Lanna Muay Thai

scum01

Hey guys,

Just wondering has anyone had any experience training in muay thai in thailand? More specifically in Lanna Muay Thai up in Chiang Mai?

I've head and read great things about them. Even their website is probably the best i have seen of any of the camps over there. The prices are also very competitive. It all seems a little too perfect if anything!

Any advice tips would be appreciated! I'm hoping to train in Lanna for July and another camp somewhere down south (possibly Phuket) for august.

Lanna's Website - http://lannamuaythai.com/thaiboxing/

Khannie

I only heard bad things about them when I trained up north. Specifically that they fecked people in the ring who were obviously not ready and that the training was sub par. They're featured prominently in some documentary I saw though. I'll try to dig the name out for you.

corkthai

i trained there for two weeks over 10 years ago...back then in the two weeks i never got on the pads with any trainer. just spent the time on the bag. Their was one other lad with me and he went on the pads once
we left after that and went for some proper training in bangkok.

dlofnep

I had a documentary about a guy who visited their camp a few times - It's called the Lanna Trilogy. You should be able to find it. It's a few years old now. Would be certainly worth a watch to allow you to make up your mind, but I've never been there myself so I can't comment.

Dave Joyce

Trained there in about 2003 so it could have changed since then but I don't think so. Wasn't impressed at all. The night we went there, we were told the fighters were just after fighting that previous weekend and so were not training. However, they were having a game of football at the front of the camp:eek: and as such there were feck all pad men about. One decent padman and the few remaining guys were very very average.

The whole atmosphere wasn't helped by a lot of farang's training there who were in the main......dip****s!!

scum01

yea i've found other threads saying that Lanna isnt the greatest!

Any suggestions of better/good camps up north around chiang mai?

also was looking at Sinbi Muay thai in phuket, anyone have any dealings with them? they seem alot less commercial than tiger muay thai and cheaper than ruwai muay thai!

Hanley

If you haven't already, read this blog > http://fightpassport.com/category/muay-thai-training-journals/

It's about a dude training in Thailand who's been there on and off for 3 years. Lots of good reviews on it.

It's something I'm very interested in doing for at least a month next April so I've been reading a bit about it.

Khannie

corkthai wrote: »

i trained there for two weeks over 10 years ago...back then in the two weeks i never got on the pads with any trainer.

That is phenomenal! :eek:

scum01

Khannie wrote: »

I only heard bad things about them when I trained up north. Specifically that they fecked people in the ring who were obviously not ready and that the training was sub par. They're featured prominently in some documentary I saw though. I'll try to dig the name out for you.

Where up north did you train?

HammerHeadGym

Hi,

I have lived and trained in Northern thailand for two years or so. I'll share what I know.

Lanna; Lanna is full of beginners. Nothing wrong with that but it can be very hard to get a head of steam up for a fight if you have no one to challenge you. The thai almost never spar/clinch with you. It also rewards pushy kuntz. As in, you will have to stand on the side of the ring shouting, Here, me next on pads, yeah? Yeah? Yeah? Until said trainer acknowledges both your presence and request. Finally, They either push, or let guys who are clearly not trained enough, enter the ring, usually, I suspect, to make a tidy profit, by betting against their man with the crowd. I once had to teach a Lanna fighter how to block a leg kick, about 3 minutes before he was due in the ring.

Chay Yai; That's where I am now. Some very good trainers here, who love to get there hands dirty. Be warned it is very busy but everyone gets pads during every session, everyone gets to spar or clinch too (depends on the class, we rarely do both in the same session) Some fairly new equipment, and it's in a reasonably affluent area. But like I said, it's very busy, so you might be doing a fair bit of shadow boxing.

KC; this is the new gym out in Hang Dong. I've not been so I can only pass on what I've heard. Good trainers and a reasonable level of fighters. Equipment isn't brand new, but nor is it worn out. All in all, it's agood gym but I have heard they like to start at 7, which is just too early for me. One caveat however, outside of Muay Thai, there is literally nothing in hang dong. No movie theathre, no market, no internet. I am led to beleive there is a 7-11 though. You'd be looking at about 40 minutes each way, if you wanted to hang out in Chiang Mai.

