5 Mistakes To Avoid Training Muay Thai In Thailand

AVOID THESE TRAPS WHEN TRAINING IN THAILAND

By Sean Fagan

Are you thinking about training Muay Thai in Thailand?

Do yourself this one favor. Before you head over to train at a Muay Thai training camp in Thailand, get an of idea of what to expect for the training and living conditions.

Training in Thailand is no joke and you have to do your research and be prepared!

Muay Thai training camps in Thailand provide Nak Muay (muay thai students) like yourself with the perfect venue to take your skills to the next level. By traveling to the home of this awesome martial art you will have access to the best teachers, great training partners and the most effective training routines.

Chances are it will mean training at an intensity that your mind and body are not used to. The initial adjustment period can be a bit of a challenge, but the potential payoff makes the hardships along the way worthwhile.

If you want to make training Muay Thai in Thailand a positive life changing experience, try to avoid these common mistakes that could lead to injury, sickness, mental fatigue, depression or stories you won’t want to tell anyone back at home. 

Below are some of the most common mistakes you should try to avoid at all costs when living and training Muay Thai in Thailand!

NOTE: I wrote this over 5 years ago BEFORE I lived in Thailand. Most of these tips still apply, but just wanted to give fair warning that some might have changed ;)

#1. Training At 100% Once You Arrive

A common error is that students will arrive at a Muay Thai training camp and launch right into full intensity training. I did this same exact thing the first time I trained Muay Thai in Thailand and it really affected my mind and body in a very negative way.

My body had no time to adjust to the heat and I was still jet lagged like whoa (12 hour time difference will do that). I quickly developed symptoms of overtraining and found myself with nagging injuries.

With experiencing this first hand I’d suggest to take the first week slowly to avoid the inevitable injuries and illness. 

Here's some of my recent training as of 2019:

#2. Training 2x A Day, 6 Days A Week

If you haven’t been training like this back at your home gym, what makes you think you can jump right into full-time training when you arrive to train in Thailand? 

And regardless, this type of intensity can take some getting used to whether or not you train this often at home. Training in Thailand is a completely different story than training at home, so skipping some classes during the first week might be the smart thing to do until your body adjusts.

If you want to make it to every class I would suggest to do what I did; I would have easy days and hard days. Easy days I would do everything light (light cardio, less rounds of padwork, no sparring) and the hard days I would push it more (hard rounds on the pads, sparring, weights etc.).

A Typical Day of Training Muay Thai in Paradise

#3. Heat Exhaustion

If you are not familiar with a tropical climate you can easily end up with heat exhaustion if they are not careful. I know I’m stating the obvious but… Thailand is HOT!!! 

Avoid heat exhaustion and drink plenty of fluids while training and be aware of how hard you are pushing your body. In many of the less touristy muay thai camps the group will share communal water from a bucket filled with ice – if you are concerned about hygiene (like I am) bring your own bottled water.

#4. Partying Hard

#5. Mental Exhaustion

I went through periods of depression, anxiety and overall mental fatigue at both my stays in Thailand. Not only would I over train and fatigue my mind and body but I would also miss my family, my friends and most importantly my dog.

If you go through a slump where you just feel a bit negative about things just reaffirm yourself with positive thoughts. Remind yourself why you’re there and why you are doing what you do.

Keep in mind this is usually just a temporary condition (some would say that it is part of the process) and you have remember that there is always light at the end of the tunnel!