An Introduction to Muay Thai
Thailand's Favourite Sport

Muay Thai is fantastic for all-round fitness, strengthening your aerobic (heart and lung capacity) and non-aerobic (muscular strength and endurance) capacity.

As most of the group classes for beginners in Thai gyms focus on fitness, they are great for weight-loss and conditioning but not so much for perfecting your technique. Therefore, if improving your technique or sparring in the ring is important to you, we suggest you search through the deals for private classes or training camps.

The training can be intense and a typical Muay Thai session includes 30-45 minutes of exercise that will put you through your paces before even putting on the gloves. So, if you are not a regular exerciser, or are a smoker, you may want to take it a little easier at the start so you don’t tire yourself out before the fun part.

For those who don’t usually participate in these types of exercises, delayed onset muscle soreness (as with any new sport) is inevitable.

If you have any health concerns, particularly people with heart or back issues, you should consult your doctor and inform your trainer beforehand.

All of the gyms listed on our website cater to non-Thais, however English language abilities vary. For beginners, you may be surprised how much you can learn from the teachers with few English words spoken.

Generally, group sessions are open to people of all abilities but we suggest contacting us or the gym in advance to notify us if any of the students are younger than 12 or you have any special requirements.

Obviously, gyms are usually much busier out of office hours, when Thais take classes after work or on weekends.

Muay Thai is popular with people of all ages and backgrounds, from age five to 65. It helps to improve discipline, mental focus, strength, agility, balance and coordination.

A well-organised gym will offer specially designed workouts that are fun for people of all ages and skill levels. Several gyms promote classes that cater specifically to rugrats. Krudam Gym on Sukhumvit Soi 36 (near Thong Lor BTS), and RSM Academy, a chain located in a number of areas in Bangkok. 

As with all sports, Muay Thai carries a certain amount of risk, but risks for beginners are minimal as classes focus on fitness and exercises in a controlled setting. You may experience one or two minor injuries, such as scrapes and bruises. Of course, the harder you push yourself, the easier it is to lose the correct technique and cause yourself more serious injury, but this shouldn’t be the case under the guidance of an experienced trainer.