Your First Session
What to Expect at Your First Muay Thai Session
You booked your 2-Week Intro Pass. The day is here. You are sitting in the parking lot at 704 Springwater Place in Waterloo, and your brain is telling you to just drive home. Do not listen to it. Every single person who has trained at Shark Tank Muay Thai was in your exact position once, and they all say the same thing: just walk in. Here is a step-by-step breakdown of what your first private or semi-private session with Coach Omar Samid will look like so there are zero surprises.
Before Your Session: Arriving and Getting Set Up
Arrive a few minutes before your session starts, or whenever Coach Omar asks you to when you book. When you walk in, introduce yourself to Coach Omar. Let him know it is your first time. You will fill out a quick waiver, standard stuff for any gym. If you brought your own gloves, great. If not, Coach Omar will set you up with loaner gloves and shin guards. He will show you how to wrap your hands if you have never done it.
Wear comfortable athletic clothing, shorts (not too long, you need to be able to kick), a t-shirt or tank top, and clean bare feet. Muay Thai is trained barefoot, so leave the shoes in the cubby area. Bring a water bottle, you will need it. A small towel is helpful too.
Because every session is private or semi-private, there is no crowd to walk into and no room full of strangers sizing you up. If you booked semi-private, your training partner will be right there with you. Otherwise it is just you and Coach Omar from the first minute. That is the whole point: his attention is on you for the full session, not split across a room.
Warm-Up: Getting Your Body Ready
Your session starts with a warm-up, usually 10 to 15 minutes. This typically includes skipping rope (do not worry if you are bad at it, everyone is at first), shadow boxing, and dynamic stretching. Coach Omar might add bodyweight exercises like squats, push-ups, or sit-ups. If you are training semi-private, you and your partner warm up together while Omar watches both of you. The pace is moderate, enough to break a sweat and get your joints moving.
During shadow boxing, just follow along as best you can. Throw jabs, crosses, and kicks in the air while Coach Omar calls out cues and corrects your form directly. Nobody expects you to know the techniques yet. The point is to get your body moving and your mind focused.
Technique Instruction: Learning the Basics
After the warm-up, Coach Omar will teach techniques. On your first day, this will be fundamental strikes - how to stand in a proper Muay Thai stance, how to throw a jab and a cross, and likely your first roundhouse kick. Coach Omar uses the BANG numbering system, so he will introduce you to the first few numbers as he teaches each strike.
Pay attention to his cues about stance, hand position, and hip rotation. Do not worry about power, focus on form. Coach Omar is coaching you directly for the entire session, not splitting his attention across a room. When he adjusts your technique, that is a good thing. It means every rep is getting his full attention from the start.
You will practice these techniques in the air first (shadow boxing the new moves), then move to partner drills or pad work. This is where the real learning happens.
Pad Work: Putting It Together
In a private session, Coach Omar holds the Thai pads himself for the entire time. There is no waiting for a turn and no adjusting to a stranger's rhythm. In a semi-private session, you and your training partner take turns holding pads for each other while Omar calls the combinations and corrects both of you.
Whoever is holding pads cues you by presenting them at certain angles. Pads up at face level means throw a punch. Pads held low means throw a kick. Coach Omar holds pads at exactly your pace and talks you through every rep, which is why beginners pick up the fundamentals fast in a private session.
Expect to feel uncoordinated. Your kick will feel awkward. You will forget which hand to jab with. You will gas out faster than you expected. All of this is completely normal. By the end of the pad rounds, your technique will already look better than it did at the start. The improvement from round one to round three is always noticeable, even on day one.
Conditioning and Cool-Down: Finishing Strong
The last portion of your session is conditioning work, this might be heavy bag rounds, bodyweight circuits, or core work. As a first-timer, do what you can. If you need to take a break, take one. Coach Omar would rather you pace yourself than push through bad form because you are exhausted.
Your session ends with stretching and a cool-down. Coach Omar uses this time to give you direct feedback on what to work on before your next session. Bowing as a sign of respect is traditional in Muay Thai and just part of the culture.
After your session, take a few minutes to chat with Coach Omar, ask any questions, and soak in the post-training feeling. You will be tired, sweaty, and probably a little sore, but you will also feel better than you have in a long time. That is the Muay Thai effect.
After Your First Session
You will be sore the next day, especially in your hips, shoulders, and core. This is normal and goes away within a few days. Drink plenty of water, eat a good meal, and get some sleep. The soreness decreases dramatically after the first couple of weeks as your body adapts.
If you enjoyed the session, and most people do, talk to Coach Omar about using the rest of your Intro Pass sessions, then setting up a regular private or semi-private booking. The sooner you start training consistently, the faster you will progress. Because everything runs by appointment, you and Omar work out times that actually fit your week rather than picking from a fixed class schedule.
Still thinking about it? Book the 2-Week Intro Pass, four sessions over two weeks for $75, less than the cost of a single private session. There is zero obligation beyond that. Just come train, see if it clicks, and go from there. Or reach out through the contact page if you have questions before committing to that first session. We are here to help.
Frequently Asked Questions
Athletic shorts (above the knee so you can kick freely), a t-shirt or tank top, and bare feet. Bring a water bottle and a small towel. No shoes needed - Muay Thai is trained barefoot.
No. Shark Tank provides loaner gloves and shin guards for your first session. Once you decide to continue, you can purchase your own gear with Coach Omar's guidance.
No. First-time students do pad work and drills only. Sparring is for more experienced students and is always optional and supervised.
Sessions at Shark Tank are 50 minutes: warm-up, technique instruction, pad work, conditioning, and cool-down.
Take a break when you need to. Every new student goes through this. Coach Omar understands, and so will your training partner if you booked semi-private. Within a couple of weeks, your conditioning will improve dramatically.
Ready to Get Started?
4 sessions over 2 weeks for $75. No experience or equipment needed, just show up ready to learn.