Bangkok Muay Thai Training Blog (September 2022)
Back to Thailand!!!! Full vlog on our Bangkok section above!
The last time I was in Thailand was in 2019, training at Petchyindee Academy for a month. Before I could return for another training trip, the world shut down … for two years lol.
This trip, I wanted to visit my old trainers (namely Arjan Wat in Bangkok and the Sitjaopho team in Hua Hin) and also to visit some new friends I’ve made over socials (Primo team and some others).
We started our trip in Bangkok, joined by a few other Muay Thai training friends from Melbourne. On Day 1, we headed to the Primo Fightwear ally gym, T-Dedd 99. Riv and I stayed at a pretty central location in BKK, at Siam Square and took Grab and Skytrains to the training locations.
@ T-Dedd 99
T-Dedd 99
Location: 16 Inthamara 9 Alley, Samsen Tai, Phaya Thai, Bangkok 10400, Thailand
Training times (afternoon session): 3pm-6pm
Instagram: @t_dedd99 https://www.instagram.com/t_ded99/
Costings:
Casual class, 500 THB
Monthly training, 12,000 THB
Monthly accommodating package of 1 room with Twin Beds (including utilities), 15,000 THB
When we arrived, fighters were out for their afternoon run. According to a coach fighters run 15kms in the morning and 10kms in the afternoon before their training sessions. The gym is located on a rooftop (take the lift to the 8th floor and walk up a flight of stairs). It is spacious and breezy, making the Bangkok afternoon heat bearable for training.
We warmed up with 200 skip knees on the bag, some light shadow and straight into some Boxing sparring rounds ( 3 x 5 minute rounds).
Pad work was a 9 minute round each. Yup, a long 9 minute round with a trainer! While you were waiting, fighters did their own bag work.
Trainers were helpful and happy to teach us throughout the session, from boxing to padwork and finally into clinch. Though there was little English, we understood fine and Jon (Primo Fightwear) was there to translate when needed. Clinching ran for around 30 minutes - free work and coaches came by to assist when needed.
We finished with conditioning as a group - counting and a lead coach supervising and yelling at the fighters (and us lol). 200 push ups (in sets of 100) and 300 sit ups (in sets of 150) followed by leg kicks on a kick shield, body kicks on the bags , bicep curls and chin ups.
Overall it was an intense but good session. We were definitely feeling the push ups days after lol. Full push ups too by the way, not the pulses haha. A fight focused gym with what looked like all fighters only training. It was awesome to spot Yodlekpet Or. Pitisak training! And later on the trip, we watched Ded Duanglek win his fight with beautiful style at Lumpinee in the Semifinals on Road to ONE.
T-Dedd 99 is open for foreigners to train at. Though I am unsure about the costings and how you can book in, I would suggest contacting them on their Instagram for more information! UPDATE (12/10/22) .. We now have the costings (Listed above).
with Arjan Wat at Looksuan Camp
Personal Training with Arjan Wat
Location: Looksuan Muay Thai Camp, Bangkok (by bookings only via Instagram with Arjan Wat directly)
Training times : Mornings
Instagram: @arjan_wat https://www.instagram.com/ajarn_wat/
Pricing (per hour) as of September 2022:
1:1 - 2000 baht
2:1 - 3000 baht
3:1 - 4000 baht
For our second and third day in Bangkok, we booked in PTs with Arjan Wat at Looksuan Camp. Arjan takes 2-3 sessions in the morning by bookings only. You can book in with him via Instagram DMs. In the afternoons he’s busy at Petchyindee academy training Savvas.
Seeing Arjan Wat again was surreal! I was so happy to see him and once the training begun, all the awesome memories of training with him pre Covid starting flowing back in. His energy, enthusiasm and passion is unlike anyone. He’s just as “in” the training session as you are. You feel like he’s working harder than you sometimes :p . Just listen when he holds pads and you’ll get the energy that he gives out to you. It’s amazing.
Arjan focuses on intention in the strikes, always staying ready (or you’ll be on the canvas!) , speed and flow. You’re expected to hit as hard as you can and fast. The pads won’t be there if you take your time to get to them! More like you’ll be.. on the canvas haha.
Day 1, we finished with some light sparring with Arjan, putting together the combination work on pads into real life scenarios. Day 2, we worked on the clinch. Arjan is patient and takes the time to repeat until you understand fully. He slows it down when you are unsure and breaks down the techniques.
