KaiMuay ค่ายมวย means Muay Thai Boot Camp
Find Your Favorite Muay Thai GYM in Thailand:
Main Destinations:
The art of Muay Thai has gained worldwide popularity for several reasons. Muay Thai is a very realistic ring sport in which most parts of the human body may be used as weapons. Home of some of the best Muay Thai gyms in the world, you can’t go wrong planning your first trip to Thailand in Bangkok. It is effective for self defense and hand to hand combat at close, middle and long ranges. It is great way to condition the body and get physically fit. There are many Muay Thai gyms and camps across Thailand, youcan easily go and join them without any hassles but what about the Gyms abroad?There are many new gyms opening in countries like USA and others, are they goodfor you? How to know that? Here are some things which you must check beforechoosing the right Muay Thai gym. Since Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) has become all the rage it has become accepted as the best method of standup fighting for MMA practitioners. For these reasons and more, gyms and schools that offer Muay Thai are starting to spring up all over the USA and abroad. But, which one is right for you? There are plenty of things to do in the capital on Thailand and you’ll have a wide variety of top Muay Thai training camps to choose from. You’re bound to find the perfect Thai boxing gym that fit your needs!
Certification
Are the instructors certified by the Thai Boxing Association or another organization? If not, where did the instructor learn? A month in Thailand and watching some instructional videos does not make you an instructor. Is it real Muay Thai? Real Muay Thai includes Thai style elbows, knees, punches, kicks and the clinch as well as defenses for all of the above. Make sure it’s Muay Thai not Tae Kwon Do or Karate posing as Muay Thai. Figure out if Bangkok is the right place for you! Check out best tips for training Muay Thai in Bangkok!
The Muay Thai gym or camp running nearby you or at any placein your country must be certified by appropriate authority, the Instructorsteaching Muay Thai must be certified by TBA (Thai Boxing Association USA) orany other equivalent authority. You must make sure that the instructorsteaching Muay Thai are certified to teach Muay Thai. Some people learn MuayThai from Thailand for a month or two and then open their own camp or gym and pretendto be experienced teachers. You won’t want to learn from them right? So makesure the camp and instructors are certified.
Experienced Instructors
Look for an instructor with at least 10 years of Muay Thai experience. A couple of smoker fights does not make a Kru (instructor). How long have they been in business? A lot of gyms are opening and closing these days. The sad part is they usually take your money then shut down, leaving you high and dry.. The Instructors teaching you must be experienced and not somerandom guy who learnt Muay Thai watching Instructional videos. If you want tobuild a good Muay Thai foundation then you must opt for someone who has spentyears in this business of teaching Muay Thai. Do they offer instructor certifications under the TBA or another Muay Thai organization? Do they teach you to hold the Thai pads and focus mitts? While it’s true you don’t have to know how to hold pads to be a fighter, to be an instructor you must learn to hold the pads.
Beginners. Do they offer beginning as well as intermediate and advanced classes? It’s not a good sign if they throw you in the ring with fighters looking for “fresh meat” on the first day. Also, do they offer BEGINNING MUAY THAI classes? If they only have Kickboxing classes on a bag and Fight Team classes, move on. It’s kind of a stretch to go from working on a bag to sparring with pros.
Many small camps call themselves Muay Thai camps but teachother martial arts like Karate, Tae Kwon Do, Judo etc. Before joining any gymor camp, you must make sure that the gym you are looking teaches authentic MuayThai or Thai Boxing and not any other self defense sport.
If you’re looking to train at some of the best Muay Thai camps while hanging out in paradise, Phuket Muay Thai is your best option.
Camp Facility
How big is the facility? How many classrooms do they have? How many Muay Thai heavy bags do they have? Do they have a boxing ring? Do they have weights and other fitness equipment? Do they have lockers and showers? A sport shop? While the instruction is much more important than the amenities, these fringe benefits are nice to have. How good is the Gym Facility? Is it big enough for Muay Thai?Does it have all required equipment’s and stuff? Does the gym has a Boxingring? Weights and other fitness equipment’s? Do they have safe lockers whereyou can store your clothes or other stuff while training? Also does your gymhas showers where you can freshen up after training session? These questionsmust be answered before choosing the right gym. A good program has a complete curriculum including the drills, combinations and training methods to bring out the best in you. Are there clear-cut requirements for your progression? Do they help you to set realistic goals? If they expect you to run, skip rope, jump on a tire, and do crunches and push ups while they kick you in the gut for an hour and a half or until you puke before they teach you anything, it may be a good idea to find another gym (unless you have a fight within two months or you’re just into that kind of abuse. Cleanliness: Is the facility clean? Do they clean the mats every day? Beware of gyms that don’t clean the mats every day. These places are ringworm central. It’s no fun explaining those sores all over your body to your significant other. The first leg of my trip in 2014 I stayed at Nitah Muay Thai in Patong and would highly recommend it to anyone. I also trained at Patong Boxing Gym and would definitely recommend them or their other place Patong Stadium Gym if you plan on training in Phuket!
