Inspiring Testimonials from Kombat Group Thailand (before 2012)

Nestled on the outskirts of Pattaya, Kombat Group Thailand stands tall as a revered institution, drawing martial arts enthusiasts from across the globe. With its unwavering commitment to comprehensive training programs and top-notch facilities, this esteemed martial arts camp boasts a captivating history. From its modest beginnings, the camp’s primary focus has always been equipping individuals with the necessary tools to achieve their goals, whatever they may be. Since its inception in 2004, Kombat Group Thailand has witnessed countless success stories, with guests testifying to the transformative impact this extraordinary place has had on their lives. Let us embark on a journey to uncover the remarkable narratives that have unfolded within its walls.

I’ve spent two amazing weeks doing Muay Thai Instructor Course as part of my personal training upgrade skills. Kombat Group is a place where Thai hospitality meets European standards.

Having experienced training Muay Thai in several gyms in UK and Asia must admit that Christian and his coaches ensure that the gym provides the highest possible standard.

It has been a pleasure to meet you all! And I’ll see you again soon!

Tomasz

I will always remember this as one of the best things I did. I’ve been training my whole life but stopped some years ago, and Christian helped me come back to training, which I again realized how fun it is.

Kombat Group is a good place to train with serious trainers that always help you and follow your training and progress. Christian makes you feel like you are a part of this big Italian family. I will always remember this as one of the best things I did. It was hard but so worth it.

Filippa

Some people think that Muay Thai is only for boys, but I don’t think so. Girls can be in any sport they like!

The Kombat Group is like a family to me. If you want confidence, a nice body, and to learn how to protect yourself, you should train in Muay Thai. I am just training to protect myself, not to compete but maybe one day…?!

I have been training just for one month, and I can see the result on my body; my abs are flat and more muscled, and I’m healthier and stronger. I will always return to train Muay Thai is so much fun; you should come too!

I came to Thailand with my family and had nothing to do. Then my mom opened a laundry service shop, and someone came to us with his laundry. I saw the inscription “Kombat Group” and asked him what it was. He said that was a Muay Thai Camp and lots of other stuff, and then I was, “Mom, I like to go train”, and she let me, and I went to start training Muay Thai. Now I don’t want to go back home in December, because I like it so much.

If I were you, I would come to Kombat Group, no matter how old you are. I´m only 16, hope to see you there.

Iris

I went to Kombat Group from the period of 17 Feb – 3 March and absolutely loved it.
I am a beginner and thought that being a female and a beginner would be a little uncomfortable, but it wasn’t at all! The trainers were all very good and worked you very hard, but most importantly, made sure you had fun doing it.

They were able to teach something to people with all levels of experience. The Muay Thai trainers worked very hard to make sure we learned something new and how to break old bad habits. Geri was great in giving feedback, and the BJJ instructor was great in making sure you didn’t skip any classes. Ha ha ha.

If there was anything I could change it would be that at the start you were told what to do and how things worked there. We didn’t know which trainer we were supposed to be assigned to or how that worked, but it didn’t take long before we figured out that you just glove up and one of the trainers will call you when they are ready.

I now feel motivated enough to continue with MMA training and thought that The Kombat Group was one of my best vacations yet. I would definitely recommend it to others, and have, and would do it again in a heartbeat!

Thanks, guys, for the awesome experience; I appreciate it!

Lorna

Dear Christian, Geir, Yut, Neng, and all the other trainers and staff. I attended the Kombat Group Camp from Feb 19 to Feb 26 and had a blast.

I just wanted to let you know how much I appreciate the great training you guys provided. Muay Thai training helped me improve my much-needed technique; laughing all the way, I loved it. And BJJ, which was all new to me, opened my eyes to the strategic ways and physics of MMA, genius!!!!

I got bruised (all over!), pushed my body to a new limit, overworked my sweat glands, and learned a thing or two, hopefully, hehe. Ah, and firmed up all over, what a great feeling. And I thought the Mt. Kilimanjaro climb was tough; it was a jog in the park compared to the BJJ instructor’s warm-ups. Accommodations were satisfactory, the dogs were cute as heck, and the people were wonderful. Thanks to the support staff for the grub; I need more dark veggies tho!!

