Yak Yai Muay Thai

The Yak Yai Muay Thai gym was founded in 2022 by Henry Lee and KC Carlos, a married couple who both have a lot of martial arts experience.

Their stated aim was to create a gym that combined the things they had learned from their experiences in Thailand and the United States, while providing a welcoming environment for both newcomers and serious martial artists.

Location

The Yak Yai Muay Thai gym is situated approximately 500 metres from Soi Taied, better known as Phuket’s “Fitness Street”.

Soi Taied is where Tiger, Insee, Rattachai, Dragon Muay Thai and several other gyms are located. The entire street is now dedicated to serving the needs of Muay Thai tourists.

Because of that, you’ll find plenty of accommodation and health-oriented dining options nearby.

The exact address is 33/83 Moo 1, Kuan Yu Shrine Alley, Chalong, Phuket 83130, Thailand.

Yak Yai Muay Thai Facility

The facility was recently built and looks spacious. There’s 2 large rings, washrooms and showers, as well as a strength and conditioning section with dumbbells, kettlebells and a couple power racks.

Trainers and Fighters at Yak Yai Muay Thai

As mentioned, the owners Henry Lee and KC Carlos, both have fight experience.

They used to fight locally out of Phuket Top Team (before it closed), and they’ve fought in America as well, picking up regional titles and representing the USA in the IMFA World Championships.

KC Carlos also fought against Wondergirl Fairtex in ONE Championship.

In one video, Henry said that approximately 85% of the students training at the gym were beginners, but that they’re able to serve all skill levels.

He mentioned that some of the trainers still compete, and based on their bio’s on the website, several of them have 200-300 fights and have competed against some big names (Rittewada, Sangmanee etc)

Training Schedule and Routine

A typical group class lasts about 2 hours and follows this order:

Warm-up & Conditioning: A 5-minute warm-up featuring running, jump rope, or dynamic stretching, followed by intense circuit conditioning exercises.
Technique & Drills: Breakdown of fundamental stances, footwork, and combinations.
Pad Work: 3 to 4 rounds of one-on-one pad work with the trainers, where you rotate coaches each round.
Bag Work: Self-paced heavy bag training to build power and speed.
Clinching & Sparring: Controlled partner drills, clinching, and optional sparring depending on your experience level.
Burnouts: Final conditioning and stretching to cool down

Group classes run daily in two shifts:

Monday to Friday: 8:00 AM – 10:00 AM and 4:00 PM – 6:00 PM
Saturday: 7:00 AM – 9:00 AM and 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM
Sunday: Closed for regular group classes (private sessions available by appointment)

Accommodation and Pricing

Since the gym is near “Fitness Street” (Soi Taied), there’s a lot of accommodation options nearby. If you want to stay right at the gym, you can do that as well and the rooms seem to be reasonably priced.

Prices are of course always changing (typically rising), but at the moment Yak Yai is offering training packages with a private room for 17,500 baht per month (1 group training session per day) or 19,500 baht per month (2 group training sessions per day).

To see if that deal is still on, check their updated rates here.