Kombat Group — Local services in Chon Buri Province

Well, I've had the pleasure of spending a Six Month Stay at Kombat Group. I had been there before the Pandemic hit (2016-2017) and loved my results from years ago. I had hit my Thirties, and I could just tell it was time to go back.

It was extremely hard in the beginning, as I showed up much heavier than I ever expected to get to (250lbs/114kg). I was told to take things slow the first week, and I couldn't believe how much Physical Ability I lost in just a few years of inactivity.

I definitely wasn't 25 anymore, but within the first two months, I turned many doubters in the beginning into astonished bystanders, even if they didn't think I noticed them watching. My previous training in Muay Thai began to come to light, and for the next several months, not a single visitor at the Camp matched the power of my Muay Thai Kicks. Big Thanks to 'Pan' & 'Moon', as they brought out skills in me I forgot I had.

By the time I left the Camp, I was able to push through 3 Rounds of Padwork, and do 40 Kicks on each leg toward the end of the session. Some students compared my kicks to the sound of a Shotgun going off. When you stay at the Camp for Six Months, you become a Complete Beast.

I also took part in the Boxing Classes, and had Private Lessons with our Trainer, Joel. He's the Best Boxing Trainer I've ever had, and no one matches his ability to bring the best out of people. He also has an great sense of humor, and even gave each of us personal Screentime whenever he'd make his Instagram Stories. He always knew how to make everyone feel awesome, and his ability to motivate people to perform at their best is a rare quality entirely.

Of course, the trainers weren't the only people I enjoyed having around. Some of my most favorite folks came from the Kitchen & Management Staff at Kombat Group. Barbara, Toy, & Ann are the Backbone of Kombat Group. Barbara (The Camp Director) always handled any grievances I had with the most Heart, and even when I ran into a financial emergency toward the end of my stay, she still helped set up my Taxi to the airport for no charge. I still regret having to do that, but her Kindness is something I will never forget. Ann & Toy ran the Kitchen flawlessly, cooking amazing meals for everyone, and were constantly on the move from early in the morning before the Training began, until late at night when everyone went to bed and they'd still be there, making sure things were ready for the following day. They also made great protien shakes, which aided in my recovery to go hard the following Training Day.

A few 'Honorable Mentions': Christiano, our Krav Maga Instructor, was a great person to employ for Strength Training. His Private Lessons were very intense, but added significant Muscle Mass to my Physique. And while I only attended so many Yoga Lessons, Joyce was always a "Bundle of Joy". She has to be one of the healthiest women I've met in their 50's. A 30 year old version of her would've been quite the sight to see, but her 53 year old self is just fine. Her consistency on Fitness & Yoga are basically her Fountain of Youth, so to speak.

Anyway, I've said a lot, but I spent half a year at Kombat Group, and I gotta say, I'd totally do it again. The Atmosphere of the Camp, the Wonderful Staff, and the Endless Amazing People from around the Globe is like no other experience I've ever had. As an American, it's hard to run into folks from Europe and Asia, but to meet so many people from Australia, Germany, Russia, India, England, & Italy was a Blessing in itself. I am very happy to have come to this place, they've done a great job at keeping the Camp alive during a Global Pandemic, and the body I have because of their Training is something I'll always be thankful for. I lost over 14 kg (30 lbs) and I couldn't have done it without Kombat Group. I did expect to lose more weight, but the muscle they threw on my body is completely fine with me. They made me much stronger than I was in the beginning, and I'll forever be...

