THE MUAY THAI GUYS PODCAST: EPISODE #73

By Sean Fagan

There are some unwritten rules when it comes to stepping foot into a new gym. However, most people are unaware of these unwritten rules because, well – they’re unwritten.

Fortunately, MTG writer Angela Chang put together a great post a few weeks back on the 13 Rules For Proper Gym Etiquette, which gave Paul and I the idea to cover the same topic in podcast form… so that’s exactly what we did!

Click Here To Listen To TMTG 073: Muay Thai Gym Etiquette: Do’s and Dont’s

We cover the 13 aspects that Angela talk about but go into further detail about each area including:

• Don’t be late! Show up on time and show that you’re ready to put in the work.
• No shoes on the mat. Should be quite obvious, but people tend to neglect it.
• Get your own gear. Sometimes gyms have lender equipment, but you’re always better off using your own (for cleanliness purposes)
• Clean your gear. Sanitize, air out and keep good care of your gear if you don’t
...

FIVE SIGNS OF A HIGH-QUALITY MUAY THAI TRAINER

By Angela Chang

With more and more gyms popping up everywhere, especially the ones that call themselves “Muay Thai trainers,” it can be difficult to tell who’s legit and who’s not.

By “legit,” I mean who actually qualifies to be a trainer. A number of things will qualify you to do anything at a particularly high level: your experience, your skills, your resume (i.e. what you’ve accomplished).

“You haven’t fought professionally? You’ve only been doing this a couple of years? You trained under your hairdresser??” These aren’t necessarily dealbreakers, but they are big red flags.

Are you unsure about your coach or trainer? Here are some signs of a high-quality Muay Thai coach. If you can’t think of your trainer and confidently check off the following five signs of a good trainer, then you may need to switch gyms – pronto!

YOUR TRAINER FREQUENTLY CORRECTS YOU

You signed up at the Muay Thai gym to learn. Even if you’re not planni...

No matter how long or short you’ve been practicing Muay Thai, it’s always good to look over some general etiquette so the gym is a comfortable place for everyone.

By Sean Fagan

1. Show up on time. Better yet, show up 10-15 min early.

One of the best quotes when it comes to punctuality came from the movie Drumline:

“If you’re on time you’re late, if you’re early you’re on time.”

Get off to a good start by showing your trainers that you’re game and ready to learn; the first step to doing this is respecting the class start and end times. Show up early to change, wrap your hands, and other things you may need to do before taking a class.

2. No shoes on the mat.

This goes for most martial arts, not just Muay Thai. Stepping on the mat with your shoes brings in all the dirty stuff from outside and can include diseases like staph.

3. Have and bring your own gear.

If you’re just starting out, it’s understandable that you need some time before ordering your first pair of gloves.

But ...