Distance
How far is the camp or gym from your house? How much timedoes it take to reach the gym facility? Will you be able to cover that distanceregularly? These are also important things which you must consider beforechoosing a gym. You must never choose a guy in hurry, if the gym is very farthen you may skip a few classes or reach late. So think before you make yourdecision. Variety of Courses Offered
How many courses or lessons your gym offers? Are they limitedto Muay Thai only or also train for Boxing, Jiu Jitsu etc. Many good gymsoffers lessons in Boxing as well as Muay Thai. You won’t be nearly as distracted training Muay Thai in Chaing Mai as you will if you were to train at other parts of Thailand. If you’re looking to take your training seriously and want a more laid back vibe while experiencing the beautiful countryside of Thailand, then Chiang Mai is for you! Boxing really helps build strongMuay Thai foundation, so check before enrolling.
What Previous Students Say? Before joining any Muay Thai gym, you must talk with previousstudents and ask what they think about this gym. You must also see how manystudents your gym has. If they have good number of students and they aretalking good then you can happily enroll for the lessons.
Reputation
Do they have a fight team and will they train you for Muay Thai competition WHEN you’re ready? On the flip side, make sure they won’t pressure you to fight full-contact BEFORE you feel ready. Before joining any Gym or camp, you must check is yourGym/camp reputed, is it popular or have a good name in business. What benefityou get if you get trained from this gym. Do you get some sort of advantage byits name? Most modern Muay Thai instructors and Thai Camps agree that you should learn boxing as well as Muay Thai to have a good stand up game. If they don’t believe in the “sweet science” they’re old school Muay Thai and really in denial about what works in a real fight. If you want the less touristy destination to train Muay Thai, Chiang Mai might be the best place for you.
Knowledge
Wai Kru: Do they teach the Wai Kru (pre-fight dance)? Real Muay Thai Fighters and instructors have to know the Wai Kru. You cannot fight in Thailand without performing the Wai Kru first. Do they have extensive knowledge of Muay Thai and are they willing to share it with you? If they don’t teach you anything but the stance and the foot jab for the first three months, you may want to look elsewhere. So your gym maybe teaching Muay Thai and might be having agood name, but do they have knowledge about Muay Thai history? Do they knowevery aspect, tradition and technique of Muay Thai? I agree fighting isimportant but you must also focus on authenticity. Do they offer sparring as well as shadow boxing, Thai pad work, mitt work and partner drills in the advanced classes? Bag work is great for conditioning, but it won’t teach you to fight. Are the staff, instructors and members friendly? When you walk in the door does it feel like they have your best interests at heart? Do they really care about your progress and seeing you reach your goals? If other members or staff members give you an attitude that’s not good because these sentiments usually come from the top down. Also, beware of programs who are eager to take your money but don’t care if you ever learn a proper Muay Thai elbow, knee or kick.
Competition
Does your gym / camp prepares you for competitions? Do theyhave a team who fights competitions and other tournaments? Your camp mustprepare you for a career, they must give you opportunities so that you can takeyour Muay Thai skill ahead.
So these are some important points which you must keep inmind before choosing the right Muay Thai gym. I hope after reading this articleyou’ll make right decision and choose a right gym where you can gain qualitytraining and good opportunities for taking your skill to next level.
Price
Compare the monthly dues with the offering. Be sure to look at the total offering. Do you get to cross train in other martial arts for the same price? If you have a family, do they offer family discounts? Do they have a children’s program? Do they have a program for women? Do you get a student handbook when you enroll? Do they have open gym hours so you can train on your own? How many classes do they offer per week? Do they take attendance and keep you accountable if you start to slack off?
All Muay Thai GYMs and Camps in Alphabet Order:
Best Kung Fu Schools in China
Main Regions:
Where do we even start?
