Gym comparison in BKK | Jaroonsak/Chuwattana/96Penang, etc...

[Ricenbeans27]

Hey Guys,

I’m a 5’04 female who has been training Muay Thai for 5 years in the US. I’ve trained in Thailand 3 times already.

I will be working in Bangkok near the Saladaeng BTS station. In the past, I have trained at Eminent Air Boxing and Attachai, and loved both gyms, however, they are too far away from where I will be working at, so  I’ve been looking at gyms that are located within 30 minutes on the BTS or MRT from that area.

I have a list of possibilities, was wondering if anyone in this forum has trained there, and what are your thoughts. My main goal is to improve my clinch game and to be able to practice and spar with people that are my size. I definitely do not want to train at a touristy place like Yokkao, but I need to be able to have some sort of communication with my trainers.

 

- Jaroonsak Muay Thai

- ChuWattana

- 96 Penang

- Ingram Muay Thai

- Chakrit

- Elite Fight Club

 

Does anyone also have a suggestion(s) on other gyms near the Saladaeng BTS?

 

Thank you in advance :)

[Jonnylaw89]

16 hours ago, Ricenbeans27 said:

Hi, I'm currently training in BKK, been here just over a week. After a few days holiday and getting too sunburnt to train lol i'm getting in to it. I trained at Jaroonsak and it was awesome! prob very good for a girl your size as there's two girls there who would make great coaches/partners, It's a bit in the middle of nowhere, but it's a real gem of a gym! if they trained mornings i would go there for the duration of my camp. I arrived at Khongsitta yesterday  and trained for the first time so i will give feedback once i've trained.

Jonny

 

[emma]

Hey!

I haven't trained at any of the gyms on that list but I've heard good things about Mankong Phranai Gym, which is in the area you're looking at. Maybe that's worth a try.

Good luck in your search! Hope you manage to find a place that's a good fit 

[Ricenbeans27]

Thank you so much for your insight Jonny and Emma.

It seems that Jaroonsak might not be feasible for me, because they only offer evening training - and I'll be working then. But I'll definitely check out Mankong Phranai Gym. Will give you all a report, once I train there, I'm sure that other people could benefit from knowing about these 'lesser known gyms.:)

 

[515]

If Mochit BTS station is in your range you could give FA Group a try, especially because you want to improve your clinching game.

[LengLeng]

23 hours ago, 515 said:

If Mochit BTS station is in your range you could give FA Group a try, especially because you want to improve your clinching game.

Agreeing with this, you could take the MRT to Chatuchak. I tried FA group and the trainers, especially Kru Diesel, are great. They also usually have girls training of various sizes. Lots of clinching. They have a photographer coming each afternoon so it's easy to follow current clientele on Facebook. I went to a different gym as their training schedule didn't match mine. I must say I felt the vibe was a bit off when I was there but could've been my own projection or just the people training there at that time. 

[Ricenbeans27]

21 hours ago, LengLeng said:

Agreeing with this, you could take the MRT to Chatuchak. I tried FA group and the trainers, especially Kru Diesel, are great. They also usually have girls training of various sizes. Lots of clinching. They have a photographer coming each afternoon so it's easy to follow current clientele on Facebook. I went to a different gym as their training schedule didn't match mine. I must say I felt the vibe was a bit off when I was there but could've been my own projection or just the people training there at that time. 

Amazing guys, thank you for the tip. I will check out FA Group as well, and report my experience back to you all.

The ‘vibe’ thing is an interesting situation in Thailand... It seems to me that usually when the ‘head coach’ or gym manager is not around, the trainers can be a little different....

Thank you so much for your input!

[Tyler Byers]

Bit off topic but.... Anyone trained at Chakrit? Its not too far from my apartment and I've thought about going down there a few times a week if I can scrape some extra money together.

[Oliver]

Never trained at FA but did think about it - is it true that it's very overcrowded? People tend to say this so wasnt sure how much truth there is in it. Small gym isn't a big deal but the numbers being too high can make me think twice.

Obliged

[LengLeng]

20 hours ago, Oliver said:

Never trained at FA but did think about it - is it true that it's very overcrowded? People tend to say this so wasnt sure how much truth there is in it. Small gym isn't a big deal but the numbers being too high can make me think twice.

