huge rash on my hands and arms - almost up to my shoulders - during my whole 2 weeks of training in Thailand. I have allergy and usually get allergic reactions to food or pollens. My reaction to food is specific and I can basically tell if I'm allergic to the food after taking a small bite, but it was not that. And my rash was getting worse day by day. I was drinking a lot of water, taking electrolytes, vitamins, ibuprofen, anti-histamin medication, calcium...still the rash was not going away. Honestly, I didn't bring my hardcore medications and creams that I usually use when I get an allergic reaction back home, so it was really hard to deal with. I tried spraying it with a silver-spray - a guy had it and used it as an anti-septic. It was giving a bit of cooling feeling for a while, but didn't make the rash smaller - so it was not an infection of sorts. I suspect it was an allergic reaction to a mix of different things: different water, different pollens, sweating everyday, showering 3-4x a day and contact with other people's sweaty skin. When I came back I asked my doctor if it's possible that I'm allergic to my sweat and she just laughed...so it probably means no. Yet, my reaction was really bad. Afer I came home it got better (it was winter when I came back, like - a real winter, with freezing temperatures and stuff, so no pollens flying around. I'm usually allergy-free in winter). So... if you're an allergic person, better take your meds with you just in case. I know it sucks to pack more, but better be safe than sorry.

Have you tried kinesio taping as support for your knee? Some physiotherapist use it even as part of the therapy, but I usually handle my knee pains with kinesio tapes and in a few days the pain is over. I don't have any diagnosed problems with my knees, though. They just hurt sometimes. Warming up properly helps a lot! Kinesio tapes also help me get rid of the "unstable" feeling in my knees when I have a weaker day. I love them!

The time has come to deal with it face-to-face. My resolutions for 2016 were...really ambitious now that I look back at them :p Haha, I managed to do 2/5. That sucks. Still, a nice reminder of what I can achieve and what needs more focus and more work.

I'm still gonna wait until the end of the year to assess mine ;) It was a great idea to make this thread, I think we need one for 2017, too. Pretty soon ;)

Thanks for the interview (and asking my questions ^_^). She seems like a really sweet girl, I hope it will all play out well for her in the future - fighting-wise and also academically. I can only imagine how hard it must be for her, dealing with an injury that makes her basically stop training and having to adjust her plans for the nearest future. Really, all the best to her and stay strong, Saya!! :)

I'm interested in how she's managed to graduate (because she should be about to graduate, right? correct me if I'm wrong) / study at highschool while keeping her training at a high level and fighting? Japanese school are known to be really strict about tests and stuff like that so I'm wondering how it looks for her. Did she enjoy something about her high school life apart from training and fighting? Do her classmates/schoolmates know she's a fighter and champion? Basically, I'm interested in her school life and how she's treated by her peers and how people treat her knowing/not-knowing she's a fighter. Do they really care? Aaand if she has a current favorite manga and anime (sorry, I'm an otaku). Apart from that I hope she'll have a speedy recovery! Can you tell us a bit more about what happened, coz I didn't know she was injured!! :(

I also had similar thoughts when I first started looking for "more" in a gym/trainer. After a while, I got used to the feeling. Embrace the experience, learn from it and try to find your place at the new gym and with the new trainer. Now, after trying yet another gym I already know who I want to train with as a trainer, so I just folllow him around to various gyms whenever I can XD

I'm no expert, but I survived two weeks of training in Thailand :) At my gym (and most tourist-oriented gyms) the atmosphere is really easy-going, so don't sweat it if you don't run before every training. It's up to you if you do it, you might be taken more seriously because of that and if you want to fight for the gym it's a must, but if you're just looking for some training, you'll get it.

I'm sorry, I don't know for sure. In "fighter" I meant a fighter sponsored by the gym. I didn't get the details if it's like a different group, it sounded like they train at the same time as everyone else, but spar among themselves. He also said something along the lines that when he was there before getting the sponsorship, it was up to the trainer to decide if he can spar with some of the gym's fighters.

