What should someone look for, or avoid, in a Muay Thai gym?

[Carol]

Greetings everyone!

There are a few discussions on MartialTalk about picking the right Martial Arts school, but not all of them address the specifics of picking a good Muay Thai gym.

Given that Muay Thai has has had a huge surge in popularity, how can you tell the good guys from the frauds?

For starters...

How can a newbie tell a good Kru from a not-so-good Kru?

How important is it that the Kru has trained in Thailand?

Are there any good training practices that a person should watch for?

Are there any bad training practices that a person should watch for (such as being told to roll a Coke bottle on your shins)?

How suitable is Muay Thai for a smaller person?

What about a larger person as in...someone that is overweight or otherwise has poor cardio-fitness?

Anything else you all want to add, please do

 

[Tarot]

Oooooohhh Carol are you thinking of taking up some MT? :boing2:

With the right instructor anyone can do MT. Doesn't matter how fit or unfit you are, it's exercise and it's self-defense that works for everyone. If an instructor tells someone that they aren't in shape enough or it might be too much for them to handle, then IMO, that's not a good school or a good instructor.

Bad training practices I think one would be able to see right away. Something just isn't going to look right or sit well with you.

One thing I looked for was how open the gym was to having females and how many females they actually had. Even though I don't mind training with all guys, I didn't want to go walking into a testosterone fest either.

 

[thaistyle]

When I first started to train in muay thai, the first thing I paid attention to was how the instructor/kru responded to me over the phone when I called with questions. Then I went to the gym and watched how the kru treated other students and myself once I met him in person. As for legitimacy, most muay thai gyms will have some affiliation with a major muay thai organization to back their claims. An instructor doesn't have to be certified by a gym in Thailand, just by a legitimate instructor.

If you go into a muay thai gym and their version of shin conditioning is banging their shins on heavy bags, GREAT, if their using coke bottles, rolling pins, sticks, etc. I would question this. If a nuk muay kicks the bag correctly enough and long enough, this will condition the shins. There is no need for bottles and such.

Observe the morale among the students. If everyone looks pissed off, it might not be a great place, if they look like they are having the best time of their life, then join. Don't be afraid to ask questions, a lot of questions. After all you are paying for the instruction. Ask other students what they like and dislike about the gym.

Check the condition of the gym. High dollar equipment and fancy building might mean high dollar monthly dues. An older gym doesn't mean a broke down palace. Sometimes the "dungeons" are the best places to learn.

Look for a balanced goup of students (age, gender). Nowadays, muay thai isn't just for young men. People of all ages and from all walks of life are training to fight, to get fit or learning to just defend themselves.

Remember that you are there to learn and have fun, if it becomes cumbersome and boring, maybe you should check out another gym. I try to make sure my students are having fun. I know there are certain things we do that they don't like (conditioning drills) but I try to make it enjoyable.

 

[MetalStorm]

When I first started to train in muay thai, the first thing I paid attention to was how the instructor/kru responded to me over the phone when I called with questions. Then I went to the gym and watched how the kru treated other students and myself once I met him in person. As for legitimacy, most muay thai gyms will have some affiliation with a major muay thai organization to back their claims. An instructor doesn't have to be certified by a gym in Thailand, just by a legitimate instructor.

If you go into a muay thai gym and their version of shin conditioning is banging their shins on heavy bags, GREAT, if their using coke bottles, rolling pins, sticks, etc. I would question this. If a nuk muay kicks the bag correctly enough and long enough, this will condition the shins. There is no need for bottles and such.

Observe the morale among the students. If everyone looks pissed off, it might not be a great place, if they look like they are having the best time of their life, then join. Don't be afraid to ask questions, a lot of questions. After all you are paying for the instruction. Ask other students what they like and dislike about the gym.

Check the condition of the gym. High dollar equipment and fancy building might mean high dollar monthly dues. An older gym doesn't mean a broke down palace. Sometimes the "dungeons" are the best places to learn.

Look for a balanced goup of students (age, gender). Nowadays, muay thai isn't just for young men. People of all ages and from all walks of life are training to fight, to get fit or learning to just defend themselves.

Remember that you are there to learn and have fun, if it becomes cumbersome and boring, maybe you should check out another gym. I try to make sure my students are having fun. I know there are certain things we do that they don't like (conditioning drills) but I try to make it enjoyable.

Those are pretty much all the things I noticed when I was looking for a gym, I checked basically all of the ones out in my city and you could definitly notice a difference in quality of training just by going to each one and watching for half an hour.

