going to thailand to train?is it good?

[harrow.hitman]

hello ladies and gents,
just out of interest i'm wondering how much it would cost to go to a muay thai school in thailand for approx. 3 months?
is 3 months long enough?
will i find it ok coming from a kickboxing background?
thanks peeps!

[Sagat]

I've never trained in Thailand before but I'm planning on it next summer. If you want to know how it is out there check out this web site: muaythailand.com

Some dude named Dave Tew made it and it has alot of info on his experience with the thai boxing camp that he stayed at. If you want to know the prices of the camps you should def email the camps for a price list. The place that Mr. Tew visited, which was Lanna Muay Thai, was 7,000 baht per month which I think roughly comes out to about 170 US dollars? Well anyways check out the site and maybe I'll see you Thailand. Peace homie!

[no-go]

It depends on what area or camp you stay at. If you have the money i would recomend Fairtex as a training centre. 3 months seems like a small time if you are goin over to become an actual Muay Thai fighter? many people spend around 6 months before they will even attempt a real match.

[StorDuff]

Well I know nothing about muay thai, Thailand, or kickboxing, but, I know a Vietnam vet who took his R+R in Thailand (he says it WASN'T for the hookers) and mentioned how the people there are fanatics about boxing and he saw some very intense matches. He runs a TKD school now and incorporates muay thai elements into it, so, apparently there are plenty of quality places to train in Thailand :o

[no-go]

Yeah theres a fair few good Muay Thai camps there but to have Apedij Sit-Hirun as a trainer would involve a fair large gain in ability.

[culegerl]

Hiya,
I've never been myself (am hoping to go this summer though) but from what I've seen first hand of guys at my gym coming back from trips to thailand, I definately recommend it. Its especially good coming up to a fight, you get taught all the tactics (correctly!!) and seeing it done properly really gears you up. Everyone is so enthusiastic when they come back, its a real high. I know the club I go to reguarly visit the same gym, its called Sasiprapya and thats their website (with a .com afterwards!)
Good luck!!
(a very jealous -) Culegerl (!)

[Guy Mendiola]

From what I've heard the only place where the Muay Thai camps are is in the capital and that is Bangkok but I've heard there's other locations elsewhere.

[harrow.hitman]

cheers sagat,

good call with the muaythailand.com awesome website dave really nows wat he's talkin about and the other lads on there forum are really helpful. the lanna camp looks good and proper hardcore. i'll recommend anyone to vist that site.

[nakgeela]

I have just come back from a holiday in Thailand. I did a few days training at the Sitpholek Gym in Pattaya. They are non-residential and charge about £4 per day or £20 for a week. This gets you a daily session of one-to-one training with one of their thai instructors (all ex-Fighters).

[Sanitarium]

I'm going to the Lanna one in a few months. It looks good.

[KyokushinTraine]

hi, my friend has been in thailand before, hope this will help u~
my friend said that there are many good instructors there, but then the thing is finding a really good one that will devote time to your short stay at Thailand. THE BIGGEST THING TO BE CAREFUL ABOUT IS THE SNAKES THERE, if you get bitten and fail to get the antidode in time, your done....

[Knight_Errant]

I'll get back to you in a couple of years time :)
only one way to know for sure...

[BRECKDOG]

If youve never been to Thailand (aka adult disneyland aka land of smiles (and sex), beware you might find some "distractions"- :love:

Ive been twice on holiday (as a tourist ) and did a few sessions in Koh Samui and Phuket and learnt loads- I was a casual participant- most guys were dedicated full time training 2x a day- some fought but- beware the thais are hard as nails.
- In the heat it was very hard.
7000baht for a month sounds like a total rip off. 300 bht per one off session is normal- but much cheaper over 1 week, 1 months.

Someone posted about snakes - There are some king cobras in the jungle- but the real dangers are the roads and the ladyboys when you've had a few too many!! :D

[Knight_Errant]

Just a quick point- I think the thai sex industry is sick and degrading and shows a certain callous indifferencee to the fate of those involved in it.

