Post: #51

Anyone got any actual experience fighting muay thai in Thailand. Not just training but actually getting fights?

Post: #52

RioNomad: yes, i checked it out. Looked good.

I thought it would be nice to train outside. All the places looked indoor.

Problem with thailand, there is no poker there.

Post: #53

I dont know if anyone has been watching the Primetime videos leading up to the Condit vs GSP fight but GSP brings in Lam from Tiger Muay Thai to practice is stand up.

Time to watch the fights!

Post: #54

(11-17-2012 08:03 PM)murrb Wrote:  I dont know if anyone has been watching the Primetime videos leading up to the Condit vs GSP fight but GSP brings in Lam from Tiger Muay Thai to practice is stand up.

Time to watch the fights!

yeah i saw that, dude is a beast

Post: #55

(11-17-2012 06:45 PM)pants Wrote:  Any tips for a one month poker/MMA/girl trip in asia?

Cambodia and Philippines allow poker as far as i know.

And for a total beginner in martial art, what type of gym should i look for? It seems a bit intimidating joining a club full of pros.

I really don't know how to spend a month in Asia. All i know is around Christmas i would go to thailand.

I'm going to a couple of different muay thai gyms tomorrow in Chiang Mai to see what one suits me best and hope to be training in the next couple of days, I'll let you gus know how this goes.

Post: #56

Great, let me know!


What experience level you have from before? also check out if they also train some wrestling.

But i think Philippines is better for me; poker, surf, easy girls..

Post: #57

You can train in the Phils as well. Which city are you thinkin? Deftac Manilla has full MMA I believe. Then you have Legacy in Boracay. Probably Western Boxing gyms all over, and some Muay Thai as well. Lots of Jiu Jitsu in Manilla and Cebu.

Post: #58

My plans are very open. I still need to figure out what i wan't do do.

1. Train mma
2. motorbike-trip through Vietnam
3. poker
4. surf

I fly out of Thailand, so i will eventually go there.

If I man up and try learning some martial arts, i will probably go for Philippines, as its a place where i can play poker as well.
And for choosing city, i will go somewhere cheap.

I plan on enter Hong Kong/Macau, if i love it there, maybe I'll settle there for a month. Oh, all the options..

Post: #59

will signing up in a Muay Thai camp allow one to get a visa extension ?

Post: #60

(11-19-2012 04:23 PM)RioNomad Wrote:  You can train in the Phils as well. Which city are you thinkin? Deftac Manilla has full MMA I believe. Then you have Legacy in Boracay. Probably Western Boxing gyms all over, and some Muay Thai as well. Lots of Jiu Jitsu in Manilla and Cebu.

Cheers for the Legacy shout out. Didn't know there were any gyms on Boracay. Will check it out next year.

Post: #61

(11-17-2012 07:08 PM)Rick91 Wrote:  Anyone got any actual experience fighting muay thai in Thailand. Not just training but actually getting fights?

I hope to get some fighting in there next month.

Post: #62

(11-17-2012 07:01 PM)RioNomad Wrote:  If you want to train MMA and have never trained before, check out PhuketTopTeam.com. They have pros there, but believe most of their training will be in closed sessions. I have a friend training there now and says it's really good.

Great recommendation. I was actually more interested in Muay Thai but their 3-month BJJ Blue Belt program looks intense!

I have a question for you since you seem to be pretty knowledgeable about training in Thailand and the country in general. How difficult is it to balance martial arts and getting laid?

Post: #63

(11-19-2012 07:41 PM)Soma Wrote:  

(11-19-2012 04:23 PM)RioNomad Wrote:  You can train in the Phils as well. Which city are you thinkin? Deftac Manilla has full MMA I believe. Then you have Legacy in Boracay. Probably Western Boxing gyms all over, and some Muay Thai as well. Lots of Jiu Jitsu in Manilla and Cebu.

Cheers for the Legacy shout out. Didn't know there were any gyms on Boracay. Will check it out next year.

Hey Soma, if I remember correctly you rented a motor bike or scooter in thailand, right? I think you ended up crashing it or something?

