36 COVER FE ATUREStanding alone as he tested his hand
wraps, Darren, an expat from Canada,
was getting ready for a training session
in preparation for his third professional
fight. I asked him why he had decided to
choose this particular camp, and what
he looks for when considering a place
to train.
“I prefer training somewhat off the
beaten path, as I find that too many
people sometimes amounts to less
quality or not enough coaching time,”
he shared. Pressing him further, I asked
if he could elaborate on the different
qualities of Thai boxing gyms.
“Usually, if you are a dedicated
fighter, you’ll be given the attention you
need. But I have witnessed occasions
where the trainers have not taken their
craft too seriously, or there are just too
few trainers for the number of students
in a class. I’m worried that the success
of Muay Thai is changing the spirit of the
sport. I guess when you go global, a bit
of the soul gets kicked out of it.” Darren
adjusted his hand wraps and climbed
back into the ring.
Later, he went on to mention that
while the training itself is fundamentally
the same and consists of routine small-
pad combined with heavy-bag workout,
each gym can vary the training process.
The mushrooming variety of gyms in
Thailand can be as diverse as their
clientele, from opulent resort-styles
for the wealthy, to the gritty, street-roped gyms for those with more modest
incomes. He explained that geographic
location tends to be a big factor; there
are innumerable options throughout
Thailand, from cities to mountains and
camps near the sea. “These days, the
bigger, big name camps have actually
diversified into a broad spectrum
of other forms of health and fitness