Lexpetch; Lex is alovely man with vast, vast experience, truly an international fighter, with bones like steel. He's also a bit of a sot, and has turned up drunk, more than once. He also has a habit of borrowing money and forget how to speak english when it's pay back time.

Muay Siam Number 1; The Khru there (Mr. Yoi) is a bastard. He is the only Thai person I don't like. Outside of the gym he is tolerable but inside, it is endless criticism. I though I was bad at Thai after leaving him. BUt then I noticed, he didn't once tell world no. 1 54kg fighter that she did a single kick correctly in an hour and a half session. Same for 2 time Irish boxing champ when punching. Basically, his 'style' consists of reaching as far as is humanly possible with the fists, while on the balls of both feet, with your chin up. And every time he tells you something else is wrong. Literally impossible to work with. He once criticised the way I was drinking my water, I sh1t you not!

True Bee; This gym is in Pai, which is about 2 -3 hours drive from Chiang Mai, right up the mountains. 1500 metres up in fact. First the good parts. The main man here is amazing, so is his brother, both have to very effective styles, which differ slightly, so there's definitely something there for evrery type of fighter. It's so high up and so exposed that you will get very fit in a short space of time. (the morning run for example is a mile cross country and up hill, another mile up hill, 279 steps up the side of a temple and just over 2 miles back). The down side is its a hippy village, so there's a lot of temptation drink and drug wise if you're that way inclined, and even if your not at least half the people there will be. It's quite common for the average hippy to run, shadow box, do pads, then quite literally hang around the punch bags, discussing last nights gossip, for an hour. Still if you can put that aside, you'll have a great time.
The only thing is this place will be closed until august. It's being run by a dutch woman now. Don't go, is all I'll say.

Shivaya gym; Also in Pai. I haven't actually trained here, but I have trained with most of the coaches and most of the fighters that make this gym up. All I can say is basically, it will have the same downsides as true bee, but some of the guys who are there now are very serious, as are the coaches. With one coach in particular, responsible for bringing a world no 6. and making her a world number one. In three divisions.

Hope this helps.

Khannie

scum01 wrote: »

Where up north did you train?

True Bee. Went there twice. If you can get pads with Bee you're on to a good thing. First time I went there I got a mix of trainers (Bee, A and a guy who has since passed away). Second time I was pushed for time so I paid for privates and got them all from A. He's good, but not as good as Bee.

The Dutch woman referred to in the other post is Bee's ex (and the mother of his kid). She's....a tough cookie.

There's no nonsense though. You'll always get pads off a decent pad man. Beyond that it's somewhat up to yourself how hard you push yourself. Morning run isn't mandatory, that kind of thing. They get a lot of first timers / passing trade.

Pai's a lovely spot though. Great for chilling out. The second time I was there it was with my wife and kids. They all loved it too.

dlofnep

Great post HammerHead. Very informative.

Khannie

hammerhead: I see that the true bee website redirects to a new site "rose gym". Has yer one taken over the gym and gotten rid of the people that were there or what's the craic?

edit: seems the gym was sold and bee's not there any more. That's a real shame. Link.

scum01

Hanley wrote: »

If you haven't already, read this blog > http://fightpassport.com/category/muay-thai-training-journals/

It's about a dude training in Thailand who's been there on and off for 3 years. Lots of good reviews on it.

It's something I'm very interested in doing for at least a month next April so I've been reading a bit about it.

actually been following this guy for a while! his blog is fantastic with lots of tips on how to adapt to the culture change over there too!

Khannie: Thanks for that!

HammerHeadGym: Thats exactly the kind of information i was looking for! i'll definately have a look into these!

HammerHeadGym

Khainne, Bee will be back up there august/september-ish. New gym, same trainers, plus some new guys, including Rambo (Anut). He is definitely my avourite thai fighter.
Also in regards to Bee or Ae being better, I think it's just different styles. Ae likes to avoid, where as Bee prefers to counter. Each to his own I guess, though I prefer Bee's style myself.

HammerHeadGym

While I'm here, there was someone asking about Sinbi in Phuket. My mate just got back said it was very good, loads of clinch, loads of sparring, quite pricey though and he says the head boy insists you shadow box at 100%. I came at that statement a few times, but he says yeah, shadow boxing 100%. Seems a little weird to me. Anyway, there ya go.