Thailand
I trained at Monthaburi Bangkok; it was a real culture shock at first as I was the only non Thai there. (Around 1985)
My father paid the owner "pa" (crazy stick as he was called) to look after me when he had to head off near the border for his work.
It was also an elementary school too; you stayed there to study and to train as well.
lol had to sleep on the floor with 20 other kids, a doona, a sheet and a little fan.
Eat our meals in the middle of the room, sharing dishes.
Usual routine was:
Getting up at 4:00am run 10km, do pads three rounds, kick the bag another six rounds, grapple for half hour straight with two other guys, do 250 situps and 50 pushups- probably finished by 8:am than you had schooling (maths etc) and eat breakfast.
3:30pm start running, hit pads for 5-6 rounds, hit pads again for 10-12 rounds, grappling again, knee the bag with 100-200 knees, kick the bag non stop, 30-50 kicks a leg, finish with groundwork at 6:30pm dinner at 8pm, bed by 9:30pm- seven days a week. LOL I think I was in the best shape of my life!!
For the older guys it is a considered a job, a boxer is an employee of a camp. They play techniques for about 15 mins; no wearing pads. The kicks are pulled. There is ALOT of shin to shin so conditioning is no problem, as you are in training they do not knee you with the actual knee but with the inside of the thigh- but they put it in so your conditioning your body. You get your side of your body toughed up, eventually callused.
Situps are done more for conditioning than actual ab training, someone stands on you and push you down with their feet, to strengthen the area so you do not get knocked out by a knee in a fight.
We are not allowed toys or dirty magazines; we did not have showers, it is just wetting yourself on a big basin.
I remembered the older guys only get let out a week after a fight; lol and most of them head straight to Pattaya (which is like a fun park for young men eheheh)
Yes Thai-boxing has spread over most of the world now mainly due to movies and good promotion.
I am not surprised that there are camps in the USA; and the quality will only increase over time as more and more non Thai people pick it up.
In fact the King's birthday fights are hosting alot of non Thai fighters, it is a show down between the best Thai and non Thai talent. I went to one in 1997 and there were 120,000 people in the big park at Wat Phra Kaew (middle of bangkok) it was amazing. That year an Aussie won the title he was the third foreigner to take it. He beat Orono by points; lol Orona was a tough mother, the Aussie (John Parr) changed stance on him, he went southpaw, instead of orthodox; which kept him away from Orona's massive elbows.
Thailand has alot of good camps; you should go there sometime, just stay away from the camps in Pattaya they are for tourist.. head out from Pattaya and you will see the good camps.
As for those guys starting real young....... yeah most of them burn out from competition fighting by their mid 20,s.
It is the damn injuries that become chronic after while.......
Anyway starting at 18 years old is optimum as your body is ripe for the motor skill adaption.
LOL I still have very mild arthiritus on my hands; but I will do it all over again due to all the friends I met and the conditioning it did for my body.