Muay Thai Rocks

1. How much do you think a decent school is worth(money)?


2. You do get to wear pads, don't you?


3. Does it physcially drain you..a lot?


4. I understand that sometimes people just call it a more advanced form of kickboxing. Is that true?


5. What age would you recommend starting Muay Thai?

Garland

1)depends on the school (competitive based, technique based, self defense, etc) the format (private lessons, small classes, large classes), and the instructor's notoriety.

In my personal opinion, about 100 dollars is a good median price for a monthly membership, with most schools charging less, or more based on the daily classes, i.e. "unlimited" training at a gym might cost more, and a yearly contract tends to decrease the monthly price, much like the theory of economies of scale...if they know that you're on for a year, then they can charge less, because that money is already in pocket and you've committed yourself to the school,
look at it this way...3 classes on average a week, if not more, about 6 weeks in a month...18 classes, at about 10 bucks a pop. generally 2 hour clesses. 10 divided by two... 5 bucks an hour. The lowest hourly price I've seen is about 50 dollars for a private lesson.
Mc.Dojo karate classes that produce blackbelts that your twelve year old sister could beat down cost about the same price.

2)yes, pads are essential. Generally a school will have you purchase the following, and if not, all of these are good to have:
a mouthguard
a cup
shin pads
headgear
hand wraps
boxing gloves/ and/or bag gloves depending on the school

thai pads, focus mitts...sometimes even a belly pad, and RARELY a suitcase pad.

3)depends on the level you are at and the focus of your personal goals and the schools goals.
if your a fighter, and/or the school is a fighters gym they will work you HARD, which is good so long as they and you don't neglect the technique (or, in my opinion, the culture, the repoire, the respect, and the overall ART part of thaiboxing.
If you're a beginner they might start you off slow, or they might throw you to the wolves, conditioning in some schools is left up to the person. (except pad drills, bag work, shadow boxing, sparring, etc.)

4)not exactly. check out these websites.
www.thaiboxing.com
www.muaythai.com
www.ancientmuaythai.com

Muay Thai has it's own culture and it's own, rich, and totally unique history.
check out my post in this forum on the relationship between muay thai, modern japanese kickboxing and kyokushin karate (it's entitled Streetfighter, muay thai, UFC1&2, and Royce Gracie)...
modern japanese kickboxing sprung out of a blend of muay thai and kyokushin karate.
American kickboxing sprung out of boxing, and less intense karate styles.
But almost every culture has a stand-up striking art of its own. (Savate-French, Purring-Welsh, Greeks had something, Panatucan boxing and Yaw Yan in the Phillipines, Muay Khmer Cambodian kickboxing, Lethwei, the rival art to muay thai (Burmese boxing) China San Shou/Sanda...etc etc etc...)

5) At what age???
Most thais start training YOUNG. Like 8 years old. Professionals in this country start around 15-18...and I've seen pretty proficient older guys and women training in their 50's who have alot of the technique, which makes for great self defense, even though that would be pushing it if they wanted to compete.

but, yet again, there are older guys that could mop the floor with most current pros...examples of which are Adjarn Chai Sirisute, Adjarn Ganyao Fairtex, Adjarn Sakasem Kwathawong "the Punisher". (of course these guys live and breathe thai boxing and started young, fought competitively as long as they could (perhaps, I still think these guys could take ANYONE on the current US circuit.)...and now are some of the top trainers in the country/world.


MY ADVICE TO YOU:
pick a good school.
a TBA (Thai Boxing Association) school is a GOOD school.
another ex-thai pro would also be a good instructor, and the best advice I can give...is to find and learn from both.

Where do you live? Perhaps myself, or others on this forum could direct you to a good school.

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kickingboy

Garland, good post...you have to be a writer. Everytime i read your post they are 15 pages.

Muay Thai Rocks

I live like..smack in the middle of Pennsylvania, near Altoona somewhat and about 50 miles from State College. I'm 15, in case you were wondering how old I am.

Garland

Tri State Martial Arts Academy
670 Woodbourne Road Suite 300, Langhorne,*Pennsylvania* 19047
Website:
Tri State Martial Arts Academy

Contact:
Jeffrey Jones

Phone:
215-741-7041
Location: 670 Woodbourne Road Suite 300 Langhorne, Pennsylvania 19047
Map: Click here to view a Map to our location.

Email:
info@tsmaa-pa.com

Style:
Muay Thai


TKJR Martial Arts & Fitness
4730 Oxford Ave, Philadelphia,*Pennsylvania* 19124
Website:
TKJR Martial Arts & Fitness

Contact:
Bill Bryan

Phone:
215-537-1830
Location: 4730 Oxford Ave Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19124
Map: Click here to view a Map to our location.

