Your first Muay Thai or boxing class: exactly what to expect
Turn up ten minutes early in comfortable training clothes with a water bottle and a towel. We lend you gloves. The hour is a warm-up, technique taught step by step, pad and bag rounds at your pace, a short conditioning finish and a stretch. Nobody spars, nobody is thrown in the deep end, and in a small class you'll have been corrected and encouraged a dozen times before it's over.
By Liam James, head coach & founderCastle Hill, NSW
Before you arrive
- Book your class online — every class at Weapon is booked so we can keep it small. Your first week is $10 and includes every session.
- Wear shorts or leggings and a t-shirt. Training is barefoot on mats, so no shoes needed.
- Bring water and a small towel. Eat something light an hour or two beforehand.
- Gloves and pads are provided for your trial. If you have hand wraps, bring them; if not, we'll show you how they work.
- We're at Unit 1 / 7 Hoyle Avenue, Castle Hill — inside Shirudo Gym, a few minutes from the Castle Hill Metro. Come in, say hello to the coach, and he'll get you set up.
The hour, start to finish
- Warm-up (10 min): skipping or shadow work, joint mobility, a few drills to get the feet moving.
- Technique (15 min): one or two things taught properly — how to stand, how to throw a jab and cross, how to teep. Everyone does the same thing; the coach adjusts it for you.
- Pads and bag (25 min): rounds with a partner or on the bag, applying what you just learned. This is where the fitness comes from and where the coach does most of his correcting.
- Conditioning (5–10 min): short, honest, scaled to you.
- Stretch and finish: and a word from the coach about what to work on next time.
What nobody tells you
Everyone in the room was new once, and in a small gym they remember it. The person holding pads for you will probably say so. You will feel uncoordinated for two or three sessions — that's the skill arriving, not a sign you're bad at it. And you will almost certainly leave with a clearer head than you walked in with; it's the thing members mention most.
You won't be hit. There is no sparring in our group classes. You'll learn real striking and real defence through pads, bags and controlled partner drills.
After your first class
Book your next one. Two or three sessions in your first week is the fastest way to stop feeling new. Soreness peaks on day two and fades; keep moving. If anything hurt in a way that didn't feel like ordinary training soreness, text the coach — he'd rather know.
At the end of your trial week you choose. Keep training on a membership, or stop. Unlimited is $60 a week, two classes a week is $50, and one class a week is $30. None of them is a lock-in contract.
