The Bear Fight Club [Gym Review]

Walking into The Bear Fight Club (TBFC), I was surprised by the size of the gym despite seeing the entrance tucked away. I immediately felt the energy and friendliness of the students and coaches. All the coaches were welcoming and professional. The classes are mixed and you can train with all levels, including with the high level fighters that regularly compete on Channel 7, Rajadamnern, and ONE Lumpinee. Everyone is super friendly.

Guest post by Natalie Wong
Edited by Angela Chang

Contents:

• Arrival
• The Camp
• Training
• Other Things To Do
• Food
• Other Things to Note
• Overview

Arrival

The Bear Fight Club is a 10-15 minute car ride from the Chiang Mai Airport (CNX). It is centrally located in the main “square” of Chiang Mai where many other well known tourist attractions, such as Thapae Gate and Wua Lai Walking Street, are located. You are within walking distance to the night markets and a quick motorbike ride to the local Muay Thai stadiums.

There are no onsite accommodations, but there are several housing options close by (you may need to speak to Kru Bear) in addition to a variety of hotels for short term stay. The gym manager and coaches speak fairly fluent English so they should be able to answer any questions you have.

When entering the gym, lots of shoes are at the front, as it’s required to remove them before stepping on the mats.

Note: If you decide to stay further from the main square, I would be sure to account for traffic when traveling to the morning and evening class times since the traffic can be pretty bad.

The Camp 

The gym has all the standard equipment you would expect to find in a gym. There is a ring towards the back, two extra-large heavy bags and four medium heavy bags, and jigsaw mat space. To either side of the ring, there is space for weights and tires to jump on, as well as a stationary bike and treadmill.

There is one bathroom/shower and a sink on the outside. They keep a water cooler and ice in the entryway to the gym where people take off their shoes.

Pads and gear available to borrow is along the back of the gym.

The gym is located on a side street and close to the Buak Hard Public Park. 

Training

Unlike most gyms in Thailand, the gym is closed on Mondays, and the other days have three training slots:

• 8:30 – 10:30 (morning)
• 13:00 – 15:00 (afternoon)
• 16:00 – 18:00 (evening)

If you do not wish to train in the group sessions, private training sessions are held from 10:30 – 15:00. 

Training is predominantly structured around the class schedule. When you arrive, the first thing you should do is write your name on the whiteboard. More on this later.

Fighters are expected to run prior to class. Most fighters typically showed up at least 30 minutes before class to run at Buak Hard Public Park, a nearby park where you can run laps without having to breathe in the car pollution. This is the park that many of the fighters run. The park is beautifully landscaped and maintained and includes an area for free weights, along with exercise machines around the perimeter of the running/biking path, water fountains, public restrooms. There are also courts for many local net sports. This park was a major perk considering it was so close to the gym. There were also other outdoor fitness classes taking place like Yoga, Tai Chi, and cardio fitness.

Running length varies for everyone. I was initially told to run 10 laps, which is the equivalent of about 8-9 km, but I eventually found out that it was still left to the discretion of the fighter. Fighters were expected to run before both morning and evening training. Some also jumped rope or bounced on the tires after running, while the remaining class did warmups and fighters were waiting for padwork. 

Warm-ups can include running through a circuit for about 10-15 minutes, doing a variation of ladder agility and cone drills with footwork and light cardio technique drills.

The coaches demonstrate four or five partner drills to practice. They demonstrate the drill, then give the students time to practice the combinations.

As mentioned earlier, TBFC allows each student to “sign up” with the padholder of their choosing. Whatever coaches are there for the session are displayed on the board. You can write your name next to the coach you want to hit pads with. Signing up gives you a realistic expectation on how long you may have to wait for pads that day.

The board is set up as a chart with coach names in the first column, and the additional columns to the right are numbered. Each column designates (usually) 3 rounds of padwork. If you are not hitting pads, you are sparring. (Beginners hit the bag instead). This means if you sign up for the fifth column (meaning there are 4 students who signed up for the same coach as you), you will be sparring for 12 rounds before you get to hit pads.

Padwork rounds vary depending on the number of students. For the most part, each padwork round is 4 minutes with 2 minute rest. Coaches usually include some variation of 10-20 pushups, sit-ups, or squats between rounds. If there are more people training than usual, each person will get 3 rounds.

