What is Muay Thai?

Muay Thai is a type of martial arts whose origins date back to 1238 in Thailand. It’s basically a contact sport in which the competitors are involved in a one-on-one fight. Muay Thai is also popular in other contact sports.

For example, MMA fighters usually combine motor principles in their training to incorporate the sport’s highly effective knees, elbows, and clinching tactics.

The sport’s focus is highly on striking using punches, kicks, knees, and elbows. Unlike judo and Brazilian jiu-jitsu, Muay Thai doesn’t involve ground grappling.

Is the Training Good for Beginners?

Muay Thai is good for beginners. In fact, anyone who doesn’t have serious physical limitations can start learning the sport straight away.

You don’t really need to be ripped or in great shape to start learning Muay Thai. If you can exercise for an hour or so with minimal breaks, you’re good to go.

Muay Thai not only helps you get in an amazing physical shape but also helps to improve your strength, cardio, and overall flexibility. The training also helps to build healthy knees, wrists, elbows, and ankles. It’s a great spot for every type of beginner.

However, if you have previously undergone surgery, suffered a major injury, or have any other serious health condition, it’s recommended to consult your doctor before you start your training.

Benefits of Muay Thai Training

Muay Thai training comes with both physical and mental benefits including the following:

1. It’s a Full-Body Workout

This is one of the key benefits of Muay Thai training. It gives you full-body workout which means that the training is perfect for even weight loss and body sculpting.

Motor training is an intense full-body workout that focuses on exercising all the important muscle groups in your body.

Muay Thai involves a wide range of physical routines and activities including jumping rope, running, shadow boxing, kickboxing, and many more.

It includes both aerobic and anaerobic workouts. People who have gone through motor training claim that dedicating yourself to a session of 60 to 90 minutes helps to burn between 1,000 and 1,200 calories in each session.

The trading is effective in burning stubborn fat and toning your muscles while building a stronger core and improving your overall flexibility.

2. The Training Enhances Self-Discipline

Muay Thai training also improves your self-discipline.

You get inspired and motivated to maintain the training practice and schedule when you learn new skills and see the progress that you’re making in achieving your overall fitness goals.

The training also helps you to develop healthy habits and enhance your self-discipline.

3. The Training Teaches You Self-Defense

Muay Thai training has practical real-life applications too. It’s an excellent way to learn how you can defend yourself against real-life encounters with attackers.

Besides self-defense, Muay Thai training also teaches you how you can maintain your calm and think strategically when faced with opponents. The training gives you confidence and the ability to take care of yourself in an adversarial situation.

4. Increased Stamina and Improved Cardiovascular Health

Muay Thai training takes you through many rounds of rigorous training to test your strength and build stamina.

As your experience grows, you’ll eventually be able to go for several rounds of intense training without suffering fatigue. This is because the training gives you the best cardiovascular exercises to help you build strength and increase stamina.

5. Muay Thai Training is an Effective Stress Reliever

Another key benefit of Muay Thai boxing and training is that it helps you to feel relaxed and relieve stress.

The more you train the more you’ll feel relaxed after the training. Trading has a direct impact on your body’s stress hormones.

Studies show that when you exercise, stress hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline drop their levels and your body starts to produce endorphin which is a mood elevator. Exercising is even recommended to people suffering from stress and depression.

Muay Thai training combines both aerobic and anaerobic exercises which help to enhance your body’s metabolism and boost your mood to leave you feeling good and stress-free.

6. The Training Helps to Increase Your Social Circle

When you train at the best Muay Thai gyms such as the 301 Gym in the beachside location of Sam Roi Yot in Thailand, you’ll enjoy a strong sense of comradeship with other like-minded individuals.

You’ll meet more people who share common interests and goals of self-improvement during your training. This is one of the best ways to forge lifetime friendships.

Learn and Train Muay Thai in the Best Gym in Thailand

Muay Thai training helps you to get back in shape, lose weight, prepare for an upcoming fight, and generally get inspired to achieve your goals.

However, for the best results, it’s important to ensure that you’re training in the best Muay Thai School or gym, at 301 gym we have our very own Muay Thai Accomodation located directly at the camp complete with facilities.

