Fairtex Pattaya – “Be Inspired”

So, I finally made it over to the Fairtex camp here in Pattaya. I’ll be honest with you, I went to the gym today with the intention of basically picking the place apart based on what I had read in some of the other forums. It seems as though the general consensus amongst the Muay Thai community is that the Fairtex Pattaya gym is nothing more than a resort that just happens to offer some Muay Thai classes.

Upon entering the facility, you basically get treated like royalty. The doors get held open for you, the Thai staff all offer a traditional greeting and of course, the female staff are all quite attractive and dressed in flight attendant-like uniforms. No complains so far. Time to pay for training. “How much?” I asked. “800 baht please” she replied.

800 baht for training? I’m used to paying around 250 baht at Scorpion and Sityodtong. 800 baht by Western standards isn’t so bad (it’s only around 24 US dollars) but this is Thailand. For 800 baht I can get 2 nights in my hotel or 26 meals from the restaurant across the street. Well, I paid the fee anyway so I could do the review for the site.

Before I go any further, check out this video tour I took of the facilities. As you can see, they put a lot of money into this place. Also, look closely and see if you notice the guy who’s training in one of the back rings. More on that later though. As a toured the facility, and saw how nice it was, the daily cost for training seemed to become a lot more justified. This place looked amazing!

As I was checking the place out, I was greeted by a guy named “Ted”. He spoke perfect English (which was a nice change of pace) as he’s originally from Los Angeles. I’ll go out on a limb here and say that “Ted” is one of the nicest guys I’ve met since I’ve been here. After a quick meet and greet, I started my skipping and bag-work.

After about 20 minutes or so, I was called into the ring for pads. One thing I noticed immediately is that above the ring, there’s a fan that that blows moist air downwards. Since the rounds at Fairtex are 4 minutes, rather than the 3 minutes I’ve been doing at Sityodtong and Scorpion, the fan helped for sure. That extra minute makes a huge difference.

As for the quality of the pad-work, I have to say, the trainer was awesome. For everyone that posts in the forums claiming that the trainers at Fairtex Pattaya just run you through “tourist pad-work” without focusing on technique, that’s not what I experienced at all. He corrected my stance, he corrected my switch-kick technique and he was really good and holding the pads during the two rounds of pure boxing we did.

When my session started off, I was in the ring with two foreigners (one Japanese girl and another white dude). After the third round, the foreigners had finished so I was in the ring by myself. I then saw a Thai guy step into the ring out of the corner of my eye. I looked again and WOW – it was Yodsanklai!

For two full rounds, I was sharing the ring with Yodsanklai Fairtex (one of the best Muay Thai fighters in the world). I try explaining it to my friends who don’t know who Yod is by saying it’s “like shooting around with Micheal Jordan” or like “being stationed next to Tiger Woods at the driving range”.

It’s one thing to see Yod hitting the pads in a Youtube video but when you’re standing 10 feet away from him while he’s training, it’s just unbelievable. I really don’t know how to describe it. It’s like he’s some Muay Thai robot or something. He’s technique is just amazing. He kicks the pads and you just cringe at the thought of being on the receiving end of the shots.

One thing I noticed too is that in person, Yodsanklai is very built. His calves are massive which I’m sure makes the kicks even more devastating. I took a couple videos of his padwork, here’s one of them..

So overall, I had a really good experience today at Fairtex Pattaya. The facility is top notch, the atmosphere is very friendly, the trainers are great and you get to train alongside some of the best Muay Thai fighters in the world. The Fairtex catchphrase “be inspired” certainly rang true today as I was training 5-10 feet from Yodsanklai Fairtex himself.

The Big Question: Is It Worth The Money?

I’ll admit, I was pretty stoked after today’s training session. I got to witness Muay Thai at it’s highest level and it’s actually pretty “inspiring”. I’ve been telling all my buddies at home about the “Yodsanklai sighting” today to make them jealous (geez, I sound like some Muay Thai groupie!)

At 800 baht a session, it’s a little out of my price range since I plan in training every day and staying here in Thailand long term, but if money wasn’t an issue, I would absolutely love to train here again!

