While I was in Bangkok trying out Muay Thai, I assumed that all gyms were similar. Maybe there’d be obvious differences between rural and city gyms, but everything else would be the same… yes?

This simplistic view couldn’t be further from the truth.

As the Thais would say, “Same-same, but different.”. And, damn different they were. I had realized this after training at various places.

But, what was different?

For one, there were noticeable contrasts in target market and vibe. Likewise, the modus operandi of each Muay Thai gym varied.

Where the gym at home targets recreational practitioners (and the occasional fighter), Thailand has a huge training scene for fighters. Not to mention, it being the birthplace of Muay Thai, has opened up tourism for the combat sport.

Clearly, these give you a lot more training options in Thailand. Your only problem is to pick the right type of gym for you. Here’s a guide that breaks it down.

Why Muay Thai Gyms Differ in Operations & Clientele? (in Thailand)

How a gym/school gets its revenue determines how it operates, and the kind of people it attracts. So, income model is a major factor that influences the differences in each gym/school.

Here’s what I mean…

Traditional fighter gyms get a cut of their fighters’ winnings, and ring-appearance fees. This is only fair because they’ve sponsored the fighter’s training. So, the traditional nak muay gym regards a sponsored fighter as an investment.

Conversely, Muay Thai schools gets its revenue from teaching the art. They also get their income from offering trainer certifications.

Hence, when you look beneath the surface, it becomes clear why many gyms open up to tourists and wealthy locals. They need to survive and profit.

Differing Attributes of Muay Thai Schools/Gyms/Camps

With income underpinning the differences, here are some attributes that gyms differ in.

1. [Purpose] – Recreational practice (with a focus on fitness) vs Professional fights
2. [Level in Skill] – Beginner vs Intermediate/Advanced
3. [Tourism] – Locals vs Foreigners
4. [Class & Income] – Poor, Middle-class or Upper-class
5. [Cultural] – Preserving the old art vs advancing the sport internationally

As you can see, these attributes are not exclusive. They often overlap. That’s why it took weeks to categorize the types of gyms/schools into neatly-defined boxes (unsuccessfully).

I realized that the best way to group them, is to examine their focus, and acknowledge their overlap.

And so, here are the six types of gyms/schools in Thailand. Pick the right one for yourself.

Recreational Practice – Muay Thai Training Options

#1 – Muay Thai School

Muay Thai schools focus on teaching Muay Thai, rather than training fighters. Their syllabus caters to students of all levels. And, they offer certificates for different grades.

This makes Muay Thai schools better suited for beginners, and anyone who wants to be graded.

Muay Thai schools also certify trainers, instructors and referees. Some certificates are more reputable than others – the government-backed MTI (Muay Thai Institute). As such, any fighter that seeks instructor certification should do it there.

This serves to promote Muay Thai as a sport globally.

Despite being a place that teaches Muay Thai, most schools do train fighters.

Don’t forget that Muay Thai – in its long history – has always been a pugilistic sport. Hence, it’d be uncharacteristic for any place that claims to teach Muay Thai not to train fighters.

Moreover, in the MTI, you need to fight professionally in 3 to 5 fights once you reach level 4 certification.

TL/DR: Great for beginners, and people looking for trainer/instructor certification.

#2 – Recreational Muay Thai Gyms

Recreational Muay Thai gyms are similar to gyms you can find at home. They cater to recreational practitioners, and a small number of pro fighters.

Their target clientele are middle/upper class locals and foreigners, who do Muay Thai to keep fit. That’s why it’s not uncommon to see these gyms offer other training programs like CrossFit or BJJ.

Does this mean you should avoid training in recreational Muay Thai gyms?

No. These gyms often offer specialized programs for fighters. Their trainers tend to also be top notch. Of course, this varies among recreational gym.

In fact, there are some gyms (in this category) that have superb programs for fighters. And, they also have the connections to fight promoters and organizers.