[UrbanCowboy]

I have just come back from a holiday in Thailand. I did a few days training at the Sitpholek Gym in Pattaya. They are non-residential and charge about £4 per day or £20 for a week. This gets you a daily session of one-to-one training with one of their thai instructors (all ex-Fighters).

This is definitely the right idea for someone who is not necessarily hoping to become a Muay Thai "champ" in 3months (which 'aint gonna happen anyway!)

I've been to Thailnd quite a few times and although I haven't trained in any camps I do know that there are loads of them around, particulary in Bkk, and many of them are very good quality when compared to Western establishments. They certainly don't have the glitz, but they toughen you up and get the job done properly!

I would certainly avoid booking any package via the web because literally, you will get there, start training and then have a look around and say "Sh*t, why didn't I book this place, and I could have saved a fortune without sacrfificing quality!"
You will find camps offering training for a few pounds/dollars a day, and they will know their stuff!....
...But if you do have plenty of dosh going spare then do book a course at Fairtex as they have a great reputation, but be warned they can charge £150-£200 quid a WEEK and this doesn't guarentee you one-one with Khru Apidej (sorry if spelt wrong). If you go to a far cheaper camp that you can easily find by looking around etc (not on web, as most of these places have no computers- they're Muay Thai fighters, not Web designers!) You can then supplement this training with a few days here and there at Fairtex as they should only charge you about £10-£30 for a 1/2 or full days general training.

Good to see a fellow Harrovian heading off to the Far East; You'll love it mate!

[UrbanCowboy]

Just a quick point- I think the thai sex industry is sick and degrading and shows a certain callous indifferencee to the fate of those involved in it.


Can't tell if this is sarcastic or genuine, but would have to agree with your sentiment.

Besides which, anyone heading off to Thailand for training could become so easily distracted by the sex industry, and once you fall into that world you'll end up pretty damn skint, pretty damn soon and get no training done at all!!

Although make sure you do socialise with plenty of locals when you're over there as the Thai's are very proud of their history, culture, traditions, heritage and being Buddhist- learning a bit about all of these things will raise your game as you'll gain some intricate knowledge of true Muay Thai... something that you just cannot gain without travelling to 'ol Siam with an open mind and good heart.

I love the place and the people. Hope you end up falling in love with the culture too. Have fun.

[BRECKDOG]

Originally Posted by Knight_Errant
"Just a quick point- I think the thai sex industry is sick and degrading and shows a certain callous indifferencee to the fate of those involved in it."

I imagine this alot of peoples perception and for some it is- but "prostitution" is everywhere and is actually empowering for many girls and their families- it goes way beyone the sleazy shows or go gos of patong.

-Be very very very careful to judge thai culture by (sexually repressed) western standards- sometimes I feel many values are upside down- there is much more than meets the untrained eye.

[nicolo]

Thailand has a very very dark side. There's a whole subculture underneath the land of smiles.

[UrbanCowboy]

Thailand has a very very dark side. There's a whole subculture underneath the land of smiles.

In my humble opinion every land, and every person for that matter has a dark side of sorts to be wary of.


"I imagine this alot of peoples perception and for some it is- but "prostitution" is everywhere and is actually empowering for many girls and their families- it goes way beyone the sleazy shows or go gos of patong."


Correct, prostitution is everywhere, and I'm sure that for some of the girls (and guys for that matter) it is indeed empowering.. it is also empowering for the 'customers' I would suggest!

You offered an opinion, and mine differs from yours (though mine is no more or less valuable than yours), and as this is a subject that I'm passionate about (Thailand,.. not prostitutes :D ) I have no choice now but to voice mine!