If you’re staying for a longer time or if finances are a concern, you can easily find quality training for under 300 baht a workout and you can find a quality room for about 400-600 baht per night. Even then, I still recommend at least a visit or two to Fairtex Pattaya simply for the experience.

By the same token, if money isn’t an issue and you’re staying at the Fairtex Pattaya resort, I also recommend that you train at some of the gyms off the beaten’ track like Sityodtong for a less luxurious, but an “authentic” Muay Thai experience. Overall though, I’d absolutely recommend training at Fairtex.

On Another Note..

I finished off my last entry right before heading out for a night on the town. As predicted, it was a wild night and wow, the things you see in Thailand! I was eating at a Thai food stall when a big fight broke out. By the time I saw what was going on, stood up and got my camera out, the majority of the fight was over. However, I did manage to get at least a little bit of the end on video. I’m pretty sure that the “girl” being attacked is actually a ladyboy.

So, that’s it for now. Either tomorrow or sometime next week I’ll be visiting a camp here in Pattaya that offers Muay Thai, Western Boxing, Sambo, BJJ and MMA. In my next entry, I’ll also share some inside info. I got today on a potential fight between Yodsanklai and Baukaw.

THINKING OF GOING TO THAILAND TO TRAIN?

I’ve developed a 70 page guide that profiles everything you need to know about training in Bangkok, Phuket and Pattaya. In the manual, I discuss the visa issues, the Muay Thai camps, the different areas, the transportation, the food, the culture and customs, the girls, the scams, the safety issues and most importantly, how to save a ton of cash along the way!

CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE

The Future Of Muay Thai

I vagely remember my childhood but I’m pretty sure that when I was 7 years old, I was into “WWF” wrestling and the ninja turtle movies. The closest I came to fighting at that age was when I’d act out the wrestling moves on a pillow while watching summerslam. Of course, at the time, I thought I was a badass.

The scene at the Sityodtong Muay Thai camp is unique to say the least. Upon first walking in, you really don’t know what to make of it. The average age of the people training there is about .. 14. There’s a lot that are younger, and of course, there’s a few older guys like myself. At first, you’re not so sure if the fact that there’s so many kids around is a good thing or a bad thing.

Well, it’s a good thing. The thing about Sityodtong is that they create champions. They start training the kids when they’re around 6 years old and by the time they’re 8, their technique is crisp and they’re able to kick the pads harder than beginners that are twice their age. I can only imagine what would happen if all the 8 year olds from the countries around the world went to war (hand to hand combat only).

Check out these little guys .. and girls, hitting the pads!

So why would this kids want to start training at such a young age? Well, I think it comes back to the fact that in Thailand, the younger generation is expected to provide for the family when the parents stop working. A lot of the girls look to prostitution (most don’t) while a lot of the boys test their skills with Muay Thai as it’s seen as a way “out” of poverty.

There’s a story that needs to be told here.

In most of the gyms, the kids are allowed to train for “free” but if they don’t become good quick, they get kicked out of the camp. The camps want the best fighters because in exchange for the free living & training, the kids are expected to fight and donate a portion of their winnings to the camp. Most Thai fighters rack up between 200-300 fights in their careers.

This is where the Sityodtong camp differs. The other day I had the opportunity to sit down with one of the trainers (a former lumpinee champion) and “the boss” and living legend himself – Kru Yodtong (born Erawan Sriwaralak). Kru Yodtong has been recognized by the Kingdom of Thailand as “superior teacher of Muay Thai” and throughout his teaching career, he has trained multiple Thai boxing champions (many of who are current trainers at the camp).

When I was made aware of Kru Yodtong’s contribution to not only Muay Thai, but his people in general, I had to write this story. Unlike at other camps, the fighters at Sityodtong aren’t expected to donate their winnings to the camp. It’s to my understanding that they’re givin half their fight purse up front and the other half goes towards their food, clothing etc.

The kids do not get kicked out of the camp for poor performance. Most of the kids training there are orphins or troubled kids that Kru Yodtong has unselfishly taken in and basically adopted into his family. What’s most important to Kru Yodtong is that these kids succeed in life and become good, productive members of society.