Obliged

On Facebook (where photos from their training are posted daily as they have a professional photographer - which I felt was distracting) doesn't look too crowded atm. When I was there yeah it was many people, more westerners than thais which made it very "western" but the amount of people did not feel like an issue. Training is good lots of clinching, sparring and pads and your own bag work. Trainers especially Kru D and Yothin are great. They have an American manager who handles admin stuff so easy to get help with stuff if needed. One thing that was annoying was that mats get superhot in the afternoon and doing pads on them was tough. FA group is close to Ari and Saphan Kwai. The former being a thai hipster neighbourhood and the latter an up and coming area and in my view nicest areas to stay in Bangkok. 

If you like or not probably depends on the people currently training. 

[Oliver]

Thx. Really liked Ari neighbourhood too

[Ricenbeans27]

Hey Guys,

So following up on my initial post, these are my observations from this current trip to BKK, and my previous one from 1.5 year ago:

1) Jaroonsak Muay Thai:

It was amazing! There were very few people there, and at the end, I asked Kru Jaroonsak if he could clinch with me. He ended up giving me an entire 45 minute ‘clinch private" just because there were very few people there and he's super passionate about teaching Muay Thai.

The reason why I didn't end up training steady there is because he's a school teacher during the day, and can only open his gym for evening training. I'm working more towards the evening time, so my schedule didn't match with Jaroonsak's.

Another issue is that the gym is a 20 minute walk from the Bang Wa BTS, and going there was a long commute for the more central area on Bangkok, where I've been working.

2) Mankong Phranai:

Great location and great vibes. I was matched with a trainer that had a very different kicking style, very interesting. I came in the morning, there were only two other guys there, so I basically got a private session. I asked if they would clinch at the end, the trainer looked funny at me, and said : “Ok, I'll clinch with you for 5 minutes". Maybe they have clinch in the evening? 

They seem to have a 'flexible schedule’ for working people. They are open for so many hours in the morning and at night, so when you show up, they warm you up and give you 5 rounds of pad work.

3) Jitti Gym:

Kru Jitti is awesome. He has so much knowledge and speaks great English. He totally shared amazing techniques and knowledge with me. Jitti has the 'flexible schedule’ like Mankong Phranai, but unless you vocalize it and express it, clinching and sparring only happen in the evening.

They have a sparring coach in the evening that matches you with people to spar, and then tells you what you can do to improve.

Also, the gym is super clean, and they have tons of weights (Dumbbels, kettlebellls, Swiss Ball, TRX, etc...). There's a nice CLEAN shower (for the people who work and need to shower at the gym), and it's 1 block from the MRT (a.k.a. The subway). 

4) Attachai:

Kru Attachai is amazing, but when he's not around, the trainers don't seem to care much. Besides Attachai, the other trainers spoke almost no English, so the communication was a bit difficult. However, Attachai is a real genius. Padwork with him is a unique experience. I also had incredible private lessons with him. Totally worth it!

I love it that he has sparring in the morning and evening sessions, he also does tons of technique drills before sparring, and will guide you through specific things to practice in bagwork. It's an awesome 'fighter's gym.’ However, the commute is a bit complicated . You have to take a 10 minute motorbike reide from the On Nut BTS. 

It might not be your best choice if you need to be working , or doing other things in BKK. But if you're just coming to BKK to train Muay Thai, I would highly recommend it.

5) Eminent Air Boxing:

Perfect awesome training. The vibe is super welcoming, the trainers are legit and there are a lot of girls to clinch and spar with. It's also super cool to practice clinching and do padwork with active fighters. I learned a lot at Eminent.

However, it has the same downfall as Attachai: It's a bit far from the BTS, so not a good choice if you're working and doing lots of commuting around BKK.

6) Yokkao:

Super commercial and touristy. However, the trainers are legit. Because it's a commercial place, they're not gonna push you like a real Muay Thai gym. I felt like they just took my money and were very impersonal, but I understand, because there were so many people in the class, just trying to take selfies with Saenchai

——-

I hope my experiences might help people with their gym choices . Obviously, Muay Thai training is a very personal thing, so what might work for me (5'04 tall female with 5 years of training experience) might not work for you

 

Edited September 26, 2019 by Ricenbeans27