Straight answer: boxing and Muay Thai are contact sports, so you will get hit, in sparring and on fight night. What makes it safe is everything around the punches: training before you spar, fair matching, the right kit, medical checks and professionals running every bout.
Before you start
- A health form before your first session. Every fighter completes a health questionnaire before their first fight camp session, so the coaches know about anything that matters.
- An assessment in week 1. The coaches see where you are before anything gets harder.
- 18 or over by fight night. There's no upper age limit.
If you have a health condition or an old injury and you're unsure, talk to your GP before you sign up, and tell us at the intro meeting.
Training before you spar
Nobody spars in week 1. The first two weeks are stance, guard, footwork, your first punches and basic defence. Controlled sparring starts in week 3, once you can defend yourself. Team sparring follows in week 5, and in week 6 you spar your proposed opponent in simulated bouts. By week 7 it's technical sparring only, so you arrive at fight night fresh, not battered.
You'll wear your gum shield throughout camp, so you get used to breathing with it in.
Fair matching
Every match is made by our coaches. You're paired on age, weight and experience, with no more than 5kg between you. Matchmaking starts in week 4 and matches are signed off in week 6, after you've sparred. 96% of fighters spar their opponent before fight night, so there are no surprises when the bell goes.
The kit
- Gloves and wraps16oz, or 14oz if you're under 55kg
- Head guardOpen face or cheek protectors. Full-face head guards aren't allowed on fight night
- Gum shieldWorn throughout camp
- Groin guardNon-negotiable
- Shin guardsMuay Thai only, padded from knee to instep, so shins meet padding, not bone
On fight night
- A medical before your fight, and another one after it
- Professional referees in charge of every bout
- Medics ringside throughout
- Short rounds: three 2-minute rounds, with 1 minute's rest between
- Muay Thai rules built for first-time fighters: no elbows, no knees to the head, and one grab and knee in the clinch
The honest bit
You will take shots, and you will feel them. Expect the odd bruise and a sore nose. What you won't be is thrown in over your head: you'll have trained for eight weeks, sparred your opponent, and been matched on age, weight and experience. More than 4,500 people have been through our ring since 2018, and 85% of them started with less than three months' experience.
Questions
Is white collar boxing safe?
It's a contact sport, so you will get hit. The risk is managed with eight weeks of training before fight night, fair matching on age, weight and experience with no more than 5kg between you, full protective kit, a medical before and after your fight, and professional referees with medics ringside.
Do you have to spar?
Yes. Sparring is how you learn to fight and how we match you fairly. It starts, controlled, in week 3, and 96% of fighters spar their opponent before fight night.
Do you wear head guards on fight night?
Yes. Open face head guards or cheek protectors. Full-face head guards aren't allowed on fight night.
Is Muay Thai more dangerous than boxing?
On our shows both are fought in full protective kit under the same safety rules. Muay Thai adds shin guards, and our rules ban elbows and knees to the head.
What if I'm not ready by fight night?
Talk to your coaches. Every match is made by our coaches and signed off in week 6, after you've sparred. You will never be put in over your head.
Your first round starts here
Eight weeks of free coaching, then a real fight night. Sign up in two minutes, then hear everything at the intro meeting before you commit to anything.
Join the camp →Take the 60-second quiz