We offer the following rooms:

• Shared room
• Single room with fan
• Single room with air con

301 Gym is a perfect choice because it’s located in a serene environment near the beach surrounded by mountains and coconut trees. It’s a perfect atmosphere for both beginner and advanced Muay Thai fans.

If you want the best Muay Thai training Thailand can offer, read on to learn more about the things you need to do and the best Muay Thai Sam Roi Yot gym to train in.

Muay Thai is the national sport of Thailand and as such the country has hundreds of Muay Thai camp facilities.

There are many training camps and gyms, each providing a different kind of experience at different budget points. Some of the best locations for Muay Thai training in Thailand include the Sam Roi Yot area which is located close to the beach.

However, before you pack your bags and head over to the Land of Smiles for your training, here are a few important things to consider:

Find a Camp That Suits Your Training Needs

The first thing you’ll need to do is to find a Muay Thai camp that best suits your living and training needs. As said, there are hundreds of training camps spread throughout the country but your choice will largely depend on your current level of experience and budget.

There are basically two types of Muay Thai training camps in Thailand. There are camps exclusively designed for the local community where you won’t usually find a foreigner and there are training camps or gyms geared towards foreigners, or farang as the locals say. Farang or foreigner camps are great for martial artists of all levels, from beginners to professionals.

If you are a beginner or intermediate level martial artists, foreigner-based Muay Thai camps are a good choice because the trainers are fluent in the English language, which means you’ll always communicate more easily with fellow trainees and trainers.

For experts, the camps have the same level of tough, grueling, and high-quality sessions as the local camps. The camps are usually located in the best locations where you can explore the great sceneries and landscapes of Thailand.

You’ll be surrounded by like-minded people with the same goals and aspirations as you. Just remember to explore the beauty of Thailand and have fun by choosing a gym close to social amenities and attractions, such as the 301 Gym in Sam Roi Yot.

Training Challenges

Before you decide to train in Thailand, you should be mentally and physically prepared for the most physically grueling and challenging but rewarding and memorable experience ever.

Thailand is known for having the toughest Muay Thai training experience in the world. A normal day involves morning and afternoon runs of two to three hours followed by extensive training for five to six days every week.

However, you can train at your own pace until your stamina has built up to an extent where you can tackle more demanding challenges.

The most important thing is to avoid wearing yourself out and end up spending your days in Thailand sick in bed. Be patient and allow your body to gradually adjust to the more grueling training sessions.

Find the Best Accommodation You Can Afford

When it comes to accommodation, Thailand gives you a varied choice depending on your budget. Accommodation can expensive or cheap as you want it to be.

At 301 gym we have a choice of accomodation:

• Shared room in our Muay Thai Camp
• Single room with fan in Sam Roi Yot
• Single room with aircon in Sam Roi Yot
  
  

Maintain Sustenance and Hydration

Hydration is important when training in Thailand. This is because you will be training in hot and humid weather mostly so make sure to supply your body with all the necessary electrolytes by drinking water to stay fit and healthy.

You can even buy electrolyte packs known as Royal D in local pharmacies.

In terms of sustenance, Thailand, fortunately, offers a wide range of delicious and healthy food options. There is even delicious street food almost everywhere you go. Just make sure to eat healthily and stay hydrated while training.

Why Train Muay Thai at 301 Gym in Thailand?

301 Gym is a Muay Thai camp located in the Sam Roi District in Thailand.

It is one of the best foreigner-based gyms, where you can practice Muay Thai to get back in shape, prepare for a fight, lose weight, or simply get inspired to achieve your physical fitness goals in life.

The camp is located near the beach in a peaceful environment surrounded by mountains and coconut trees. It is also close to the First Coastal National Park and just a few hours’ drive from Bangkok, the capital of Thailand.

The gym has a well-equipped fitness area an amazing 20-meter-long pool, 24-hour free internet Wi-Fi, and all the amenities you need when training Muay Thai in Thailand.

His weight has decreased of 10 kg so far and still dropping. Not only weight loss but also muscle tone ,cardio-vascular has improved with an overall well being are part of the changes.

This is how I started one of my inquiry emails to Yoann the owner of 301Gym, And I can tell you, I have seen the results and I know you can see them as well.