Kung Fu Schools in China
Over the centuries of development in China, Kung Fu has become a large system containing various styles or sects. As more and China kung fu movies go abroad, more and more foreigners have knew China Kung fu. They want to learn kung fu and like to play as the kung fu heroes. And many kung fu training centers or clubs have been established at home and abroad. It is recorded that there are over 300 distinct types of kung fu classes around the country. The kung fu schools in northern and southern China are quite different. Therefore it is hard to be simply introduced. For people who want learn real kung fu, a strong will and persistence is the precondition for learning. And then, one should follow a master or join a training school to learn systematically. The basic skills of legs, waist, shoulders and stance training need to be practiced daily. Employing the solid foundation of the basic skills, one can choose from the various sects to learn specific routines of boxing, kicking and weapon skills, to improve the combat ability. Now I will take about the main kungfu schools in China for you conference.
Wushu Schools in China
When we chinese say a “wushu school”, It’s different from the common national schools, most of the wushu or kung fu schools are private school, they have their owntime schedule and classes scheme. For chinese young kids, there should offer same basic academic lessons that the government asked. But for adults, there will be give some lessons about buddhism and kung fu culture. And for foreigners, mandarin training and culture course will supply to help the students learn and live better.
Tai Chi Schools in China
The most widely practiced and popular martial art in the world today, Taiji Quan is characterized by its slow and graceful motions and its combination of both hard and soft techniques. Taiji Quan comprises of well-known styles including Chen, Yang, Wu, Sun and Wu (Hao), and is popular due to its health building and longevity benefits. Taiji Quan is defined by slow motions, coupled at times with explosive bursts of force, which require total harmony of motion and breath, concentration and co-ordination of the entire body and spirit in a continuous practice.
China, obviously, but to the uninitiated the path to learning authentic kung fu is a treacherous one, full of potholes and tourist traps. The true kung fu disciple seeks not these things, but could still use some help figuring out where to go. Martial arts have been around for centuries, enduring huge political upheaval and splintering into various factions and disciplines. So getting to grips with how to approach learning it is a fight in itself. Enter Sascha Matuszak, a China-based journalist who is producing a new documentary on Chinese kung fu -- "The New Masters," is directed by Christopher Cherry and co-produced by Kira Leinonen.
"As is the case with anything in China, if you just allow the tourism train to take you along, you're not going to think China is cool, but if you take the time to investigate and stick around a little bit, talk to some people ... your mind can easily be blown," he says. Matuszak, also an avid kung fu practitioner, says finding that inspiring martial arts experience is a test that requires perseverance, intuition, and patience, just like in kung fu training.
Qigong School in China
Qigong (pronounced chee-gong) is an ancient Chinese exercise and healing techniquethat involves meditation, controlled breathing and movement exercises. There are many forms of qigong practiced throughout the world. Some of these forms involve breathingand meditation to promote spirituality and health while others are more vigorous and include martial arts exercises. Tai chi, a widely practiced mind-body exercise, is sometimes referred to as a form of qigong because it “cultivates, moves and helps manage Qi,” according to Wayne.
Especially for foreigners seeking a master in China. "Chinese masters are still quite insular about who they teach," says Matuszak. "Chinese kids are coming from the countryside to get trained because it will help them advance their life in some way such as help them find a job. "Their training will usually be different from what foreign students will be accustomed to." That doesn't mean visitors can't have an authentic traditional kung fu experience. "Tourists can go and train a bit and come away perhaps with a more decent horse stance [a basic kung fu pose]. Then there are guys who are serious and work hard to prove themselves and gradually move up to train with the real masters." Shaolin: Get inspired "Shaolin has it all," says Matuszak. "You have a real Buddhist community, you have a tourism business with everything that goes with that, you also have real martial artists -- their skills are nothing to be sniffed at." The original hometown of Chinese martial arts, the Shaolin Temple in Henan province, is set in the forests of picturesque Song Mountain. It's now a bona fide tourism hotspot.
Visitors typically bus in, tour the temple and monastery grounds, walk around the Pagoda Forest, and bus out. "If you don't stick around and explore, you can easily be underwhelmed," sadds Matuszak. "But Shaolin is the place to see real kung fu. "Definitely try to watch a wushu performance when you're there. The artists are athletes. The masters are the real deal." Surrounding the temple are a dozen or so martial arts schools, including one of the largest in the country, the Shaolin Temple Tagou Wushu School which claims to have 35,000 students. The school offers tailor-made short term training, allowing students to choose what they want to study and for how long.
Wudang Mountain: Creating believers Matuszak says finding that inspiring martial arts experience is a test in itself, you need perseverance, intuition, and patience, just like in kung fu training, especially for foreigners seeking a master in China. Matuszak says finding that inspiring martial arts experience is a test in itself, you need perseverance, intuition, and patience, just like in kung fu training, especially for foreigners seeking a master in China.
