My Experiences at TMT

I spent 3 amazing weeks at Tiger Muay Thai and decided to write this blog for a couple of reasons; one being the experience of writing a blog, which is something I always wanted to do, and the other, to pass on any information I could think of to people around the world contemplating the option of training at TMT .J

Basically, if you are looking for an adventure, looking to train in martial arts or simply lose weight hard core style, you will not regret going to Tiger Muay Thai. I came upon TMT via Google. I Googled the words "Muay Thai Training Camp Thailand", and started reading about the different camps in Thailand that came up. After researching all my options, I finally chose to go to TMT for several reasons. I liked the fact that their web site was extremely informative and professional and that they posted videos of the camp's training facilities and videos of rooms to rent in the camp and nearby. I felt that it looked extremely western- friendly and I also liked what I read about the camp in other people's blogs. All this information made me feel comfortable with my decision to try out TMT.

I flew out to Thailand without having booked accommodation or training. I knew that this wasn’t going to be a problem, as this was during low season (September) and I had emailed TMT asking them if it was ok to come without booking. I don’t know what it's like during high season though, so you may need to check that out.

What I did do was to book the taxi from the airport in advance (see post regarding airport and taxi).

I am glad I didn’t book my training in advance. I really believe the only reason you should book training in advance is if you lack motivation or dedication and are afraid you will quit if you don’t have the fear of losing money in front of your eyes. Otherwise, in my humble opinion it’s a mistake, as TMT have a "no money back" policy in case of injury or if you quit.

True, you do pay less in aggregate by paying in advance, but that’s only if you go to almost all lessons without exception. From what I experienced, and from what I learnt from my conversations with fellow trainees who had paid in advance, it's almost impossible to come to every single class paid for (twice a day). You will experience some days of fatigue or minor injuries, and in those cases it's best to take the day off, to allow your body to recuperate, otherwise you are just going to injure yourself and ruin your entire training experience. Once you miss a lesson you lose whatever savings you had by paying in advance, and you still stand to lose all your money if you get injured and can't train.

I paid for the first two weeks in advance (each week I paid for a week in advance) and then for my third week I paid for each lesson separately. I found this arrangement suited me best, as by week three I definitely needed some time-off.

When I started training, I opted to start out in the beginner's class. I had done a couple of months of Muay Thai about 3 years before, but wanted to have a fresh start at Tiger.  I also wanted to make sure my cardio was up to par with everyone there, and what's more, I didn’t feel like sparring with intermediates from the get go without feeling fully confident. After a few days, I was told I could move to the Intermediate class, but chose to spend a week in beginners to feel more comfortable, get in better shape and perfect my basic technique in class and in private lessons - I wasn’t in a rush J. No one is going to make you do anything you aren’t comfortable with.

Private Training

If you really want to get your technique right, its definitely a good idea to get as many private lessons as you can.

Where else in the world are you going to pay around $16 USD for a one hour session with ex-champions of Thailand?

Basically you need to approach whichever instructor you want to train with and ask them when they are free for a private. You pay for a coupon at reception, and give the instructor the coupon after the lesson. costs 600 Baht if you buy each lesson separately, however you can buy a bunch of lessons in advance and get a discount.

I did a private every morning and felt a massive improvement to my technique. Don't be stingy. You are there to perfect your Muay Thai so dish out a little extra for those private lessons. They are invaluable and a lot of fun as well.

You can ask your trainer to work on specific clinching, kicks and punches, or just enjoy an hour of pad work or light sparring. All the trainers I worked with were super friendly and they each had different things to show me.

In summary, don't just go to the group sessions. Even if you are on a tight budget, get some privates and work on your basic technique so that the group sessions will be even more worthwhile.

I worked a lot with Nai. Always smiling, very friendly and knows his shit.

Training - Intermediate Class

Tiger Muay Thai Review

Training - Tiger Muay Thai and MMA

Intermediate

Intermediate class has fewer students than in Beginners, which is great, and focuses more on Muay Thai and less on Cardio. Not that you don’t sweat like a Bombay money lender during the intermediate session, however in Intermediate you get more bag work and shadowboxing as opposed to the copious amounts of running you do in Beginners.

I really enjoyed Intermediate class and was happy it was lead by fantastic head coach, Pud, as he was very friendly and spoke excellent English.

