Training Muay Thai in the U.S. - Fight & Fitness, San Francisco

I'm back in the U.S. for the summer and have been looking around for a good gym to train at before I go back to Thailand for another fight camp.

 Today I checked out Fight and Fitness in San Francisco. There is a huge difference between doing Muay Thai in Thailand and doing it in Western countries such as America. It's been hard for me because most people start out in the U.S. or back home where they live and only go to Thailand to train after they already have a base. But I did the opposite. I've never trained anywhere but Thailand and have gotten use to the way they do things there.


 


 The Pros and Cons of Training in Thailand vs. Training Muay Thai in the U.S.A. Cost: Ironically, classes/monthly membership is cheaper in the U.S. than it is in Thailand. For an unlimited training pass monthly in Thailand at Tiger Muay Thai, Phuket Top Team or any other MMA gym it's usually around $300 a month. At Fight and Fitness it's $129 per month/ unlimited classes. Or even a bit cheaper if you pre-pay for 6 months or the year.

 However, the cost of living and food in Thailand is so cheap it offsets it. If you pay $800 for rent, plus another $500 on food, your monthly expenses in San Francisco will be around $2,000 minimum to live and train. While in Thailand, you can get by on about $800 a month total. (See the Actual Living Costs post on my blog)

  Facilities: Fight and Fitness seems to be one of the cleanest gyms in San Francisco. They even have a locker room and showers which is awesome. They have one ring, enough heavy bags to go around, and tons of padded mats for MMA and BJJ. It's different training Muay Thai indoors, as I'm used to doing it outdoors in Thailand. But it didn't get too stuffy like it does at a lot of indoor gyms, and never smelled bad. Definitely points for being well maintained and clean.


 

Trainers: The biggest difference in training Muay Thai in the U.S. is working with trainers. Fight and Fitness happens to have two very authentic and legit ex-lumpinee world champions Samart “Neungsiam” “The Rock” Samphusri and Bunkerd Faphimai. Unfortunately, you never get to work with them unless you are doing a private. It's just the way they do things in the U.S., students hold pads for each other and there is just one trainer per class which can be up to 20-30 students. There are some pros and cons of holding pads for each other, verses having a pro trainer hold pads for you.

In Thailand there are usually 5 or more trainers per class and they each hold pads for you for 3 rounds per class. This is by far my favorite part of the class and it's where I learn the most. If you want the trainer to hold pads for you, it'll be between $65-$75 a session. However, the good thing about holding pads is that it builds up your core and blocking strength. It also teaches you a good skill to have. At this point in my fighting career, I'm really happy to have the practice to hold pads for other students, but if I was just starting out, I'd definitely want the trainer doing it for me.


Overall: If you're in San Francisco I would check out Fight and Fitness. The introductory class is only $15 and you get a free pair of hand wraps with it. F&F seems like one of the best gyms in the area. It's clean, well maintained, the people there are really cool. Carlos the guy working there was really friendly and helpful. The other students were cool, and two of them stayed after to spar with me. But I'm definitely looking forward to going back to Thailand to do another Fight Camp in October.


 

Check out the gym yourself if you're ever in SF: http://www.fightandfitness.com 

Update:

I just checked out Pacific Training Center in San Diego and thought it was a really good Thai style gym.  Eddie Roa trained at Fairtex in Thailand for a few years and brought back the training style with him.  Michael Olivares is their boxing coach and is great at holding pads.  Best Muay Thai gym I've found so far in the U.S.  http://www.pacifictrainingcenter.com


Warm Regards,

 Johnny @ MyFightCamp