I dont know how a lot of other gyms are for the atmosphere but most of the people at the gym I go to are pretty serious about their training so just seeing a bunch of people looking pissed off might not be much of a bad indication itself, I think it might be better to look at how they are after they are dismissed and the class is over, I notice at ours once class begins everyone is dead serious most of the time, especially the advanced classes but after the class is over its joking around and everyone is usually in a pretty good mood.

 

[bushidomartialarts]

the thing i'd be most aware of is attitude.

some 'muay thai' places are just kickboxing schools, and 'kardio kickbox' to boot. if you walk into a room full of soccer moms who still have their earrings in and their makeup on, walk out of the room.

the other extreme is a school full of thugs. some mma/mt schools (note i said some not even most) are a sweatbox full of grunting 22 year olds out to prove how hard core they are. you don't need that kind of nonsense in your head space.

other schools are just as good as a tma or fma school -- realistic, tough, fun. you've been around the block enough times to get a solid read on this. but be aware of and alert for either extreme.

 

[mariaclara]

hey that thing bout hard core "bad guyz" sures scary. th is was the first gym i went to. twas very well recommended(had bjj, stick/knife fighting,blablabla) but when i saw them, i got outta there.

as a girl, i dont mind that "soccer moms" gym. thats ok by me. thats t he gym i signed up. but i dd chk out their lockers were clean and secure. so that gym was ok. no, i dont suggest girls take showers there. yep. its yucky, but dont take the risk.

girls should chk out their lockers/dressing rm.

 

[Tarot]

I guess it depends on the type of training you're looking for. As a chick, I would run away from the soccer mom gym myself. I'm serious about my training and want to do the best that I can. I personally don't feel I would get much out of a place like that.

As far as locker rooms go, it's a gym and there's a good chance there aren't any. My MT school has one bathroom shared by everyone. This didn't bother me as a bathroom/locker room wasn't the first thing I was looking for.

 

[mariaclara]

you're right. diffrent strokes dffrent folks. 4 me, cool lockers r no1.
not really into mt fighting. trainings just tough enough to let loose the days frustrations, stress. not too soft lke those tae bo classes i went to.
(but their lockers were cool. separate 4 chicks.)

 

[CoastalThai]

Hey guys,

You know what ..

As THAISTYLE said, its not always the best looking gym that produces the best fighters, offers the best training or the best atmosphere.

Where i train it has enough to train and no more. Thats my ideal gym, the way i see it, MT training doesnt require machines or heavy weights, its more about explosive strength than big muscles and you can achieve all that with your own bodyweight, a pair of gloves and a heavy bag.

We have a ring, a rack of bags, some tyres, skipping ropes and sparring gear, situp bench and a cool bunch of guys that love muay thai and thats all that matters.

And lockers???? isnt that what gym bags are for... if you cant trust the people you train with thats a clear indication your in the wrong gym.

It also comes down to your trainer.. How interested in your progress is he/she?

If youve never had a comment on you technique or how your slacking off.... go find a new trainer/gym..

Commonsense dont you think??

 

[mariaclara]

wow, sounds great. so go ahead and enjoy your gym.

lemme enjoy mine.

 

[Kieran]

Where I train, we don't even have a gym. We train in a sports hall and the only equipment we have is long pads, gloves, headgear, shin guards and skipping ropes. We used to share bags with the boxing club but we don't do that anymore (no idea why).

I think personally, that the best thing to look for in a Muay Thai gym (or club, or whatever) is tradition. A MT gym that doesn't follow any MT traditions simply cannot call itself a muay thai gym in my opinion.

Look for people bowing before and after training, as well as warm ups, padwork, sparring etc. Also ask the Kru about his camp's Ram Muay because if it is a traditional camp it will mostly have a traditional Ram Muay.

My Kru has trained in Thailand I believe but I don't know how much that benefitted him and his coaching and/or fighting skills as I've not asked him yet. I do know that the head of our camp, Phraya Pichai, is an extremely experienced fighter who used to judge muay thai in Thailand. I think if your Kru/coaches do not know who Bob Spour is then they are not worthwhile either. But that's just my biased opinion...

If you are told to do things which sound too good to be true they probably are. Like Carol mentioned in the first post, rolling coke bottles on your shin to toughen them up and things such as this as not used in Thailand. I've also heard about people going to gyms to train muay thai and being taught by mma coaches. This isn't a problem if you are just looking to learn to defend yourself, as I'm sure most (if not all) of mma fighters can do that. If you are looking to train Muay Thai and learn about it and it's traditions, as well as the correct techniques etc then make sure you go somewhere which has links with official bodies or the like.

 

[CoastalThai]

Sorry if i offended you mariaclara, i did not mean to by any means.

