Raktan Muay Thai — Local services in New York

I've been a member of Raktan for over a year now and this review is long overdue. I joined this gym after coming from a heavily sanitized "MMA" McDojo where ageism, sexism and nepotism ran rampant and if you wanted to learn more, they weren't capable of teaching it, unless you were willing to shell out ridiculous amounts of money. Raktan is the polar opposite and has become my PLACE. You are always treated like a human being, never a dollar sign. My coaches, my teammates, the location, the sounds, the freaking SMELL of the gym, make me so happy. The coaches know muay thai very, very well due to years of training. They go above and beyond not just by demonstrating movements and strikes but also by explaining the "why" behind it, the science behind it, the art behind it. These are not just people who stand around correcting you; they train alongside you during every single class. Sparring and clinch sparring is frequent and mandatory and that's where you want to be. The training is rigorous and it's not for the faint of heart but you will learn genuine, technically sound muay thai from instructors who are actual human beings that know their shit, not soulless robots who just made something up and called it their own. I hate to sound cliche but all of my training partners are truly like my brothers and sisters. There are no egos, just people who want to get better and who want you to get better. I've never experienced such camaraderie, en masse, in my life. There's no "you're too old for this" or "it's not a good look that you're fighting" or "you should leave this to the men"; your only limitations are what you have in your head. Everyone is treated equally and I am very proud to say that I'll be making my amateur fight debut in a few months thanks to their belief in me. At the end of class, no one is rushing you out the door so they can close up; we stay talking, cleaning up, doing bag work, drilling; it's like a little house with a diverse bag of personalities, ethnicities and abilities. I feel much stronger and healthier these days and am confident in my ability to defend myself and my family should the need arise. I know this is long but, to summarize, I love how I feel when I walk through the door. The unpleasantness and harshness of the world evaporates and it's just about spending time with other like-minded individuals who all have a common goal. I am so happy to have found Raktan and will continue to recommend this gym...

I stumble upon Raktan more than 3 years ago looking for a boxing gym just when I moved to the Astoria/Long Island City area from Connecticut. I didn't know much about Muay Thai back then and didn't know what I was getting into, I had more of a cardio boxing background. After a few weekday classes and a intense saturday fight camp session I decided to stick around since it exposed me to realistic fighting situations for self-defense, Muay Thai itself, and a great workout.

You can go as far as you want in terms of Muay Thai or workout, the coaches are friendly, and the schedule and location are convenient.

At this point I've done a couple of fight camps, have also tried BJJ, and I'm not afraid of getting hit anymore (Not mandatory to get this far but I'm sure you'll...

I recently completed the novice crash course with coach Jamul. Each session included stretching/mobility work, reflex drills, conditioning and foundational striking techniques. As someone with minimal martial arts experience, the sessions were challenging but coach Jamul was great at breaking down any technique I had difficulty with. I was pleased to see how much I improved with each session — which is a clear testament to the strong coaching here. Overall, I’d say the gym has a positive and welcoming culture - the people I’ve met in passing have been very friendly and seem happy to train here. If you are looking to get started in Muay Thai, I highly encourage you to check out this gym and definitely consider the novice...