Sangmorakot Muay Thai Academy [Gym Review]

Winding through the roads of one of the oldest neighborhoods of Bangkok, the driver turns into a narrow street and suddenly stops. “Your destination is on the left”, the GPS navigation announces in Thai. I quickly get off the motorcycle, thank him, and look around. I don’t see any sign of a Muay Thai gym nearby. I open up Maps on my phone, and it looks like the gym should be just a short walk away. Feeling a bit unsure, I walk through the gates of a nearby temple and ask a woman selling food if she knows where the gym is. “Keep walking straight, and the camp will be on the left side,” she responds simply and with confidence. “You’ll see it.”

I start walking deeper into the temple grounds, passing by a school and some monks. The nerves set in. Maybe I’m in the wrong place? Still, I trust her directions and keep going. Sure enough, there was a gym. Tucked behind a large shrine and lush tropical plants, Sangmorakot Muay Thai Academy (“The Shining Emerald”) greeted me with the creaks of swinging heavy bags.

Contents

• Location & Accomodation
• The Gym
• Training
• Other Things To Do
• Things to Note
• Summary

Location & Accomodation

Sangmorakot Muay Thai Academy is located in Central (although slightly west) Bangkok, not too far from the old neighborhoods of Chinatown (Yaowarat), Talad Noi, and the famous Khao San Road. These areas are full of family-run shops, cozy restaurants, vintage stores, hostels, and more. The streets are lively with the sounds of local workers and tourists looking for a good place to stay that isn’t too chaotic. In fact, Rajadamnern Stadium is only a few minutes away from the camp!

This unique setting paints a rather interesting experience. It’s not uncommon for the monks of Wat Sitaram and kids from the temple school nearby to stop occasionally and observe training.

“Sangmorakot has been open for over 40 years,” says Top, owner of the camp. “My father, Jar Tui, started this place. I’ve taken over as of 8 years ago, but I’ve been assisting him with taking care of the camp for a while.” Jar Tui, aka Sergeant Thitipong Aumanun, is a former military official in the Royal Thai Air Force. Top is doing his best to follow in his father’s footsteps and maintain the camp to the same standards.

The gym does not offer accommodation or food for people wishing to train at the gym. However, there is no shortage of nearby hotels. The owner of the camp, Top is happy to recommend a few hotels he has previously sent guests to. The gym does offer training rates on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis.

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The Gym

Let’s start with the obvious: the gym is not big. Heavy bags and punching tires line the mats of two sides of the gym, while a large ring is tucked into the back corner. The remaining corner has some dumbbells and other basic equipment. It’s the true definition of no-frills.

The mats could use some replacing; they’re quite worn down, which makes the surface slippery when the gym gets busy with foreigners and roster Thai fighters training at the same time. That can make it tricky to keep your footing during padwork or sparring.

But what this gym lacks in polish, it makes up for in reputation, having been developing fighters for decades. In 2004, Sangmorakot won the “Best Muay Thai Camp of Thailand” award and has been consistently recognized internationally.

“Our camp is very traditional,” says Top. “We focus on the training more than anything else. We want people to train hard.”

Sangmorakot may be small, but it has a surprisingly large team of 8 to 10 trainers. They range in age from their 20s to their 70s. Kru Gae greets all new visitors personally. He always asks for their names, tells them what to do, and when to do it. He’s very friendly and makes sure everyone feels comfortable. The other trainers tend to be more reserved. They are spread throughout the gym, chatting and waiting for their turn to hold pads.

The trainers’ padholding styles also vary a bit depending on their age. Most of the older trainers stick with a very classic Golden Era style of training, calling for mainly power shots. The younger trainers are a bit more dynamic and include lots of combinations, incorporating some stance changes as well as spinning techniques.

There are several professional Thai fighters at the gym who fight at all different levels and Muay Thai scenes. Some, like BinLaden and Worrajaklek, fight on the three-round shows like ONE Lumpinee and Thai Fight. Supachailek and Petchphayathai fight on the stadium scene. There are numerous other fighters of different ages and experience levels, including some teenagers who are allowed to attend school in addition to fighting.

Top is a matchmaker for a few shows in Bangkok, and is able to get you a fight during your stay (provided you are there for an amount of time deemed acceptable and at a level suitable for the show).

At the back of the gym, there are two bathrooms with showers and changing areas. There’s also a bigger space with just urinals. They provide water, so don’t forget to bring your own bottle!

They have some loaner gear for people who didn’t come with their own wraps, gloves, and shinguards, but, as always, for hygienic reasons, it’s always better to bring your own.

Training

Morning training officially starts at 7am. “In the mornings, we have the fighters focus more on running,” says Top. “The Thai professional fighters head to a nearby park around 6, and come back to the gym around 7:30. If they have a fight coming up, they hit pads.” For the foreign visitors, most are not expected to go running. But, like most camps in Thailand, if you are a fighter and planning on fighting during your stay at the gym, it is expected that you get up to run. The training in the morning is the same everyday: padwork, some bagwork, and sparring.

Afternoon training starts at 3pm, but people can trickle in later with no issues. If you want to do all the training activities, it’s best to get there right at 3. Arriving much later might mean missing out on sparring or specialized attention during shadowboxing.

Afternoon training starts with 20 minutes of skipping, followed by 2-3 rounds of shadowboxing. Then comes padwork (or bagwork, depending on when you get called for pads), sparring, some knees, and teep on the bag. And, if they deem your level to be appropriate (assuming you aren’t wiped already!), you’ll be asked to get into the ring to clinch.

