Our first Jai Road Trip is happening this weekend when over 30 students head up with us to support Tommo Khunseg and Chelsea fight at the Spirit of Muay Thai 7 in Hawkes Bay. Tommo and Chelsea have been training hard, not only sparring with each other as well as students, but also going on conditioning runs and watching their diet. (This means Chelsea is cutting back on the 5 bowls of rice he usually devours in one sitting!)

Chelsea will be going up against a kiwi from SMAC gym in Auckland at 62kg, and it is billed as New Zealand vs Thailand. Our Thai student Orathai is set to lead the entrance carrying a Thai flag in Thailand’s national costume. It may be the first time Thailand has had so many kiwi supporters on home turf! Let’s hope Thailand takes this, but New Zealand takes the World Cup!

For those of you who will be staying overnight in Napier, we are planning to hold a celebration lunch – BBQ (if the weather is good). This will happen regardless of win or lose. It’s not about the overal result, which many be affected by many factors beyond the fighter’s control. It’s about the training and preparation that has gone in and both of our guys have definitely shown a lot of heart – Chelsea who has continued teaching classes while training himself sometimes at the end of a long day and Tommo who has had to juggle not only studies but also work and work training to fit his own training in. And that’s definitely worth celebrating.

The next Jai Road trip will hopefully be on November 12 up to Palmie. This time the focus will be on our students – we’re putting forward about 8 names and if we get at least 3 matchups, we’ll be making our way up there.

Chok Dee to our fighters this weekend.

See you at training!

Want to try your hand at sparring but feeling a little nervous about it?
Kick Tech Intro every Wednesday at 5.15pm is specially for people who would like to learn techniques used for sparring without full contact.
Two of our Thai fighters will demonstrate and teach drills during each one-hour session which students can practice in a supervised environment.
There will be no freestyle sparring – the focus is on practicing set drills and combos on one another.

Shinguards and sparring gloves will be provided for the first session. Bookings essential.

Thai trainers demonstrate techniques used in sparring

You guys asked for it – here it is.
Show us you’re serious about training – first step – putting on your own hand wraps!

Every Muay Thai student worth their salt should learn how to put on their own hand wraps if they are serious about training.

Not only does it protect their wrist and give them some knuckle protection – it helps to soak up some of that sweat.

Here it is – Sone Style

Here is Wimbledon’s Way

Helpful hand wrap tips:

Choose a length of at least 4 meters, which will allow you ample length to wrap around your wrist, fingers, knuckle and thumb. Bigger hands may need longer wraps.

Hand wraps come in all colours of the rainbow, but more important than the shade is the material it is made on. At Jai we like the nylon and cotton mix over the pure cotton because it contours better to your hand’s shape and is less likely to fall off – making it easier for beginners to put on.

Hand wraps absorb sweat inside your gloves, so throw them into the wash after a hard session (put them into a delicates bag or knot them up to avoid them twirling around your machine). If you need to reuse them for training or can’t get to a washing machine, putting them in the sun for a few hours will help to dry them out and kill some of the germs. Not washing but continually reusing wraps is not only unhygienic - it will stink up your gloves and hands.

Hand wraps in pink, black, blue, yellow, khaki, green and red are available at Jai from $18

Our model student Glenn McConnell

As Christmas is just 3 weeks away, Jai turns 3 weeks old. We’d like to take the opportunity to thank everyone who has sweated it out for us – whether it’s on our long-awaited jigsaw mats, helping us set up, giving us feedback, sending us flowers and love, and most importantly, spreading the Jai word in Wellington and beyond.

We’ll be here throughout the festive season, so if you would like to train, just let us know and we’ll organise some classes to fit around all that feasting and celebration. We’re also revising our timetable for the new year to add extra classes, so let us know if extra lunch hours, afternoons or classes after 7pm would be times you’d like to train.

Early next year, Jai will launch a series of practical self-defense programs tailored for different age groups, including middle aged men and women. Andrew Ox and Charlie head the programs, which will consist of a series of hand-on sessions where participants can practice self-defence moves in a controlled and supervised environment. The programs are devised using Thai Boxing, karate and jiu jitsu moves and do not require a large amount of coordination, strength or dexterity. The difference between our regular martial arts and the self-defence programs is that the moves taught are designed to be used in life-threatening situations and therefore can seriously injure or maim an attacker by using simple movements and daily items like keys or high-heels.

A 5-week program for women over 55 is starting in February. Let us know if you are interested, or would like us to create a specific program for you.

BJJ (Brazilian Jiu Jitsu) classes will be ready to roll shortly. Let us know if you’d like to be part of the classes which will be held once a week.

Chok dee!

TEAM JAI

Sawadee ka, Kia ora

Jai offers FREE introductory classes for all levels, from beginners to fighters. Kick Start, our introductory classes are held daily, and complimentary gloves and hand wraps are provided.
To discuss which class is best for you, fill out the online form and we will contact you. Alternatively, you can drop us an e-mail at contact@jaithaiboxing.com

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