Written by Benjamin Reed, BJJ purple belt from the USA, follow him instagram.com/benjamin_reed_phuket
When most people think about training in Thailand, they assume Muay Thai, and rightly so – it’s the national sport. What martial artist hasn’t been inspired by Jean Claude Van Dam’s “Kickboxer” and felt the need to go on this journey? This path still exists and is travelled by plenty of people. However, Thailand is now becoming a hotspot for training Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. The Island of Phuket, especially. Many people are traveling to Train in Thailand explicitly for Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.
Soi Ta-ied (that’s a street) in Chalong, Phuket is less than two kilometers long. However, it hosts probably more BJJ sessions per day than the entire Zona Sul area of Rio De Janeiro. Mega gyms like Tiger Muay Thai resemble small university campuses and there are several gyms on this street alone and multiple mega gyms on the Island. All of these mega gyms are complete with BJJ (not all have Gi programs), wrestling, MMA, Boxing, Muay Thai, Yoga, Crossfit and weight rooms. You can walk out of a BJJ session, drop your GI off at a laundry service, grab a protein shake and eat a healthy meal without any sort of planning. Everything that could be factored into an athlete’s lifestyle is there.
Accommodation is inexpensive. I rented a modest 2 bedroom thai-style house that was fully furnished and 5 minutes away from the gym for $500 USD per month. One room bungalows and studios go for even cheaper rates. For transportation I rented a scooter for $90 but you can easily buy one for about $500 USD if you are planning on long term stay. A Thai meal can run you about $3 USD. It’s practically cheaper to eat out than it is to cook. A really healthy optimized meal for a full time athlete gets a bit more pricey but you are still around $15USD. If you want to go bigger, you can rent a villa with a pool for $1000 USD and a car for a couple hundred per month. Gym fees can be quite high though but you literally can train all day. I don’t recommend doing that. People often come and train 25 hour weeks and find themselves injured quickly.
There are Brazilian blackbelts from Rio De Janeiro like the legend Olavo Abreau teaching at Temple BJJ in Naiharn, wrestling and MMA coaches imported from the united states and plenty of highly athletic training partners to work with. One of the great things about training in these locations is you get to break out of the predictable games of your partners and train with a new person every day if you want.
There are two BJJ only gyms at this point. Temple BJJ and Phuket Grappling Academy headed by Blackbelt and MMA veteran Ben Royle. Counting the number of full spectrum gyms so far: Absolute MMA Thailand, AKA Thailand, Southside Muay Thai, Bangtao Muay Thai & MMA, Nova Uniao Phuket, Phuket Top Team and Tiger Muay Thai. This is not a complete list. I cannot emphasize the scope of training options. Outside of the gym, the beaches are world class. Nightlife is famous and the culture is rich and truly exotic. It can be a family vacation or it can be an adventure. “Up to you” as the locals say.
Phuket isn’t the only place to Train but it is the best place to train in Asia at this point. If you want to pursue a full time athlete lifestyle, it’s the easiest place in the world. I say this having done a year in Brazil as well. It is an absolute must for BJJ athletes.
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