Who trains at Jitti's Gym? Jitti's Gym provides a professional and friendly atmosphere where people from all races, religions, nationalities and genders, and at all levels of fitness, can train and learn the art of Muay Thai. We have professional fighters who box regularly in Thailand, Cambodia, Japan and around the world, as well as beginners who are just learning. People who train at Jitti's Gym have different goals. Some are professional boxers, some are part-time fighters who plan on stepping into the ring only a few times in their life to test themselves. Others are interested solely in self-defense skills and never plan to compete. Others are interested primarily in fitness and getting or staying slim and find Muay Thai more interesting than say, an Aerobics class or running on a treadmill. Many people are tourists who would like a taste of Muay Thai to add to their understanding of Thai culture. We also have many people from other martial arts who are interested in cross training with Muay Thai to make their martial arts knowledge more well rounded. We have many Japanese people, Europeans and North Americans. We also have many women who train (including the current World Champion). I have met people from the ages of 8 to 55 plus training at Jitti's Gym.
Who are the instructors? Jitti's instructors are all former or current professional Thai boxers and former champions. The level of instruction is extremely high. These guys are committed to Muay Thai and try to push everyone to their maximum limit. I have been training for over three years and everytime I go to the gym I learn something new. Also, you can learn a lot from the other people who you are training with. I, and many of the other gym members, have a background in other martial arts. We often compare techniques and teach eachother what we know.
Training Times: 9.00 am-10.00 am and 16.00 pm-19.00 pm.(Daily except "Songran"-Thai New Year) Most people show up for the afternoon session. The training sessions are less structured than other tyes of martial arts classes, so if you show up late, it's not a problem.
Training Method: We start with skipping a weighted rope to warm up, develop stamina and rythm and to develop our calf, wrist, hand and forearm strength. Next comes a variety of calisthenic type exercises that are aimed at developing those muscles and reflexes that a Muay Thai fighter needs. After this, we normally do shadow boxing to work on our techniques. Then, when your turn comes up, you train with a Thai trainer who holds pads for you to strike. This is meant to duplicate as closely as possible,actually fighting, but you (usually) don't get hit back. The pad training is the highlight for many people of their training session. You get to practice your techniques with full power and under the guidance of a professional. Also it's very, very good aerobic exercise. Beginners can normally complete two 3-minute rounds. If you're in okay shape, maybe you can complete three 3-minute rounds. Advanced persons can go up to five rounds or more. After pad training, you can spar with other persons, if you wish. Nobody will force you to spar if you don't feel comfortable. Again, everything is up to the individual. We then work on Muay "Plom", or upright grappling techniques. These are the very effective techniques that you see Thai boxers use when they are clinching. These techniques are extremely effective for self defense and also take patience, concentration and constant practice to master. The upright grappling techniques of Muay Thai look simple to the untrained eye, but once you begin to study all the variations, you realize that the upright grappling is itself a full set of martial art techniques that resemble, in certain respects, Aikido or Jiu Jitsu in that they employ pressure points, nerve centers, circular motion, maximum usage of leverage, and a refined understanding of body mechanics and human anatomy. After this, we do more calisthenics and stretching.
Costs: Prices are variable based on what type of program you want. Contact Jitti for more information.
Safety: Every effort is made to provide a safe training atmosphere. However, injuries do occur and we can accept no responsibility for injuries. You assume the risk when you practice and you should use common sense. If an activity is beyond your level, don't be afraid to say "NO". Noone will pressure you to do any activity if you don't feel comfortable. Generally, if injuries occur, they occur while sparring with other persons. If you're going to spar, you should have a groin guard and a mouth guard. Only spar with people you trust. The aim of sparring is to improve your technique and not to "win". People who do not understand this should not be sparring. If you are a violent person who doesn't know how to train without hurting other people, please do not come to Jitti's Gym. With non-sparring activities, there is much less risk of injuries, and usually you just need to be prepared for muscle soreness and small bruises on your shins from kicking the pads.
Equipment Jitti's has heavy bags, a padded ring and supplies handwraps, shin guards, jumpropes and gloves of various sizes.
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