I'm asking because I want to rent a bike here in Chaing Mai, probably a dirt bike style one. Just wondering if you know about insurance policies for Canadians, will they cover me if I get injured since I don't have a bike license back home? thx

Post: #64

(11-19-2012 04:13 PM)pants Wrote:  Great, let me know!


What experience level you have from before? also check out if they also train some wrestling.

But i think Philippines is better for me; poker, surf, easy girls..

So I went to two different Muay Thai gyms in Chaing Mai today, Lanna and and Team Quest (http://lannamuaythai.com/) (http://teamquestmma.net/thailand/).

I showed up at Lanna first and it was quiet, literally no one there, then a thai guy name Deng came out and greeted me. He is a very nice guy and speaks a decent amount of English, I told him what I was looking for and asked if there were any hotels or apartments around. He took me to a few, all within a five minute walk, the nicest one was right next door, about a ten meter walk door-to-door. None of them were nice enough for my tastes but weren't too bad, just small. The area is quite busy with plenty of restaurants and stores around, its also very close to Chiang Mai University, can't say much else about location as I don't yet know the city well. One thing that stuck out about the place was that most of the equipment and gear was quite old and the place was a bit run down, it didn't look all that clean. A few years ago this wouldn't have bothered me but I'm super paranoid about cleanliness around places like gyms now after I picked up MRSA two years ago at a work camp, trust me you don't want this.

Anyway, my second stop was Team Quest which is close to the airport. My first impression was that the place looks very clean and tidy, then out came one of the owners, I forget the guy's name but he's American and really cool. I told him what I'm looking for and he took me around on the back of his scooter (no homo lol) to a few places. The first two were full, basically they won't take in monthly renters because its high season soon and rather take on people for a couple of days because they make more money. Finally we went to another place this guy knew and it was the biggest and nicest one I saw and for me, reasonably priced at 15K/month.

So I decided on Team Quest and will move into that last hotel tomorrow, I've been staying at a decent guest house the past two days but its full of Canadian back packers so am keen on leaving! If you're interested, here's the link to that place (500 Baht/night for private room with AC): http://www.librahousechiangmai.com/

So I hope to begin training tomorrow or the next day and getting settled in Chaing Mai, so far it seems like a really cool place, a lot less hectic than BKK, although not "cooler" (temperature wise) than everyone in BKK said it was going to be.

Big up to RioNomad for giving me recommendations and advice via PM, +1 from me!

Post: #65

(11-20-2012 05:42 AM)scotian Wrote:  So I went to two different Muay Thai gyms in Chaing Mai today, Lanna and and Team Quest (http://lannamuaythai.com/) (http://teamquestmma.net/thailand/).

I showed up at Lanna first and it was quiet, literally no one there, then a thai guy name Deng came out and greeted me. He is a very nice guy and speaks a decent amount of English, I told him what I was looking for and asked if there were any hotels or apartments around. He took me to a few, all within a five minute walk, the nicest one was right next door, about a ten meter walk door-to-door. None of them were nice enough for my tastes but weren't too bad, just small. The area is quite busy with plenty of restaurants and stores around, its also very close to Chiang Mai University, can't say much else about location as I don't yet know the city well. One thing that stuck out about the place was that most of the equipment and gear was quite old and the place was a bit run down, it didn't look all that clean. A few years ago this wouldn't have bothered me but I'm super paranoid about cleanliness around places like gyms now after I picked up MRSA two years ago at a work camp, trust me you don't want this.

Anyway, my second stop was Team Quest which is close to the airport. My first impression was that the place looks very clean and tidy, then out came one of the owners, I forget the guy's name but he's American and really cool. I told him what I'm looking for and he took me around on the back of his scooter (no homo lol) to a few places. The first two were full, basically they won't take in monthly renters because its high season soon and rather take on people for a couple of days because they make more money. Finally we went to another place this guy knew and it was the biggest and nicest one I saw and for me, reasonably priced at 15K/month.