Shaolin kung fu school in china
There are thousands of shaolin kung fu schools in china, thses schools are localed in different provinces, some have more than 10 thousands students and some only get dozens of students. Their training costs are various. It’s hard to give a list each schools, but I will choose some schools of different types to make a quick guide.
The first type is comprehensive kung fu school.
1. They are localed far from shaolin temple, but their coaches have learned kung fu from shaolin temple(these coaches are called: shaolin monks), so they can teach shaolin kung fu in the school.
2. These school also have classes about Wing Chun, Tai Chi, Sanda and so on. Mostly, these kung fu styles or classes are train in basic level, just to meet more students’ interests. Below are two hot shaolin kung fu school online:
Qufu shaolin kung fu school in china
You may have seen lots vedio news about these school, as their wesite showed: there are photoes and pics about shaolin temple and monks; they have kung fu classes about shaolin kung fu, Wing Chun, Sanda (Sanshou), Tai Chi, Qigong, Bagua, Xingyi and Baji Chuan. What I want say is: the real shaolin abbot will never go out to teach kung fu. But if you are curious about chinses kung fu and culture, you can go thses school to learn basic shaolin kung fu. Anyway, Qufu City don’t have shaolin temple, but it’s the hometown of Confucius.
Hubei province's Taoist stronghold of Wudang Mountain is the cradle of taijiquan, a style of martial arts that marries kung fu with Taoist principles, harnessing internal energy and practiced for self defense and health benefits. The mountain range is still relatively underdeveloped as a tourism hub, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. "The mountains are stunning, like a classic Chinese painting. A relatively untouched area, it isn't hard to imagine what it was like 150 years ago," says Matuszak. Anyone interested in Taoism, will find inspiration here.
There's a lot of metaphysics to Wudang kung fu goals, which include immortality, health, and transcendence. "Finding transcendence on Wudang Mountain today will be difficult, unless you can really tune out what is going on around you," Matuszak says. "But it will still create a believer out of you. "There are people doing taijiquan everywhere you look, and they will all tell you how Taoism and taijiquan have improved their lives, making them a better person, make them feel better, everything is better, and they want to share this with you. Everybody wants to teach you taijiquan, or point you in the right direction."
Wing Chun School in China
The history of Wing Chun is one that can be considered an intermixing of both fact and legend. The origin of Wing Chun lacks consistent records as martial arts practitioners were forced into hiding. There are twon famous Wing Chun masters you may know from the movie: Yip Man, or Ip Man, is a martial arts master best known for teaching the Wing Chun form. Kung Fu master and icon Bruce Lee was one of his students. That’s why Wing Chun is very know and have taught in most kung fu schools.
Shaolin Kung Fu School in China
The last one is Shaolin kung fu schools, as we know “all China kung fu root in shaolin”, so shaolin kung fu school is the most famous and numerous. The shaolin kung fu now have 708 forms, include 552 Quangshu and weapon froms, 72 secret skills, and other unique kung fu skills like Qin na, Ge dou(combat), Xie gu(detach bone), Dian xue(acupoint) and Qi gong. If you want learn kung fu, find a best fit shaolin kung fu school is easy, and you can still learn other kung fu styles in the same school. "Practitioners believe that tai chi activates an internal energy source, so if you are not doing it right it can cause physical problems," says Matuszak. "You want a real bona fide guy to learn from, particularly as Chen-style emphasizes the yang energy -- it is powerful, it can be used in combat." Look out for Chen Jia Gou Tai Chi School, run by Chen Xiao Xing, a direct descendent of famous practitioner Chen Fake, and check out www.china-taichi-guide.com for detailed reviews of more schools. According to Matuszak, the "uber master" Chen Xiao Wang returns to the village every March to hold seminars.
Check out Wudang Daoist Traditional Internal Kung Fu Academy, which holds classes in a historic location in Wudang. Wudang Daoist Traditional Internal Kung Fu Academy, Wudangshan, Shiyan City, Hubei Province; +86 135 9788 6695 Chen Village: Tai chi Mecca The major style of tai chi traces its origins to this humble village in Henan province, named after the family that created it. "The village itself is a dusty little place with brick houses, but the tai chi here is world famous," says Matuszak. "If you walk through the village, there are people doing tai chi in all corners, in fields, everywhere. "Tai chi practitioners make pilgrimages to the village." The undisputed Chen lineage is very important for practitioners who want masters who'll teach them the correct forms of tai chi.