If you have a fight coming up, you will hit pads later than everyone and will get at least four rounds. Padwork will be more intense than if you’re doing a regular class.

Every class is structured about the same, with evening training longer for fighters due to clinching and strength training after padwork (roughly an additional hour). Clinch work is immediately followed by push-up control with the group, teeps and knees on the bag, sit-ups, and using free weights to strength train. While the coaches will not nag you to do your reps, they do pay attention to who stays late to complete them. Do your reps and put the work. They may not say anything, but they definitely will notice.

Other Things to Do

Sunday Doi Suthep Run

In addition to training, TBFC also offers an organized “trip” to Doi Suthep where you can do a group run up the mountain early Sunday morning. Anyone who wants to join, meets at the gym, where transportation, checkpoints, and snacks are arranged. During the run, there will be people who wait at “checkpoints” to make sure everyone completes the run or gets assistance to the top. They also take photos/videos of you while running.

This was, hands down, one of the more memorable events during my stay in Chiang Mai. If you get the opportunity to go, do it. The mountain is a famous landmark in Chiang Mai and a great way to bond with your teammates. The whole run was about 10-11 km.

Monday Soccer

I did not get to participate in this since, but the gym also offers coaches vs students soccer (football) matches at a local park. You can check their Instagram for more information.

In the Area

Chiang Mai is certainly not as busy as Bangkok, but there are plenty of things to do outside of training. Similar to anywhere else in Thailand, there are night markets (Wua Lai Walking Street and Sunday Market), various shopping malls (Festival chain of shopping malls and MAYA Lifestyle Shopping Center as one of the “nicer” malls), and a plethora of cafes (some recommended below). In addition, there are some outdoor landmarks worth exploring such as Doi Suthep mountain and the Chiang Mai “Sticky Waterfall“. Chiang Mai is also known for their elephant sanctuaries.

Chiang Mai Muay Thai Stadiums are a must for any Muay Thai fan. Stadiums include Kalare Night Bazaar and Pavilion (Fairtex), Loi Kroh, Thapae Boxing Stadium, and Chiang Mai Boxing Stadium.

If you decide to fight locally, you will undoubtedly fight at any one or all of these stadiums. What’s worth noting is once you fight at that stadium, you can enter all future fights for free by showing the ticket person your fight poster.

There are a bunch of temples you can visit. Just be mindful about the dresscode and other traditions. There is also the Mahamakut Buddhist University. Throughout the day you will see a number of monks walking around the city.

For recovery, many fighters go to Looper Pool. You can get a day pass to use the amenities available at this facility like cold plunge, swimming pool, and saunas.

Food

The are plenty of food options including the Chiang Mai Gate Market (very close to TBFC), Wua Lai, Sunday Night Market, Phaploen Market, and tons of restaurants within walking distance.

These are a few coffee shops super close to TBFC with some nice atmosphere:

• Carrot Coffee CNX
• Sunday Baker
• Friend Coffee & Bar

Other Things to Note 

Please keep in mind that women do have to go under the ropes when entering and exiting the ring, but everyone partners together for clinching and sparring.

For those who need to get their hair braided for fights, I highly recommend Ben Hair Salon. It is run by a cute older woman who knows how to braid – and she braids fast! Message to schedule an appointment. She also takes walk-ins.

Summary

Location: Mueang Chiang Mai District, Chiang Mai

Proximity/Convenience to Other Things: Centrally located in the main “square” of Chiang Mai where many other well known tourist attractions

Price: Contact the camp for more info as this changes pretty often. Instagram | Facebook | Email

Training: Three possible training sessions a day. You can pick who you hit pads with by signing up on a board. Training includes sparring, bagwork, padwork, and drills. If you are fighting, you are expected to run and clinch. Trainers will not force you to do anything, but they pay attention who is putting in the required work and who isn’t.

Gym Culture: Everyone is super friendly. Women have to go under the bottom rope when entering and exiting the rings.

Language: Gym manager and trainers speak English very well. You should not have any issues communicating if you speak English.

Getting There: The gym is centrally located in the city. For most, you can easily get to the gym by walking or Grab/Bolt/etc. There is also a small area for you to park your bike.