So I decided on Team Quest and will move into that last hotel tomorrow, I've been staying at a decent guest house the past two days but its full of Canadian back packers so am keen on leaving! If you're interested, here's the link to that place (500 Baht/night for private room with AC): http://www.librahousechiangmai.com/

So I hope to begin training tomorrow or the next day and getting settled in Chaing Mai, so far it seems like a really cool place, a lot less hectic than BKK, although not "cooler" (temperature wise) than everyone in BKK said it was going to be.

Big up to RioNomad for giving me recommendations and advice via PM, +1 from me!

Keep us posted on your experiences at TQ. I am going to go there for a month or so in February.

Post: #66

(11-19-2012 09:14 PM)Enigma Wrote:  Great recommendation. I was actually more interested in Muay Thai but their 3-month BJJ Blue Belt program looks intense!

I saw this too. Can't be legit? 3 months for a blue belt? I suppose if you have a wrestling background or aren't completely green on the mat its doable.

Paging RioNomad as he seems to be the resident expert on BJJ.

Post: #67

(11-20-2012 07:24 AM)Lukey Wrote:  I saw this too. Can't be legit? 3 months for a blue belt? I suppose if you have a wrestling background or aren't completely green on the mat its doable.

Paging RioNomad as he seems to be the resident expert on BJJ.

It's possible, under these circumstances. Though I think it would be pretty hard for most to achieve. I am a blue belt in BJJ, and most competition oriented schools it will take you 1-2 years. Some "easier" places give it in 6 months, some wrestlers/natural athletes will get it in less than a year. The main school I trained at you basically had to win gold at some bigger tournaments (not Pan Ams big) to get blue. We were on the harder side to get a blue, with most people, even very good competitors, taking nearly 2 years.

There is a pretty big skill discrepancy in the blue belt rank. I was a white beating a lot of blues, and some of my blue belt team mates would easily have been purples at most schools. It depends on the instructor, and how he views the blue belt. Some schools blue belts are way legit, some not as legit.

Most people will train 3-4 times a week to get their blue in 1-2 years. At Phuket Top Team you will be expected to train 12 times per week. So the actual mat time to get your blue belt will be roughly the same. The problem is that it is very physically demanding to train 12 times per week.

I have heard that Olav Abreau, PTT instructor, is a very good instructor. I have a friend there now and he loves it. Olav is also from Carlson Gracie/BTT lineage, which is top notch and has produced some great BJJ competitors, and probably the most successful BJJ team as far as MMA competition goes.

I think someone could get their blue with this program, as long as they can handle the high workload and do not get sick/burned out.

Post: #68

(11-20-2012 05:42 AM)scotian Wrote:  The first two were full, basically they won't take in monthly renters because its high season soon and rather take on people for a couple of days because they make more money. Finally we went to another place this guy knew and it was the biggest and nicest one I saw and for me, reasonably priced at 15K/month.

If they're refusing monthly renters it's because you're looking at places that get a steady stream of foreigners, which means prices will always be higher. If you keep looking, you can get a nice full-furnished condo for 10K bhat per month - that's in a farang-friendly building with maid service and pool.

I just talked with another buddy yesterday who is renting a 2 bedroom house for $5K. Can't emphasize enough what shopping around can do for you.

Even if you have the money to spend, make sure you're getting your $15K worth. No sense in spending $5K more than you need to. I've seen some at $10K that were pretty luxury.

Beyond All Seas

"The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe.
To be your own man is a hard business. If you try it, you'll be lonely often, and sometimes
frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself." - Kipling

Post: #69

(11-20-2012 05:42 AM)scotian Wrote:  

(11-19-2012 04:13 PM)pants Wrote:  Great, let me know!


What experience level you have from before? also check out if they also train some wrestling.

But i think Philippines is better for me; poker, surf, easy girls..

So I went to two different Muay Thai gyms in Chaing Mai today, Lanna and and Team Quest (http://lannamuaythai.com/) (http://teamquestmma.net/thailand/).

