Thai Boxing In Phuket

Thai Boxing in Phuket (Muay Thai)

Thai Boxer, Khaisai Galaxy Championship Thailand

If you come to Phuket Island one thing you should learn to protect yourself is Thai Boxing. One of the most popular  sports in Thailand, and now gaining world renown, is the martial art of Muay Thai. Exciting enough on TV - the furious punches, crushing elbow strikes, lethal kicks and artful feints are even more riveting when seen live.

Witness the passion and drama of Thailand's national sport amidst crowds of onlookers whose cheers blend with the strains of high-pitched Javanese clarinets, drums and finger cymbals that accompany the fights from beginning to end.  For tourists in the Patong Beach area, nightly displays of Thai Boxing are carried out in specially built stadiums on Soi Sai Namyen.

If you don't mind the violence, a Thai boxing match is worth attending for the pure spectacle and the wild musical accompaniment, the ceremonial beginning of each match, and the frenzied betting around the stadium.

History of Thai Boxing or Muay Thai

The origins of this martial art and sport are claimed to stretch back to the wars with the Burmese during the 15th century. Thailand's first famous boxer was one, ‘Nai Khanom Tom' who was said to have single-handedly defeated nine Burmese fighters in a wager for freedom. A Thai king, Phra Chao Seua (The Tiger King) is said to have been an incognito participant in many boxing matches in the early part of his reign.

Thai boxing Nai khanom Tom Monument (Mr. Kanom tom)

The sport has changed a lot from the days when boxers would wrap their fists in thick horsehide trimmed with cotton soaked in glue and broken glass for maximum impact with minimum knuckle damage. Many changes initiated to make the sport safer have reduced the incidence of death and injury. But Thai boxing is still a violent contact sport and considered by many as the ultimate in unarmed combat. Demonstrations of Muay Thai are held in many of the tourist areas but they are mostly for show.

  Thai Boxing Traditions and Ceremonies

The training of a Thai boxer and particularly the relationship between the boxer and teacher is highly ritualized. As the boxers enter the ring, they perform a special pre-fight dance known as the 'ram muay'. During the dance, the fighters wear a headband given by their trainer.

Praying before the match

It is a sacred talisman earned after many years of dedication to the art. The dance starts with 'wai khru' -- each boxer kneeling and bowing three times, a show of respect to his teacher. With the ceremonies complete, the fight begins.

The Fight

Each fight consists of five rounds of three minutes each. Accompanying the fight is music stimulated by action in the ring, rising and falling as the boxers battle it out. All surfaces of the body are considered fair targets, and any part of the body except the head may be used to strike an opponent.
Common blows include high kicks to the neck, elbow thrusts to the face and head, knee hooks to the ribs, and low crescent kicks to the calf. A contestant may even grasp an opponent's head between his hands and pull it down to meet an upward knee thrust.
Punching is considered the weakest of all blows and kicking merely a way to ‘soften up' one's opponent; most matches end with a knee or elbow strike.

Thai Boxing Training in Phuket

  Thai Boxing in Phuket Camp

Phuket nowadays is a great destination if you want to learn Muay Thai, or Thai Boxing. There are many training camps here and they’re open to all ages (usually from 13 years upward) and genders. While most come to train alone, many come with friends or even their spouse.

The training programs cater for those who simply desire to improve their health and boxing skills as well as those who want to go on to become professional fighters. There are also one or two centres that run regular classes for youngsters aged from five- up to 10-years old.

Levels of Muay Thai

Muay Thai can be broken up into three levels: beginners, intermediates and professionals. Most students on the island fall into the first two. So don’t be shy if this is your first time learning Thai boxing.
It is guaranteed to be fun, sweaty, and a lot of hard work as well as, for some, a painful experience (but remember ‘Pain is temporary, glory is forever’.)

Training Sessions

 Thai boxing training sessions usually take place twice a day and average training sessions last from two to three hours, depending on students’ levels and abilities. The session may include a mixture of exercises such as warming up, stretching, running, skipping, shadow boxing, pad work, bag punching and kicking.
Students will get to learn the basic techniques (and advance techniques for the higher level students) during the hours of working out with trainers. Students may practice fighting in the ring with their trainers or their fellow students only when they have had enough basic Muay Thai techniques and skills to do so. The morning and afternoon session are slightly different. But the basic methods are the same.

The Trainers

Currently all Muay Thai trainers in Phuket are males aged from early 20s to 50s. Many are retired professional boxers who have fought over 100 times in Bangkok and many places in Thailand (a few have fought in international events and trained foreign kick boxers too.) Some of the younger trainers are still very active in fighting at national level.
Though not all can speak perfect English; most trainers have more than enough language skills to communicate with their students. Their job is mainly to guide, watch and correct what students do as well as pass on Muay Thai techniques. If students are lucky they might find themselves alone with a trainer without having to pay extra for a private course. This is because at certain times of the year, Phuket Muay Thai camps are really not very busy at all.

