Muay Thai Kickboxing – Rawai Muay Thai in Thailand

Written By: The Planet D

Thailand is the land of Muay Thai Kickboxing and no adventure to this country would be complete without doing some training. 

After checking out a couple of other gyms, we contacted Rawai Muay Thai in Phuket Thailand. We are glad that we settled on Rawai. It is an excellent facility with friendly staff located in Thailand’s most popular tourist beach haven.

We arrived a day early to Rawai Beach to check-in and get oriented, but there was a big Muay Thai tournament on Phi Phi Island the day earlier so nobody was here. 

We were on our own until morning.

What It’s Like Muay Thai Training in Thailand

muay thai kickboxing

Mornings of Muay Thai traiaing in Thailand begin at 7:00 am with a 4 km run. 

I was very nervous about the run. I am not the fasted runner and to run in a group with people that have already been training for months at a time or for some, all year long was going to be very intimidating.

We awoke at 6:30 and by the time 7:00 came around, there was no one to be seen. We saw a couple of girls walking up ahead so we started our jog in that direction.

They were Muay Thai students all right so we asked them if this was the right route to follow for our run.  They gave us directions and we were on our way.

I breathed a sigh of relief, Ah!  Everyone is free to run at their own pace.  The slower people left earlier and the quicker ones leave later. We didn’t have to run in a group.

The weather was muggy and humid and the run was more than a little difficult for this out of shape traveler. 

How on earth was I going to finish this run and then complete 4 more hours of training?

Training in the Gym

muay thai kickboxing

We made it back with 10 minutes to spare before class started at 7:30. Just enough time to have our hands wrapped for us since we had no idea what we were doing and to do a little skipping.

At 7:40 they blew the whistle signaling the beginning of class, and we made our way to the sign-in and to begin our 10 minutes of stretching.

They can have up to 80 students training at a time. During our stay, we averaged about 50 people at the gym each day.

The groups are divided into beginners and the rest of the gang that have experience.

We joined our instructor Jang, in the beginner’s group where he taught us punches, jabs, uppercuts, elbows, knee kicks, and sidekicks.  

muay thai kickboxing

The drill went on for an hour as he corrected our technique and checked to make sure that we knew what we were doing.

It is surprising just how tiring shadow boxing can be!  

In between drills, we had to stop and do 10 pushups before grabbing water.  A couple of weeks of this and we are going to be buffed.

At 9:00 am we all gathered together with the advanced students for more stretching.

With a quick bow in prayer position, we thanked our instructors for the morning and went to our rooms to wait out the rest of the day until the afternoon session began.

About Rawai Muay Thai

muay thai kickboxing

Rawai Muay Thai was the first Muay Thai training camp for foreigners in Thailand.

Run by Diana and her husband Tuk, it is well organized and definitely caters to the western market.

It is the most popular place for women to train in Thailand and they have coached more than a few champions in their day.

Where to Stay when Muay Thai Training

The rooms are clean and comfortable, there is free wifi, cable T.V., hot water, refrigerator, kettle, dishes and English speaking staff.

It is the perfect destination for foreigners looking to whip themselves in shape while staying in an exotic destination.

During our stay, we had no other worries but to have wake up, go to the gym, and wonder what we were getting for dinner.  

Even dinner is made easy for you.

The Cashew nut restaurant just down the street offers a meal plan of 1800 baht ($60 USD) per week for a multi-course dinner and breakfast.  

Their food is delicious and filling. They offer protein shakes and brown rice too!

Afternoon Training

We went back to the afternoon session gung ho and excited about the days ahead. 

It was tiring, to say the least, but it feels good to be forcing ourselves to get back into shape after a year on the road.

Let’s hope we can keep up the rigorous schedule because we have to do it all over again tomorrow.

Hot and Sweaty at Rawai Muay Thai

muay thai kickboxing

The temperature is in the 30’s and the humidity is 100%.  Most gyms are outdoors and Rawai Muay Thai is no exception.

The gym is an open air building with a hot tin roof.

The carpets on the floor turn your toes into a blistery mess and the smell of yourself and the other students can be a little overwhelming.

It is hot to train in Muay Thai Kickboxing in Thailand

kickboxing thailand tourist

We break a sweat just by entering the area.

Even before I start bouncing on the tires or skipping to warm up, a glow of perspiration has taken over my entire body.

By the time we get to sparring in the ring, I am soaked and sweat flies through the air as I throw punches and kicks at the trainer.

It feels awesome!

Dave is Going Strong.

dave kickboxing

Dave is holding strong and loves the adrenaline of throwing punches and learning kicks. Maybe it’s a guy thing.

He loves getting in the ring doing his best Mohammad Ali impression. “Float like a butterfly sting like a bee”…or as Daves says, “stumble around and wave his arms trying to hit something.”

I enjoy the drills of kicking and punching the trainer’s pads, but as we learn more and have to break into pairs to learn clinching, I am not the happiest of boxers.