One such example is Khongsittha Muay Thai – reviewed positively by fighters despite not being a fighters gym. As a beginner, I liked how they focused on technique (and not assume I’m yet another person who does it to lose calories).

TL/DR: Great for beginners and recreational practitioners. Depending on the gym (and its trainers), independent professional fighters can consider training here.

Note: What’s the difference between a sponsored and independent fighter? Read this account of a foreign sponsored fighter (who then switched to being an independent fighter).

#3 – Muay Boran Preservation School

Muay Boran is the ancient form of Muay Thai. It’s stances are lower, and syllabus contains many forbidden techniques in ring fights.

Many schools that offer Muay Boran do it to preserve the art (and provide a primer to curious tourists). Often, Muay Boran is taught alongside Muay Thai.

Most schools welcome both locals and foreigners. And, they’ll teach you a lot about Thai culture and history.

One great place to learn Muay Boran at is Be Muay (located conveniently in Bangkok’s city centre). Kru Suphan is an amazing master.

TL/DR: Suitable for anyone seeking instruction in Muay Boran, and an understanding of Muay Thai’s historical underpinnings.

Professional Fights – Muay Thai Training Options

#4 – Traditional Nak Muay Gyms/Camps

Traditional Nak muay (or Fighters) gyms focus on preparing professional fighters for fights. They do not teach recreational beginners.

Trainers there would assess a fighter’s opponent in an upcoming fight. Then, they’d train their fighter to counter his opponent’s strengths and weaknesses.

Most traditional fighters gyms have a higher proportion of sponsored fighters. After all, these gyms make money from the winnings and resulting bets on their fighter’s fight.

Rural Thai families send their sons to these gyms to become fighters (often due to poverty). At times, it could also be because the child has an interest in the sport.

Depending on the child’s potential (and passion), the gym may arrange to sponsor him. They then teach Muay Thai to the nak muay (professional fighter), who can be as young as ten years old.

TL/DR: These camps are not suitable for recreational practitioners. Likewise, complete beginners should look elsewhere for training. However, amateur and professional fighters can benefit from training with the local fighters there.

Note: It’s hard to find nak muay gyms that solely train sponsored fighters nowadays. Most traditional gyms welcome foreigners and independent fighters to help defer their expenses.

#5 – Foreigner-focused Muay Thai Camps

Foreigner-focused Muay Thai camps operate primarily for tourists. You’d be hard pushed to see another Thai fighter there.

Due to the size of the camp, and quick tourist turnover, you’ll likely get less attention from trainers. This generally means your training won’t be adapted towards your strengths and weaknesses.

TL/DR: I’d avoid purely tourist camps. For recreational beginners it may be okay though.

#6 – Hybrid/Modern Fighters Gyms/Camps

Modern/Hybrid fighters gyms prepare fighters for fights, like traditional ones. They sometimes overlap in categorization. As I’ve mentioned, many traditional gyms open up to foreigners for survival.

So, how do you make a distinction?

Look at how they primarily fund the camp.

Modern/Hybrid fighters gyms rely on independent fighters for income and profit. These fighters, be it local or foreign, pay training fees.

Traditional nak muay gyms rely on sponsored fighters. They pay for the fighters expenses, and pocket a cut of the fighter’s winnings. That’s how they make money. While many welcome foreigners and independent fighters, the training fee is used to defer expenses (not profit).

For Fighters

That said, there is little difference in the quality of training between the two. Both have produced top fighters.

However, you may want to train at a modern fighter gym because of the local-foreigner ratio.

According to Aaron Jahn’s standards, a good mix of foreign and local fighters in a gym is desirable. Training with Thai fighters help you progress in your clinching technique.

Yet, without foreign fighters, you may find that you outweigh all local fighters.

For Beginners

What about complete beginners to Muay Thai?

