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- 6 daysof classes every week in Exton
- 4 daysof classes every week in Malvern
- ~50%of our Muay Thai students are women
- Teens to 60strain side by side
A USA Muaythai affiliated school
USA Muaythai is the national governing body for the sport in the United States. Our affiliation means you're learning Muay Thai the way the sport is taught and judged nationally, whether you ever plan to compete or not.
What you're signing up to learn
Muay Thai is Thailand's national sport. Where boxing gives you two weapons, Muay Thai gives you eight: fists, elbows, knees, and shins. Add the clinch, where you control someone at arm's length or closer, and you have an answer at every distance.
That is also why it is such a good workout. Throwing a proper kick uses your hips, core, and legs all at once, and you'll throw a lot of them. But the fitness is a side effect. What we teach is the skill, in a set order, so each class builds on the one before.
- FootworkHow to stand, move, close distance, and get back out. Everything else sits on top of this.
- PunchesJab, cross, hook, and uppercut, thrown with your whole body instead of your arm.
- KicksLow kicks, high kicks, and the teep, a push kick that keeps people off you.
- Knees and elbowsThe close-range strikes that make Muay Thai what it is.
- The clinchControlling the head, neck, and shoulders when you're too close to punch or kick.
What it actually feels like
Most people are nervous before their first class. Knowing what's coming helps, so here is the honest version.
Awkward, and that's fine
You'll get a tour, your gloves and wraps, and a coach who shows you how to stand, how to move, and how to throw your first strikes. Nobody expects you to know anything. Everyone in the room had a first day here too.
Tired in a new way
You'll be sore in places the treadmill never found, and your combinations will feel clumsy. Then one day a kick lands on the pad with a crack that turns heads, and you'll understand why people get hooked.
It starts to click
Your conditioning catches up and you stop thinking about where your feet are. Knees, elbows, and clinch work get layered in. Most students notice the change outside the gym first: steadier, calmer, harder to rattle.
The things people worry about
"I'm not in shape."
Training is how you get in shape, so waiting until you're fit has it backwards. Because we teach from a curriculum instead of running random workouts, your coach can dial the drills and the pace up or down for you.
"I'm not 22 anymore."
Neither are most of our students. We teach teenagers, people in their 20s and 30s, busy parents in their 40s and 50s, and students in their 60s. You'll train at your level, next to people at theirs.
"Is it all tough guys?"
No. Close to half the room is women, and the culture is friendly. Muay Thai rewards technique and timing more than size, and you'll find training partners who want you to get better because it makes them better.
"I've never done a martial art."
Good. Every student starts with the same Kick-Start Program, which mixes private and group instruction, so you learn the basics with a coach before you join the regular classes.
Why they stayed
People come in for fitness, self-defense, or the chance to compete. Most stay for the people they train with.
"In this last year, I have learned Muay Thai and lost around 30 pounds, no hard dieting."
"I've been a guest at many gyms throughout the country and this one was the first where I could see myself being part of."
"The instructors are professional and encouraging, the facility itself is great and always improving."
The Kick-Start Program
Three sessions to learn the basics, meet the coaches, and find out whether this is for you. We supply the gear, so there's nothing to buy first.
- Three Muay Thai sessions $75 value
- Your own boxing gloves $45 value
- Hand wraps $20 value
- Muay Thai Essentials video course $99 value
- A gym orientation
for everything listed, a $239 value
Start my Kick-StartNot for you? Full refund.
If you decide after three classes that it isn't your thing, you get your $47 back and you keep the gloves.
Master Lonnie Beck III
Lonnie walked into Dragon Gym in 1990, when he was ten years old, and never really left. He runs the Muay Thai program today, and he has traveled to Phuket to train as a student at Rawai Muay Thai Camp.
He also oversees all of our children's programs, which tells you something about how he teaches adults: patiently, clearly, and with the expectation that you'll get it.
- Trained in Thailand
- 6th-degree black belt, Tae Kwon Do & Hapkido
- Brown belt, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
Train close to home
Both gyms are a short drive from West Chester and Downingtown.
Exton
267 S Whitford RdExton, PA 19341
Malvern
235 Lancaster Ave, Ste E-11Lincoln Court Shopping Center
Malvern, PA 19355
A few practical questions
What should I wear and bring?
Workout clothes you can move in and a water bottle. You'll need the water. Shoes stay off the gray training mats, and your gloves and hand wraps come with the Kick-Start Program.
Is Muay Thai the same thing as kickboxing?
Muay Thai is a kind of kickboxing, with more in it. Most kickboxing is punches and kicks. Muay Thai adds elbows, knees, and the clinch. When we say kickboxing at Dragon Gym, we mean Muay Thai, taught as a martial art and not as a cardio class set to music.
Do I have to want to fight?
No. Some of our students compete, and we're proud of them. Many more train for fitness, for self-defense, or because it's the one hour of the day when they can't think about work. It's worth knowing your own reason before you start, and telling your coach, so we can point you in the right direction.
Do you have Muay Thai for kids?
Yes, in a separate program built for them. Have a look at Kids Muay Thai.
Can I combine Muay Thai with other training?
Plenty of students do. The most common pairings are Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, for the ground game, and the Barbell Club, for strength.
The hardest part is walking in the door.
After that, we've got you. Three classes, your own gloves, and your money back if it isn't for you.
Try 3 classes for $47 Or call us at (610) 363-7575