In 2015, three strangers attacked me on the street. That attack, completely unprovoked, is why I’m building a Muay Thai directory ten years later.
After healing from the injuries the police asked me if I had ever thought about training in martial arts. I had never thought of this and up until that time only played football and hockey. I told them that they were crazy as I just got attacked and had absolutely no interest in fighting.
They said: ‘Lucas, just try it once. We will pay for it and if you don’t like it then you can stop’. I gave in and 3 days later I joined my first boxing lesson. I loved it and never looked back.
Looking back now, I’m aware of how strange that pivot was. From football and hockey - sports about cooperation and games - to one-on-one combat. The police officer who suggested it understood something I didn’t yet.
Three years later I flew to Thailand for vacation. I’d been boxing 2-3 times a week and wanted to keep training. The hotel I stayed at recommended a Muay Thai gym down the road, they didn’t know any boxing-only places nearby.
That first session changed something. The kicks were violence I hadn’t learned. The clinch was awkward. The trainer was patient but unforgiving. Two hours later I was destroyed and already planning my next session.
I haven’t stopped since.
Since that day I have trained in Muay Thai gyms all over the world. In Thailand, Vietnam, Spain, Netherlands, Portugal, Malaysia for example.
My love for the sport and art is deeply rooted and whenever I have the opportunity to train in a new gym I will take it.
My intention has never been to become a professional fighter. Too old, different career priorities are the main reasons for this. However, I always wanted to be involved in the sport. This is why I am trying to combine my job as a digital marketer with my biggest passion; Muay Thai. The result of this? A global Muay Thai directory where people just like you and me can find Muay Thai gyms all around the world. This directory covers Muay Thai gyms that are well known like Tiger Muay Thai in Phuket to smaller Muay Thai gyms in the Jungle of Indonesia.
Next to this the directory should become a source of information and inspiration. Covering fighter profiles from legends like Buakaw or Ramon Dekkers.
For now this is purely a hobby project. I work on it in the evenings. The pace is slow on purpose, I’d rather build something I’m proud of over years than launch something forgettable next month.
Where this goes long-term, I don’t fully know yet. Maybe a complete resource for people who want to train Muay Thai anywhere in the world. Maybe a place where I eventually run my own training experiences. Maybe just a personal archive of the gyms and people I’ve met along the way.
What I know for sure: I’ll keep training. And I’ll keep adding to this site as long as it remains the most fun way I can think of to combine my work with the sport that’s defined my last decade