Muay Thai has a strong presence in Preston. Any google search will show you multiple options from an array of gyms. These gyms offer beginners courses, fighter classes, strength, and conditioning and more. It can be a daunting task to choose a gym, especially if you have never stepped foot inside a Thai Boxing gym before.
Who are we then?
… And how can we help you on your journey?
This is your guide to Redkite Muay Thai in Preston and why we’d be privileged to help you reach your goals.
What is Muay Thai?
Muay Thai (or Thai Boxing) is a sport which originates from Thailand. It’s initial use was in the military as a form of close quarters warfare. The techniques used enabled short, sharp attacks to quickly end hand to hand encounters.
From these beginnings, the sport emerged and now takes place inside a boxing ring with the main weapons still in use. Known as “the art of 8 limbs”, Thai boxing allows combatants to use:
Fists
Feet
Elbows
Knees
With most people owning 2 of each, this is how the sport got it’s nickname. Thai boxing is contested over several rounds with the intention of either winning on points through showing a better use of the techniques and weapons available or by stopping an opponent by knockout (KO) or technical knockout (TKO).
While Thai boxing is a combat sport, no club should ever force anybody to compete or fight if they do not want to. At Redkite Thai Boxing, we have dedicated sparring sessions for those who wish to utilise their techniques in live situations, also taking our members to ‘interclubs’ to spar against other gyms and if they choose, to fight and compete for the club.
Muay Thai is a fantastic sport for all around fitness and strength. Using pad work, bag work, footwork drills and cardio drills in our mixed classes, even those not wishing to compete can enjoy a thorough workout while learning vital skills which can come in handy for self-defence and self-confidence.
Redkite Muay Thai: A brief history
Redkite started back in 2007 under the guidance of the club’s original head coach Rachel Joyner. Her vision was to create a successful club that was welcoming, friendly, and allowed people the ability to get fit through the sport of Muay Thai.
Rachel has over 20 years of experience in Muay Thai training, originally training under "The champion maker" Jeff Bullock as well as under legendary British Thai Boxer Sandy Holt in Bolton. Rachel built the club hugely over the first 10 years, producing several fighters who have and still are competing at the highest level in the UK as well as going overseas to live and fight in Thailand. Some of Rachel’s students have even gone on to start gyms of their own. Meanwhile, Rachel continued to develop the gym at its home on Fylde Road in Preston.
During the late 2010’s, Rachel helped develop what are now the current crop of coaches; namely Dan Fletcher and the current owner (more on that soon) Will Walker. She also enlisted the help of top 10 UK ranked fighter Dom Hill from Skelmersdale to bolster the ranks and improve the gym fighters’ fight IQ.
During covid, Rachel felt it was time to take a step back from the gym. She passed the gym onto the very capable hands of Will and she continues to coach at Redkite, coaching our Saturday morning sessions and occasionally covering our coaching team if they are away. She also set up a separate PT and self defence workshop entity known as Redkite Plus who sometimes host workshops in our gym.
Will officially took over in 2020 and has been an excellent steward of the club, shaking up the timetable, reviving the fight team and bringing a determined fitness mindset to our members and classes.
The Redkite Muay Thai coaching team:
So who are the team behind the club? Our coaches have a range of experience in the sport to get the very best coverage of all areas of Muay Thai, fitness and personal development. Our team are:
Will Walker
Will is a member of the military as part of the parachute regiment reserves. Will has a plethora of experience and qualifications in personal fitness and coaching. He has been training at Redkite since 2016 and brings a dedicated mindset to motivate and inspire our members.
Will is the current gym owner and has represented Redkite at several interclubs, aiming to compete for the club and put his knowledge to the test. He has assisted with corner duties many times at both interclubs and as part of our fight team. Will is the brainchild behind our “Redkite Bootcamp” which focusses on all important strength and conditioning training.
Dom Hill
Our most experienced fighter. Dom is a seasoned Muay Thai fighter with over 20 fights to his name. He has competed internationally including in Thailand, Denmark, Australia and more. He has been in the UK top 10 in his weight class for several years, competing on some of the most prestigious fight shows in the UK including Hitman Fight League, Supershowdown and Legacy Fight Promotions.