I hope everyone is well, and the camp continues to grow and improve; I’m so glad I had this experience and have already told many friends about you guys. Take good care of each other, and you’re welcome to keep in touch. Besos to everyone,

Kareen

I am a 20-year-old girl, and I had been travelling around Asia for three months and had therefore had a break from my five times weekly boxing training back in Denmark. I searched the internet for some boxing training and picked out Kombat Group, which I today am very happy I did. I lived and trained at the camp for almost five weeks in June/July summer 2010, and it has been some of the best weeks ever. Christian, the trainers and the other fighters at the camp were so nice and friendly. I had so much fun and felt like being with my family – I really felt at home because of them.

The training twice a day was hard and did give me a lot of pain at the start, but after ten days, I started enjoying the training, and the trainers knew what they were doing. If you go to Kombat Group, you will see results faster than you think – training twice a day pays off in the end, and you will enjoy it, I promise. No matter if you are a hardcore pro, amateur or beginner, you are welcome, and you will, without doubt, enjoy Kombat Group. I am definitely going back! Not only for the excellent training but also for the social life at the camp.

A big thanks to Christian and also his lovely girlfriend Nat for taking so good care of me. Also, thanks to the trainers for very, very good training and good social time with the other fighters at the camp. I had such a great time and enjoyed it a lot. I’ll see you soon, guys!

Ditte

My name is Tash from Dubai, and I spent one week at Kombat Group taking part in the Weight Loss Program with my sister Mel who lives in Australia. You probably want to know what brought us to the Kombat village and what we thought about the whole experience, so I will tell you.

I had decided to take 4 months off from work and travel the world for a while. Before arriving in Thailand (my last stop before heading home to Dubai) to visit my brother, who lives in Pattaya, I spent the maturity of my holiday travelling around America and Australia. Just before leaving Australia for Thailand, I really felt that all the travelling, which involved a lot of eating, a massive amount of alcohol consumption, and not doing much exercise at all, had taken its toll on the body.

This left me feeling that I needed to do something about it. I had heard from a few people who had been to training camps in Thailand and had great results. I went to my trusted source ‘Google’ and found the Kombat Group Fight Club website. I then decided that it looked really interesting, and I knew it wasn’t going to be easy. I’ll be honest I was a bit nervous about this as I had no previous experience in Muay Thai or MMA, but I was ready for a challenge. Then I got my little sister on board, who I knew had some holidays off University and also wanted to lose some weight.

We decided that we wanted to stay at the camp even though our brother only lived about 10 minutes away. This was a really good decision as our days were action-packed with activities. All our meals were provided at the camp, which was delicious. This was important for us as there was no temptation to eat elsewhere.

An example of a day would be waking up first thing in the morning and going for a run with the fabulous Christian Daghio. Then we would do weight training with Christian, some technique exercises, as well as some circuits. Breakfast and a bit of rest followed before our next class at 11.00 am. This was MMA with the fantastic Geir Spanien.

I have never had anyone who really knows how to teach as well as this man. My sister and I knew nothing at the beginning and really felt that just after one week, he taught us so much in such a short amount of time. He really takes the time and effort to go through all the techniques until you get it right. We really appreciate his patience with us! After this class, we showered, and yes, we couldn’t wait to shower as seriously we had never sweated so much before in our lives. We had some lunch and rested until it was time for another MMA session (if we could drag ourselves out of bed). If we missed this, we would compensate by going for another run before it was time for Muay Thai training ending our day at around 7.30-8.00. By this time, we were exhausted. We had dinner after and had massages almost every day at a nearby massage parlour. Then we went to sleep, woke up and did it all over again!

We soon realized we had taken on a lot in such a short amount of time, and as we had time constraints, this was our only option if we wanted to see results. This was one of the hardest things we had ever done, but looking back at the week, it was so worth it!!!! From the moment we arrived, we were made to feel welcome, and by the end of the week, Mel and I were so sad to leave. We made some new friends and really enjoyed all our time at the camp even though it was hard work for us. Mel lost an amazing 4 kilos in just one week (she weighed herself before & after). I definitely lost weight too, as my clothes fit so much better (I hate weighing myself, so I didn’t). We both felt fitter after and left motivated to continue training.

Our one biggest regret was not being able to stay longer. We would go back and do it all again for sure and stay longer next time! Thanks to Christian and the whole Kombat Group team, it was a great experience!

Tash & Mel

My name is Jeraldine, and I am from Australia. I went to Kombat Group when I was 20 years old for 1 week. It was a really good experience. I had never done any martial arts training before in my life, and I wanted to see what it would be like, also to lose some weight and tone up. When I got there, I was scared because only guys were there at the time.