Yesterday I attended a seminar with a guy who's been a contracted fighter for half a year since January at this gym!! :D (He's also a Polish MT Champion among other titles :D) I asked him a little bit about the Thailand experience and from what I heard it's what everyone was saying above: clean, good vibe, hard training. He was in the fighters group, so he had to train with the Thai guys.

Wow, that's an interesting story! :D I love barter much more than paying for stuff, but well that's the commercial world we live in. I don't really understand what it means "I already pledged to pay cash for gym #2 in September"? I guess it won't hurt you to stay at gym #2 if you already made some sort of commitment. As far as I understand, you already started practice there, right? And at gym #3 you will discuss it in some time? So basically, you'd have to skip training at gym #2 while waiting for the negotiation at gym #3? If that's the case I'd just go to gym #2 for the time being and if you can negotiate with gym #3 that they will let you train, then start going there in October? Maybe there is something more tangible that you could do for gym #3 that they could pay you for? Maybe you can do some promo materials for them? Flyers, banners, website stuff based on your paintings? This way you'll have money and still be cool with them. Good luck! :D

Damn, I'm not doing much progress with my goals.... aaaa :wallbash: Congrats to you NewThai for accomplishing one of yours! Keeping my fingers crossed for more fights to come your way :)

It's great that studies like this are being conducted and it's sad that they found some damage. I feel that as long as the kid wants to train and fight it should have a possibility to do that. The IQ thing I think is unrelevant because of the different lifestyles a kid that trains and a kid that doesn't have - or that's what I assume :D A kid who doesn't train is usually pushed more and more into studying, so they learn patterns to solve tests and stuff like that. A child that spends the minimal amount of time on learning will do things more spontanious and doesn't follow a "pattern", so it might not do as well on tests. It's an ethical issue, I agree on that. I might feel bad opposing someone who tells me kids shouldn't fight, because deep down I also don't want kids to hurt each other. But I also want them to have the freedom to do what they feel they want to do.

So I'm reporting back after trying the Epsom salt bath. It's magic! I read how much you should put into your bath and it varies. Some sites said that if you are a beginner at Epsom salt baths, you should begin with a small amount, like, a cup or something and slowly build up the amount with every bath. I could only get my hands on a 50g pack of Epsom salt, so I used the whole packet. It really works wonders for me! The tightness in my calves dissapeared and even my strained back (yeah I hurt my back again) that was killing me all day long was much better. I woke up without any pain. Today I felt a bit of pain in my back, but it was much less and now I took a second bath, let's see if it helps again :D

Oooh Emma, that sucks! I'm using Rea Tape now, price/quality is pretty good. Rock Tape is hard to get here, but I heard it's really good quality. I'm pretty happy with kinesio taping, it gives you a little bit of support, like an additional liagment :) really comfortable. If you can get your hands on this tape, try it!

So it's been a year and I come across the same problem I had last year! My calf muscles are killing me! Just to refresh my memory I looked through my blog and found the post I wrote about it last year, maybe someone can make use of that. After the incident last year I got individually made shoe-insoles to correct my posture - which was something I suspected as a cause. Now, the cramps come probably from doubling my training in the last week and my body can't keep up. I find the magnesium supplement and foam-rolling method easing the pain. I also did a massage yesterday and rolled my calves on lacrosse-sized rubber balls (it hurt!). Over the weekend I will get a hold of Epsom salt and see what it brings me. Is anyone else uncomfortable with muscle tightness? What's your remedy?

Matty, ohhh I feel ya!! It's heartbreaking when you have to try out a new gym even though you want to train at the other one, but life happens and you can't. I schedule things like this in my calendar. I consider my health condition, my workload during the day and how I will feel, so I can somehow pump myself up and gather the courage to try out a new place. And don't get discouraged after the first day. I usually give it 2 weeks - even if I have to force myself to go to every class, 2 weeks is a good time to starting to get to know people, getting a feel for the gym. It's easy to say "this won't work out", but it's better to try the second place than be left with regret, less training hours and in the end effect - more stress. Schedule it, give it a try and work from there. :) Good luck! (btw. I realised no gym will be as great as the first one where I fell in love with Muay Thai....that's why it's hard for me to find a new "gym home" for myself)