The afternoon training sessions are also the same every day: skipping, shadowboxing, padwork, bagwork, sparring, and clinching. On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, there is boxing sparring. If you wish to take part in boxing sparring, make sure you let the trainers know you wish to join. After clinching, you may be told to do some knees on the bag along with some drills that involve the push kick and/or middle kicks. Then the training is finished. If you usually do some kind of bodyweight exercises at the end of training, you will have to be self-disciplined and find some space within the gym to do these.

In the week I was there, there were at least 10 foreigners training. Some of them were there for several weeks, while some only dropped in once or twice. During the warmup, the gym didn’t feel too crowded, but once the Thai fighters and the other trainers started practicing on the mats (adding up to at least 30 people), it became really packed. The pad work is done on the mats, with the ring set aside for a couple of the older trainers to hold pads. There’s hardly much space to move around. Even when hitting the bags, you need to stay alert so you don’t accidentally angle into a stray kick or punch.

When it comes to sparring, everyone is considered when changing partners between rounds. (This meant that I, usually one of the smallest-bodied adults in any gym, had to spar with beginner foreigners who were considerably larger than I was.) Luckily, I also had plenty of chances to work with their Thai fighters, which I preferred because they usually control their aim and strength better, no matter what the size difference. As with most other gyms, sparring with the Thai fighters was always technical in nature (sparring with the foreigners was a mixed bag). A few days in, Top was quick to replace the big foreign beginners that Kru Gae had paired me with for sparring, giving me a Thai training partner instead. I hadn’t requested it, so this small proactive change was a thoughtful and much-appreciated gesture.

Pad rounds are 4 minutes long with 1 minute rest. Everyone starts and finishes each round together, following the timing on a big kitchen timer near the front of the gym. Everyone gets four rounds of padwork by default – most other camps do three rounds. “If you have an upcoming fight, we’ll have you do extra training and more rounds on padwork, like 6 or 7 rounds,” notes Top.

Other Things to Do

Bangkok is one of the top tourist destinations in the world, so there is no shortage of things to do outside of training. Sangmorakot is centrally located just a short distance away from the older neighborhoods of Chinatown (Yaowarat area), Talad Noi, and the infamous Khao San. It is also quite easy to get to the downtown areas of Sukhumvit if shopping is more up your alley.

Things to Note

The Muay Thai training at the gym is structured similarly to most other camps, but with more guidance. Everyone in the gym is doing the same things at the same time (usually).

The vibe at Sangmorakot is that of a traditional, old-school fighter gym, shaped by a combination of its social dynamics, training philosophy, and physical environment. The gym has a distinct atmosphere that feels quite masculine, a “boys club” vibe, though not in an overtly discriminatory way. While many camps in Thailand somehow balance this energy, Sangmorakot’s environment felt different, and not simply because I was often the only woman present.

The trainers were consistently respectful and maintained professional boundaries with their behavior and speech. With the fighters, the social dynamic was very high-spirited and enthusiastic. As a foreign woman fighter who speaks Thai and was training there consistently, I noticed some fighters engaged with me in a particularly excited and personable manner. (This was a different style of interaction than I observed with women who were visiting for single sessions.) The trainers often joined in on the general laughter and banter, contributing to an overall casual and the previously mentioned “boys club” vibe. This isn’t necessarily “good” or “bad,” but it’s an aspect of the gym’s dynamic worth noting for context.

Despite the masculine energy in the gym, Top and the trainers are really fair and welcoming to everyone. They always consider each person’s skill level. On my very first day, after I finished sparring and working on the bags, Top came over and asked if I wanted to clinch with the Thai fighters (of course, I said yes!). Over the week, the trainers quickly adjusted their padholding and instruction to better match my capabilities and experience, which I found very encouraging and refreshing.

Speaking of Top, it is extremely clear that he runs a tight ship and expects everyone to work together as a team. When he’s around, he keeps a close eye on everything and gives helpful advice as he passes by. To the foreign fighters, he might suggest sparring tactics to help them score more points in a fight. To the teenage fighters, he’ll tell them to adjust their hands when they clinch to gain a more favorable position. He even steps in to hold pads if there are lots of people. On my third day, he looked around and asked if I had hit pads yet. Before I could answer, he loudly asked, “Who held pads for her?” to make sure I wasn’t just hitting the bag by myself all the time. Top isn’t just the boss; he’s a true leader. He talks the talk and walks the walk. Because of that, everyone in the gym respects him and knows what he expects. He does his best to not write off any paying customers, and makes sure all visitors get value for their time and money.

Women are expected to go under the bottom rope when entering and exiting the ring.

Summary

Location: Pom Prap Sattru Phai, Bangkok

Proximity/Convenience to Other Things: Sangmorakot is centrally located just a short distance away from the older neighborhoods of Chinatown (Yaowarat area), Talad Noi, and the infamous Khao San. It is also quite easy to get to the downtown areas of Sukhumvit if shopping is more up your alley.

Price: Contact Sangmorakot as training fees can change. Reserving a slot for training is usually not required as many people walk in, but it’s recommended if you come during high season.

Training: Morning training starts at 7 and afternoon training starts at 3:00. In the mornings, after running, the session with include pads, bagwork, and sparring. Afternoon sessions will include pads, bagwork, sparring and clinching. There is no variation between each day in terms of training, except for the inclusion of boxing sparring on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday afternoons. Private sessions are also offered. Women are expected to go under the bottom rope when entering and exiting the ring.

Gym Culture: Masculine but fair when it comes to training and fight opportunities. The training is fairly structured, and visitors are never left wondering what they should be doing. It is a traditional professional training environment, so you are expected to do your best and keep up with the training regimen.

Language: Most of the trainers and fighters cannot speak English, but a couple have no issues with the basics and can communicate. Top is fluent in English.

Getting There: Taxi or MRT stations Wat Mangkkon / Sam Yot (~20 minute walk to the camp).

If you want an in-depth guide to training in Thailand, I’ve got just the thing.