I showed up at Lanna first and it was quiet, literally no one there, then a thai guy name Deng came out and greeted me. He is a very nice guy and speaks a decent amount of English, I told him what I was looking for and asked if there were any hotels or apartments around. He took me to a few, all within a five minute walk, the nicest one was right next door, about a ten meter walk door-to-door. None of them were nice enough for my tastes but weren't too bad, just small. The area is quite busy with plenty of restaurants and stores around, its also very close to Chiang Mai University, can't say much else about location as I don't yet know the city well. One thing that stuck out about the place was that most of the equipment and gear was quite old and the place was a bit run down, it didn't look all that clean. A few years ago this wouldn't have bothered me but I'm super paranoid about cleanliness around places like gyms now after I picked up MRSA two years ago at a work camp, trust me you don't want this.

Anyway, my second stop was Team Quest which is close to the airport. My first impression was that the place looks very clean and tidy, then out came one of the owners, I forget the guy's name but he's American and really cool. I told him what I'm looking for and he took me around on the back of his scooter (no homo lol) to a few places. The first two were full, basically they won't take in monthly renters because its high season soon and rather take on people for a couple of days because they make more money. Finally we went to another place this guy knew and it was the biggest and nicest one I saw and for me, reasonably priced at 15K/month.

So I decided on Team Quest and will move into that last hotel tomorrow, I've been staying at a decent guest house the past two days but its full of Canadian back packers so am keen on leaving! If you're interested, here's the link to that place (500 Baht/night for private room with AC): http://www.librahousechiangmai.com/

So I hope to begin training tomorrow or the next day and getting settled in Chaing Mai, so far it seems like a really cool place, a lot less hectic than BKK, although not "cooler" (temperature wise) than everyone in BKK said it was going to be.

Big up to RioNomad for giving me recommendations and advice via PM, +1 from me!

Hey this exactly the kind of information I want! I saw Team Quest has a gym in Chiang Mai but I am worried that it would be relying solely on the name and there wouldn't be any substance behind it so I'm anxious to hear how this place really is.

I have never really heard of any Team Quest fighters from the U.S going to train in Thailand so I wonder if you will see any or if its just mostly guys that are from Thailand only.

I know Ebersole and quite a few other ufc fighters have trained out of tiger muay thai in phuket but I haven't really heard of any others.

Anyways good luck and Im excited to hear how it goes!

Post: #70

(11-20-2012 05:47 PM)Beyond Borders Wrote:  

(11-20-2012 05:42 AM)scotian Wrote:  The first two were full, basically they won't take in monthly renters because its high season soon and rather take on people for a couple of days because they make more money. Finally we went to another place this guy knew and it was the biggest and nicest one I saw and for me, reasonably priced at 15K/month.

If they're refusing monthly renters it's because you're looking at places that get a steady stream of foreigners, which means prices will always be higher. If you keep looking, you can get a nice full-furnished condo for 10K bhat per month - that's in a farang-friendly building with maid service and pool.

I just talked with another buddy yesterday who is renting a 2 bedroom house for $5K. Can't emphasize enough what shopping around can do for you.

Even if you have the money to spend, make sure you're getting your $15K worth. No sense in spending $5K more than you need to. I've seen some at $10K that were pretty luxury.

I looked at the 9apartments website and they have alot of decent looking studio apartments for around 5 or 6 thousand baht in bkk so I was hoping to get something similar to that price range in Chiang Mai but I can't find a good site that has chiang mai apartments.

Is it best just to beat the streets once I'm there to look for the best deal? Or do you know of a good website that would have budget apartments around 5 or 6k a month?

Post: #71

(11-20-2012 07:24 AM)Lukey Wrote:  

(11-19-2012 09:14 PM)Enigma Wrote:  Great recommendation. I was actually more interested in Muay Thai but their 3-month BJJ Blue Belt program looks intense!

I saw this too. Can't be legit? 3 months for a blue belt? I suppose if you have a wrestling background or aren't completely green on the mat its doable.

Paging RioNomad as he seems to be the resident expert on BJJ.

If you check out the information page for the program, they link to an MMA forum where people are discussing this:

http://www.sherdog.net/forums/f12/bjj-ca...s-2244315/

I didn't read the whole thread but on page 9 PhuketTopTeam starts posting and shares this:

With the team now in Bangkok for the 2012 BJJ OPEN
day 1 (Bjj Gi tournament)
had 5 competitors 4 white belts and a purple
Took 3 Gold and 1 Silver from 5 guys.