The lesson:

You start off with a run and then stretch work. Afterwards, you do about 10 minutes of shadowboxing in front of the full length mirror.

Pud then explains a few new techniques which you practice out till perfection with a partner whilst the trainers watch and correct you.

Afterwards, class is sent to accomplish 3 sets of each of the following:

1.       Bag work - freestyle on the bags

2.       Pad work with trainers - 1 on 1 pad work with a trainer. This is amazing to perfect your Muay Thai, and is similar to what you get in private lessons 

      I had one trainer which I really didn’t like. I don’t remember his name but he's the chubby looking trainer you see on TMT's website video. I disliked him because he kept making a face every time a drop of my sweat hit him and then dramatically wiped it off. When doing pad work, you can't help but drip all over the trainers, as you are soaked in sweat… so I found it kinda weird he wasn’t used to it. He was also disappointing as he didn’t give me much of a workout, and I felt I gave out a lot less kicks and punches than I had done with any other instructor. Even so, I only had him once, so maybe he was just having a bad day…

3.       Ring work (either technique or clinching)

There is light sparring done 3 times a week.  

Class then goes on to do about 15 minutes of a supervised bag work session, in which we are told specific blows to execute on the bag.

What better way to finish off than with 100 push ups and 200 sit ups and then finally, stretch work

I thoroughly enjoyed Intermediate. The trainers were great and the lesson was built out brilliantly so that you aren't doing the same thing for too long and learning new things as well.

Some bag work during Intermediate Class

Training - Beginners Class

Tiger Muay Thai Review
Training - Tiger Muay Thai and MMA Training Camp

Beginners Class

Beginners Training Area

 (pic taken between group lessons, private lessons in action)

The following is a review of the Beginners Muay Thai class at Tiger Muay Thai & MMA in Phuket, Thailand.

Training is tough but fun.

You will improve, that’s for sure.  The trainers are all very nice and friendly so you needn’t worry about the fact that they can all crack your skull with their pinkeys if they feel like it.

 Training begins with 15 minutes of stretch work and then a 20 minute warm up (which includes a lot of running). You then proceed to work on technique by means of shadowboxing with an instructor in front of a long mirror. I found this to be quite helpful as they go over all the types of punches, kicks, kneeing and elbow movements, whilst all the other instructors walk around the group and let you know what you are doing wrong. If this is your first lesson, you will be taken aside by an instructor who will show you everything from scratch – how to punch, kick, knee and elbow.

After shadowboxing, the head instructor proceeds to teach the class the movements of the day. Each day he demonstrates a different set of techniques. You then pair up and practice on a partner. All in all it's about 3 new moves a day.

After you have finished practicing the new moves, its 3X3 time – 3 sets of pad work, then ring work and then bag work (not necessarily in that order).  

Pad work – This is when a trainer takes you aside and makes you practice everything you know whilst he holds up pads for you to punch, kick elbow and knee. This is what you have come to Thailand for! Pad work with ex- world champions. Trainers push you to your limit and correct your technique whilst making sure you sweat like a pig. If you find a trainer you like, ask him when he's free for a private session as these are invaluable. (As discussed under my "private training" blog entry).

Ring work – This is when you get in the ring and either spar or do clinch work with a partner. A good place to practice what you have learnt. Not to worry about getting hurt, as partners are using about 20% strength.

Bag work – practice all your combinations on the punch bag for 3 rounds. Instructors come and check to see your style and push you on.

Lesson ends with 20 minutes of cardio which can be either running or bag work (100 elbows, 100 knees, 100 front kicks) and then 300 situps and 100 pushups. 

Atmosphere – Everyone is very friendly, which is important when practicing an intimidating sport such as Muay Thai in Thailand. At the beginners class, everyone is just looking to learn so it's easy to make friends. People aren’t aggressive and people are just enjoying the training. I'm sure everyone else is nice at the more advanced classes, as you can see that most people are friendly around the camp, at the hostels and at the restaurants, however I'm sure things get a bit more aggressive there.  You will also find a lot of people coming to the beginners class to lose weight as their main objective, with learning muay thai as a positive side effect. About 30% percent of the beginners class are female, so they partner up and spar with each other.

