Fairtex Muay Thai Fighting Club Bkk

[rickshaw92]

Anyone ever been? How does it rate compaired to other camps?

[Thaiboxer]

I've never actually been there myself but I know people who have. It's a very modern place with lots of Western style comforts/facilities. They have plenty of trainers and one of them is the famous Ajarn Apidej Sit Hirun, one of Muay Thai's legendary kickers. However, I've heard that it's not the best place for serious students...particularly those who want to have some fights. It tends to be run more along the business lines and doesn't have the feel of a typical Thai boxing camp. Of course, English is more easily understood at Fairtex due to the large numbers of foreign students so it might not be bad just to get your feet wet and then move on to a better, less business oriented training camp. Have a look at www.chokemuay.com It's an excellent website devoted to Muay Thai and you could get a lot more information/opinions about Fairtext from there. Many of the folks on that site have been in some fights and know the Muay Thai industry inside out. Good luck!

[rickshaw92]

Cheers Thaiboxer!

[LyceeIceCream]

How does it compare to other muay Thai gyms? It is definitely the cream of the crop, no question Fairtex is world renowned! It is the first gym mentioned when someone brings up the topic of the top muay Thai gyms and fighters in the world with Sityodthong is second. How does it compare price wise?? you really wanna know? for a month it is almost $1000 making it Kote Paeng Loy(Completely F*ckin Expensive)!! But if you got the dough go for it.

[somluck]

My idol Yodsenklai hails from Fairtex......they had 2 fighters from Fairtex in the 1st Asian Contender with Yodsenklai winning it ......speaks volumes about their standard.

[Gerry290]

Fairtex Bangkok Bang Pli (I think spelling) near Bang-Na camp.

Hi Guys.

Fairtex Bangkok, actually it is on the very southern outskirts of Bangkok, not far from the new airport in Bangkok.

I trained in Fairtex Bangkok in May 2005 & this was my first time training in a Muay Thai camp in Thailand,

(since I was a Kickboxer many years, but back then only converted over to Muay Thai later in life about 6 months before i went to Fairtex, & I was more so involved in training & teaching Krav Maga in Dublin then too). So I took my the excellent system of Muay Thai more for the training as it was superior to the way full contact kick boxing was trained & also muay thai is an excellent supplement & complimentary to Krav Maga. I was not into following the sport, as in who was champion etc. However I could see the training methods& 2 extra weapons of elbow & knee were superior, so I figured a month in Thailand training, total immersion, would do me the world of good.

My point is I did not know anything about Muay Thai camps, who was what & where, nor did I know anything about Thailand back then either. In fact a krav maga contact talked me into going at the very last minute, & since he was sort of an organized bloke my nature, booked Fairtex. I actually arrived 2 days before him on my own LOL! So I was a massive culture shock, & despite the "premium" price to train there, since I arrived at about 8pm to Fairtex Bangkok (miles out side of bangkok),. there was no staff to "meet & greet me" except a girl working in the onsite coffee shop who did not have clue who I was, or what to do with me. (all was paid in full in advanced).

I was more or less left standing there for an hour, I paid for the Air Con single room, which was very basic, no tv, and finally when the cleaner let me into the room which was supposed to be ready, it was dirty, & uncleaned since the last guest was there. Training was the next morning, yet no one told me what time, what to do, who to see. So i just wandered out to the rings, & since the Trainers rely on tips when your stay is up, one of the senior guys grabbed me, & claimed me for his ring. (we actually became good buddies over the weeks.)

Obviously the gear, kit, rings. bags where excellent, the rooms were ok. I expected a bit more for what I paid. at least a small TV in the room with some English channels would have been nice. And there is a very nice gym there, & yoga room & a small pool.

The training was ok, however, after been sent to run either on the threadmills in the gym or up and down the drive way outside. after shadow boxing and the pad work with the trainer & a round of boxing pad work with the junior trainer which was good. THATS WAS IT! Out of the ring, and they would vaguely point you in the direction of the heavy bags or a sit up board. No more coaching or help. not even, "do 5 rounds minimum on the heavy bag".

No clinch work, which some of us asked for lessons on, and no sparring either, which we also asked for.

Only one guy who had good MT skills from the UK, was offered a fight, on condition he extended his 2 weeks holiday to 2 months which he would have to pay for of course!!

While I got on well with the trainers, probably because I bought them all a few beer every night. Alot of the guys staying there to train, who were on tighter budgets than me, were complaining the trainers down to the room cleaners were constantly trying to scrounge money, or "help them" go shopping to the Big C, where your uninvited "helper" would stock up on his own personal utilities for the week & charge it to his "victims" bill.

Another thing, is while I was there to train hard, but not fight, I did want a bit of social outlet at night or between morning & afternoon training sessions.

Aside from the training sessions which were just pad work, there was NOTHING to do near by at all. Except go to the small Big C near by which usually end up being more of a pain in the head, due to crowd of people pushing to come with you to "help you"... and Bang Na Shopping Mall was about 30+ minutes away in a taxi, & central Bangkok was 45 Minutes - over 1 hour away. The camp itself, is in what in the Western world is very similar to an Industrial Estate, with Factories, & Warehousing being 90% of what was in a 2 kilo radius of the camp. So unless one of totally 110% dedicated to being a fighter, living a monks life, it was a bit of a drag then I used to drink, and was happy for a few easy beers at night but there was no where interesting as in good bars to go to, aside from the side of the road noodle stand type beer stalls or odd run down Thai Karaoke bar. and the training in compared to what I now know, since I live in Pattaya and have been to most of the camps. In fairtex bangkok once the trainers where finished pad work, was like their jobs was done, & no extra effort was put in to show especially a few total martial arts beginners there, a few basic techniques.

Yodsenklai was training there at the time, he used to have his session done before the rest of us would start.

Now I am quite sure Yodsenklai is training out of Pattaya Fairtex.

To sum up, while it was on ok experience, and I did get to know the trainers a bit better than some of the other lads, & they warmed to me, as I say pick up the beer tab probably helped that LOL!.

Knowing what I now know, re other camps in other parts of Thailand, where I would have been able to train & enjoy some beach & some nightlife, all in moderation with the daily x 2 times training. Bangkok Fairtex would be the last place on my list. Pretty much all us Farangs who stayed there, where not overly delighted with the service we got as per training, etc...

Get on to google, do not do what we did, & assume because a certain brand of muay thai gear is very popular, that it is "the place to go" hope that helps! ;-)

[waikhru]

gerry290,there are at least 20 good nightclubs within 10 minute taxi to fairtex.

hard to find if you dont know them.

what you are shown during your padwork,

such as your faults should be practiced by you after your padwork.

it is a good camp but there are many with better reps in thailand.

[Gerry290]

The Street (or Stars) of Hollywood Disco not far from the Yamato Hotel! (maybe names changed) :-)

Yes, as you mention "if you knew where too look", no one was told what amenities were near by, or

given a few minutes of orientation on the surrounding area, what to expect , or when/how to begin training etc.

The pad work was good, trainers good guys, perhaps its changed which is a good thing, but

when I was there no guidance, to the Muay Thai way of doing it, which is why I came to

Fairtex.

Sure I could have went on the bags & did the 20 years of Western Kick boxing,

but me & most others there, come to LEARN the MT way, (and most with experience in other

styles/system etc, we left our experience outside the gates of the camp.)

Westerners want to LEARN & be TAUGHT & SHOWN what to do, when they come & pay money

to train to Thailand (or anywhere else) especially if only on a 2 week holiday. etc