How Muay Thai camps actually work behind the scenes. I’ve had numerous questions about the cost of gym memberships in Thailand. To be quite frank, I never addressed that in my e-book. The reason why was simple: the book was written before the gyms upped the prices even more post-COVID.
Let’s be real, some gyms charge outrageous prices. They have a big name and use it to their advantage. But where does this come from? Why do they charge so much more than gyms in the West? To answer that question, we have to go back to the golden age.
The Golden Age of Muay Thai: no gym fees
Back in the 90’s, a gym fee was non-existent. The Thais were really confused when they saw foreigners coming in. Back then, gyms were different. The fighters came from the countryside to Bangkok either through affiliated gyms or by buying them.
It’s basically like a sports team contracting a player from another team. The same principle applies, but the details are different. Fighters would live and eat at the gym. The gym owner provided everything for them. They essentially invested in the fighters, hoping to reap some benefit from it.
The fighters don’t get everything for free. It comes with a price. They have to give up a certain percentage of their purse. How much depends on the gym. I know a gym that takes nothing despite giving free housing and food, which is rare. Most gyms take 50%, some 70% or more.
This is how the gyms used to generate revenue. But as a gym owner once said. Investing in fighters is a risky business. Some barely fight in the stadiums and leave. Others never live up to their potential, etc.
It’s an unforgiving business.
Well, it was because Muay Thai became more popular. There was an opportunity to change the structure, and the gyms took it. They went from fighter investment models to customer-based pricing.
Gym fees entered the picture.
Somewhere down the line, they figured out that foreigners coming here were willing to pay money just to train in Muay Thai. That came in handy since it was easy money and helped the Muay Thai camps survive.
What most people don’t realize is that many camps couldn’t survive after the golden age. The fight purses decreased dramatically, and the camps had fewer fighters than before. The sport was facing a massive crisis. By focusing more on attracting customers and less on attracting fighters, the gyms were able to provide a sustainable cash flow without having to have many headaches or worries.
They can pay for the trainers and maintain their gyms more easily now.
The rise in popularity has ramped up these prices quite a lot. As a famous trainer said, “The days of cheap Muay Thai are over.”
There is definitely a focus on attracting rich people when it comes to training and fighting. Which is kind of a shame. Because fighting is still mostly a poor man’s sport if we’re brutally honest about it.
And with gym fees like this, it’ll be very difficult for most to make a career out of it. At least in Thailand.
There is one more thing that is lacking in Thai gyms at the moment.
Right now, gyms are adapting financially but not scientifically. Especially when it comes to nutrition and weight cuts. Fighters are often forced to use outdated methods, which makes it harder than it needs to be.
I work with fighters and hobbyists to plan and execute nutrition strategies for hard camps, including weight cuts, heat acclimation, and sweat rate testing.
If you have a fight booked and want structure instead of guesswork, you can sign up on Gumroad or reach out via Instagram or Substack.
Until next time
Alex
