A new gym is offering Queens residents a less traditional way to get fit.
Rego Park resident Kit Yeung opened Hinds Combat Sports at 10-25 48th Ave. in Long Island City on Jan. 3. The 3,000-square-foot gym provides Muay Thai classes for people as young as 4 years old and those looking to receive stress after work.
Yeung, who has been practicing Muay Thai and Brazilian jiu-jitsu for 15 years, also owns a muay thai gym in Rego Park and Midtown Manhattan. A former IT manager for NYU Langone, Yeung said he took a jiu-jitsu one day after work and became enamored with the sport.
“After a long day of work I would try the traditional gym route, and one day I took a Brazilian jiu-jitsu class at a martial arts gym,” he said. “My hobby turned into a career.”
Classes, which are offered from Monday through Saturday, will be taught by Sean Hinds. A London native, Hinds moved to the United States in the 90s and began his professional fighting career.
Muay Thai is the most popular sport in Thailand and combines traditional boxing moves with hand, elbow, shin and knee strikes. Though the sport has a reputation for being “brutal” and “savage” Yeung hopes to change that perception.
“I think the benefits [of practicing Muay Thai] is high self-esteem and confidence,” he said. “[Members] start losing weight, they start getting fit, they have a new sense of confidence. That’s probably the most exciting thing to see.”
The gym is also offering a Bull Dogs Program — classes for children 4 and up that will be taught by Dave Moy. Children will learn the basics of kickboxing and grappling.
Hinds Combat Sports is offering an early bird special where members can purchase a monthly membership for $149 and receive boxing gloves and other equipment. The $99 enrollment fee is also waived.
The gym also has a 500 square foot space with treadmills and bikes for those who want to work out before or after a class. Though the gym has only been open for two days Yeung said local residents are excited to see a Muay Thai gym in the area.
“Tons of emails have come in and we signed a bunch of people up from the neighborhood,” he said. “We keep hearing that a lot of people have been waiting for an authentic Muay Thai and Brazilian jiu-jitsu place to come to Long Island City.”
For more information, visit the gym’s Facebook page.
