Nak Muay Gym

Reviews 3

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Bryan Vetrecin

I was in search of a new way of getting into shape, as I was getting no where with the tradition gym environment. I decided to try World MMAs Nak Muay gym as I was looking for a teaching pedigree where you can trace the lineage of instruction as well as find an environment I would feel comfortable to train. I was impressed to find that Eric Karner was a "Kru" (teacher) in Muy Thai having lived and fought in Thailand and Tim Carpenter, a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Black Belt, Judo champion, and Bellator MMA fighter. Being marginally athletic, (I did play sports through HS and College, but no great shakes at any of them) old 39, and overweight about 275+ pounds I was concerned. But I decided to go for it, and starting up was challenging, I felt out of place and uncomfortable. I think the coaching staff sensed this and really worked to make me feel comfortable and pushed me to do my best at each class (first muay thai and eventually jiu jitsu). Over time I increasingly became more comfortable, and asked more questions and received a lot of support on the mental aspects of training, diet/nutrition from the coaching staff. As time went by, my weight changed and my mental development improved, so much so, that with the support of the coaching staff, I competed in my first grappling tournament in 2012. This was an incredible experience, I had not competed in an athletic event in almost 20 years and I was nervous as hell. What made this incredible is that the people I trained with showed up (Matt/Cynthia) and had a coach show up to support and provide guidance during the event (Bill Alegeo). Even though I lost, the amount of support I received on that Saturday got me hooked on competing and developed a deep respect for the gym coaching staff and my teammates. Since that event, 2 years have passed, I have lost 75+ pounds, and just finished my 5th tournament (4th in 2013), and took silver in a large grappling competition. Some of my best teammates have moved on to become part of the coaching staff training program and are a constant source of guidance / support on and off the mat. There are a lot of gyms out there, what makes this one unique is the coaching staff and the people they allow in to train. At the top are two professional fighters who have hand picked a coaching staff to create an environment where the non-athlete can come to train.They will help you with anything you are looking to gain from the environment, everything from diet to gym hygiene. The only parting words I can provide about World MMA is that they provide the guidance, you must supply the effort. Sorry, one note after reading a post about pricing/billing of the gym. Like almost anything you purchase in life from a cell phone to a car, there is a contract, read it before you sign. These guys are up front and not looking to pull a fast one on you, they are just trying to make a living like the rest of us.

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Robin Kuntz

First off let me say that this place is not what it seems to be. Initially the place may seem very welcoming and friendly, but once you sign the contract and go past their free trial process, everything slowly changes for the worst. I can only speak from our experiences but just look at other reviews if you need more proof. My son started in this school a couple months back and signed up for their Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu program. We alternated between their two locations on some days and both are just as bad. The staff here is nothing but a cult of thugs who quickly weed out those who dont adhere to their "ideal" behavior. They dont promote individuality at all and instead seek to mold you into their image. Their instructors for Jiu-jitsu are nothing but condescending, disrespectful bullies. My son is extremely devoted to practicing jiu jitsu and rarely ever missed a class. He even goes when he doesnt feel well. One day he was rolling on their mats and was not performing well enough to their standards (even though he was a fresh white belt) due to his active asthma that acts up during rigorous training and that thug Tim Carpenter kicked him off the mats and told him to go home because we dont welcome lazy quitters here... Obviously the man is not very bright, otherwise he would have known that having asthma drastically weakens your lungs to the point where air is very poorly received. These thugs forget that we pay them our hard earned money to be there and instead of valuing our time, they constantly berate and patronize us as though they are our superiors. Another instructor named Bill Algeo is almost just as bad, as he likes to play on his phone at times when the students are rolling and also gets annoyed when asking a lot of questions about techniques. What kind of instructor gets upset at a student trying to understand a technique better? Some of the veteran students there even talk a lot of smack behind other students back when they dont consistently show up for class, even though that person had a sprained neck. I even heard from one of the other parents that the instructor told them they thought their son (with diverticulitis) was masterbating in the bathrooms because he would take "so long" to do his business. Again what kind of professional thinks like that? I didnt know people had timers in restrooms for specific actions. I ask as a parent, is this the kind of environment you want your child to be apart of? Martial arts should be not be at all what these thugs practice. It should be about respecting and accepting people from different cultures with no judgement being passed at every other day. My son is even terrified of divulging his name here because he feels that they will "come after us". I am not amused with this place and highly recommend you stay FAR AWAY from these monsters.

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Anonymous User

Great workouts and great atmosphere. Nak Muay gym is the place to go if you really want a great workout. However, be warned that you you will want to have strong will to go through the kickboxing classes as they are tough at first. Even I was in shape to do stuff, and I was wooped after my first several weeks. It takes time for your body to build up to it, and you will be able to push through these workouts. It is more intermediate than beginner, but they have several true beginners classes that are easy on the new students. You also get access to the gym as well, so it can be worth it. Also I expected to do more than just workout on a punching bag, but that is pretty much what you do all the time. It can get boring as it is almost the same routine. The cost per month can be reasonable for what you have access to, but I wish they could have just had different payment options just to do certain things rather than having to pay for everything that you will not be using. If I had the time, I would attend everything they have, but like everyone else, need to work to pay the bills. It is pricy in my opinion for just doing the kickboxing class workouts by themselves, but if you do everything then you are getting your moneys worth. You do get the option of different payment plans, but you are charged interest if you select one of the monthly payment plans, which I think is ridiculous but the financial services that offer it needs to make money too. When you first go there, you need to make your decision that day as they will push for you to sign up. There are other martial arts places out there that are cheaper/no contracts, but it is really up to the individual on what they want to learn, and where to go. If Kickboxing is what you want, then go to Nak Muay. I give 4 stars for the workouts, and 1 star for the cost.

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