Dom trains out of Skelmersdale Thai Boxing and brings the expertise of his coaches, WBC World Champion Scott Stewart and revered Muay Thai coach Pete Bleasedale. He has also trained under legendary UK Muay Thai coach Jompop Kiatphontip in Leeds.
Dom is the head of our fight team, taking the main corner coaching duties and preparing our fighters to be the best they can be in the ring.
Dan Fletcher
The Redkite veteran. Dan started his Thai boxing journey in 2013 after training and competing in Taekwondo for 5 years, earning his 2nd Dan black belt. Dan has trained for 10 years at the club and has competed for Redkite on several occasions, including making a comeback after a 7-year gap of not fighting; producing a performance the club can be proud of.
Dan has participated in countless interclubs with Redkite, often cornering our team at interclubs across the Northwest. He also assists with corner duties for our fight team. Dan heads up our popular Muay Thai circuits session on Wednesdays which merges circuit training with Muay Thai technical work to focus on repetition of the basics to improve muscle memory and speed of execution.
Rachel Joyner
What more is there to say about Rachel? The founder of the club and experienced coach, Rachel also has experience as a judge, meaning she can assist our fighters prepare for what it takes to successfully get their hand raised in the ring. She can still be found every Saturday bringing her knowledge and enthusiasm to the gym to cultivate a friendly, successful environment our members can enjoy.
Why train with us?
The big question…
Why should you choose Redkite as your base of operations?
The environment
Redkite has always looked to shed any preconceived ideas that Muay Thai gyms are intimidating places. We always want new members to feel welcome and right at home from the moment you walk through the door.
Our gym has all the tools necessary to take you where you want to go including hosting a ring, heavy bags and containing plenty of pads, weights, and training equipment. If you would like a taste of our sessions without wanting to commit, we also allow potential members the opportunity to sit and watch any of our sessions to get a gauge of how we operate.
The people
Our team are our culture. We have cultivated a close knit, motivated team who want to see the gym and its members thrive. With a range of experience and specialisms, our coaching team can take you from a complete beginner to an experienced Muay Thai practitioner whether that involved becoming a fighter, learning the sprot for self-defence or just using the sport to get fit and achieve your personal goals.
Training specific to you
Redkite prides itself on having a range of classes through the week. Our sessions vary from beginners to our bootcamp, mixed sessions to sparring sessions and Thai Boxing circuits so you have the choice to train towards what you want to achieve.
Our beginners’ classes run twice a week to help introduce the sport to new members and our mixed sessions allow you to take that knowledge and build your confidence. Our sparring sessions allow you to use your knowledge and apply it in live situations, our circuits sessions accustom your body mechanics to the key techniques that help you win fights and our bootcamp is the perfect accompaniment to boost your general fitness levels.
We even have 1-2-1 and group PT sessions available with coaches if you want to work on specific training.
The price
Our gym wants to be accessible to all. Fitness is a gift and not a privilege. For that reason Redkite has made itself the most accessible Thai Boxing gym in Preston with our daily and monthly rates. With most gyms charging over £7/8 per session, Redkite has a special “Day Pass” system which means for £5, you can train as many sessions in a specific day as you like.
For example.If you wanted to train for 3 hours straight, your £5 will let you train in the bootcamp class, the mixed class, and the sparring class. We do not charge per class. Many of our students who pay cash opt for multiple sessions per night to take advantage of this.
We also run a very competitive monthly rate of just £40 with discounts available for students, blue light badge holders and military card holders. We hope to provide the best value Thai boxing in Preston by keeping our prices affordable while having a strong coaching team.
We also run a “bring a friend” scheme so if you head to our classes and enjoy them, you can bring a friend for a taster session, and they can benefit from a free session just by one of our members bringing them along.
Take advantage today and get involved!
Start your Muay Thai journey today!
Muay Thai and fitness is a journey. It is specific to you. We always encourage members to only measure their success against themselves and allow our coaches and fellow members to simply inspire and motivate you to meet your goals.
So what is the next step?
You can either get in touch if you have any further questions by filling in our contact form, calling us on 07927 192046, check us out on Facebook or Instagram by searching “Redkite Thai”. Or, if you want to jump straight in, take a look at our timetable and bring yourself down to one of our many classes.
Our team will be happy to introduce this amazing sport to you. We hope to see you at Redkite Thai boxing gym soon.
Chok dee.