* Testimonial for Chokdee Muay Thai Academy:
Ive trained in a few places prior to finding Rich at Chokdee so consider myself, although not an expert in any martial arts, to be experienced in the variety of gyms out there and Chokdee by far stands out as the best.
Firstly the quality of instruction. I've learnt more in Rich's one hour sessions, than weeks with certain clubs/instructors. His knowledge and experience and how he delivers it is exceptional, and it sticks, so i can always remember what i should be doing and more importantly, why.
Safety- the environment he trains people in is safe, but robust. In my line of work- front line infantry, i cannot afford to sustain injuries outside of work and have been to clubs which aren't as well monitored or as good at creating a safe environment to learn, which means his students absorb more.
Family orientated. All members are so friendly, i would take my niece or nephew to train at his club as such a fun and friendly environment (if it wasn't for distance). No other club offers this variety of training for all ages in a safe and well kitted out gym.
Quality of equipment. Chokdee is professionally kitted out and well suited for training safely with a variety of kit. It does get busy as so popular, but will happen when you have fitness circuits on, with guys practicing pad work and some BJJ guys rolling at the same time, fantastic.
I'm more than happy to recommend Rich's Chokdee to anyone wanting to train Muay Thai as a beginner upto professional fighter :)
What can I say about Rich & Jo Cadden & The Gym they run? Well It has classes for any one whatever you need they can provide it , from fitness and conditioning to weight loss. They also provide some of the best martial arts instruction I have seen in over 30years of my martial arts training. From Muay Thai to BJJ.
Who is it for? everyone , Fighter to hobby training , you can even bring your children whilst you train all are welcome.If that wasnt enough The gym offers Mind Coaching, dietary and lifestyle advice that cannot be rivaled. It and they are pioneers in this industry and a vital part of Yorks fitness and & martial arts community :)
"Well I was a lad suffering with irreditary cancer and operations passed trying to live his life to normality with no bowel and a load of mind issues after the all clear for the year but even with all my effort of doing new things to enter normality, nothing was helping no matter what I tryed, then I seen this uwcb pop up on fb and I thought great way to make money for cancer research and why not on the boxing I might enjoy it well yes I chickened out first but then I found out my friend had done it and well I thought I regret that so I gotta try...well normality was a long way off like a million years off at a guess but once I stepped through the doors of chokdee gym I think oh what am I doing, but oh hang on the people here are very supportive and i never opened up before to anyone but here I am talking my health problems away along with the rest and well rich cadden mind coaching me and helping me to develop along with jo cadden also getting my fitness up with josh Cockerill also helping me discover myself and Paul Styles helping me also keep fitness up....well let's just say I did the 8 weeks training with uwcb through chokdee gym and I've never looked back, normality is now at my front door and I'm loving life, I couldn't of done this without chokdee gym, I've done gyms before, martial arts but never stuck to it due to the process they had to learning or earning belts, but seeing the proper structure of learning I really started to enjoy it and more and more I was getting a taste for it....well to make it clear I'm boxing in Dec for cancer research with chokdee gym again.....you really can't go wrong with this gym......if it can change my life around imagine what it can do for you....."
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I have trained at various fitness and martial arts gyms for over 20 years, and have been involved with the Chokdee Academy for just over a year now.
When it came to finding a gym for my 8 year old son to start training in Muay Thai, we had heard of various gyms offering a conveyor belt system, where you pay your money and take your, virtually guaranteed, qualification away, and are merely just a number. Upon our first visit to Chokdee it was obvious that this was not the case here. Members are not seen as a licence to print money and are treated as part of an extended family within the club. The junior Thai Boxers receive world class training are constantly encouraged and offered the right level of support relevant to their ability and needs. Time is not solely focused on the most gifted students , with all students getting the full attention of Rich and his right hand man Connor. Along with Rich and Jo, members are always there to help each other and offer advice to one another. His training has helped him with his other main interest, of Football. Both his fitness and confidence has increased, which has made him even better in his role as Heworth AFC Goalkeeper. As well as his dedicated junior sessions, my son loves the fact he go to the open mat sessions and train with the senior members, and be a small part in the Chokdee fighters family. Many thanks to Rich, Jo and Connor.
For the past 10 months I have been actively involved myself, in the Chokdee family. In April of this year the first Ultra White Collar Boxing (UWCB) event took place in York. This was a charity event in aid of Cancer Research. Chokdee stepped up and offered 8 weeks of free training to the participants in advance of this fight night. Twice a week for the 8 weeks, Rich, Jo and other members of Chokdee helped train the fighters, offering advice, encouragement, mind coaching and for some participants, virtually a shoulder to cry on when things became too much. This was the first time a lot of these people had been in the ring or even been involved in any style of fighting. There were a lot of anxious faces at the start of the 8 week process, however their concerns and fears were dealt with on a weekly basis by Rich and his excellent style of training and support. They say not all good fighters make good coaches, however this old boy certainly does. The support continued right up to fight night, with the Chokdee team in attendance, ensuring all the fighters had the right attitude and made the most of their night in the spotlight. I would envisage that none of the participants would have anything but praise to offer to both Rich and Jo.
