Copyright 2015 Muay Thai Scholar

20 TIPS FOR TRAINING IN

THAILAND Muay Thai Scholar | Live, Train and Fight in Thailand

Copyright 2015 Muay Thai Scholar

Thanks for downloading this eBook and subscribing to my site, it means a lot to me.

During my time in Thailand Ive made a LOT of mistakes. I want to share with you some of the things I think youll find useful during your time here.

To me, a successful trip to Thailand is one where I improve my skills, beat people up, dont spend too much money, and have as much fun as humanly possible. If that sounds good to you then read on!

By the way, some of the links I have recommended are affiliate links and Ill get a small commission if you sign up with them. I only recommend companies I know are trustworthy and provide a great service, so thanks for supporting the website and allowing me to continue to run it.

Copyright 2015 Muay Thai Scholar

--- Maximise Learning ---

It would be pretty soul-destroying to come all this way, only to go back to your gym at home and make the same mistakes you were making before you left. I believe that improving as a practitioner or fighter in Thailand is all about having the right attitude.

Here are some of the ways I believe we can maximise our learning in the time that we have available to us.

The training begins at home - Arriving in a new climate and diving straight into training the most brutal combat sport in existence is tough enough without being out of shape from the off. If you aren't training hard before you get to Thailand you'll be wasting a lot of your precious time here because youll be unable to keep up with the intense regime.

Your technique work may also be severely hampered because you'll be too fatigued to get any real quality work in. Get in the best shape possible before getting on that plane and get the most out of your time and hard-earned money.

Copyright 2015 Muay Thai Scholar

If you plan on following the traditional Thai training routine here in Thailand then you better get your running shoes on; Thais run 4-10km twice a day on top of the shadow, sparring, pad and clinch work.

Of course, you dont have to do all of the above, but dont expect to be able to pull it out of the bag when youre here if you havent been working hard at home.

Remember - Prior Preparation Prevents Piss Poor Performance!

Train through the tiredness - You'll inevitably be tired during the first week or two after landing in Thailand, but don't let this stop you from training. If you don't turn up to the gym every day for your sessions you wont adjust to the new time zone; you'll just end up continuing your previous sleeping pattern and you'll feel tired every time you do decide to train. Moreover, if you're only staying for a couple of weeks then you're wasting your time, money and the opportunity to learn from some of the best in the world.

Aim to stay for more than a couple of weeks - If you have a busy schedule at home but just want to experience training in Thailand and everything that goes with it, a couple of weeks away will be a nice break and will give you a small insight into the training we do here.

However, if you actually want to improve as a fighter (or practitioner), two weeks isn't nearly enough. Especially when you experience "Thai style" coaching, which is a lot of "doing" but not a lot of "showing". This coaching style works well and anything you learn will be rock-solid. By that I mean you won't just forget it a few days later as you've repeated it a thousand times.

The downside to this type of coaching is that it takes a lot longer to learn, hence the need for a much longer trip.

Concentrate on the basics - Concentrate on improving your basic techniques the whole time youre in Thailand. This is the most important thing you can take away from training here. If you spend the whole time youre there constantly asking trainers to show you spinning elbows, superman punches and cartwheel kicks youll totally waste your time.

Copyright 2015 Muay Thai Scholar

The difference between a good fighter and a great fighter is how well they do the basics. Without good basics, all of the other stuff is pointless. In my opinion, you shouldnt even be considering trying anything like that in your first fight.

One of the disadvantages we have in Western countries is that we dont usually have the trainers undivided attention much so its difficult for them to correct every flaw in our technique. Also, being made to walk up and down the gym for hours isnt much fun and not everyone in the class wants to be a fighter so the coach has to cater for everyone.

In Thailand, you should get more time with your trainer and, if hes decent, he should be straightening out your technique the whole time. It can be frustrating, especially when you think you know something, then your Thai trainer rips your technique apart and it takes some time to adjust.