Prostitution, in my opinion, can only be empowering for the girls that practice it if they feel that they are making a truly FREE choice in entering into and practicing it. This is not the case with many girls in Thailand (Vietnam, Cambodia, Loas etc etc etc) because it is not a truly free choice. There is no social security system, government pensions, free healthcare or education in Thailand; everything you need, you pay for. This means that many of these girls have not only to support themselves, their own children, but also their parents who have no pensions etc. Couple this with the fact that Thailand is a developing country with no real job prospects for the girls whose parents couldn't afford to educate them, and the only thing that they can do is sell themselves to keep their families. It doesn't make the girl a bad person, and true it is something which is more socially acceptable than in the West, but it is far from an issue of empowerment.
I've spoken to many of these girls, and when you explain that you are not interested in paying them for sex and just want a chat/to socialise at the bar, disco (wherever you are at the time) they open up and become more honest with you. They know that they are not going to make a great deal of money if they tell their prspective customers that they hate doing what they do, so they tell them what they want to hear.. and simply make the best of their unfortunate lot in life!
The sex industry in Thailand is unfortunately the most profitable way the AVERAGE (not all!) girl can support her family and provide for a future in which she knows that no retirement pension exists.
One indicator of this is the emdemic rate of alcoholism and hard drug use (heroin - yahbah) amongst Thailands 'sex workers.' Why? Well why not! How else do you cope with the fact that in the day and night ahead you are going to have to sleep with a man, or number of men, who maybe be anything from perfectly pleasant guys to vile, brutal, sleazy vermin (you don't want to know what some of these animals do to these girls when the hotel room door is locked!) :woo:


"-Be very very very careful to judge thai culture by (sexually repressed) western standards- sometimes I feel many values are upside down- there is much more than meets the untrained eye."

The untrained eye might well make the mistake of presuming that Thai culture equals Sex industry!!

Although, I agree in one sense Breckdog, one should not judge the girls involved in the industry as they are just trying to do their best to support their families, and edge a living out in this world... and I don't for one minute suppose I would be as brave as half of thenm in their shoes!


This thread has gone a little off track, and for that I apologise 'cos much of it's my own doing... Best thing is to go to Thailand yourself and train their as you intended HHitman. You'll see and experience all of the rest when you're there and come to your own conclusions... but please do travel around a bit and see the history and heritage of that beautiful place. If you go to Thailand for 3months and don't set foot outside of Bkk you'll miss so much. Their are also traditional MT schools/camps in the North of Thailand teaching MT as an art rather than sport with all the techniques you'll never see here.

Oh, and report back to us some time to let us know how things are going.

Sorry for the overly long post! :eek:

[Knight_Errant]

Ok a couple of things I'd like to sort out if that's OK mateys :)
firstly, there's this visa thing. Apparently they come in 30-day extension periods. Would it be possible to apply for another one once I'm already in the country?
Secondly, I read on the lanna muay thai website (http://www.lannamuaythai.com) that they take total beginners in. I really hope that's true :) -what do they mean by 'beginner', exactly? I've no wish to annoy anybody by showing up without the expected standard of fitness.
Thirdly, can anyone recommend any good books on Thai language. I have my normal internet-based sources of course, but I'd greatly value the advice of someone who already speaks the language.
Also, if anyone knows of any MT gyms in south west Wales I would REALLY appreciate it if you told me about them. Nearest one I've found is in Penarth- 2 hours drive away and not a realistic prospect until I gets me own car.

[BRECKDOG]

Why lanna? Thats up north isnt it?
Go to Koh Samui or somewhere where you can party too.

Being a beginner- If you are a paying farang you are king in Thailand regardless. And listen to what they tell you and put the effort and don't complain in you will be respected.
Hope you have a fantastic time

[UrbanCowboy]

Ok a couple of things I'd like to sort out if that's OK mateys :)
firstly, there's this visa thing. Apparently they come in 30-day extension periods. Would it be possible to apply for another one once I'm already in the country?


Not really an issue. You can apply for a 60 day visa if you give a month or so's notice to the appropriate Ampur visa section. Best way to do it without paying for each visa is to simply travel over a border for a day trip. On your return across the bordeer into Thailand, even if only 20minutes later, you'll be issued with a new visa. You could make a border run into Combodia, Burma/Myanmar, Loas, Malaysia or Vietnam, depending on where you are at the time... My advice is avoid the Malaysian border as a regular hop as there are regular bombings/scirmishes involving Islamic seperatists and Thai forces down there!

60 days visa is the longest you'll get in one go usually and you will need to attend one of the regional vias offices/ampur district offices for this (give them a months notivce aswel)