Arjan is light hearted, funny and exciting to be around. Once you get an understanding of his style and expectations, you’ll be learning quick and heaps from Arjan Wat. Be sure to bring your best every session ;)
@ F.A Group
F.A. Group Muay Thai Gym
Location: 270 Vibhavadi Rangsit 5 Alley, Lane 8, Chom Phon, Chatuchak, Bangkok 10900
Training times : Mornings and afternoons
Instagram: @fagroup_muaythai https://www.instagram.com/fagroup_muaythai/
Pricing as of September 2022 (see poster below):
F.A. Group was a fun and intense session! To be honest we found that session abnormally difficult lol. Not sure if it was the 3pm heat or whether we did pads after clinching for an hour… but that was tough!
We started with a 10-15 minute round of skipping to warm up, then straight into clinching for an hour. The students and coaches were super friendly, coming up to introduce themselves and making sure we felt very welcomed! The F.A. Group team clinch twice a day, both for one hour sessions! It’s no wonder they’re world renown for their champion knee fighters and superior clinch style.
Clinching was free work with some breaks in between. Coaches joined in and were enthusiastic in teaching the students. The vibe was fun and energetic!
After clinch work we moved into 3 x 3 minute rounds each with a trainer on pads. While waiting, you could work on the bags. In this section, I died lol. Padwork was tough .. I was short of breath and overheating haha. It was enjoyable. Coaches were super energetic and playful, making us feel very welcomed. We had a great time and were honestly sad that we couldn’t stay longer.
F.A. Group was easy to communicate with via socials. I messaged asking if we could join in a session and very promptly was given all information! Would suggest you stay for a few days not just one so you can get the most of the training there! :)
@ P.K. Saenchai Muay Thai Gym
P.K. Saenchai Muay Thai Gym
Location: 3713 31 Charoen Rat 7 Yeak 35 Alley, Bang Khlo, Bang Kho Laem, Bangkok 10120
Training times : Mornings 7am-9am and afternoons 2pm-7pm (pretty sure this includes a run)
Instagram: @p.k.saenchaimuaythaigym https://www.instagram.com/p.k.saenchaimuaythaigym/
Pricing as of September 2022: 500 baht for a single session
There’s no need to introduce this gym! P.K. Saenchai is one of the best known Muay Thai gyms in the world for producing champions and excellent Muay Thai fighters.
On our last morning in Bangkok (we had a half day before flying off back to Melbourne post Hua Hin), we decided to get a session in at P.K. Saenchai Gym. As it was a Saturday, the rest of the fighters had a strength and conditioning circuit while we were taken for separate pad work.
We rocked up just before 7am and fighters were already running (on the mats and on the treadmills). Fighters were already running for 45 mins to an hour before we jumped on the mats to join in the running. We continued running for another 15-20 minutes. The rest of the team started skipping but we were kept on the running.
At around 7.30am we were taken separately to do some padwork with the trainers while the rest of the class moved into their S&C circuit. Padwork was 5 x 5 minutes with the trainers. I found it challenging (my trainer called a lot of multiple kicks and power punches in combinations). From thai pads to the kick shield and some shadow drills, I enjoyed the session! It was hard and demanding, no surprises! We spotted Sangmanee cutting weight for his upcoming bout on ONE! Riv joined in with the boys to finish off their session with push ups. Side note, Riv has been accepted (or adopted as we jokingly say) by the Thai boys at almost every gym almost immediately lol..
Trainers were friendly, enthusiastic but serious in the work. Again, no surprises coming from such a high calibre fight gym.
Similar to F.A. Group, we wanted to come back to P.K. Saenchai for a longer training camp!
Training in Bangkok was amazing. I loved the pace and hustle of Bangkok - never a dull moment unless it thunderstorms and everything pauses for a sec lol. It was great to be there with friends who made the trip even more memorable and hilarious (shout out to Jas, Wilson, Nong, and Marcus) and to meet new friends (Jon, Kyle and Matt) ! And of course, travelling with a partner is always a good time since we have so many similar life enjoyments (minus his love for chicken rice.. haha).
Hope you enjoyed the write up and watching the vlog (video at the start of this page!). Stay tuned for part 2 where we go to Hua Hin to train with Kru F and the Sitjaopho Team. <3 HUGE thank you to all the gyms, trainers and training partners we met in BKK. We appreciate all your time and patience!
Unrelated.. but we saw Zhang Wei Li at the airport!! <3