Summary

I was doing just the afternoon group sessions, as I did a private every late morning (my body doesn’t agree with me training before 10 am, even though I got up every day at 0730, I still like a few hours to wake up and warm up). For the first week I was loving every minute of the group training, but after a week I saw that it wasn’t changing one bit and became quite monotonous. Every day you have a couple of new people joining and people leaving, so it started to become a bit tedious. I also found that the head instructor just kept saying the same things, day in day out, none being too interesting and I therefore found originality to be quite lacking. But that’s probably what's needed in a beginners class. I was told to move to intermediate class after a few days, as I had already done a few months of muay thai back home about 3 years before, so I wasn’t such a beginner. Even so, I spoke to many people in class and they all seemed to agree that after a week things became too monotonous.

My advice – do not pay for more than a week in advance. Do as many private sessions as possible, as this will advance your technique at a greater speed.

Weight loss

Well, I am not here to lose weight, however I can definitely tell you that if you want to lose weight in an original, fun and downright awesome manner, then this is the place to come to. You can spend all your time at the beginners class, come twice a day and shed those pounds. You are gonna sweat your ass off. Restaurants nearby and the Tiger Grill all have low fat low calorie meals to offer so as long as you are dedicated and don’t chow up on pizzas and burgers which you can find as well, you will do fine.

Not to do

If it's your first lesson ever, it might not be the best idea to start on a Saturday afternoon. It’s the last lesson of the week so it is very different from the regular daily sessions. The trainers have basically finished a grueling week of training (they never stop, every day, all day, as they give private lessons in between group lessons), so the lesson is a bit less formal than any other lesson during the week. It’s a bit easier, with a bit more talk and a bit less action. If it is your first lesson it will be a bit difficult to learn basic technique. The group works a bit on Muay Thai combinations and then receives a somewhat bizarre lecture on Muay Thai history (if you can understand a word of what Dang the head instructor is saying then it might be interesting, no one I spoke to understood what he was talking about).

Above: Dang (near mirror) explaining the history of Muay Thai on a Saturday Afternoon

Hungry?

Tiger Muay Thai Review
Food

Food in the area is cheap and delicious. Whether you are a vegetarian, steak lover or just love spicy Asian food, there is something for everyone here for prices you won’t believe! I'm talking as low as $1 USD for a plate of Thai chicken and rice (as low as 35 baht)!

Tiger Grill

TMT has it's own restaurant called Tiger Grill. I didn't eat there, as there are plenty of options to eat great food outside camp for much cheaper. TMT offer a meal plan which you can buy ahead of time, but in my opinion it just isn't worth it as you are basically paying extra for food you can get nearby.

For protein shakes however, I would recommend using Tiger Grill's services, as they use international brand protein, as opposed to the places outside camp which use Thai made protein shakes, of which I'm not certain about quality.

Momma's

Momma's is located about a 5 minute walk from TMT, at the Forest Bungalows resort and run by a friendly woman called….Momma. I really enjoyed eating here, as the food is quickly prepared and is ultra cheap. I also like the fact that you can look into the kitchen from your table and see that it's nice and clean inside. The menu is made up from both western and Thai food. The Thai food is much cheaper than the western style food. In my opinion, if you are already in Thailand you might as well enjoy the amazing spices and tastes that they have here (which you may not find back home) and just try all the amazing dishes Mommas has to offer. I really enjoyed the Basil Leaves Chicken and Rice dish, which was spicy and delicious. The Red Beef Curry is great and so is the spicy Thai salad as a side dish (yeah, I love spicy; get the Pad Thai if you like milder tastes). You can also get low calorie meals here (steamed chicken, brown rice, etc) along with protein shakes, protein pancakes and protein oatmeal.

Mommas basically offers all services needed – free Wi-Fi, laundry, massage, motorbike hire, tourist bookings and visa runs. They also have a free book and DVD library, albeit smaller than the one at Tony's.

Tonys

Just down the road, past the turning to Mommas, you will find Tony's. A lot of the fighters eat here so it is constantly busy. You can either choose to have a private table or sit alone or with the other fighters on one long table, enabling you to chat with other people or just make new friends. Tony's also has a small book and dvd library which is free, so you can take a book or dvd and bring it back whenever you please. I found the food to be cheap and tasty with pretty much exactly the same things to order as at Momma's. Tony is a friendly guy who likes to walk around with his tshirt up and his huge belly sticking out, which is quite funny, sort of like a little buddha. I don't know if people rub his belly for good luck before a fight, but maybe they should!

