What is the Best Muay Thai Gym for Kids in Thailand?

[Jerry]

I am coming to Thailand with 4 of my students who are kids. Two are around 83 pounds and two are 125 pounds and over. I am looking for recommendations for gyms who have a variety of kids for technical training, sparring, clinching, padwork and 3 of them want to fight. 

I am looking at Rambaas Gym and Keatkhamtorn. Any other recommendations?

[Sylvie von Duuglas-Ittu]

I think Rambaa (Baan Rambaa) in Pattaya one of the best gyms for kids, as he has something like 30 kids training at all times. They're pretty small and aged 6-15, with a few late-teen and adult fighters, so matching to the size of your fighters is a good bet but not guaranteed. Because of the sheer number, chances of clinching and sparring are really good. But his structure is pretty strict, in terms of how they train at the gym, and could be a bit intense in a very short visit, but something you'd get accustomed to and work yourself into on a longer visit.

My gym, also in Pattaya, Petchrungruang is also good for kids because we have so much experience training young Thai boys from a young age to become stadium fighters and champions.  We have a group of 4 that come a bit late, after they've gotten out from school and they train a bit after everyone else. They're about 8 years old and quite small, like 24 kg (52 lbs). We also have some very regular young fighters, 99 lbs is the smallest of those and he's about 15 years old. If you don't get an exact match in size, there's always adjustments to be made in training - my training partners are usually bigger than I am and often the western guys who come to the gym who are less experienced go with our boys who are significantly smaller (like, 20 lbs smaller) and still have a good challenge due to skill and strength of our fighters.

The reason I think Petchrungruang is the best gym for kids is that our system, well, Kru Nu's system, is a really good balance of technique, hard work, and also fun. In the afternoons you come, get your shadow and padwork and then it's time for clinching and sparring. You have to submit to the program and it's best if they don't come with their own coach, which usually keeps them peripheral to the process. Or, if the coach is there he's not also coaching them. You just put them in the water, so to speak, with the other fish and let it work. I've seen kids develop crazy fast in this system, even just a week and they're significantly more confident, balanced and improved. They boys at the gym all know each other and are friendly to people coming in and leaving - they totally understand that we're all there to help each other, and they've been helped by those ahead of them, etc.