I guess it’s true when people say that “good things happen to good people” because Kru Yodtong has hit the lottery.. twice. The first time was a jackpot of approx. 56 million baht (just under 2 million US dollars) and the second time was good for another 2 million baht (around 60,000 US dollars). The money was not spent on himself.

Rather, the money was put towards bringing in more orphined and troubled youth. They were given a shelter, food and most importantly, they were given guidance through both Kru Yodtong, the family atmosphere at the camp and of course, the sport of Muay Thai.

It’s quite apparent that to Kru Yodtong, money is secondary. He just loves his sport and wants to teach and guide as many people as he can. Even when foreigners come to train, the fee is a modest 250 baht per session. Out of that 250 baht, 150 baht goes to the trainer and only 100 baht goes to the camp itself to help pay the electric bill. For those that don’t know, 100 baht is approx. 3 US dollars.

So what would YOU do with 2,000,000 US dollars? Would you give it all away to underprivilaged children? If not, that’s alright. Most people wouldn’t. I’m just glad I caught wind of this so I could get his story out to as many Muay Thai enthuasists as I could.

Up Next .. I’ll hopefully get a video of my padwork and perhaps a trip to Fairtex?

And of course, with tonight being my big night to go out, I’ll prob. get some footage of the crazy nightlife..

THINKING OF GOING TO THAILAND TO TRAIN?

I’ve developed a 70 page guide that profiles everything you need to know about training in Bangkok, Phuket and Pattaya. In the manual, I discuss the visa issues, the Muay Thai camps, the different areas, the transportation, the food, the culture and customs, the girls, the scams, the safety issues and most importantly, how to save a ton of cash along the way!

CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE

Got Robbed!

Yup, it’s true. I got robbed last night at Lucifers, which is a hip hop bar here on walking street. It wasn’t at gun point or anything and as a matter of fact, it wasn’t that dramatic at all. The club was really busy and at one point I thought I felt hands around my waist – but that’s nothing new in Pattaya where girls are constantly attempting to seduce you.

I did a quick check and my camera was still there so I figured all as well. That was until I got to a different bar and ordered a couple San Miguel Light’s. Checked my front right pocket where my 1800 baht was supposed to be.. and nothing! Checked the left pocket.. nothing! Back pockets.. nothing! It was kind of embarrassing actually since the two beers were already opened and the second beer was for a hot Thai girl, who ended up having to pay for them herself.

The girl didn’t speak English very well either so luckily I remembered how to say “I have no money” in Thai as an Irish guy from the “international muay thai club” taught me earlier that day. Trust me, as a foreigner living in Thailand, Mai-Mi-Sataing (have no money) is the most useful phrase you’ll ever learn.

Anyway, on a different note, I haven’t been to Sityodtong yet but I checked out another place. International Muay Thai Club, which is run by a couple Italian guys is about a 5 minute walk from my apartment. When I first got there, honestly, I really wasn’t feelin’ it. Their wasn’t much direction at all. I showed up, changed, paid and I was sort of left to do my own thing.

Not only that, but I didn’t find my surroundings very motivating. Their was a couple guys sparring in the ring (a Thai and an Italian) and the Italian guy had his hands down below his waist the entire time. I’m pretty sure he was one of the owners too so I didn’t get why his form looked so bad.

After aimlessly hitting the bag on my own for a while, I was called into the ring by one of the trainers. It was when I was doing the padwork that my opinion of the place changed. The trainer actually worked my technique a lot. The trainer I was working with was a Thai and one of the Italian owners, who spoke perfect english, was watching.

He noticed that I was leaning back too much as I was throwing the kicks and although he said it looked good, he said that you lose power that way and that I should maintain an upright posture as I throw my kicks. He demonstrated his point and he’s right. I think I lean back to compensate for a lack of flexibility. At least now I know what I have to work on. Here’s a video tour of the camp as well as a video of one of the owners and one of the trainers doing some sparring..