Baan Suai

This place specializes in Hamburgers. The burgers are great! I had a cheeseburger which was delicious, and my friend had a 4 patty burger with cheese, bacon and a fried egg on top which was good too. Definitely the place for burgers. Cheeseburger combo (fries and a coke)cost around 110 Baht. I also saw they advertised themselves as  a sushi joint, however didn’t really notice that fact when eating there.

Floraville

If you are looking for a nice place to sit, Floraville is the choice for you. Most of the places to eat at have cheap plastic furniture, and are not much to look at, however Floraville offers a nice, clean and modern look and feel of a restaurant. Some of the dishes here are slightly higher priced than the other places, but all in all food is still cheap and good (for some reason bottled water here costs double that of other places which I found quite annoying). Floraville specializes in pizza and pasta. I tasted the pizza which was ok, but nothing amazing, and again, I prefer Thai food to junk anyway.

Place offers free Wi-Fi.

Floraville also offers motorbike hire, tourist trips around the island and Koh Phi Phi and Internet and Laundry.

Taxi From Airport

Tiger Muay Thai Review

Taxi from Airport

 

I used Tiger Muay Thai's (I'll just use the acronym TMT from here on) advanced booking taxi service.

I didn’t have to pay beforehand, however did email TMT a few days before my flight

was to arrive in Phuket. I emailed info@tigermuaythai.com and was answered by Martina. I gave her my arrival time and she confirmed via email that a taxi would be waiting for me upon arrival. (At first there was a small mix up, as I had sent a partial copy of my eticket to Martina which stated my departure time from BKK and arrival time in PKT, and subsequently she booked my taxi to arrive in Phuket Airport at the departure time of my flight from Bangkok… either she was legitimately confused or someone in the office was just fuckin around with me, I'm not sure J, however I had the issue quickly cleared up with another email).

FYI: It takes about 48 hours to receive an answer to any email sent to TMT, which I think is quite a long time.

After collecting my luggage, indeed there was a driver waiting for me with my name on a card outside (not in the arrival waiting area of the airport but rather just after it, upon exiting). He was friendly, helped me with my bags and took me straight to TMT (although he asked me if I wanted to stop and eat first which was very nice of him). The drive took about 50 minutes.

Speaking to several people at the camp who had arrived without booking a taxi, they told me that they had paid around 600 Baht for a taxi from the airport. So you are basically paying a 33% premium for the certainty of an honest taxi driver, although the airport was full of drivers that I'm sure are also fine to use.

Flying in

Tiger Muay Thai Review

Arrival

Flights to Phuket:

If you are arriving from Bangkok, the easiest way to travel to Phuket is via air travel.

The main domestic airlines connecting Bangkok to Phuket are Bangkok Airways, Thai Airways and Air Asia. (You can also use the airlines Orient Thai Airlines and Nok Air which seem also cheap but I don't have any info about them).

Flight time is about 85 minutes.

Air Asia consistently seems to be the cheapest (not counting special limited promotions of the other airlines), as they offer a no frills flight (the Asian equivalent of Easy Jet).

Even so, if you aren’t scrounging every penny, I recommend you add a few hundred Baht and fly Bangkok Airways. I paid 2,090 Baht (including all taxes) for an afternoon flight to Phuket (a Monday in mid September). That comes out to approximately $70 USD which isn’t bad.

The reason I was so pleased with their service is because they offer the use of their airport "Boutique Lounge" which offers free wireless Internet, free soft drinks, ice coffee and sweet Thai snacks, along with a vast lounge filled with comfortable chairs to use while waiting for your flight. The flight I was on also offered a tasty looking sandwich; however I had already eaten at the airport food court so didn’t eat it (Burger King…last sin before training).

I've never flown Thai Airways, however when choosing which airline to use, I found their price to be around 50% higher than that of Bangkok Airways!! Maybe their stewardesses are prettier? Who cares, Bangkok Airways is my choice for now.

Miscellaneous airport info:

Airport Domestic Flights Food Court offers a Dunkin Donuts, Mcdonalds, Burger King and Popey's, alongside a bar, a juice shop, a coffee and sandwich place and an Asian Ramen style fast food joint (don’t remember the names, sorry). Last place to fill up on junk before you start training.