My first experience in Bangkok — and let me tell you — it was an experience.One thing that caught me completely off guard was the sheer overload: people, smells, sounds, heat, movement. The intensity of the city is relentless. Before going to Bangkok, I knew it would be busy. I knew how many people lived there. But knowing and experiencing are two very different things.

Some people thrive in the madness of city living. Me? I could take it or leave it. The problem with Bangkok is it doesn’t give you that option. It never sleeps. It never slows down. You either move with it or get swallowed whole.

Stepping Into History

The first gym I arrived at was Jean-Charles Skarbowsky’s gym in Bang Sue, Bangkok — formerly the world-renowned Jocky Gym.

This place is legendary. It produced fighters like Somrak, Lerdsila, Saenchai, and Silapathai, to name only a few. Walking in, you could feel it. The walls had history. The air had weight.

I had landed that same morning after an 18-hour journey from Dublin to Bangkok, so it’s safe to say I was tired. That didn’t matter.

I was told to put my shoes on and go running.

No Time to Recover, Just Work

We ran up and down the street outside the gym for about 30 minutes, Bangkok traffic flying past, heat already clinging to me. Then we were ushered back inside to stretch and skip.

Fifteen minutes of skipping.
More stretching.
Hands wrapped.
Then split off for pad work and bag work.

No easing in. No jet-lag sympathy. This was Muay Thai — the Thai way.

Inside the gym were a couple of active fighters currently fighting in Rajadamnern Stadium and on contender shows around Bangkok. One thing that stood out immediately was the pace.

Not everything was 100% all the time.

The fighters on the bags weren’t just smashing for the sake of it. They worked technique, controlling the bag with teeps and jabs, slowing it down, setting shots up. Every strike had intent. Nothing was wasted.

Pads With Kru Gift

I was paired with Kru Gift.

We didn’t start smashing pads straight away. He held his open palms and asked for basic boxing — simple movement, nothing fancy. Within the first round, he made small corrections. Tiny adjustments. But they mattered.

We went on to do five rounds of pad work, and in the newly discovered Bangkok heat, it was brutal. I thought I was prepared.

I wasn’t.

After pads came five rounds of bag work. Here, you’re left to your own devices, using whatever knowledge and skill you have. Every now and then a trainer would step in, correct a technique, or show something new. No lectures. Just action.

Sparring, Thai Style

Then came my first rounds of sparring in Thailand — and they were eye-opening.

In the West, sparring can be very different. People want to win every round. Sparring sessions can escalate into full-blown fights depending on who you’re with.

Here, the first two rounds were light, playful, technical, and respectful.

Then I was asked to box with one of their fighters. He had a debut coming up, and his opponent was a heavy Muay Mat style fighter.

We did three hard rounds.

By the end of it, I was finished.

I could hear the coach talking to a friend and saying, “Not bad,” in a joyful tone. Little did he know that between the heat and the pace, I was fighting for my life just to stay upright.

Empty Tank, Full Experience

We finished up with:

• 100 skip knees on the bag

• 100 sit-ups

• 50 press-ups

• Stretching

Eighteen hours of travel.
Two hours of Muay Thai.
Thirty-plus degree heat.

I was empty.

All I wanted was food and sleep — and I’d earned both.