Camp etiquette

Pattaya's camps are internationally fluent — but they're still Thai institutions, and the students who honour that get warmer pads, better corrections and invitations into the real training. The rules are simple and identical up and down the country.

The essentials

• Wai your trainers in greeting and thanks; “kru” plus a smile is the universal key;
• Feet low, heads high: no feet pointed at people or the gym's Buddha shelf, no stepping over people or gloves, no touching heads;
• Shoes off at the mats, always; watch where locals draw the line;
• Ring customs vary by camp — enter as the regulars do, never sit or lean on the ropes.

Intensity culture

• Thai sparring is light, long and technical — flow rounds, not auditions. Match the room, protect your partners' faces and your own reputation;
• Clinch hard, smile harder: it's competitive and friendly at once, and being dumped by a Thai teenager is the standard tuition;
• International camps host every sparring culture on earth — when in doubt, ask the coach what intensity the round is.

Being a good camp citizen

• Punctual, clean kit, trimmed nails, covered cuts;
• Support camp fighters at their bouts (fight nights) — it's noticed;
• Departure-day gratitude: thank your pad-holders properly; modest tips or gear gifts are customary for sustained personal attention.