A recent tweet of mine blew up more than I expected. Here’s the exact post that sparked the debate:
The worst place to train Muay Thai is by far Phuket. Everything is overpriced, and classes are overcrowded. It’s a place you could go for a holiday but definitely not to train Muay Thai. The Thais call Phuket ‘not real Muay Thai.’
It was the place where retired fighters went to be trainers while occasionally fighting and taking a dive. Only non-Thais seem to take it seriously over there.
The comments were wild. A lot of people see Phuket as the ideal place to train Muay Thai. It has beaches and Muay Thai. What more do you want?
But that question already reveals the answer. People who want to relax and wind down want beaches. People serious about Muay Thai don’t care about beaches. But what about hobbyists—people who just want to train for fun while enjoying Thailand? That’s a different question, and I’ll break that down later in this post.
The gym owners in Phuket knew exactly what they were doing. They built businesses designed for a certain type of customer—Muay Thai tourists. Some were former fighters looking to stay in shape; others were vacationers hit with a temporary burst of motivation.
Prices skyrocketed, and customers became ATM machines. They pay insane fees, train for a bit, and leave. A lot of money is lost, and little skill is gained. They know most people are there for a short period, and they bank on it big-time.
Even if you never want to fight, being good at what you do feels good. If you’re spending a fortune but not improving, you’re paying for the fantasy of training, not the real thing.
Where you should train depends largely on your experience level. But in general it’s a good rule of thumb to always avoid the big gyms.
For the remainder of this post, I’d like to focus on hobbyists rather than professional fighters. Let me explain.
The hobbyist, beaches, and Muay Thai.
Back when I wrote my Muay Thai guide, it wasn’t really clear what direction Muay Thai was going in. COVID had left the sport in a really bad place, and before COVID it was already going backwards.
Post-COVID, the sport suddenly peaked in popularity due to One Championship hitting the mainstream market. What was once a sport with roots ingrained in Thai culture, loved by a select audience, was turned into something so the mainstream audience would love it.
This obviously led to a massive uptake in people coming to Thailand to try the sport which isn’t entirely a bad thing in my opinion.
But this also led to people contacting me and asking me where to train Muay Thai properly while being able to enjoy a beach.
Even for people that never want to fight, I’d never advise them to go train in Phuket. All the reasons mentioned above should be enough to make you reconsider training over there.
There are better places to train. Places where you’ll spend less money on the gym fee, actually improve, and be able to enjoy a beach.
Doesn’t that sound a lot better?!
The one gym I always recommend is Rittisak in Koh Phaghan. The head coach/owner is my old coach. He’s an amazing trainer and is surrounded by a really good team of coaches.
Their main priority is making sure you improve. The gym is affordable and located on a tropical island.
So if you’re serious about getting better—whether you’re a fighter or a hobbyist—there’s no reason to waste your time or money in Phuket.
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Until next time.
Alex
