Quality Check on Kru Chris by Reddit

When signing up for a martial arts training program or more specifically a Muay Thai training program, your instructor and his/her gym should go through the ringer (according to Reddit.com). Reddit is an online discussion forum home to 234 million unique users and the 4th most visited website in America, garnering nearly 83 billion pageviews in 2015. So we scanned chats on how to identify a top-notch Muay Thai gym or martial arts gym, and found out what Redditors’ top criteria were for picking a home gym. In this post, we put our very own Kru Chris through the Redditor wringer:

1. Trace the lineage of your instructor.Kru Chris Aboy has a pretty impressive resume himself, see here. However, he learned from Kru Bryan Dobler. Kru Bryan is one of only a handful of Senior Instructors in the USA under Grandmaster Chai Sirisute – the founder and president of the World Thai Boxing Association. [Related: What does it mean to be a Muay Thai Kru?]
2. Is Kru Chris’ gym one of those kickboxing fitness places?Absolutely not! T.A.G. Muay Thai focuses on authentic Muay Thai instruction with additional self-defense curriculum. We don’t care about your heart rate or calories burned. You will work up a sweat, but we care about your technique. Do you have enough confidence if confronted with a stressful situation, can you keep your composure and handle yourself?  We chase the goal of perfection, the art of Muay Thai is a life-long endeavor for that reason.
3. Do any pro fighters belong to your gym? Kru Chris has trained pro fighters and continues to train alongside professional fighters. You won’t find any pro fighters training out of his Northern Virginia-based gym, T.AG. Muay Thai.  However, Kru Chris often travels to seminars across the country to deepen his knowledge of Muay Thai, MMA, and self-defense.– Defenses Against ANY Punch with Kaensak Sor Pleonjit and Chris Aboy (T.A.G.)– Liam Harrison on footwork and using the ring rope– Larry Homes Jab with Kru Chris– Miriam Nakamoto shadowboxing (hosted by Kru Chris)– Saenchai (Yokkao) at Rami Elite Body Kick – Tiip (same side)– John Wayne Parr – Lead Switch Kick Catch – Spin & Kick– “Matt Hughes” Takedown off the Cage with Chris “The Crippler” Leben
4. Is there support for amatuer fighters?For our students and coaches who aim to become amateur Muay Thai or MMA fighters, we offer sparring exhibitions, personalized training, and advanced skills classes. Our gym focuses on techni que first and our students have fought and placed in WKA Nationals, CageZilla Mixed Martial Arts fight events, and Thai Boxing Championship events. When one of our students has a fight, it is not uncommon to see plenty of faces from our gym backing them up!
5. How important is cleanliness?We do not play around when it comes to sanitation and hygiene. We keep a tight sanitation routine. We NEVER allow shoes on the mat and every student knows this!
6. How often are classes?We offer classes for students of all ages and levels every Tuesday and Thursday night. Kids MMAstarts at 6pm, Muay Thai Fundamentals at 7pm, and our Phase II Muay Thai training at 8pm. Every Saturday, we also hold an open gym.
7. Do I have to sign a contract to go to T.A.G. Muay Thai?The only way to see if a gym is a good fit for you is to go to the gym. Everyone is different. This is why we offer a two-week free trial. After the free trial, we require a contract – but we have a variety of options available.