But the trainers were very friendly and made me feel very comfortable. They made sure that everyone (all the guys training there and the other staff) were friendly and were always looking out for me. Taking me around on the motorbike if I needed to go somewhere and always looking out to see if I needed help training, doing my glove wraps, and wanting the company to go for a run.

Christian gave me a room in the hotel next door because I was the only girl, and he didn´t want to put me in a shared room with other guys. And I didn´t have to pay extra. He also drove me to the bus stop to return to Bangkok, which he didn´t need to do. He also brought me to see his old training camp when he was younger. I felt very comfortable in Kombat Group because of the staff.

The training was intense because I did two Muay Thai sessions a day, BJJ and BJJ private sessions. I learned a lot about training and toned up intensely after 1 week. The food was incredible, tasted really good and was very healthy and in good quantities! Every morning we had a sandwich, cereal and fruit. We were provided with water and vitamins during the day. For lunch, we would have delicious Italian pasta, and for dinner, we would have fresh salad and protein.

I would recommend this camp for girls definitely because the staff treat you well and make you feel like you are part of the team!

Jeraldine

Hi, I’m Charlie, and I would like to share my time at Kombat with you. I have trained in MMA for some time, so planning my trip to Thailand, I wanted to ensure getting some ground game as well as Muay Thai, so I Google’d!! Kombat came highly recommended, so I booked, and I am so glad I did.

Here’s how it started. I flew to Bangkok from the canary islands via the UK, then Dubai, so I was pretty shattered after 3 days of travelling. My taxi was there to collect me ‘that was a good move! So I fell asleep as soon as my bags were in the car and arrived safe and sound at the gym.

I may be ‘MMA’, but I’m still a girl, so I rocked up with x2 suitcases 1x training bag, 1x laptop bag, plus hand luggage, of course !!…( And no one judged lol, don’t judge a book !!) I was super hungry, so the wonderful girls in the kitchen made me just what I wanted before I unpacked. Oh yes, and I’m vegetarian!!!!

Next Day/First-day training began. Wow amazing, fantastic. You just need to get in there and train, I had been given session times and thought I’d mix it up with Muay Thai and MMA, I have never trained so hard !! The facilities are perfect, and the instructors are so skilled and friendly too.

Sessions are morning and afternoon into the evening. With the food included, it meant I did not go hungry or need to go out and search for food. The language was never a problem, and I soon made friends; by the end of the week, we were out watching local fights together; that’s once I’d got into a pattern and managed to stay awake for a few hours! My only regret would be that I flew out on Christmas Eve, I wish I had stayed longer! Good reason to go back.

Charlie

I know first-hand that it can be intimidating for a woman to walk into a Muay Thai gym to train, but the Kombat Group has created an environment where everyone is equal. No matter what level you are at, Christian, the trainers, and other students at Kombat are all willing to help you become your best and achieve results. Most women have the misconception that training in Boxing or Muay Thai will cause your body to become big and bulky.

However, the motion of Muay Thai is high cardio and low-weight workout using your own body weight as a tool to burn fat and tone. After a few weeks of training at Kombat my muscles become long and lean, my abs flat and strong and I could see results on my body that working out in a gym cannot provide. Training in Muay Thai at Kombat helped me gain confidence, discipline and the energy to succeed in both my mind and body. I have more stamina, I feel better about myself and as a result, I have become more successful at managing both my personal and professional relationships. Also as a woman, Muay Thai is a great tool for self-defense.

I signed up to train at Kombat for 2 weeks, however, I ended up staying 3 months and counting. Not only do I keep coming back, but my brother and my friends keep coming back as well too. If you are looking to take your health, fitness, and self-confidence to the next level, stop what you are doing right now and learn Muay Thai at Kombat. You will not regret it!!

Michelle

I spent one month at Kombat Group in July 2015. I wanted to train in Western Boxing only, and there just isn’t another camp in Thailand that can offer that. When I first arrived at Kombat Group, I was extremely nervous. To be honest, I didn’t want to be there when I first came. I was scared that I would not be able to do the required training because of my size and condition.

The biggest thing I have learnt in the past seven weeks is not to let fear stop you. Had I walked out of the camp on the first day, I would now be back home in Australia, still weighing 115 kilos, if not more. I would not have been able to achieve the weight loss I have without the support, guidance and encouragement of everyone at Kombat Group.

I would like to pay a special mention to Christian and to Yut, who, in particular, have been there every step of the way. I am proud to say that when leaving Kombat Group on Saturday, I will have the knowledge and commitment needed to maintain and continue to lose weight long term; being able to keep the weight off is now the important thing.