Unlike traditional nak muay gyms, most hybrid gyms run a beginner’s program. If they do, go ahead and train there. And, try to train for at least a week if you do. It increases your chances of jostling with fighters there.

TL/DR: Great for fighters due to the Thai-foreign fighter ratio. You get the best of clinching progress and sparring style. Also good for beginners who can commit at least a week there.

#7 – Muay Thai Retreats/Seminars

Muay Thai retreats are events where fighters and enthusiasts gather to train together. You get to learn from each other. Seminars, on the other hand, are events where one or more kru instructs.

While most of these events welcome people of all levels, I don’t think beginners will be able to get much out of it. After all, most seminars do not cover the basics, and jump right into technical explanations.

Nonetheless, you can keep an eye out for beginner retreats and seminars.

TL/DR: Mostly for experienced fighters and practitioners, unless the event specifies otherwise.

Final Thoughts & Conclusion

Unfortunately, when you get to train in Thailand, you’ll find that the different gyms cannot fit into perfect categories. There are definite overlaps in many. Just be aware of these factors, and pick out a training facility that matches.

Having defined the types of gyms in this article, I’ll post the reviews for the gyms I’ve visited back in June.

P.S. I’ll be updating this page with a list of Muay Thai places to try out. In the mean time, check out these listing for martial arts packages that include both training and accommodations.

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The post The 6 Types of Muay Thai Gyms in Thailand – what’s best for you? appeared first on Way Of Ninja.

Going to Thailand for the first time? You have some romanticized expectations of Muay Thai training there, don’t you?

Sorry to burst your bubble… but your experience is unlikely to match your expectations.

Why? There are  a number of factors that will affect your training experience.

For example, if you’re new to Thailand and don’t speak the language, you’ll only be able to access Muay Thai gyms that use English to instruct. You may also fall for common scams in the kingdom.

How about we get more specific…

Factors that affect your Muay Thai Training Experience

These are some factors that will affect the kind of training experience you’ll get. Counting down from the least to most important, here they are…

5 – Familiarity with Thailand

If you’re totally new to Thailand and the culture, you’re in for a culture shock.

You have to get used to the food, traffic, and weather. These are potential issues that can interfere with your training. The last thing you want is to get diarrhea from the spicy salad you ate, or faint from the heat when training.

Other than that, you need to be wary of the common scams there. One that comes to mind (that Mami of Be Muay mentioned) was about taxi drivers pretending to misunderstand the address of your desired Muay Thai gym. They would take you to another gym that pays them a commission.

If you’re serious about training there, I urge you to get the Thailand Training Guide. It talks about finding the right Muay Thai gyms, avoiding scams, and finding cheap accommodations.

4 – Level of Muay Thai Skill & Experience (Beginner vs Fighter)

If you have a good level of skill and experience in Muay Thai, you’ll gain from the technical and tactical guidance of trainers (and fighters). Other fighters are also more likely to train with you. This, in effect, helps you refine your clinches and discover tactics that work to your advantage.

But what if you’re a beginner?

Without a solid foundation in Muay Thai basics, forget about special advanced techniques and tactics (when in Thailand). Your skill level, ability and experience determines if you can absorb minute technical guidance.

As a novice, you’ll need sweeping adjustments to your basic techniques.

Moreover, no fighter is going to clinch or spar with a beginner at a traditional fighters camp. It simply isn’t worth their time. A beginner simply doesn’t have the skill to benefit from such an interaction.

Think this is harsh?

Fighters at traditional fighters gyms are competing in fights. That’s how they earn their living, and survive. They aren’t paid to teach beginners the basics. Anything other than improving their chances of winning is a distraction. So, they really have no incentive to partner up with someone who’s new to the sport.

Instead, focus on the Muay Thai gyms and schools that have good programs for beginners. There are many that will build that solid foundation. And, you’ll eventually be able to move on to amateur fights, if that’s what you want.

