Starting Muay Thai in Thailand

Behind the search “Muay Thai for beginners” there are three different situations, which do not lead to the same camp.

• ✓You have never boxed and want a reassuring, holiday-like setting: a camp with attentive coaching is enough.
• ✓You come from another sport and want to learn fast and clean: look for methodical teaching with corrected technique.
• ✓You mostly want to lose weight and get fit: intensity matters less than regularity and flexible plans.

Several camps in our directory run in sessions, two a day from Monday to Saturday (Santai, Diamond, Sinbi). Content varies from camp to camp; here is the usual routine.

• ✓A typical session chains warm-up, shadow boxing, pads, bags, technical work and conditioning; clinch and sparring come later, depending on level.
• ✓Pad work is the core of the session: at Sinbi it is included in every class, as 5 × 3 rounds.
• ✓Sparring is not a given in a first class: say you are a beginner and ask for it to be supervised or postponed.

The first day in brief

• ✓When signing up, state your level and any injuries, even old ones.
• ✓Greet the kru with a wai, go under the ring ropes (never over them) and take your shoes off before the mat: these are the customs published by Sumalee camp.
• ✓Sparring, when it happens, is light and technical by default at Sumalee; elsewhere, ask.
• ✓Sunday is not a training day at the three camps that publish their schedule: keep it for recovery.

• Guide : premier jour au camp

  Routine, etiquette and vocabulary

You do not need to speak Thai to train, but these five words help from day one. Spellings and transcriptions: the Wikivoyage phrasebook and the IFMA and WBC rules.

สวัสดีsa-wat-dii

Hello

ขอบคุณkhop khun

Thank you

ครับkhráp

Polite particle at the end of a sentence, used by men

ค่ะkhâ

Polite particle at the end of a sentence, used by women

kru

The teacher, the trainer

These are the camps whose listing describes a suitable welcome. For the others our directory shows levels but no detail: ask the camp.

• ✓Start with one session a day. Diamond publishes a one-session-a-day plan at 2,000 ฿ a week, and another with two sessions a day.
• ✓Book the week rather than the month: a camp that does not suit you can be left without loss.
• ✓Plan a half-day of rest whenever the body asks: better to skip a session than to get injured.
• ✓Tell the camp your level and any injuries before the first class, including when booking.

Fairtex genuine leather gloves (official shop)

฿2,750

Fairtex SP5 competition shin pads

฿2,100

Many camps lend or rent gear; ask before buying. If you buy, the official Fairtex guide gives a size guide: 8 to 10 oz for competition, 12 oz for technical bag and pad work for lighter builds, 14 oz as an all-round choice.

• Guide équipement

  Bring it or buy it there

• ✓Paying three months upfront without trying. Long plans are cheaper per month at Tiger, Bangtao, Fairtex and Santai, but only worth it if the camp suits you.
• ✓Leaving with insurance that excludes combat sports: most travel insurance excludes them from base cover.
• ✓Buying all the gear before knowing what the camp lends.
• ✓Booking without confirming in writing the level accepted, the price and what it includes.

• Assurances qui couvrent les sports de combat

  Insurance guide

For a long stay, the DTV visa also covers the spouse and children under 20 of a holder, with proof of the relationship (marriage, birth or adoption), according to the Thai foreign ministry’s official note.

For children’s classes, we found no official camp page describing or pricing them. Ask the camp whether it offers them, from what age, with what supervision and at what price.

• Affaires étrangères thaïlandaises — note DTV (révisée le 16/07/2024)

  DTV applicants, family included

Ask them in writing and keep the answers: they are worth more than an online review.

1. 1Are your prices published, and what do they include (classes, lodging, VAT)?
2. 2How many students per trainer on the pads?
3. 3Is there a separate beginners’ group?
4. 4Is sparring compulsory, and from when?
5. 5Do you issue the confirmation for the DTV visa, and in what form?
6. 6What happens if I leave early (written refund policy)?

Useful guides

• First day at camp: how it goes, etiquette and vocabularyGreet the kru with a wai, go under the ropes
• Choosing your camp: the questions to ask before paying6 questions to ask in writing, before paying
• Gear: what to pack, what to buy on the spot?Fairtex leather gloves: 2,750 THB
• Travel insurance: which plans cover combat sports?World Nomads: Muay Thai covered on the Explorer plan

Destinations

• Koh Phanganเกาะพะงัน
• Phuketภูเก็ต
• Chiang Maiเชียงใหม่
• Koh Samuiเกาะสมุย

Other situations

• PricesHow much does a Muay Thai camp in Thailand cost?
• DurationHow long should you train Muay Thai in Thailand?
• WomenMuay Thai in Thailand: training as a woman