The Shaolin Temple Tagou Wushu School has 35,000 students. Mount Emei in Sichuan province is famed for its sunrises and its historical importance in the development of kung fu. Many kung fu styles emerged from this scenic spot, including emeiquan, and the area is a popular setting for Chinese martial arts novels. Visitors looking to learn kung fu on the mountain might be disappointed as there is little to offer students. Surprisingly, it's here Matuszak found his kung fu home. "If you pay attention, you could go to any province in China and find a kung fu master that will blow your mind. They are walking around but they are hidden. They could be the mail man," says Matuszak. "You can find your own special experience away from the infrastructure." He stumbled upon his own master at the recommendation of a friend. Master Li Quan has taught Matuszak for the past 12 years at his school on the outskirts of Sichuan's provincial capital, Chengdu
Kunyu mountain shaolin kung fu school
When you search online, you will see much information about this school. It is localed in the east of China, Kunyu mountain range, it’s birthplace of Taoism (Quan Zhen Religion). The main classes are: traditional Shaolin kung fu, Wing Chun, Chi Kung (Qigong), Tai Chi, Wudang, Xingyi, Bagua, Baji, Mantis boxing and Sanda (Chinese kick boxing). They are in the Taoism home town, so most of classes like tai chi and bagua are related with Taoism, if you want learn some training mothods to be healthier, it’s a choose choice. Of course, the school have very beautiful scenery, collects monks from shaolin temple and masters for other kung fu styles.
The second type is professional shaolin kung fu school
These kung fu schools are localed in Dengfeng city, Henan province, in shaolin scenic spot. They coaches are real shaolin monks and teach the kung fu they learn from shaolin templ. The key classes are about shaolin kung fu forms, you can choose one narrow from or style you like best, and learn systematic for a certain time.
Tagou shaolin kung fu school
This is a professional shaolin kung fu school, teach all shaolin kungfu forms you want. You can learn the basic skills of legs, waist, shoulders and stance training. And then forms about: staff, spear, broadsword, straight sword, various other weapons, combat, equipments, performance sparring, sparring with weapons, etc. Furthermore, the Buddhist Classes, Wushu Performance also offered, even have Chinese Language Course and Chinese Calligraphy for foreigners. Except the two types above, there still have lots of shaolin kung fu school near shaolin temple. Some schools in small size have they special advantages in many field. You can choose one fit your needs best.
Training at the school, Matuszak has had the opportunity to visit Mount Emei on several occasions, seeing the mountain at its best during the tourism industry's low season. "I've been there in the dead of winter in February. It's a cold hike, the hotels don't have proper heating, but a little bit of snow will fall and the temples are covered in an inch of pristine snow, suddenly a monk will scurry across with a lamp. That scene is unforgettable."
How to choose best kung fu schools in china?
Find a kung fu school in China is easy, but choose the best fit one need some homework. There are several points to mention:
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Which kung fu style you like?
What kung fu classes they open?
How many coaches and students they have?
Food and accommodation.
Weather and surroundings.
Training cost and your budget.
How long time you want to stay and when like to learn?
Language learnning.
More course you want get? Buddhism, Calligraphy and …
Let’s take a small school Shaolin Temple Quanfa Institute as example. The school is localed in dengfeng city, nearby shaolin temple, at the root of Sonshan mountain. The scenery is very beautiful and traffic is conventent. People live there know shaolin temple well, and most of them can tell you stories about the shaolin and kung fu. There is four seasons, have different experience when you training. Of course for short time course, you can choose one season you like to train. This school have work with Zhengzhou University, teach in the Sport Institute, the building and training place have great condition, and the surrounding won’t let you down. For accommodation, they have air conditioner and wifi in rooms, you can choose private room or 2 person, 4 person room. The food and accommodation won’t take much, under $2000 per whole year.
Usual they have less than hundred students. So every students and get enought training and guiding from the coach. They don’t have too much classes, but each class can be tauch at high level. Even the little kids can get good care both in training and daily life. If you are foreigner, you can can choose short holiday course (like one month training course) to learn a shaolin quang form or handle one weapon for performence, or get basic kung fu training then you can practice when you back. Generally speaking, the big size school have more classes to choose, and more students to teach, the talented people will shining brighter and get more concern. For the team performance, more people training together have more chance and possibility. If choose samll school, the total resource will be limited, but you can get more care and guide, and the poeple relationship will be warmer and more friendly.