3 – Ability to Communicate in Thai

Being able to communicate in Thai, opens the door to culture and connection. Although there are many gyms that train foreigners, the rural ones are harder to get to (if you don’t speak the language).

Also, a local trainer would find it hard to explain the nuances in a technique in English, as opposed to Thai.

Even finding obscure camps would be a lot easier. You’d have a better chance of accessing truly traditional camps if you have language on your side.

2 – Your Itinerary, Length of Stay, and Location

Your purpose of travel, length of stay, and address in Thailand will determine the Muay Thai gym you can go to… obviously.

Purpose of Travel (and Length of Stay)

Are you on a short vacation with family, or on a business trip? Either way, you have little opportunity to train due to time constraints and clashes in itinerary. You’d be lucky to get a few days of training in. And, this amount of time is not enough to ingrain the basics into a beginner.

But, if you’re there for months, or even years, you get the time to progress into the higher khans (grades) of Muay Thai training. You may even get involved in amateur ring fights.

Regardless, having a tiny taste of Muay Thai in Thailand is better than nothing.

Who You’re Travelling With

Are you travelling with a group of Muay Thai friends, or are you with family who are less active (but want to try out Muay Thai)?

If you’re going to organize a group visit, you need to consider the overall ability of the group before picking a facility to train at. And, if you have kids with you, you need to check if the gym you’re going to has a good program for kids.

Distance from your lodgings to your desired gym

Staying in Bangkok’s city center limits you to training at mostly recreational gyms (for wealthier locals or tourists). Unless you’re able to contend with the insane traffic, stay close to the Muay Thai gym you’re training at.

While it’s not that bad if you’re only going for a one-time visit, imagine being stuck in traffic daily if you’re training for weeks. The traffic peak times lasts especially long in Bangkok.

Trust me. You’re going to curse at the traffic if you have to get to your Muay Thai camp twice each day for training.

So, make sure your travel arrangements considers these factors. If you can’t change your arrangements, lower your training expectations.

1 – Goals in Muay Thai – Knowing What You Want

How your trip pans out ultimately depends on your goals in Muay Thai. This has nothing to do with your skill level. Instead, it’s about what you want out of Thai boxing.

For example, are you training for recreation and fitness, or do you want to become a professional fighter? Do you want to focus on Muay Boran in one year? Or are you happy to jostle with a few experienced champions to learn new tactics and combos?

Know what you seek, and then go to the appropriate place to train. There are countless Muay Thai gyms, schools and camps within Thailand.

Conclusion – Be realistic

Make sure you are realistic with what you want, and consider the four factors when seeking to train in Thailand. Like I’ve mentioned, don’t seek out exclusively fighters gyms if you’re a beginner. If you’re on a vacation with a group of people, consider their ability and expectations as well.

I’ll go over the types of Muay Thai facilities in the next article, and talk about the type of Muay Thai practitioner each gym, camp or school caters to.

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Everyone has their own reasons for martial arts wanderlust. Some of us seek Muay Thai in Thailand to soak in the culture, while others believe learning the art at its birthplace is far more authentic.

Regardless of the reason, one thing is clear…

Muay Thai camps in Thailand must have something that you can’t find in your own country.

And, here are some reasons that may just compel you to take that flight to Bangkok (or wherever in Thailand) to train.

1

Immersion into Muay Thai & its Cultural Roots

When you do Muay Thai at its birthplace, you immerse yourself in the culture. Seemingly strange rituals and techniques begin to make sense.

However, culture immersion is not limited to training at the Muay Thai camp. Culture goes beyond hearing the trainer yell: “Jab!”, “Sok!”, and “Te!” (Jab, elbow strike and kick). It goes beyond donning a mong kon for the ram muay ceremony before a ring fight.

Those are small samples of Thai culture.