Jason

I arrived at Kombat Group at the start of September 2011, my main goal was to lose weight, and I also wanted to learn about Muay Thai and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, having never trained in any martial arts before. On arrival, I weighed 102 Kg; I lost 13 kg during my 6 weeks at Kombat. I believe there was potential to have lost even more during that period.

Before Kombat, I had often tried to stick to low-fat/low-calorie diets, which I found very challenging, and they often resulted in weight gain as I would end up overeating once I lost motivation. At Kombat, I was placed on a low-carbohydrate diet which took time for me to adjust to. However, I found this much more satisfying and didn’t leave me as hungry.

I found the Weight Loss Program very beneficial, as I find the first few weeks of any diet/ exercise program the most difficult. The advantage of Kombat was it removed the temptations that surrounded me at home, and I was in a supportive environment where people shared the same goals and interests. I have maintained my fitness and eating plan since arriving home, and as of February 2012, my current weight is 78 kg. Leaving me with a total weight loss of 24kg since my first day at Kombat.

Another advantage of the weight loss course, given that I had no experience in any martial art, was that it incorporated every discipline instructed at Kombat. This exposure gave me an appreciation for BJJ and Krav Maga, which I was unfamiliar with. I found that the location of Kombat was a short drive from the tourist district of Pattaya but not so close that it became a distraction during the weekdays.

The local people in the area were friendly and hospitable. What I was most impressed by was the patience of the instructors constantly working with absolute beginners; I would highly recommend the weight loss program to anyone that finds it hard to stick to an exercise or eating plan and anyone who has a limited amount of time and would like to be exposed to a wide variety of fighting styles all in the one location.

Ben Campbell

I was feeling that I was getting soft by the Western way of life with too much work, food, drink and stress after almost fifteen years in London and the fighter in me was slipping away.

To get back my edge, I was thinking about Thai boxing and to combine it with the lovely hot weather in Thailand, there were so many clubs online trying to compete with being the nicest, best beach, yoga and bla bla bla and then found Kombat Group – Fight Club being the complete opposite and the only place combining Thai Boxing, MMA and Krav Maga which together is what makes you a complete fighter prepared to be strong and defend whats yours and the ones you love.

If you will go to Kombat Group you will be guided step by step by the owner and World Champion Christian who makes sure to motivate you, push when needed and create a diet that suits your body to get best possible result but by end of the day you need to do all the work yourself and its tough, very tough but you will get result like at no other place so if you want a holiday pick a nice camp by the beach, if you want result and turn your life around go to Kombat Group.

3 stones or almost 20 kg in 6 weeks speaks for itself. A special Thanks to the Thaibox trainer Rock who is the best technical teacher and Gerry Nolan the Krav Maga trainer who is a true source of inspiration and loved by all students so make sure to include Krav Maga in your time at Kombat Group!

Johan

Charlotte Defeats a Man to Win Her First Victory Charlotte, a 26-year old from France, trained in Western Boxing at Kombat Group for one month leading up to a victory in her first ever boxing match on September 29, 2016 at Siren Boxing Bar in Pattaya.

To everyone’s surprise, Charlotte’s opponent was a MAN! She received instruction from Christian in the corner, and also had the support of a dozen other friends from the camp. Charlotte fought hard during all three rounds and applied the techniques learned while training at Kombat Group. Her powerful uppercut and hook destabilized her opponent in the third and final round, leading to a clear victory. Overall Charlotte said:

“It was a great experience and now I know for sure that I want to fight more and improve my skills.”

Charlotte

Before I arrived at Kombat Group, I used to consider myself relatively fit… After Day 1, I realised I wasn’t! Having had a very small introduction to Boxing a few years back, I didn’t know what to expect from the camp… But from the very first session on day one, I was treated just like everybody else within the camp, regardless of your level.

The trainers have the perfect balance of teaching and laughing, so you always feel comfortable, yet you are always learning. I stayed in the camp for four weeks and saw such massive improvements in my general fitness and boxing technique, and I even lost a pound or two in the process!! Overall I couldn’t recommend this camp enough; with a tightly knit group/family feel to the place, you never feel alone, and with all of the staff’s friendly smiling faces, there never is a dull moment!

Matthew

We decided to try out Muay Thai during our vacation and searched the web for gyms in the Bangkok area. Kombat Group was the one with the most informative website, and Christian, the (World Champ) owner, was easy to communicate with both by mail and phone. When we arrived, we were welcomed, fed and got a tour of the gym and a choice of several martial art courses to pick from. Joy chose Muay Thai (of course), MMA and BJJ, and Magnus chose Muay Thai and Krav Maga.

