In effort to improve my ability to deliver an amazing product at the Muay Thai gym I own, I felt compelled to travel to the Mecca of Muay Thai, Phuket, Thailand, and learn from the best of the best. This article is part of a series of articles, detailing that endeavor.

Part 3

Coming to Thailand was no easy feat. I am not an experienced traveler, so I experienced many pitfalls in getting here. I am learning as I go, and am confident my next trip will go a lot more smoothly.

I have detailed some of those pitfalls, as well as some early observation of Thailand in past articles. I am now in the 'holy land of Muay Thai' Phuket, Thailand. I am exhausted by the rip, and anxious to get right to work, but feel like I need some rest before getting down to business.

I really tried to take a nap when I got checked into my room. The sound of Muay Thai training right outside my door was permeating it's way into my room. After about 20 minutes of tossing and turning, I decided to go check things out.

My first stop was Dragon Muay Thai, since they were right next door. It was intense. Everyone there appeared to be at a high level, and were training as thought their lives depended on it. I would later learn this was a fighter training session, and was not entirely indicative of their student base. They have beginners as well, but not on this day. There was some pretty hard sparring going on, and some grueling conditioning for those who were not sparring.

After watching for a while, I decided to go down and check out the place I had already signed up for, Muay Thai.

Upon walking in the front office, I was very impressed with how polite and professional their staff was. They were very welcoming, and very detailed providing me with all the information I would need during my stay. I was given a tour of the facility, issued my equipment I had purchased on-line, and given all the paperwork describing all the amenities offered there-And there were many!

They have on-sight norms, a full kitchen and restaurant, CrossFit-type Fitness classes, Yoga, Boxing, MMA, Jiu Jitsu, and course Muay Thai. Additionally, they offer courses in Muay Boran, which is Muay Thai, but for street application, rather than sport. They also have traditional Thai stick fighting called Krabi Krabong classes.

There are four separate Muay Thai training areas; 1. Beginners 2. Intermediate 3. Advanced 4. Fighter Training.

One thing I liked was that EVERYONE starts in the beginner section. You only advance when a trainer deems you ready-No matter what your background is. I had no problem drilling basics the first few days, but sparring beginners is like trying to tame a bull. They are nervous to be training Muay Thai in Thailand, and have a hard time controlling their nervous energy.

When formal classes are not going on, the Trainers teach private, one-on-ones, so there is always action going on through the complex.

Walking through the different areas really got my blood pumping, and I could not wait to get started. I had not expected to be wanting to train on my first day, so my membership did not start until tomorrow. I would have to wait one more day to get underway.