Whatever works for you, go for it.

If you like a place because the atmosphere is good go for it, if you like the place cos the trainer is a woman/man, go for it... If you like a gym cos the toilets are cleaner than yours at home.. go for it.

Horses for Courses..

But at least make sure your trainer is accredited AND like KIERAN said, tradition says alot about a gym/trainer.

Cheeers!!

 

[mariaclara]

Hi CoastalThai,

hw r u 2day. hope ur ok.

thanks 4 d info bout importance of MT instructor's background credentials.
d guy assignedto us girls is "Mr. Clear" MT gold medalist(amateur) . i think he's in d 110 lbs or izzit 52kls category. our goal is fitness. (not ring fighting) so d head coach tailored a 20session intro course 4 girls. we're into our 5th session.

stay cooool

 

[CoastalThai]

Hi again Mariaclara,

Its good to hear your into the fitness side of things and as you would know by your 5th session, Muaythai is great for fitness! I bet by now your seeing a side to yourself you havent seen before (fitness wise). Its amazing isnt it how driving yourself past your regular point of comfort is beneficial.

Although the goal may be fitness, you should be a decent all rounder by the end of your 20 sessions and no mugger would want to mess with you.

All the best!!

 

[Carol]

Oooooohhh Carol are you thinking of taking up some MT? :boing2:

Maaaaayyyybeeeeeee

 

[Drag'n]

Look at the top students in the club too. How good are they?
The teacher can have all kinds of trophies and qualifications, but that doesnt mean much if he cant teach it effectively. It will show in his fighters.
Do they spar well with good technique?
A lack of sparring is a deffinite nono!

Are there skilled trainers holding the pads? Trainers who just stand around barking orders arent a good sign. I guess its hard to tell a good or bad pad holder if you dont have experience. Its OK for begginers to hold the pads for each other, but advanced students will want experienced pad holders.

Do they practise clinching? No clinching is a sign that perhaps its watered down kick boxing and not real MT.

Are students getting feedback on their techniques from the trainer? Just going through the motions doesnt help if the motions are wrong.

I once viewed a class where the students seemed to be following a set program, working alone or with a partner. I asked the trainer if he gave them instruction on technique or held the pads. He replied that he just told them when they were doing something wrong.
I didnt bother going back.

 

[Odin]

There are a few discussions on MartialTalk about picking the right Martial Arts school, but not all of them address the specifics of picking a good Muay Thai gym.

Given that Muay Thai has has had a huge surge in popularity, how can you tell the good guys from the frauds?

For starters...

How can a newbie tell a good Kru from a not-so-good Kru?

The same way you knew when your kenpo instructor was a good teacher. ( :
The best thing to do is first think about what you want to learn for instance I wanted to learn Muay Thai soley, i wasnt interested really in tony jaa or muay boran, you'll find that must thaiboxing gyms focus on sport thai boxing.

How important is it that the Kru has trained in Thailand?

Not Important at all, after all alot of the time just because a kru might be thai doesnt make him a great thai boxer, they do however have more knoweldge in the culture and thai language and in more of the thai way of fighting ( which in must of then western shoes is not shown )

Are there any good training practices that a person should watch for?

Theres plenty. ( :

Are there any bad training practices that a person should watch for (such as being told to roll a Coke bottle on your shins)?

Do not spar with out proper equipment for one, if you do not have shinpads do not throw/block low kicks...always let condition happen over time.

How suitable is Muay Thai for a smaller person?

The average thai weights about 60kg so you'll be fine ( :

What about a larger person as in...someone that is overweight or otherwise has poor cardio-fitness?

I'll be honest Cardio helps at lot, it will pick up over time but poor cardio can make your first couple of lessons very hard.

Anything else you all want to add, please do

Have fun

 

[Damian Mavis]

Who's Bob Spour? Never heard of him.

Damian Mavis
Honour TKD Thailand

 

[Kieran]

haha, I was joking when I said that but he is a well known guy in Britain. He trained under (I think) Chaichokchana Krutsuwan (Pimu) at WPT Gym in Bangkok. He is also the founder member of the Phraya Pichai camp, which is one of the oldest Mauy Thai camps in the UK. He also qualified as a judge and a referee in Bangkok in the 80's.

 

[NakMuayThai]

1. Try and learn with a Thai trainer. It is their national sport.
2. Organization and good training schedule.
3. Want to fight like a Thai.....then train like a Thai.
4. Check out www.tigermuaythai.com for more info on a modern training camp that upholds traditions of REAL Muay Thai and our mentor, Ajarn Panya Kraitus.

Chok Dee