How to Apply Thai boxing learning

It is quite easy to book online for a training  after compare prices and it’s best to look for special deals and offers before making a decision. For example if you plan to stay longer there are choices from a week to a month to three-month-long training courses at which you usually get better rates. Some centres might throw in a free private class or some sports massage coupons for longer training periods while some might give away a pair of boxing shorts, hand wraps, gloves and/or T-shirts.
There is no refund policy after payment. One thing to remember is that the cost of training is always higher in high season (from September to April). Ideally, one might want to come and explore the camps/gyms, check out their facilities (as some even feature a swimming pool and sauna rooms) and locations before making any move.

Thai Boxing Equipment and Accessories Stores

If you’re looking for Thai boxing accessories such as shorts, gloves, head amulets, head guards, groin protectors, hand wraps, tank tops, T-shirts as well as boxing oils and creams, you can find them at many shops around the island. They are usually adjacent to Muay Thai camps.

Where you learn Thai boxing in Phuket Camp

Tiger Muay Thai & Mixed Martial Arts
Open: Monday to Saturday from 09:00 – 10:30 and 17:00 – 18:30
Location: 7/6 Moo 5 Soi Ta-ied, Ao Chalong (The camp is in Soi Ta-ied Soi which is a quiet small road connecting Chaofa East and Chaofa West Road and less than 10 minutes by car from Chalong Circle).
Tel:  +66 (0)76 367 071  and  +66 (0)86 596 9090  for night office
Email: info@tigermuaythai.com

Rawai Muay Thai Camp
Open: Morning session 07:00 – 09:30 and afternoon session 15:00 – 19:00 Special class run between 10:00 – 15:30 from Monday to Saturday
Location: On Sai Yuan Road not far from Nai Harn Village
Tel: +66 (0) 81-4769377
Email: dcampillo@hotmail.com


Patong Beach Patong Boxing Gym Training Camp
Open: Training hours run from 07:00 – 10:00 and again from 16:00 – 19:00
Location: 41 (50) Pee Road, Patong. When arriving in Patong head down to Soi Namyen and when you come to Montes Restaurant, you’ll need to head up the steep hill. Keep going until you see the ‘gym’ sign on the left-hand side, about a three-minute drive away.)
Tel:  +66 (0) 81-7589290 
Email: bowwannida@hotmail.com

Phromthep Thai Boxing & Fitness Training Gym
Open: All year round
Location: 91 Moo 5 Viset Road Road, Rawai (turn left at the end of Rawai Beach and pass the Rawai Or Bor Tor Office and turn left again after that. The camp is about 500m down the road.)
Tel:  +66 (0) 85-7862414 
Email: info@thailandmuaythai.com or danny@patongmuaythai.com

Rawai and Naiharn Beach Nai Harn Boxing Club
Open: Morning session 08:30 - 10:30 and afternoon session 16:00 – 18:00 Kids’ class every Wednesday and Saturday at 18:00 (available for five- up to 10-years of age)
Location: 90/6 Nai Harn Beach Road, Moo 1, Rawai (the club located in the middle of Nai Harn Village and has its own sport bar, very easy to spot from the road.)
Tel:  + 66 (0) 85-7877435 
Email: contact@phuket-boxing.com

Lion Muay Thai Gym Phuket
Open: All year round
Location: M 7, Soi Samakkee 2, Sai Yuan Road, Rawai, (The gym is located in a quiet residential street, near the heart of Rawai Village)
Tel:  +66 (0) 76-226577 
Email: info@lionmuaythaigym.com

Chalong Bay Suwit Muay Thai Training Camp
Open: All year round with two training sessions per day.
Location: 15 Moo 1 , Choa Fa Road, T. Chalong (the camp is on Chaofa Road opposite Soi Palai (famous for Phuket Zoo) and is located next to Suwit Muay Thai Stadium which has regular fights every Friday.
Tel:  +66 (0) 76-374313 
Email: muaythaicamp@yahoo.com


Cherngtalay Village Cherngtalay Muay Thai & Bandasak Gym
Open: Morning session from 07:00 – 09:15 and afternoon session from 15:30 – 18:00
Location: Cherngtalay Village, A. Thalang, Phuket
Tel:  +66 (0) 86-9504290 
Email: admin@cherngtalaymuaythai.com

Dragon Muay Thai
Open: Monday to Saturday: 07:00 – 10:30 and 16:00 – 19:00. Sunday training by appointment only.
Location: 10/3 Moo 5, Soi Ta-iad, Chalong
Tel:  + 66 (0) 80-1427500 
Email: info@muaythaidragon.com

Kata Beach Phuket Muay Thai Camp and Gym
Open: Morning training from 07:00 – 11:00 and afternoon training from 15:00 – 19:00
Location: 82/5 Moo 4 Patak Rd. Kata Beach (the camp is just a kilometre away from Chalong Circle on the hill on the left-hand side heading toward Kata. There is a large blue sign and a steep private drive way.
Tel:  +66 (0) 76-284090 
Email: thaiboxing_gym@yahoo.com