Your cultural immersion begins the moment you step out of Suvarnabhumi Airport. When you stroll along the uneven pavements of Bangkok and watch locals going about their day:

• Students in dapper uniforms waii-ing their lecturer when you pass Chulalongkorn University.
• A young man getting the waitress’s attention by calling out “P’sao!” (older sister). And, she responds back with “nong” (younger brother).
• You ordering a plate of khao pad gai (fried rice with chicken) and beer at a roadside eatery.
• Locals spending their Saturday afternoon at Chatuchak Park

That’s culture in its rawest form – the behaviour, language and social hierarchy (that sometimes hints at warm affection, and at other times, ice-cold indifference).

2

Learning Complete Muay Thai at the 'Source'

Outside of Thailand, training often revolves around common techniques. You don’t really get round to them. Trainers also tend to neglect the philosophy and values that underpin Muay Thai.

There are three possible reasons why.

1. Teaching obscure techniques and ingraining students with values is unprofitable and seemingly impractical.
2. The gym focuses on the fitness aspect of Thai boxing, and not the martial aspect of it.
3. The trainer has an incomplete knowledge of Muay Thai techniques and tactics.

No matter the reason, the fact remains that you aren’t getting Muay Thai in its entirety. There are gaps.

Therein lies the appeal in learning Thai boxing from the source.

Many Muay Thai camps instruct students in the complete syllabus from start to end. Some camps are backed by the Royal Thai Ministry of Education, World Muay Thai Council and Muay Thai Institute.

Even better… if you’ve ever watched Ong Bak, you would have seen Muay Boran (Muay Thai’s ancestor art) in action.

In Thailand, you’re well placed to train with a number of Muay Boran khrus (masters). Among the many, I’ve personally observed Khru Suphan Chaibaram’s class at Be Muay (in Bangkok).

3

Competent & Experienced Trainers

Until the 1990s, no Thai government organisation existed to regulate Muay Thai. There was neither a recognized curriculum nor certification standard. This changed when the Muay Thai Institute (MTI), founded in 1997, established both.

Despite that change, trainer certificates were not widely sought after by local Thais.

After all, trainers within the kingdom were former fighters. They had already proven their skills in numerous bouts in the ring.

Furthermore, any respectable camp could easily identify competent trainers. This made any certification a mere formality.

In contrast, Muay Thai gyms outside of Thailand – generally – don’t possess an expert eye for good trainers. A trainer may get hired without an MTI certificate, and with no recommendation by a respectable khru (master). All they may need is some fight experience on their resume.

Therefore, trainers in Thailand are more likely to be qualified for the job. Because Muay Thai is such a serious sport, no respectable camp is going to hire an incompetent trainer.

4

Higher-caliber Training Partners

Needless to say, Muay Thai is a national obsession in Thailand. Fights are organised even beyond the prestigious venues of Lumpinee and Rajadamnern Stadiums. It’s not uncommon to witness makeshift rings at temple fairs, festivals, and even high-profile funerals.

As a result, Muay Thai athletes there have many avenues to refine their skills. The likelihood of finding a high-calibre training partner is much higher. So, knock yourself out and test out your clinching.

Note: Don’t expect to jostle with top-tier fighters at your gym if you’re a novice.

5

Dispelling Your Romanticized Notion of Muay Thai & Seeing the Dark Side

Countless people have romanticized what it’d be like to do Muay Thai in Thailand. They see the culture through rose-tinted glasses and shut their eyes to uncomfortable truths.

Reality has nuances, and no martial art is completely good or bad.

When you travel to train, you gradually dismantle Muay Thai’s exotic facade. Where all was perfect, cracks start to form.

You begin to wonder if most people watch fights for tradition or just because they’ve placed bets on a fight. You get a hint at how profit-driven the entire industry is, sometimes at the detriment of the nak muay (professional Muay Thai fighter).

So, really, what lies beneath your romanticized notion of Muay Thai?

Go there, train in Muay Thai and experience the culture for yourself. Be it a short vacation or long-term immersion, you will stand to gain from your experiences there.

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