So you want to be a Muay Thai fighter? Training Muay Thai at Tiger Muay Thai in Phuket, Thailand

I spent the last month in Phuket, Thailand training Muay Thai (Thai boxing) at a well-known gym called Tiger Muay Thai. From anywhere from 4 to 6 hours a day I sweated profusely in the tropical heat as I pounded away at heavy bags, threw knees and kicks, jabs and uppercuts, vicious elbows (though mine weren’t so vicious), lifted weights and ran up and down the long, hilly road the gym was located on.

All of my trainers at Tiger were reputable ex-Muay Thai fighters and some of them were actually still fighting. One night we went and saw my personal trainer Nong fight at a local arena. He knocked his opponent out in the first round with a powerful left upper-cut and was in high spirits the next morning as he helped me with my own (not so powerful) left upper-cut.

When training at Tiger you have the option to work out as much or as little as possible. There are morning and afternoon group Muay Thai sessions, MMA classes, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Western Boxing, yoga, and body fitness courses. Also, lessons in Krabi Krabong and Muay Boran, ancient Thai fighting techniques, are offered a few times a week. If you really wanted to and were capable of it, you could work out all day. At Tiger, there’s always someone at the gym.

The people who came to Tiger were very diverse. Some were beginners like me who were there to try something new and stay in shape, others were attempting (and usually succeeding) to lose weight, and many were training to fight professionally. The gym boosts many fighters who fight weekly in Bangla Stadium in Patong and even bigger name fighters like Cyrus Washington, who fights all around Thailand and Asia. Outside of the ring, however, everyone was pretty laid back and we all got along and hung out at a local restaurant where they frequently showed reruns of MMA fights and old martial arts movies, like Bloodsport with Jean-Claude Van Damme.

My typical schedule consisted of yoga in the morning from 7AM to 8AM, then a group session of Muay Thai from 8:30AM to 11:30AM, then lunch and a much-needed nap. In the afternoon I would either do another Muay Thai session, take Western Boxing with Chokchai (a well-known Thai boxer who fought Manny Pacquiao in 1998), or lift weights and train on my own. Sometimes at night I would practice meditation with a friend of mine who had spent the last 9 months training Qigong and various martial arts in the mountains of China. There are all sorts of interesting people who know a great deal about training your mind and body at Tiger.

Here are some things I would recommend if you’re considering going to Phuket, Thailand to train Muay Thai:

• Get yourself in shape before you go. After the first day training some people were so sore they couldn’t workout for a week. Others who were not in good shape got injured and had to miss a few days or weeks of training. At the very least, try to run as much as possible before you head to Thailand so that you’re not overwhelmed by the cardio aspect of the workouts.
• Beware of motorbikes. In Thailand, everyone drives motorbikes and the rules of the road seem to be anything goes. I once saw a man, woman, two children, and I kid you not, a cat, all on one motorbike. It’s crazy, and not to sound like too much of a wuss, but it’s dangerous as well. I met at least 5 people at Tiger who had gotten in motorbike accidents and had to spend their days watching movies and hanging around because they were injured and couldn't train. If you rent a bike, be as careful as you can. And remember, they drive on the left side of the road!
• Find a one-on-one trainer. I made the mistake of waiting until my last week to begin one-on-one sessions. If you really want to improve your Muay Thai technique, one-on-one is the way to go. You will learn more in one session about technique than you do in many group sessions. Find a trainer that you like and who speaks English well, and start setting up one-on-one sessions as soon as you can. Although this will cost you extra money (it was around $20 for a one hour session) if you came all the way to Thailand to learn Muay Thai, you would be a fool not to do it.
• If you go to Tiger, don’t spend too much time in Patong. If you’re in Thailand for prostitutes, drugs, heavy boozing, and more prostitutes, Patong is the place to be. If you want to get in shape and learn Muay Thai, I’d recommend staying away.

Training Muay Thai in Thailand will be, if nothing else, an experience. It is hard, it is intense, and at times it can feel monotonous. But if you truly want to challenge yourself and discover the culture behind Muay Thai, there's no better way to do it.