I was 57 years old when I did the weight-loss program for four weeks (September 2018) at Kombat Group and it was a great experience, although hard. I am 185 cm and weighed 98.7 kg at my initial weigh-in. In four weeks I lost 8.4 kg of fat, gained 1.4 kg of skeletal muscle mass, and my percent body fat dropped from 29.8% to 22.8%. (During my four weeks I did not have any outside food, except for one beer and a small bowl of peanuts when we went out one night to watch one of our camp-mates fight at a bar on Walking Street.) There is a lot that I liked about the program. I was impressed with the trainers. I was afraid that, being in the weight-loss program, they would just have me punching and kicking for exercise without regard to technique. But the trainers constantly corrected me on technique so I liked that. While at the camp I tried the boxing, muay thai and krav maga, and even one day of MMA on my last day. I like variety so that was good. The staff is all very nice. The food was good, and I always especially looked forward to the dinner with side buffet. I just had to be careful to stick to the weight-loss goal and not take too many potatoes! I felt hungry during the first week but for the last three weeks that was not an issue. I liked that we had a weigh-in once a week and I always hoped for/looked forward to seeing “good numbers.” I had one of the deluxe rooms and I liked it very much. I actually liked the shower more than the one in the nice hotel in Pattaya that I moved to after leaving the camp, because the water temperature was consistent and didn’t change in the middle of the shower. The desk and office-type chair in my room worked well for using my laptop which I do a lot. I never used the television because there were no TV channels, only a connected DVD player. I also liked getting into the swimming pool after a strenuous morning session. In the weight-loss program, Mon-Fri looked like this for me: I woke up at 6:45 am and was at the restaurant at 7:30 when it opened. It tended to take a long time to get the breakfast even when ordering it at 7:30, so it felt rushed to eat and get to the 8 am class on time. I talked to Christian about this, and we decided that I would just get coffee or tea with coconut oil and whipping cream before training. Then after training, I would get a small plate of fruit. This worked well for me. After breakfast I went to the muay-thai weight-loss class at 8:00 am. At 9:00 am was Functional training. Functional training was very physically hard for me. Many times I felt that mentally I did not want to do another class after that so I skipped the 11:00 am boxing and I went to the pool instead. But the 11:00 am class is very doable if you’re mentally up for it; I did it sometimes. The afternoon session started at 4:00 pm with another hard Functional training class. After this I did either the krav maga, boxing or muay thai. The afternoon session ended at 7:00 pm and then it was off to the shower and restaurant for dinner. On Saturday there was no morning session, just a two-hour afternoon session of krav maga (one hour) or boxing or muay thai (both two hours). I did not come to the camp with any fighting gear so I bought the gloves, hand wraps, ankle protection and shin guards at the camp. If I had it to do again I would have rented the gloves and shin guards because I don’t know that I’ll ever use them again, and if I do more training like this in the future I might want different gear. I would want heavier ounce gloves (I got 10 ounce). And the shin protection is very tight to put on or take off. I know there are other styles of shin...

In December of 2021, I became a part of the "Great Resignation" phenomenon and I quit my job of nearly 20 years, and I bought a one-way plane ticket to Thailand to invest in my physical and mental health by visiting Kombat Group.

This was my third visit to Kombat Group in four years, and on this stay I ended up being lucky enough to spend four full months at Kombat Group. I documented my experience via "stories" on my Instagram account: StephenChristian139 that are saved as "Thailand" under my saved/highlight stories. They offer photos and film from all aspects of my four month experience at Kombat Group and in Thailand, in case you want to see for yourself.

Perhaps the most helpful advice I can give to anyone is that if you have gone so far as to research fitness/boxing camps overseas/in Thailand, then don't stop now. Follow up on your curiosity and dare to make it happen.

I won't speak much about the food, accommodations, training, because they are all top-notch and many other reviewers have already rightfully praised them, but I would like to highlight the "experience" of Kombat Group in my review.

The team at camp helped me to navigate the challenges of travel during COVID, advising on the latest travel policies to enter Thailand, and also helped me to twice extend my visa allowing to stay longer.

When I arrived to Kombat Group, like many people, I was tired, stressed, and out of shape due to 2+ years of living in the midst of the COVID global health pandemic. The trainers and the team at camp sat down with me to know me, understand my goals, understand my worries, and to help design all aspects of an experience to help me make the most of my time at Kombat Group.

The training was incredible-- and I am unaware of many gyms anywhere around the world that allow you to push yourself so hard, while being supported by trainers that care deeply about your health, wellness, progress, and ultimately -- your success! In addition to the training, my time at Kombat Group pushed me to think about my mental health. I pushed myself to try and do things that I wasn't previously confident enough to try. I was surprised by the intensity of the yoga workouts, and how much they helped me physically. I had a dramatic improvement in my flexibility and posture thanks to the yoga program, but beyond that, I experienced an improvement in my ability to manage stress and my own self-confidence, both professionally and personally.

Many businesses claim to value diversity, but in practice that commitment is lacking. This is not the case with Kombat Group. The camp is one of the most diverse environments I've experienced, and I have lived in countries all over the world. During my stay at camp we had people representing every corner of the world, every religion, race, lifestyle, and socio-economic background possible. Our differences were not ignored, but rather they were used to create a cohesive and supportive community. Much of my progress at camp is due to the encouragement and sharing with the other people at the camp. I learned from their life experiences, was taught to question assumptions, was inspired by their achievements, and even networked with people doing amazing things in their professional lives outside of Kombat Group.

At 43 years old, I left camp physically and emotionally stronger than I have ever felt before in my life, and I left Thailand ready to start a new professional chapter with an added strength and self-confidence that I am sure will pay dividends in all...