So tomorrow is the big Sityodtong day and I’m really looking forward to it. I’ll be sure to get some good footage of the gym and the Thai fighters training. I also checked into a new apartment and I’m working on a lil’ video compolation of the place to make my friends back at home jealous. The room and all the furnishings are brand new. I have a TV, DVD player, fridge, safe, private washroom but none of that was the selling point.

The selling point for me, and I’m in no way ashamed to admit it, is the 40 or so gogo dancers that are walking around the place every night since my room is atop a nightclub. I literally step out of my room and there’s an entertainment area with a big screen plasma TV, sofas, pool tables and of course, the girls change room happens to be right there as well so I just chill on the sofa with my laptop and enjoy the sights as they change into their sexy lil’ costumes. And the best part, the rent here costs me about the same as I was paying for a room in my parents house back in Canada.

Keep checkin back for a video tour of my new residence ; )

THINKING OF GOING TO THAILAND TO TRAIN?

I’ve developed a 70 page guide that profiles everything you need to know about training in Bangkok, Phuket and Pattaya. In the manual, I discuss the visa issues, the Muay Thai camps, the different areas, the transportation, the food, the culture and customs, the girls, the scams, the safety issues and most importantly, how to save a ton of cash along the way!

CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE

Crazy Pattaya!

I arrived in Pattaya about 2 nights ago and I’ve honestly never seen anything like this. I don’t even know where to begin when describing it. I guess I can start by saying that the main attraction here is not Muay Thai and if it is, there’s certainly a lot of retired 50 year olds training to knock Fedor off his throne. While Pattaya hosts some of the best Muay Thai gyms in the world, all it takes is one look around and the main attraction here becomes quite evident – it’s sex! Sex sells and I suppose Pattaya is cashing in. The girls come to Pattaya from all over the country; the majority of which are from Issan, which is one of Thailand’s poorest regions. The average family income in Issan is about $800 US dollars. Since the Thai government isn’t structured in a way that the elderly are taken care of when they’re unable to work, the burden of being a provider is placed on the children – particularly the daughters.

And so they come here to Pattaya where they can earn upwards of $2000-$3000 a month depending on where they work and how “active” they are. The girls are also quite good at tricking guys into falling in love with them and collecting “sponsor” money. Sponsor money is when the guy returns to his home country and sends the girl money on a monthly basis to keep her from working in the bars. Some of these girls can have multiple sponsors at once all while secretly still working in the bars without their sponsors knowing.

Of course, there are exceptions. A lot of these girls are great, honest people that have just been dealt a bad hand in life and they’re just doing what they can to provide for their loved ones. I’ve asked them how they feel about things and they usually respond with “what I can do?”. And unfortunately, they’re right. The average factory worker in Thailand makes about 192 baht a day. To put that into perspective, that’s less than 1 dollar an hour based on a 7 hour workday. Sort of tough to take care of yourself and your loved ones on so little.

Anyway, now that I’m through with that little Thai economy lesson, I can finally talk about the training (hence, this is the “Thailand Training Journal”). I went to Scorpion Gym today and was put through my first Thai Boxing workout since I’ve been here. It’s funny, I trained my ass of for this. I’d run every single night in addition to my weight training workouts. Two-a-days for about a month straight and I couldn’t even complete 3-3 minute rounds on the pads.

I’m pretty sure it was the heat that was effecting me so much. It’ll probably take me a while to get acclimatized to it but after about 5-10 days, I should be alright. Here’s a video tour I took of the Scorpion camp…

It’s a nice gym but it’s f*cking hard to find! I went around asking motorbike taxi drivers to take me and the first 14 or so had no idea where it was. It was pretty frustrating actually. On a side note, they have an awesome pro-shop (perhaps the best I’ve seen at a gym in Thailand) and the prices are really good. I bought myself a pair of 14oz fairtex gloves for 1400 baht, which is approximately 43 dollars.

Tomorrow I’ll be going to the infamous Sityodtong gym. Hopefully it’s infamous with the Thai taxi drivers as well so I can actually get to it!

Might as well finish up this entry with a random video. Filmed this on “walking street”. I haven’t dated a white girl since um.. about grade 5 and although this an unfair comparison, this is how I see things in my eyes.