Our experience at Kombat Group gym is entirely positive. The staff is friendly, the trainers are fun, loving and skilled and the food is great! The atmosphere is nowhere near the macho, aggressive one you might expect; instead, everyone attending the gym is friendly and inviting, even the most hardcore fighters. We started as beginners, and after only one week of hard training, we left with a lot more confidence and will continue training in some form of martial art when we get home. We want to thank Christian, Geir, other staff members, and our gym buddies for making this a great and memorable experience.

Joy & Magnus

When I arrived at Kombat Group was a bit hesitant because Thailand is famous for Muay Thai Boxing, and I wanted to practice English Boxing. It took just a few days to let me understand that I was exactly in the right place!

Christian and his team have followed me very well from beginning to end, and in my stay (2 weeks) I was able to really improve a lot. Personally, I found surprising the fact that you can live like a true professional who is preparing for a match: 2 workouts a day 6 days on 7, technique, sparring, healthy and controlled eating (the food is great, carbohydrates at lunch and proteins in the evening), all under the constant control of Christian and his staff.

At the end I really did a match! Chris saw that I was committed and wanted to reward me, making me fight in the “Thepprasit Stadium” an indescribable feeling. Besides, if you prove to have desire and dedication to fight, in Thailand is not as complicated as in Italy, where you need to lose months visits doctor visits and paperwork. The boys of the camp are very discerning in the choice of the opponent and never choose someone out of your reach, then clearly you enter the ring in two and to lose is possible, what is really important is to get down with the consciousness of having given everything! I won the match, by a knockout in the third. Chris was in my corner yelling like a mad and telling me everything to do, I think without him I would not have ever made it and that night I realized how important it is experienced and prepared corner.

Finally, I strongly recommend this experience to anyone who enjoys combat sports and anyone who wants to get involved. When you come back you will not be the same anymore! Have fun !!!!!!!!

Elbio B.

My name is Alice, I’m 24 and this was my first holiday in Thailand. I met Christian Daghio, but I already knew everything about him because my boyfriend Jurj, knows him for more than 10 years.

He attended the camp for 6 years and this year I had the chance to go there too, and I already know that next year I will go again!

I approached the Muay Thai because my partner practice it at a competitive level and I decided to try to take courses here in my country.
I like this art because it helps me to vent the tension of the working day. I have practiced many sports, but I think this is the only one where at the end of training I feel really good!
I do not think I will become a true “fighter” but surely I will know how to defend myself!

Christian at first looks real tough guy and he is, but he also has a gold character and is a splendid person! I’m glad to have known him also outside the camp. Although Jurj had spoken several times of the camp itself and Thailand, I did not know what to expect and how it would be my 1st time in Pattaya.

The service and friendliness with which you are received is remarkable, both the kitchen and all the people working there (the girls in the kitchen and the Thai coaches) are exquisite people, always smiling and very professional.

Jurj is preparing for an MMA match so every week was at the camp. I took the opportunity to not give up the sport even on holiday, by training constantly supervised under the Christian eyes, that despite the commitments and training is always present and vigilant about boys / girls who stay at Kombat Group.

I spent the free time, like all women, in malls and flea markets! I married with Buddhist ritual, as Jurj is a practicing this religion. I visited the islands close to Pattaya … Koh Samet is absolutely the most beautiful!

I wanted to give my testimony for girls who practice Muay Thai just for self-defense or to keep in shape, because to experience it in the country of origin makes you go home with the desire to continue and never stop! I will end here, thanking Christian and all of the Thai coaches for make me feel not excluded from an environment that is thought for men only.

I also include in the credits Jurj that brought me to Kombat Group of the World Champion DAGHIO where I will be again next year!

Alice

Today, Kombat Group Thailand stands as a symbol of excellence and a beacon for aspiring martial artists worldwide. Its storied history, coupled with its ongoing commitment to fostering personal growth and skill development, ensures its place among the most respected martial arts training facilities.

From its modest origins to its current stature as a global training hub, Kombat Group Thailand has built an exceptional legacy in the world of combat sports. Its commitment to providing an authentic training experience, world-class coaching, and a nurturing environment has made it a preferred destination for martial artists from all walks of life. As it continues to evolve and inspire generations of fighters, Kombat Group Thailand remains an enduring testament to the power of martial arts and the pursuit of excellence.