Clinching – Muay Thai

dave grappling while kickboxing in thailand

Clinching is neck wrestling. In western boxing, opponents are separated when clinching. In Muay Thai, it is all part of the sport.

You put your hands on the back of your opponents neck and take them down to the ground, or whip them to the side any way you can.

When you don’t know what you are doing, you can pull some nasty muscles.

Our necks were sore for days.

I found out later that a few other people didn’t take part in the clinching and grappling portion of the class.

One guy we know goes for a 7k run during the final half hour of class.

Other’s go and work out on the machines or bags while the rest of us slog it out in the ring.

As soon as the clinching and grappling (getting out of neck holds and arm locks) started, I decided that being a professional Muay Thai fighter wasn’t in my future.

It was a grand idea, but I have no plan on ever getting into a ring and pounding someone to a pulp or more honestly – being pounded to a pulp.

People are starting to get injuries too.

dave kickboxing class thailand

You have to be careful while your here and not push yourself too hard. It is easy to get wrapped up in the adrenaline and go too hard.

One girl fell to the floor with a bad injury during some heavy bag training. She can’t put any weight on her leg and she told me that her knee cap is loose and moved.

It’s too bad, because she was good and strong.

I know I had to grapple with her one day and she flung me to the floor every chance she got!

Another guy tore a muscle in his calf and has been hobbling around for a few days. Others have minor cuts and bruises and some have raw knuckles to the point of bleeding.

It was like being in Rocky’s training gym. I just needed Micky to give me a pep talk to “suck it up Debra and get yourself back in the ring.”

muay thai kickboxing

Today I was lucky enough to end up in the ring with Dave for our Clinching and Grappling session.

This was the most comfortable I had been because at least Dave knows what I can take and I know what he can take.  

I also don’t care that I smell terrible and am sweating uncontrollably. Note: Dave isn’t smelling the greatest either!

We’re awkward and really have no idea what we are doing, but once the whistle blows we give it our all.

We’re stepping in the wrong direction, we’re tugging on each other’s necks, we’re falling down and stumbling over each other, but our instructor Ling Lom doesn’t care, he’s laughing his head off.

And we’re laughing right along with him.

Rawai Muay Thai Gives Back

rawai muay thai group

Something that drew us to Rawai Muay Thai in Phuket was the fact that they give back to the community.

Owner and operator, Tuk is an ex-boxer and true success story.  Starting out with very little as a child, he worked his way through the ranks of Thai Boxing and supported his family through winning prize money.

After meeting his wife Diana, she encouraged him to open a gym.

What sets Rawai Muay Thai apart from other gyms is that it is owned and operated by a local Thai Kickboxer that employs Thai Boxers and Muay Thai trainers.

When coming to Thailand why would you want to train with a foreigner?

Not only is Tuk born and raised locally, he knows the struggles that certain kids can go through in Thailand and offers poor kids a free place to train and learn. 

For the serious students, he and Diana rent a house out of their own pocket to put the fighters up in.

rawai muay thai practice

They receive free room and board and free training at the gym. They even keep their prize money to be able to send home to their families.

For many poor children in Thailand, Thai Boxing is their only option to stay out of trouble and off the streets.

It gives them discipline and focus and provides them with hopes and dreams.

A portion of all money received from students goes to supporting the Thai Boxers that cannot pay their own way.

Orphanage

thai boys

Diana (the co-owner of Rawai Muay Thai) was kind enough to take us to an orphanage that they support.

Besides taking in orphans, and training underprivileged children, Rawai Muay Thai takes an active role in the community.

In January they are even hosting a main event boxing match at Nahairn Beach in Phuket where all proceeds go to charity.

The orphanage that we visited was Child Watch Phuket.

The orphanage runs 7 different programs in the area:

muay thai children
  • The Holland House – Program that looks after underprivileged children in the neighbourhood.
  • The Baan Lung Pitak Prison Program – a Centre that helps children of prison inmates. It is located next to the Phuket Prison.
  • Safe House – A shelter home open 24 hours for abused children or children or children who need emergency help, shelter, food, clothes and rehabilitation.
  • Case Follow Up Program – Offers legal assistance and advice for poor families having to deal with the legal system.
  • Mobile Teaching Program – Provides out of school education for disadvantaged children. Many children in Thailand do not have birth certificates, are slum dwellers or living outside the Thai system. They are not qualified and cannot afford to go to school. The Mobile Teach Program goes to them.

All these programs help families and children in need and living in desperate situations. 

Diana brings Thai boxing students regularly to the school where the children are given a chance to play and hug and laugh with their visitors.  She brings toys or toiletry supplies and donations.

Child Watch Phuket

deb with thai boys

Child Watch Phuket makes the bulk of its money from donation boxes set up all around the area and Diana is putting one up at the school as soon as they deliver it.

To find out more and how you can donate or help out, you can go to www.phuket.com/childwatch or email at [email protected]

If you are thinking about taking Muay Thai in Thailand, consider joining a school that makes it their priority to give back.

