ESB ATGs Muay Thai / KickBoxing fighters Thread

In Thailand it was mainly Sor Thanikul, a little at Suwanchart then I finished in a little gym on Narrathiwat road in Rama 3. In the UK in my early days it was Cobra, then mostly Leohang that was run by a half Thai half Vietnamese above a pub on the Finchly road in the mid 90s. I also trained in the States a little in the early 90s, but that was more kickboxing and boxing.

I still keep myself in good shape, only 37.

Plan is to open up a small nothing special gym in Trang in the next couple of years, business permiting. I wanna encourage interntional boxing in the gym as well.



P.S. Vic sorry to have hijacked the ATG thread the last few days, will try to post a good ATG soon to get back on track.

 

He's very much my cup of tea, good hands, elbows and feet. I always prefer hand and feet specialists. His hands look loaded, great stuff. I'll check the previous clips. :thumbsup

Most Thai trained guys struggle to defend well against hands as the range is similar to knee range they automatically tend to defend by pushing away with extended arms, this is really a defence against a front knee and is hopeless against a good puncher. Good knees are the best counter aginst say 1 or two shots but if a good puncher loads with a quick combo it can be hard to avoid all the punches with a distance defence, some will inevitable get through with force.

Pre the early 2000 explosion in international Muay Thai it wasn't uncommon to see an average level forigner fighter beat a good Thai fighter when in the first round the forigner overwhelmed with punches and caught the Thai cold in the 1st round before the Thai really woke up.

 

Hijack?! It's my favourite stuff in the thread mate If you'll take a skinny farang I'll be sure to come see you over there and try and learn some tricks off ya' ;-)

 

might be a bit off topic but what are the best gyms to really learn Muay Thai in Thailand? Some gyms seem too touristy and focused on a workout than actual learning and improving skill and technique.

 

Sityodtong would be good I imagine. Solid pedigree, and takes tourists.

You'll have to go to one that's 'a bit touristy' I think as some gyms will only take Thai's and will not accept a farang unless they know he is a credible training partner.

 

RMB outside Pattaya takes tourist, and is the main training haunt of a certain Michael Katsidis!

Boran will know more about Bangkok.

 

I trained in lanna muay thai in chiang mai for a while. It was good but i felt the trainers were too much of pad holders instead of correcting and the whole deal.

 

Someone mentioned Por Pramuk Gym as well as Sityodtong.

 

i wouldnt reccomend por promuk, they charge ridiculous prices just because people know them of buakaw, not to menion buakaw has left and their new owner isnt very well liked..

 

Sityodtong is 500 baht, pretty much exactly 10 British pounds at the moment, for the whole day (two sessions) but I guess it depends who you get training you. Some of their best guys have gone to Evolve MMA now I think.

 

hey Flea you say you havent seen Rambaa ifight muay thai before?

watch this:

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l49H-mcauOA[/ame]

 

He's such a showboat :good

 

Welcome of course, we like em skinny, maybe there's the UK's answer to Diesel Noi in that lanky frame!

Gyms in Thailand, well they are all good if you know how to use them, although some gyms like popular beach resorts do get bloated and lose that certain something that made them great in the first place. Remember, Thai gyms little or small are not there to satisfy a recreational need for exercise like in the west, these gyms are here to create livelihoods for people trapped into poverty by turning them into tough competitive fighters for the toughest Muay Thai circuit in the world. If you take that on board you realise they all have something to offer you as they have to be good to survive.

A few tips for anyone wanting to train in Thailand.

Firstly, don’t go to one of the famous gyms that have big name superstar fighters, unless you are only in Thailand for a short time. These days with the increasing popularity of MT and certain MT fighters around the world they seem to have become shrines to named fighters and draw too much attention that can hurt your training unless you are an A class fighter. There is only so much time a pad man can give in the day and if the gym it crawling with pros, semi pros, hopeful amateurs, tourists and nutty Japanese K1 fans who fly over for the week just to watch guys train, it just stands to reason you ain’t going to get that dedicated instruction, atmosphere and time you need to develop and learn. There are thousands of Muay Thai gyms all over the country and contrary to popular belief many are willing to take on foreigners to make ends meet. Show a bit of sprit and skill and they’ll welcome you in.

Secondly, no matter how big or famous a fighter you are drop all that western ego macho bull**** that is attached to the western fight game the moment you get of the airplane, the Thais don’t like it or understand it. You are not entitled to train in their country, you are a guest. You are asking to go into their house for a period of time, take the gym name and become a brother, so all things considered meek humble politeness is the name of the game. The Thais appreciate it and you’ll be more approachable which encourages the fighters to share techniques with you.

Thirdly, you have to be a bit proactive with your training and think outside the box. Yes you are paying for your training but things like giving the pad man an extra 200 baht before training or buying a new pair of trainers for a 9 year old who can’t afford a pair or paying one of the ex-fighters electricity bill are worth their weight in gold for what will come back in help, respect, advice and goodwill from the fighters in the gym. Always be willing to learn, show spirit and interest ask plenty of questions and never lose your temper or get moody. Very often a Thai won’t correct your technique or teach you something new unless you ask him, he doesn’t want to make you feel small in the gym, ask him and he’ll be only too happy to show you. If you don’t speak Thai it’s not hard to use your body and hands to ask about technique. The youngest fighters in the gym can sometimes be the most useful to learn form, don’t underestimate their strength and skill, by the age of 14 most probably have more fights under their belt than you’ll ever have. I’ll never forget being thrown around the ring by a 14 year old half my size the first time I was really shown how the Thais clinch, ****in blew my mind!:yikes

Above all be kind, polite and generous. I don’t mean give all your money away, but help where you can and it won’t go unnoticed. Take the guys out for a beer after one of the guys wins a fight, go and play football with them after training share with them and I guarantee you’ll have the experience of your life and be part of something that’ll stay with you for life and oh…. I forgot….become a better fighter to!

One other thing, Rome wasn’t built in a day, as you know becoming a better fighter takes time and I don’t care how good you are and how long you’ve been training everything you have learnt technique wise just feels a little bit different in Thailand. It takes time to feel and pick up on slight differences and for people to open up to you. The more time you can give to your camp in Thailand the more benefits you’ll reap. It’s just common sense if u fly in for just three weeks you’re limited to how close you can get with your trainer and the fighters in the gym which will limit how much you actually learn. There’s nothing wrong with that but at least once I’d recommend a long camp. My first stint was for 6 months. It can get a bit rough and lonely at times, the Thais can be brutally honest about your development and that can depress you sometimes, but if you can stick it out you won’t regret it.

In terms of gyms to recommend, try this one Kiatphontip in Bangkok:

http://www.kiatphontipgym.com/

Knowing the passion and lifelong commitment of one the guys behind this gym has for all things Muay Thai you’ll get great honest authentic training and it won’t be crowded. It’s an up and coming gym with good fighters, a Ratchadamnern champ and has also trained some top flight foreigners so you should be welcomed well. prices on paper may seem a little steep to some, but remeber you get what you pay for in life and everything in Thailand is negotiable!

Hope that helps someone.