I always wanted to do a “training vacation” go to a Muay Thai camp and train there for a few weeks. After a break-up last March and a stressful period at work I decided after the completion of the current project at that time I was not taking on any other projects and I was going to fulfil one of my dreams, Training at a Muay Thai camp for a whole Month. No sooner said than done, I googled for a Muay Thai camp in Thailand and after comparing a few I went for 301Gym. The main reasons where:

• It is not far from Bangkok, so no extra flight to get to my destination. (i.e. Phuket)
• Not a tourist place
• Had a large swimming pool
• Pricing
• Meals included
• You are guaranteed to stay at the camp, not in a nearby hotel or partnered accommodation.
• Didn’t seem that massive like some other camps

So how was live at the camp?

The Camp is located in Sam Roi Yot which is an amazing place to be, friendly people nice landscape, beautiful mountains and a gorgeous beach. The camp itself is also very nice it has an amazing 20m swimming pool where you can 2 relax the muscles after a hard training session and it has a total of 15 rooms so you can imagine it will not get to crowded, even when the camp is fully booked. This is a very big advantage in my opinion, because you know the trainers will definitely have time to give everyone the attention they need.

Training
The training can be quite tough especially when you fly in from The Netherlands and your body has to adjust from 10ºC to 39ºC. I wish you the best of luck with your first 6K morning run and then the hour and a half Muay Thai training. To properly acclimatize I personally needed at least a good week and lots of water during the training, I easily drunk 3L of water during one training session. After the first week I started to notice that my body could stand the high temperatures and the high humidity a lot better, it even got better the 2nd week.

Every training session consists of the following elements:

• Go for a run (long or short)
• Stretching 10 min
• Rope Skipping 20 min
• Muay Thai (technique, bag work, sparring)

And there are 2 sessions per day from Monday-Saturday.

• Session 1: 06:30
• Session 2: 16:00

The trainers really now what they’re talking about and they taught me very well. (look up they’re track record on the 301gym web page)

Tip for the people who want to lose weight: “DO NOT SKIP RUNNING”. Be strong and remember why you came to do it, get up and go for it. I promise you, if you run every session you will see amazing results at the end. Keep pushing yourself this also goes for the Muay Thai trainer, Hit the bag as hard as you can, it seems boring but it’s a must for your muscle memory so that even when you’re out of breath your muscles will now automatically how to hit, HARD!

I have so much to tell, so many good memories, I felt good at the camp, I was welcome, appreciated, respected.
I really want to thank Yoann and the Trainers for the time and effort they put into training me and keeping the camp running I will definitely be back in 2017 this time for two months.
Last but not least, here’s a picture of how I came in and how I went back… still got a road to go to become shredded but hey it’s a good start!

Muay Thai is not just a fighting skill, it is a nuanced art that takes dedication and hard work. Here are a few reasons why you should definitely take up Muay Thai and why it is one of the best ways to lose weight ever.

• Extensive cardio
  We all know that cardiovascular exercise helps burn calories. It is basically getting your heart rate up and keeping it going for sometime. It gets fat burning and is an important part of any regimen. Muay Thai pretty much keeps your heart beating throughout. The movement is constant, there is almost no rest as you will be punching, kicking, and conditioning from start to finish.
  
  
• Strength training
  Working out muscles burns fat. As you build muscle, you will lose fat, that’s how the body works. As you get older, you are going to be losing up to half a pound of muscle mass a year. Muay Thai makes you expand, stretch and tense your muscles right at the moment of impact. It also involves your elbows and knees. You will begin to feel fatigue almost instantly after you start working out. Over time, your muscle mass will increase and you start burning fat. It is often called the art of eight limbs, so you will get a lot stronger as you practice and get better.
  
  
• Full body training
  Unlike other martial arts or gym workouts, Muay Thai makes you use your entire body, all the time. There will be no need for spot reduction or any kind of specific training for certain parts of the body. It is a holistic approach to weight training and you will stay happy when seeing the scale.

Muay Thai is much more than a way to fight. It is a way of life that will keep you strong, focused and healthy.

The spirits in the world of Muay Thai

In general, the people in Thailand believe a lot in spirits. Most of the traditional houses in the country have a small ‘house for spirits’ right next to them. It is their belief that there are invisible spirits wandering on earth, everywhere. There are good spirits and bad spirits. Good spirits would help them and protect them from misfortunes. Bad spirits would cause them harm. These beliefs and the rituals that they conduct to ward off bad spirits and get help from the good spirits are passed from generation to generation for centuries.