By choosing a gym that is owned by a local boxer, you can be sure he will give back to the community because that is where he came from. Tuk knows the struggles that kids face growing up in Thailand.

He was one of them and he knows how Muay Thai can give children with little hope an opportunity to do something great with their lives.  

Be it a championship fighter, a coach or an entrepreneur opening their own gym when they grow up.

Costs of Muay Thai Training in Thailand:

Bungalows At Rawai Muay Thai on the Premises

Deluxe room with Air conditioning:

  • Weekly Rate: 5000 Baht ($166 Can/US) that is only $23 per day
  • Daily Rate:  1000 Baht ($33 Can/US)

Shared Twin Rooms – Fan Only

  • Weekly Rate: 1500 Baht ($50 Can/US) per person that is $7 per day
  • Daily Rate: 300 Baht ($10 Can/US) per person

Training

  • 3000 Baht ($100 US/Can) per week – $14 per day.
  • 500 Baht ($16 US/Can) per day

Training includes:

  • up to 3 group classes per day.
  • Classes are two hours in length.
  • Unlimited use of weights, and training machines.
  • 1 USD and CAD = 30 Baht

Note: Phuket is expensive to get around. Tuk Tuk drivers have joined forces and there are minimum fares everywhere.  

To take a tuk tuk to Rawai from Phuket you can pay 400-500 baht ($13-$15) However, you can take a songthaew all over the island for 20 baht per person (less than $1) It may take longer, but you can save a lot of money while getting to chat with the local people.

Read More Muay Thai

Read More About Traveling to Thailand

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About The Planet D

Dave Bouskill and Debra Corbeil are the owners and founders of The Planet D. After traveling to 115 countries, on all 7 continents over the past 13 years they have become one of the foremost experts in travel. Being recognized as top travel bloggers and influencers by the likes of Forbes Magazine, the Society of American Travel Writers and USA Today has allowed them to become leaders in their field.

Leave a Comment

23 thoughts on “Muay Thai Kickboxing – Rawai Muay Thai in Thailand”

  1. After reading this article, I already want to enroll myself here and try out their training. 🙂 For $100 a week I can already be fit and get to enhance more my kickboxing skill here.

    Reply
  2. I will be teaching english in Beijing next year and this could be a really cool vacation idea. Something non-traditional that still gives one access to the culture.

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  3. I love how Muay Thai has become so open to everyone. The old preconceived notions that it was only hardcore sweaty boys doing it has finally been crushed.

    Now Rawai Muay Thai and other camps in the area get guests in all shapes and sizes. It’s just a great activity to do, and is so beneficial for the body and mind.

    Reply
  4. I wish I read this post first… I’ve been trying to convince the Mrs. to take a trip to Thailand for years and now my quest is in overdrive. This looks like a blast.

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  5. Thanks for this excellent article. I was looking at Rawai Muay Thai myself to slot in around a trip to New Zealand. Their website certianly sells them well and it was reassuring to read your genuine and positive account of your experience. I’m looking forward to reading your updates!

    Reply
    • Hi Mike. Yes, Rawai Muay Thai has an excellent website. Diana takes pride in running a solid site as well as a solid school. It can be intimidating joining a program like Muay Thai, but we felt very comfortable hopping on board with Rawai. Good luck with your trip!

      Reply
  6. This looks fun… in a torturous kind of way 😉 And so cheap. Might check out if they have something similar in Chiang Mai and spend some time learning Muay Thai while I’m there in April. Good luck guys!!

    Reply
    • It is definitely cheap Rebecca. I asked another student from New York if he was going to continue training when he got home and he said he would love to but wouldn’t be able to afford it there. The same can be said for Toronto. You can train for weeks here for a very reasonable price compared to trying it in the west. I believe that there are a few schools in Chang Mai and that they are just as reasonable.

      Reply
  7. I love that you are doing this and writing about it so I don’t have to experience it myself. It looks like such an adventure but oh so tough!

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  8. Not really something I’m particularly interested in trying, but I know Jack would be into this sorta thing. it does look like a good/fast by to get fit though.

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  9. I am impressed that you guys went to train in kick boxing, that would be the last thing i would have done. and it sounds like too much work for me

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  10. Looks great! I am excited to hear more about your Muay Thai training. All the street food that’s been going into my body and I think I might need some training asap.

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    • That is exactly how we were feeling. All this travel can make a person soft, every once in a while we have to check in and get back in shape:)

      Reply
  11. Wow that is so cheap and sounds so aweswome!!! I cant wait to see the last post for the super buff awesome “after” photos! 🙂

    Reply
  12. Fascinating!

    Something I’ve started recently has been Muay Thai, though in the dreary UK. Not the fittest, did you have any experience of it to begin with?

    Reply
    • No experience with Muay Thai, but we did have the P90X video at home:-) And yes, we are not at our optimal fitness at the moment after Blogging and traveling for a year. When we cycled Africa, that is when we at our optimal fitness. It is difficult to live up to the shape we were in after 12,000km on a bike:)

      Reply