In my opinion, your aim shouldnt be to go back home and show your friends all of these amazing techniques youve learnt, because thats what theyll be expecting.

Make it your goal to go back home with rock-solid basic technique.

Change gyms - Not every gym in Thailand is amazing. There are a lot of lousy ones too. If you find yourself at a gym where you don't think you're learning or getting enough attention, get out of there.

Avoid wasting time in these gyms because, chances are, things won't improve quickly and it will be time to go home again in no time. If you need to move, do it, and don't let the gym owner or trainers change your mind - they can be VERY persuasive.

Immerse yourself in the Thai culture Dont lock yourself away in your room. Thais are generally pretty friendly and may invite you to eat with them or just hang out. If they do, accept the invitation and get a taste of the Thai way of life (and the amazing food).

Copyright 2015 Muay Thai Scholar

--- Save Money ---

Things are so much cheaper here that people often get careless with money and forget to keep an eye on finances. Before you know it youve overspent. Here are a few tips Ive implemented time and time again to make sure I have enough money to stay in Thailand.

Get a cheap flight - When I say "get a cheap flight", I don't mean book a flight with the cheapest airline. This has backfired on me once before and it ended up taking me almost five days to get from the UK to Thailand due to constant cancellations and lack of organisation and professionalism.

The easiest way to get a cheap flight is to use Skyscanner to search thousands of airlines for cheap flights. This takes out a lot of the work and will surely get you a cheaper flight than you'd be able to otherwise.

Also, try to get a flight to Bangkok, regardless of your final destination; it should work out cheaper than flying into smaller airports like Phuket, Chiang Mai or Samui. Once youre in Bangkok, you can get a domestic flight or even a train or bus to your final destination.

Copyright 2015 Muay Thai Scholar

If youre only in Thailand for a short time, the bulk of your total travel expenses will be spent on your flight. Start the trip the right way and save more money for when youre in Thailand.

Only pay for one session per day - This one is for the long-term nak muays. The morning sessions in Thailand mainly consist of conditioning work, i.e. running. Perhaps you'll get a couple of rounds on pads and maybe even a bit of clinching. Some camps will also do some kind of strength training with bodyweight exercises or small weights, but they almost definitely won't have the facilities for a real strength session.

In most gyms, I find morning sessions a bit unproductive and I know I can make better use of my time by training on my own.

Therefore, I recommend doing your own strength and conditioning sessions in the morning and train muay Thai in the afternoon. This way, you'll get the best of both worlds - at almost half the price.

My morning routine usually goes something like this;

Monday: Running

Tuesday: Strength | sprints

Wednesday: Running

Thursday: Running

Friday: Strength | sprints

Saturday: Running

Dont get me wrong, Ive spent most of my time here training like the Thais do i.e. 6 hours a day, 6 days a week. However, strength training and sprints need to be implemented so this is the way I prefer to train now.

Obviously, if youre in Thailand for a short time then you dont need to worry about the strength and conditioning side of things too much. Train muay Thai twice a day and learn as much as you can.

Copyright 2015 Muay Thai Scholar

Get travel insurance - "I'll be OK, it won't happen to me". Well, actually it did happen to me. And I didn't have travel insurance. I had it all; skin infections, conjunctivitis, flu, dog bites, broken ribs, cancelled flights, you name it. I could have saved myself a lot of money if I wasn't so pig-headed!

The World Nomads insurance is probably the most trusted travel insurance out there, as well as being well-priced. Its also promoted by websites like TravelFish and RoughGuides.

Dont fall for taxi scams - There are a million scams being performed on unsuspecting foreigners in Thailand. You will definitely have to get a taxi at some point so this is the scam Ill help you out with.

There are a few different types of "taxis" offering transportation in Thailand, and you'll find different types in different regions. Thailand isn't a "one size fits all" country in any sense; every region is different from the next. The taxi service is no exception.

Remember this; if you'