Our Gym's Roots
The History of Vermont Muay Thai
The Vermont Muay Thai gym was officially founded by Dan in 2011,
but for the Martin Family, their passion for Muay Thai started long before that.
Chapter 1. Tony Vongsy's Muay Thai Academy
Photos: Vongsy's Muay Thai Academy visit Pat Donahue's Karate Dojo for some friendly sparring October 3rd, 2003
Andrew Martin sparring with another member of Vongsy's crew
(circled on the right): Dan Martin (24yrs) & Coach Tony Vongsy.
(circled on the left): Andrew Martin (17yrs)
Vongsy's Muay Thai Academy Sweatshirt Logo
Tony Vongsy moved to Brattleboro from the sunny West Coast of California, where Muay Thai had just recently been introduced to the United States in the 1990's. Back then Muay Thai was nearly unheard of in the New England area, and Tony was the first coach to bring the martial art to our local community.
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Brothers Andrew & Dan Martin started training at Vongsy's Muay Thai Academy in 2001 and fell in love with the sport. Dan's daughter, Tatiyana, had been born in June of that same year, and by the time she was 5yrs old Dan was bringing her to train with the Vongsy Muay Thai Crew in Tony's backyard.
Dan was inspired by ancient Thai culture & traditions; he studied several books and DVD's ordered from Thailand to learn about Thai Boxing philosophy & techniques, and he was also deeply connected with local Thai families. The community taught him to cook, fight, and respect life like a traditional Thai fighter, eventually leaving him feeling "more Thai than American".
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​Vongsy's Muay Thai Academy eventually closed sometime between 2005-2006, and Tony had to move back to California; there were no Thai Boxing coaches left to train under in the New England area, but Dans passion for Muay Thai drove him to continue studying the Art of Eight Limbs independently.
Dan's second daughter, Chanah Martin, was born in late 2006. The family experienced great financial strain, but when Dan wasn't hustling to support his family, he would practice Muay Thai in his living room, at the grocery store, in the backyard, or even in the Brattleboro graveyards (and as odd as that may sound, it is true).
Chapter 2. Martin Farms Logging & Homestead
In 2009 Dan Martin moved with his fiancé, Tierre, and two kids from living in a Volkswagon to an old farm house in Brookline, VT. Dan struck a deal with the kind hearted owner of the property; he agreed to maintain the land in exchange for living in one of the two houses on the farm, this finally got the Martin Family back on their feet. With their newfound stability, Dan was able to start his own firewood and timber harvesting business called, "Martin Farms Logging". He built a homestead for his family; processing firewood in the fields and raising several different kinds of animals, including horses, dogs, sheep, chickens, and many more types of fowl (including peacocks!)
Dan mows the fields with his daughters shortly after moving to the farm
Dan & his horse, Cocoa, bring friends for a ride in an antique horse carriage
Chanah poses on the 518 CAT while Dan saws timber in the background.
Operating the farm and his logging business kept Dan busy, but he never stopped thinking about Muay Thai, so he continued to study the art in his free time. By 2010 Dan's research led him to discover a gym in Orange County CA that specialized in practicing authentic Muay Thai, he was eager to expand his knowledge and skills and so he arranged to travel there to train under a man named David Jansson.
Chapter 3. David Jannson's Influence
When Dan created the Vermont Muay Thai Facebook page he made a post accrediting David Jansson as the man who inspired him to start his own gym in Brattleboro Vermont.
Dan wanted to compete, but first he needed a coach who could push him past his limits. He flew to Seal Beach, California, to train at OC Muay Thai. He stayed there for the course of two months; training intensely twice a day, solely focusing on improving himself as a fighter both physically and mentally.
Dan didn't just take part in the trainings, he also built strong relationships with his training partners; and especially his coach, David Jansson, who often affectionately referred to him as "Dapper Dan" or "Dan the Man!" The two men had a genuine mutual respect for each other, they continued to stay friends and maintain communication long after Dan's training was over.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​
Dan sparring in the OC Muay Thai gym's ring
(top): OC Muay Thai Picnic with the crew at Miles Square Park (bottom): Dan & David at the Boiling Crab restaurant
Video Compilation of Dan's Journey at OC Muay Thai
"I loved that man- he was truly inspirational."
- David Jansson
Dan Martin & Nick Bergeron
doing tire-flips in the driveway
Dan & Tierre practicing timing and distance for leg kick
Dan holding pads for Tatiyana,
teaching range and distance
Chapter 3. Opening the Gym
(the first time)
winter of 2010 the Vermont Muay Thai gym opened for the first of several times; right on 73 Main Street, in Brattleboro, VT.
The gym started with some mats, a few pads, and a bunch of tires in a basement lit by flickering fluorescent lights. It wasn't anything fancy. The gym had grit, and more importantly, it had heart. It was Dans passion for Muay Thai that drew people into the Vermont Muay Thai gym, even though it was often referred to as resembling something out of the movie "Fight Club".
Amongst the fully grown men, training with the same intensity as any of the adults, were little Tatiyana & Chanah Martin. Born into the Muay Thai lifestyle, they trained everyday & were coached into relentless fighters. Even when the kids motivation to train was lacking, Dan made sure they were in the gym learning and sharpening skills.
5yr old Chanah, and 9yr old Tatiyana doing crunches
Dan encouraging Tatiyana not to give up during planking
End of class Ab Circle
Tatiyana ready for spar night
Chapter 4. Sweet Place & Sala Thai
It was in the early months of 2012 that things slowed down for the Vermont Muay Thai gym. Dan found himself with too few clients and too much space. One day, while taking a trip to a candy store, one of his daughters said "I wish there was a candy store in Brattleboro", and Dan was inspired to make yet another business plan. By the summer of 2012, Sweet Place Candy Store on the corner of South Main and Canal Street in Brattleboro was officially open for business. Dan closed the gym on main street and converted the back of their family owned candy store into a small makeshift space to train in.
Just beyond the register at Sweet Place Candy Store was a fully equipped Muay Thai gym
Dan watching Muay Thai bouts in the Candy Store, December of 2012
Unfortunately, Sweet Place Candy Store wasn't a very successful business; people were more likely to steal candy than buy it, an incredibly shy 11-year-old was operating the cash register, and the store was broken into multiple times.
In an attempt to bring more paying customers into the store; Dan invited his childhood best-friend's mother, Toi Anthachai, to work out of the kitchen area that was a Muay Thai gym at the time. When Toi's business "Sala Thai" moved in, the storefront was converted into half Thai Restaurant, half Candy Store, and Vermont Muay Thai continued training outdoors.
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Chapter 5. Bit by the Bout Bug
With the candy store failing, Dan turned his focus back to growing the Muay Thai community in Brattleboro, he started the Vermont Muay Thai Facebook page and began offering free classes for kids and teens at the Boys & Girls club.
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In 2013 Dan was getting serious about promoting Vermont Muay Thai, he had a website built and was actively posting on Facebook to try and get more folks interested in the sport. In the months of June & July he even offered 10 FREE CLASSES for anyone looking to sign up, but by the end of July it was clear that training Muay Thai outdoors was not how most people wanted to spend their summer months, and so, Vermont Muay Thai temporarily ceased operations.
By 2014 Sweet Place Candy Store/Sala Thai Restaurant closed its doors for good but Vermont Muay Thai lived on. Dan was bit by the "bout bug", he loved the sport aspect of Muay Thai and would rigorously study instructional DVD's ordered from trainers in Thailand. He could also watch bouts for hours on end, studying every movement of the fighters carefully.
Dan had the urge to fight in the ring, but he wanted more training and experience.