Email:
phillyjkdfighter1@netzero.com

Style:
Jeet Kune Do, Kali, Muay Thai, Submission Wrestling
* *TBA School?

Comments:
We are a Mixed Martial Arts school that teaches the fundamental principles of modern combat and street self-defense. We also have an extensive Combat Sport Curriculum for NHB, Muay Thai and Submission Grappling.
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Titan Fitness
412 W. College Ave, State College,*Pennsylvania* 16801
Website:
Titan Fitness

Contact:
Ryan Gruhn

Phone:
814-235-1015
Location: 412 W. College Ave State College, Pennsylvania 16801
Map: Click here to view a Map to our location.

Email:
ryan@titanfitness.com

Style:
MMA, JKD, CSW, FMA, Thai Boxing, Boxing, Self Defense
Comments:
Previously the late Sifu Bill Gebhardt’s State College Martial Arts Academy and run by his students under the guidance of Sifu Kevin Seaman and by the instruction of Sifu Ryan Gruhn and Sifu Bruce Lombard.
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Non-TBA schools...

DRAGON THAI INSTITUTE 1100 Vine Street, Philadelphia, PA 923-3113
U.S. Muay Thai Academy* 741 Allegheny River Blvd. Verona, PA 15147* 412-820-0474
Pennsylvania Karate Academy 3540 Washington Road McMurray PA 15317 (412) 941-4900*
GOLDEN FIST MARTIAL ARTS Box 313, Downingtown, PA 19335 610-380-8649
STATE COLLEGE M. A.* ACADEMY 134 East Foster Ave, St. College, PA 16801 *
BAG MUAY THAI* 926 N. 2nd Street, Philadelphia* PA 19123 (215) 928-1610*
MUAY THAI* 23 Easton Road, Willow Grove, PA 19090 *
SIU LUM PAI CHINESE BOXING ACADEMY 10 S. Cameron St., Harrisburg PA* 717-232-5514
PROGRESSIVE MARTIAL ARTS SYSTEM Duncansville, PA 814-949-PMAS
MUAY THAI 257 W. Riverview Ave, Pittsburgh PA 15202 412-734-5254
PENN HILL MARTIAL ARTS CENTER William McKennley Building, 7th St. & Center Ave, Penn Hills PA 15147 412-828-6466
FIRE DRAGON SCHOOL OF FIGHTING ARTS 4160 Library Road, Castle Shannon, PA* 15234 412-401-1060
Extreme Martial Arts And Fitness Academy 1200 Callowhill St., Suite 104, Philadelphia, PA 19123 *
JAB Systems International
International* Headquarters 16 S. Wycombe Avenue Lansdowne, Pa. 19050 * *
Martial Arts Academy of Pittsburgh
*The MAAP (Rear of VFW) , 912 Penn Ave. Turtle Creek, PA 15145**** info@TheMAAP.com 412-823-7538
*
(there may be more...but this is what I could find...my suggestion, go with the TBA school and cross-train at one of the other gyms also, to get a bit of variation.)

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homo homini lupus

THT

Wow! Garland really does write book sized posts!


Too bad that last one was mostly plagiarism !

Garland

whooooppppps. my bad, next time I'll include a bibliography in chigago style footnotes...for gym locations.

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homo homini lupus

THT

Ah yes the eye roll picture. That's what I forgot so you'd know I was being sarcastic.


My bad.

Garland

No, Goddamnit, I'm serious. Why doesn't anyone take me seriously...one of these days...goddamnit....to the moon, alice, to the muthafuckin' MOON!!!

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KZL

Garland missed us Cambria Martial Arts Academy out of South Fork, Pa. About 1/2 way between Johnstown Ebensburg. Maybe 40 minutes from Altoona.

Darcy Regala - head instructor, is level 3 in the TBA.

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Keith Z. Leonard

"hey, is that my toe over there??"

chalambok

Por favor, can you explain what 'Level 3 in the
TBA' means? Have never heard the expression myself...thanks

__________________
www.chalambok.com

Python

What the hell is level 3??? Must be within the schools own ranking system, right? We have student level 1, student level 2, then instructor level 1 and level 2 (both under that particular school's istructor), then and only then...the opportunity to test for Khuen Khru under Ajarn Surachai Sirisute. So, where does level 3 come into the picture??

KZL

Yeah, sorry for the confusion, it's just our shorthand for Khuen Khru. Instructor level 1, 2 and then the test with Ajarn Chai.

I didn't realize that it was a local reference, as I believe that I've heard a couple of people at the seminars referring to it as such.

Also for the delay in my responce, my comcast connection bit the dust this week, grr....

__________________
Keith Z. Leonard

"hey, is that my toe over there??"