The world of Muay Thai has its fair share of spirits as well. There are spirits in the gym, the spirits of teachers. The good ones protect the gym, the bad ones try to damage them. For this reason, it is necessary for the Muay Thai combatants to ask for permission from the spirits to fight before going into the ring. The rituals would ward off the evil spirits, protect the fighters, and lead them to victory. The fighters often wear their headband, known as Mongkol (meaning holy spirit) or Mongkhon, and an armband, known as a Pra Jiad, into the ring to ward off harmful spirits, before the match begins.

Muay Thai is not considered a martial art by its practitioners. For them, its spiritual aspects go hand-in-hand. What gives them root is the spiritual world, it tells them that, ‘this is your home, this is your family, and this is where you belong’. The sport is dangerous in a lot of ways. In order to find support, the fighters look towards the spiritual world. The usual spiritual procedures before a fight include:

• The coach/trainer placing the Mongkhon on the head of the fighter after a short prayer, and then securing the Pra Jiad on the fighter (this stays on during the fight, unlike the Mongkhon that is taken off before the fight)
• The coach/trainer sprinkling the fighter’s head with water while saying the spells
• The fighter performing Wai Kru, an ancient ritual pre-fight dance, after entering the ring
• The coach/trainer removing the Mongkhon after giving the fighter a drink, and saying a prayer

The final ritual, after the fight, includes paying respect to the opponent’s corner.

You’ll be seeing many more women in Muay Thai who take up the sport for their own personal reasons –

• they want to lose weight
• for discipline and focus
• for body toning and to get a ripped body
• self defense
• to become super fit
• for competition purposes

Because of the interest shown, there are now many Muay Thai gyms opening up. Women don’t have to be in great shape to join these gyms, with each one having its own vibe. With training at these gyms, you’ll grow leaner, meaner and with a more acute mind so that you can anticipate an attack, while also knowing how to refrain from the reckless impulse to attack and fight when it isn’t necessary.

Some women become so toned and fit, they want additional training to take up fighting. These days you are seeing far more boxing matches with women involved. In fact there are muay thai stadiums in Thailand – Rajadaman and Lumpineem.

Always Warm Up First

There is plenty of information on the Internet as well as videos to show you how you can learn Muay Thai at home. Most prefer to start at a gym to get the training routines right. Some of these basic training workouts focus on getting women started slowly. They always suggest that women do a proper warm-up and stretch session before trying out any techniques.

Shadow boxing is important if you want to perfect your Thai boxing techniques. This helps to ensure you execute your martial arts techniques correctly and from every angle. Bag training is also excellent for practicing kicks and punches, and hitting the bag will give you an idea of what it will be like to hit your fighting opponent.

Women around the world over are looking at Muay Thai as an ingenious way to feel safer and to enjoy other benefits too such as losing weight and looking and feeling on top of the world.

Thailand is famous for its exotic beaches, friendly people and Buddha Temples. When we think of Thailand, other than tourism, Muay Thai comes straight to mind. This action packed combat sport of Thailand is also a form of MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) and involves extensive training. Did you know the word “Muay” is actually derived from the word “Mavya” in sanskrit meaning “to bind together” or “to make things united”.

In a society where every day we hear of some sort of crime against children, it is very important to teach our kids self-defence. It is so essential for children to learn some form of self-defence in today’s day and age. However not just for self defence, here are some other reasons it is beneficial for children to learn Muay Thai-

1. Offers excellent physical activity or exercise

Muay Thai is also known as the “art of eight limbs” because one needs to use fist, elbows, knees and shins apart from the four limbs. It offers an excellent form of physical activity for kids. Even the training schedule leading up to learning Muay Thai involves great exercises like running, boxing, rope jumping etc.

2. Great for discipline and mental focus

As is with all forms of martial arts, the person learning develops a great mental focus and discipline. This is extremely important for children. Other than this, it also keeps today’s kids away from staring at screens (laptops, mobiles, online gaming) for endless hours. Today’s children grow up in very fast paced environments and Muay Thai helps to add stability.

