Chicago Muay Thai Kickboxing Club

This review is 25 days overdue and I apologize for the delay!
I’m from San Jose, California, and a friend and I took a trip out to Chicago to visit the beautiful city. My friend, Alex, and myself, both train Muay Thai back at home for almost a year or so, and have actually been interested in doing our first smoker. (Which we just finished this past weekend, October 10^th) We wanted to keep our training up and thought it’d be an amazing experience to train even during our vacation. A quick Google search brought me to this gym, so we set our minds to find the time to make it out and give it a try!
We came on a Saturday morning with absolutely no gear whatsoever (obviously we hand’t planned for this) and hoped we’d be able to get some mit work in and learn from the instructor. We were kindly greeted by Mike, and eventually met Jim, who was kind enough to let us train on such short notice! Once again, we are incredibly thankful for you guys letting us step on the mat and train with you all.
We had an amazing time with the class and were honored to work with other people. The space is wide open, they lent us some gear to do some sparring, and we had a great experience out in Chicago. Thank you to Jim, Mike, and everyone else for everything!
If anyone from the Chicago Muay Thai Kickboxing Club finds themselves in Northern California, feel free to stop by to ASD in Santa Clara and check out our school!

First I’ll say that it’s a very physically demanding activity, but don’t let that statement discourage you by any means. It’s all about pushing yourself to finish the task. So overall I had a great experience as a first timer. The teachers were very insightful and hands on. Everyone who needed «help» at certain point definitely received it. The fellow students were super friendly as well. I’ll be coming back for sure.

I train in kickboxing in Boston, and wanted to try out a similar gym in Chicago when I was there.
I took the advanced sparring class with Chicago Muay Thai’s fight team on Saturday and thought it was great. The class was a great combination of fitness, technique, and open sparring.
Most importantly, the fellow fighters there were great. Every one of them made an effort to introduce themselves and make me feel welcome. This is not just a great gym, but a great community as well.

I joined the CMTKBC last fall. I was jogging by the gym at about 6:50 and saw they had a free trial class at 7:00pm. I went to the Fundamentals Class and was instantly hooked. The instructors are knowledgeable and nice. There is always a positive vibe during classes and everyone is there to help, even the other students. I had no prior experience with kickboxing but immediately felt welcomed and I started making progress in no time. I highly recommend this gym for beginners and experienced people interested in Muay Thai kickboxing.

Awesome training. very good fitness solution. Conscientious staff. Just wish I lived a little closer! Thanks Jim!

A great atmosphere with very friendly people in a beautiful part of the city. The gym is very big and has great facilities, the people make you feel welcome, and I will definitely come back to train here.

Great place to train for beginners to expert level. The instruction is top notch and there are a lot of talented fighters who frequent the classes to learn from. I’ve been to other Muay Thai clubs, and their classes focused on fitness. Here, you will learn to fight, developing your technique, strength, and focus. A club serious about training fighters may sound intimidating to a beginner but I can assure you that if you try it out, you will see that everyone from the staff to the students are very welcoming and just looking to help you grow. After a few visits, you’ll feel like part of the family.

Chicago Muay Thai club is a great. I have trained there for about 3 months now and everyone there is helpful and respectful.
The coaches are all knowledgeable and different which really helps with maintaining a well rounded game.
There is decades of experience in the gym every day of the week. Almost all of the instructors have competition experience. Although some people compete in the gym, I have never felt rushed or pressure and I don’t know anyone who has. Business men, stay at home moms, all the way up to pro fighters share the same mat and the camaraderie is nice.
They have their business side of things locked tight so you don’t have to worry about unprofessionalism/​billing issues/​etc which is something I struggled with at previous gyms.
I was in the army for 8 years and traveled and trained every place I went. I have been doing martial arts literally my entire life. There isn’t a place I would rather work on my striking. Whether you are looking to get into shape doing something that is fun, learn how to defend yourself, compete, or a little of all of that Chicago Muay Thai is the place for you.

I’ve been with Chicago Muay Thai and Kickboxing club for two years now. I’ve practiced several styles of martial arts over the years but Muay Thai, to me, is the most effective and practical martial art for both fitness and self defense.
All of the coaches at the club are incredibly professional and friendly people. Each coach has something different and unique to offer so any class you take on any given day will be great.
I highly recommend Chicago Muay Thai and Kickboxing to everyone!

I’ve been with Chicago Muay Thai since summer 2012. Unfortunately a shoulder injury (not related to Muay Thai) has led me to stop my membership. But while I was there every session was fantastic. This isn’t just cardio. Every class was also about technique and the 8:00 PM classes always went over the 1 hr. This is the real deal, not a fitness-​cardio knockoff. I came to this school after some years of Krav Maga, and wanted to improve my stand-​up fighting. And boy did I learn a lot!!! There’s a lot of focus on strenthening your core, fundamental drills — even grappling. There’s almost always free-​sparring sessions after class, so if you want a longer workout and training regimen, this is the place to come to.
I’m hopeful I can come back sometime in 2014 once the shoulder heals and I don’t keep throwing it out out alignment :-(

Went for a trial one day and was immediately hooked. Awesome exhausting classes for any level.
I’ve been to around 5 classes now, and have never had the same instructor or even sniffed the same workout. Kicks, punches, grappling all get thrown in the mix. I’ve already learned quite a bit, and can’t wait to start sparring in the more advanced classes.
Also INSANE cardio, haven’t had such a rewarding hard workout in a long time

I began this class from a Groupon deal after trying different types of workouts. Like a lot of people, I stayed with it because not only is it a great workout, it keeps you involved on a mental level as well. I end every class drenched with sweat, and dog tired. The instructors are involved and the advanced level students are interested in helping everyone improve. If you want to get a brilliant workout and improve full body skills, I can’t recommend this school enough.

I have been going to CMTKBC for a couple of years. I’ve trained at over 6 other gyms but I always make sure to get to Jim’s class as often as I can. I can’t say enough about Jim. He is a great trainer who really cares about his students. He teaches great fundamentals and the workout is a killer. If you read Jim’s background about the bare knuckle fighting you may get the wrong impression of him. He is not some thug. He is a great instructor who works to increase your skills and train you on fundamentals. If you want to spar there is time at the end of class when those who want to spar go to one mat and those who want to continue to work on fundamentals go to another. The class usually splits 50 50. If you want to learn how to throw punches and kicks properly and be able to defend yourself this is the class. This is not cardio kickboxing. These are useful techniques. I highly recommend this gym. Great instructor and great members. Awesome workout. You will never be bored.

I’ve been a member of Chicago Muay Thai Kickboxing club since August of 2011. When i first began taking classes, I was a lazy oaf. At the pit of my physical inactivity, I decided that I needed to put down the cheese fries and reclaim my youth. However, in order to stay motivated, i needed to find an interesting class that could provide vigorous and exciting physical challenges. CMTKC is just that. The classes are a perfect combination of aerobic activity, core strengthening, and technical skill training. The instructors are knowledgeable and patient. There is a strong and supportive sense of family and partnership among the members that is open to any newcomers. I have seen a great deal of my teammates transform from clueless beginners to masters of the art of Muay Thai. I highly recommend CMTKC to any individuals of any age, shape, or size who have an interest in Muay Thai.