Two of the gold medals were white belts. 1 had never train BJJ before and was with us 2 months. Now a white belt Gold champion.
The second white belt guy never trained in the Gi before and is now a Gi white belt Gold champion. (came to us with very little grapling)

we are going to show through our training, hard work and under Prof. Olavo Abreau, that we are doing only quality things.

Then they post some videos of the tournament and for the No Gi tournament they had 3 guys competing with 3 golds and 2 silvers.

Seems like they're getting pretty solid results. I'm more interested in getting a good BJJ foundation with challenging training from a good instructor than a belt anyways.

Post: #72

(11-20-2012 06:33 PM)murrb Wrote:  I looked at the 9apartments website and they have alot of decent looking studio apartments for around 5 or 6 thousand baht in bkk so I was hoping to get something similar to that price range in Chiang Mai but I can't find a good site that has chiang mai apartments.

Is it best just to beat the streets once I'm there to look for the best deal? Or do you know of a good website that would have budget apartments around 5 or 6k a month?

Check this site: http://chiangmai.thaiapartments.net/

Post: #73

(11-19-2012 10:25 PM)scotian Wrote:  

(11-19-2012 07:41 PM)Soma Wrote:  

(11-19-2012 04:23 PM)RioNomad Wrote:  You can train in the Phils as well. Which city are you thinkin? Deftac Manilla has full MMA I believe. Then you have Legacy in Boracay. Probably Western Boxing gyms all over, and some Muay Thai as well. Lots of Jiu Jitsu in Manilla and Cebu.

Cheers for the Legacy shout out. Didn't know there were any gyms on Boracay. Will check it out next year.

Hey Soma, if I remember correctly you rented a motor bike or scooter in thailand, right? I think you ended up crashing it or something?

I'm asking because I want to rent a bike here in Chaing Mai, probably a dirt bike style one. Just wondering if you know about insurance policies for Canadians, will they cover me if I get injured since I don't have a bike license back home? thx

Good memory. It was a clusterfuck of conditions: pouring rain, middle of the night, drunk, shitty bike with bald tires. (I'm no amateur either, been riding bikes for years in such conditions.) Since I only received minor road rash - and an important life lesson - I didn't try to claim any insurance as the medical costs for multiple hospital visits totalled something like $100.

I believe to legally drive a bike in Thailand you need an overseas driver's license, not necessarily a bike specific one, though others here may have more accurate information. As to your question, your provincial insurance won't cover medical expenses for injuries overseas, full stop. If you have travel insurance (which you should!) then the best answer I can give is maybe. The policies are usually vague enough to give them a lot of leeway in deciding whether to comp you or not. My guess is that if its a small but non-negligible amount, e.g. for a broken leg, and you have the right documentation they will. However, if it's a large amount, e.g. big car accident and you need to be airlifted, then they'll scrutinize it much closer and you might get fucked, e.g. if you have alcohol in your system.

Post: #74

I did my first three hour session of Muay Thai at Team Quest today, it went very well but it was very physically demanding and I'm one hurting unit right now. There's two sessions each day, the first from 0700-1000 and the second from 1600-1900, I plan on attending the after noon session for the first few days just to get used to it and start doing both next Monday, Sunday is a day off for everyone, which I'm sure I'll be looking forward to by that time.

I was the only beginner there today but there are a couple of guys there who've only been at it a couple of weeks, there's also some pro MMA guys and other who come from martial arts backgrounds. As for me, I'm completely new and have never done a day of any martial arts training in my life, which was quite evident today as I now realize that I have the hand-eye coordination of a baked potato. My cardio isn't great and endurance is low but the trainers didn't mind if I took breaks, I'm sure it'll get better over the coming days and week.

Guys, if you're going to come to one of these, especially if you're new to it like myself, do yourself a favor and get your cardio up, do lots of running, skipping rope, etc before you come, I regret not having done so.

Post: #75

If you think your cardio sucks now, wait until your first real sparring session lol.