I present to you..

THINKING OF GOING TO THAILAND TO TRAIN?

I’ve developed a 70 page guide that profiles everything you need to know about training in Bangkok, Phuket and Pattaya. In the manual, I discuss the visa issues, the Muay Thai camps, the different areas, the transportation, the food, the culture and customs, the girls, the scams, the safety issues and most importantly, how to save a ton of cash along the way!

CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE

Touchdown in Thailand

Sorry for the delayed update. As you may have assumed, things have been pretty hectic. I’m writing this entry from an internet cafe since I can’t seem to find an adapter for my laptop. Since I’m using a public computer, I won’t be able to upload my pics and vids on here just yet for you guys to see.

So where to start?

I landed in Bangkok at around midnight on the 27th. From the airport, I took a taxi into the heart of Sukumvit (Sukumvit is a popular area in Bangkok that’s highly populated with hotels.) The driver just dropped me off around Sukumvit 19 and I checked into the first hotel I saw. It was a little pricey at 1300 baht a night (about $40 US), but it was pretty pimp – I have to admit.

The first thing I did upon arrival was go for a walk. I was immediately targeted by seemingly every Thai person that saw me. They see foreigners and immediately assume that we’re all rich. Nothing but walking ATMs to them I think. I was offered everything from motorbike rides to massages; clothes to… vaginas? Yup, in Thailand, everything is on offer.

I always get mixed emotions when I come to Thailand and this time, so far, is no different. The people are so friendly. And because of that, it’s often hard to see some of the disturbing images that are on display.

One image that took me a while to shake off was one of a girl (she must have been about 4 years old) sitting on an overpass, alone, with a change cup for people to donate. I gave her some money (which I later found out is illegal) and asked her “you have mom?” She replied with a “yes.” I then asked her if she was ok and again she obliged with a “yes.”

Still, any 4 year old girl that is sitting alone on an overpass in the heart of Bangkok at midnight is definently not “ok.” I was telling the story to a girl I met later on in the night (that’s right, I’m a player) and she told me that it’s most likely just a trick that they do to get people to pity her and that the mom was probably off in the distance keeping an eye on things. Who knows for sure though.

In the more populated nightlife districts, you’ll often feel a slight tug at the thigh level of your pants. You look down and see a tiny child (again around about 4-6 years old) holding a handful of roses. Most people just think it’s cute and buy a rose or two for the girl they’re pursuing for the evening but it goes much deeper than that.

These kids are forced to sell the flowers. And at the end of the night, if they haven’t sold enough, they get beat up by older Thai men. The girl I was talking to about it said that one of the young boys had a really bad cut on his forhead about a month prior from a beating, and she pushed his hair back to show me the scar. I asked the kid what happened and he didn’t even reply. I knew by the look in his eyes though that the girl I was talking to was right – he had been beaten.

In Thailand, it’s easy to get caught up with all the excitement and incidents like that are often overlooked.

Anyway, I decided to get out of Bangkok after only 2 nights. It’s not for me. The air is so dirty that you’ll often see the Thais wearing masks over their mouth and nose. If they aren’t willing to breath the air in their own city, then neither am I. However, I will be going back and giving you guys an inside look at all the most popular camps there. It’ll all come later on.

Right now I’m in Pattaya and honesty, this place is insane. I’m pretty sure it was ranked as the number one “sin city” in the world by askmen.com. I fully agree! I’ve been walking around and filming some crazy stuff that I’ll upload for you guys to see in my next entry. I’m also just getting myself settled and I went to check out Scorpion Gym today. I have a video tour of that gym as well.

Anyway, it’s about 8pm right now. The streets are live, the girls are out, and I should be too. Honestly, the next entry and videos that accompany it are going to be insane, so stay tuned. Unless you have a problem looking at insanely hot Thai girls. If you do (I hope you don’t), just skip over the next one then.

I start training tomorrow as well, so hopefully I’ll be able to get some good footage of Ekapol (former Lumpinee champion) in action.

Sawadee Khap…

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