3. Builds strength and agility

Since it involves rigorous physical activity, it provides a lot of strength training for children. Comparing Muay Thai with traditional forms of sports often fetches better in terms of the strength it gives children. Muay Thai is very effective in increasing leg strength and also abdominal strength as it focuses on those areas predominantly. It also provides a lot of agility as it is a very agile sport.

4. Socialization for kids

This may sound as a cliché but while learning Muay Thai, your child may actually develop long lasting friendships and learn socialization skills with children of similar age group having similar interests. Since Muay Thai also instils confidence, you child may emerge stronger, happier and more social after learning Muay Thai. It also teaches children a healthy competitiveness which is very good for their social development.

5. Muay Thai Championships

Having learnt such an extreme MMA, there are several prestigious championships that your children can take part in. There are many that happen on a global and country level. While winning may imply monetary benefit, most importantly qualifying to participate in any of these may be considered very prestigious.

All the above reasons make Muay Thai the most sought out sport that children must learn. Since it forms an extremely niche skill in anywhere other than Thailand, it has a tremendous scope to bring great exposure to kids knowing Muay Thai.

If you’re just starting your training, then keep in mind this is a big commitment. You’re going to have to make sacrifices and treat this just like a job. It’s going to take a lot of hours and a lot of discipline. If you’re ready to go all in, then you’re on your way to being ready for your first fight.

Picture the fight and visualize it going the way you want it to go. Sometimes just seeing things the way you want them to happen can help you prepare for an event that much easier. It gives you the confidence to go in with a winning attitude and really see yourself coming out victorious. This will help you get through difficult workouts as well. The night before the fight go to the ring and do your visualization in the place the fight is actually going to be held.
You’re ready to go if you have been serious about your training daily. You need to be in the best shape of your life to get ready for the fight. 

That means strength training, running and bag work. Skipping a workout for a day is okay if you’re completely drained, but that’s it. If you can help it force yourself to do something even on the day you want to skip. Even if it’s just thirty minutes of jump rope. You can’t miss workouts if you’re going to be in peak fighting condition. You need to make sure you’ve been taking care of your body.

If you’re not getting enough sleep you will not be ready to go into the fight. Your body is recovering while you’re out so you need to try for at least eight hours. You also need to be eating right for your workouts. Fruits and vegetables are essential to your training. Leafy vegetables are especially good so stock up on your kale. Try to stay away from carbs like white bread and sugar. You’ll want more carbs like whole wheat and brown rice.

Watch fights on video if you have access to them and study how the fighters move. You may notice a few things and watching the fights in action will help you become more prepared. Watch fights in person too and observe seasoned fighters sparring. Eating, breathing, and sleeping the fights is going to have you prepared and pumped for your first fight. Keep your mind sharp and you’ll be ready.

Once thing is sure, as you spend time sparring with various opponents, you find out different styles that work best for yourself. Some of the best fighters have evolved from the time they started out and have gained so much experience, they work on the styles that suit them best.

Different Factors Influence Styles

Like most martial arts styles, Muay Thai has been influenced by a number of factors. It is believed that Muay Thai developed from an ancient Thai fighting style known as Muay Boran, which is divided into 2 types – Muay lak which emphases patience and caution and Muay kiew which is a style performed to catch the opponent off guard.

Of the different styles there are, the style you develop for yourself will depend on a number of factors. Someone who is particularly tall for instance won’t have the same speed as an opponent who is short, nimble and lean. Height and reach is just one aspect of fighting, and once you’ve established the fighting style of your opponent, you work out your own game plan. The emphasis with Muay Thai is found in the legs, and balance is very important, especially in competitions and with the judges. Throws are also important and if you can throw your opponent onto his back then you’re showing that you have

Technical Fighter – relies on Intellect

In Muay Thai there is a combat style known as technical. A technical fighter relies on both intellect and technique, and with their good defense tactics, they take a lot less damage than punches for instance Technical fighters don’t use much power when sparring. Technical sparring builds on the use of correct technique, minimizing the risk of injury as the shots are less powerful. Somluck Kamsing was a legendary Muay Thai fighter who fought a Muay Thai style that relied on IQ and defense. As a technical fighter, many people described him as what is known as a counter fighter – waiting for his opponent to attack.

Nothing is static in martial arts, and as the years unfold, you may find yourself investigating new styles, and in fact it it a good thing to always explore new styles as this ensures a dynamic standard of fighting.