I thought the whole journey was so expertly organised and training so thorough, that I signed up to fight again in the September event. You can't get a bigger recommendation than that.
A brilliant, professional, no ego gym that puts the members first.
Other gyms...Chokdee Shits 'em.
"I've been going to Chokdee for a while now and it's great place to train. You can tell Rich & Jo have a real passion for what they do and strive to help every individual achieve their fitness goals. There's everything you could need from a gym at Chokdee including one-to-one coaching, various classes, open mat sessions, and even nutritional advice and products!"
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"I came to try muay thai and fitness classes 10 months ago. I was overweight, unfit, my confidence was super low, basically I hid behind what used to be a big jumper. All I wanted to do was to lose weight. 10 months later I am confident, super fit, lost loads of size and fat, gained good muscle, had a boxing match against a fighter who was 17kg heavier and had 15 fights. I recently signed up for an interclub muay thai fight as well. Chockdee academy has helped me reach my goals and achieve something I would only dream about."
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"​I recently joined Chokdee to take part in the white collar boxing that Rich Cadden and Jo Cadden arrange. the gym is a very welcoming place which immediately puts you at ease and there is great team ethic for all abilities. I have learned so much in such a short space of time, not all physical a lot about nutrition and general wellbeing. To me it’s a great place where likeminded people can go and train and improve fitness levels and get visible results, no fads. Rich is a knowledgeable trainer having competed at the highest level so there are no gimmicks. Jo can motivate you even through her killer workouts! Both decent people with a great fight club!"
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"Having a disability which causes me to use a wheelchair i was very nervous of joining a gym, however when i walked through the door of Chokdee Academy i was immediately welcomed by Rich and the Jiu Jitsu team. One year down the line i'm still training Brazilian Jiu Jitsu but i am now able to walk better and further thanks to it aswell!! As i've said to people i know i come back to Chokdee for two reasons:
1. Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.....Once it has you, you gotta keep learning!!
2. The Chokdee Family! - Rich, Jo, Josh, Kris and everyone else....from the bottom of my heart thank you for the help you have given me!"
"It's nearly a year since I started at Chokdee. My initial goal was to do a 30 day challenge with Jo to lose the weight I'd gained since having my son and gain control of my fitness. I still remember the first time I walked through the door. I was terrified. I had lost a lot of confidence in myself since having my son & very nearly turned around and walked back to my car. I'm so glad I didn't. Straight away Jo and Rich welcomed me and made me feel like I could achieve my goals. Through doing the challenge I started attending classes, first Jo's HIIT class then starting Rich's Thai boxing class. My fitness has improved, I've lost fat, I've gained muscle, I've gained confidence but most importantly I'm setting a good example to my son, he even comes to some classes with me. The Thai classes in particular are helping me believe in myself more. I've had the odd wobble, particularly when it comes to believing in myself and what I can achieve but Jo and Rich have helped me through and helped me stay focused. This is not your average gym, it's a supportive atmosphere where the whole family can learn new skills together. Jo and Rich are not your average gym owners, they go the extra mile for each one of their members to challenge them and help them achieve their goals-they are inspirational. The first time I went to Thai another member talked about being part of the Chokdee family and I couldn't understand what she meant as previous gyms I had been a member of where anonymous and unwelcoming but a year down the line I totally get it. I'm part of the Chokdee family and I'm so grateful for what they have helped me achieve so far and I'm looking forward to what the future holds"
"Since becoming members of chokdee, both children have benefitted massively on a personal level. My daughter has gained an enormous amount of self-confidence which was something she'd always struggled with. My son has always struggled with his concentration levels but is definitely showing an improvement in this are; both at school and at home. Since April this year both have competed in BW competitions. My daughter (age 10)has competed three times and has been awarded 2 bronze medals and 1 silver. My son (age 7) has competed twice and been awarded 2 bronze medals. Many thanks to all at chokdee and York wrestling club for giving them both the opportunity and confidence to do this!"
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"Our son has been going to Chokdee for two years . Having experienced 'Martial Arts ' previously , and was very unimpressed . We went along not knowing what to expect. Chokdee totally blew us away with their professionalism ! The whole ethos of Chokdee screams knowledge, giving children and adults confidence at all levels of fitness ! Lots of advice on nutrition and healthy living .with lots of positive encouragement on martial arts across the board .which also includes wrestling and BJJ. Also there's no 'hard sell ' which quite frankly you get in other establishments. With the option of pay as you go."
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