Striking program · Official affiliate

Bang Muay Thai in Portland

Monday through Thursday at 7:30 PM. All eight weapons — fists, feet, knees and elbows — taught through Duane “Bang” Ludwig’s system. Striking skill, serious cardio, and the fastest way we know to put a bad day down.

Class times

The system

Striking built to fit next to grappling

Bang Muay Thai is the striking system built by Duane Ludwig — former UFC fighter, and named UFC Coach of the Year during his time with Team Alpha Male. It is a hybrid: Muay Thai’s eight limbs, structured through a curriculum designed to integrate with wrestling and jiu jitsu rather than sit awkwardly beside them.

We are an official affiliate, which means the curriculum here is the real one, taught in order. If you already train no-gi, this is the other half of the same conversation. If you have never thrown a punch in your life, you are exactly who the beginner curriculum is for.

At a glance Bang Muay Thai

System
Bang Muay Thai, official affiliate
When
Monday to Thursday, 7:30 PM
Frequency
Four nights a week
Sparring
No fighting required
Gear
Gloves and shins available
Kit
Shorts and a t-shirt
Class photo beneath the Bas Rutten inspired Bang Muay Thai official affiliate banner at 10th Planet Portland, with Thai pads and shin guards stacked on the shelf

What an hour looks like

Warm up, technique, pads, done

No sparring on your first night. No sparring at all unless and until you want it. Most of the room is here for the striking and the conditioning, not for a fight.

  1. Warm upMove, then loosen

    Skipping, shadow work and footwork drills. Ten to fifteen minutes, enough to get warm and get your stance under you before anything lands on a pad.

  2. TechniqueOne idea, properly

    A coach breaks down a technique or a short combination from the Bang curriculum — a kick, a check, an entry, an exit — and you drill it slowly with a partner until the shape is right.

  3. PadsWhere the cardio arrives

    Rounds on Thai pads, holding for your partner and then hitting. This is the part that empties your head, and the part everyone means when they say they slept properly that night.

Common questions

Before your first night

Will I have to spar?

No. Not on your first night, and not ever if you do not want to. Technique and pad work make up the bulk of every class, and sparring is opt-in and controlled.

Do I need my own gloves?

Not to start — there are gloves and shin guards at the academy you can borrow. If you stick with it you will want your own pair, mostly for hygiene reasons.

What should I wear?

Shorts and a t-shirt. Bring water. Bare feet on the mat.

Is it good cardio if I just want the workout?

It is some of the best there is, and a substantial part of the class is here for exactly that. You will learn real technique as a side effect, which is a better deal than a fitness class that only imitates it.

Can I do Muay Thai and jiu jitsu?

Yes, and the schedule is built for it — Muay Thai starts at 7:30 PM, right after the 6:00 PM jiu jitsu classes finish. Plenty of members do both on the same night.

I have never done any striking. Too late?

No. The Bang curriculum starts at an explicit beginner tier and builds from there. Everyone in that room learned to throw a kick at some point, usually as an adult.

Mat pass Admit one

Four nights a week at half seven.

Gloves and shins are here if you need them. Your first class is free.

Call 503-974-0521
Wear
A t-shirt and shorts. Nothing else needed.
Next class
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