10th Planet Airlock in Bastrop, TX runs striking classes Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 7:00pm. We call it Muay Thai. If you searched for kickboxing, you’re in the right place, and Muay Thai covers everything kickboxing does plus the clinch. Your first class is free and we’ll loan you gear.
There’s one thing that we’ve got to clear up first, because “kickboxing” gets used for two different arts, and you may have a preference (or you may not… read on to find out).
Two Different Things Called Kickboxing
Search kickboxing and you’ll find two kinds of classes and arts sharing one name.
The first is cardio kickboxing. Think: music, a bag per person, and an hour of punching and kicking built around getting your heart rate up and keeping it there. It’s a workout first and it’s a killer workout. Plenty of people love it and it does exactly the job it was built to do.
The second is technical striking. You learn to throw a punch with your whole body behind it instead of just your arm, to check a kick so it doesn’t fold you in half, to hold pads for a partner, and to see what’s coming before it arrives. The conditioning still shows up, as a side effect of learning the mechanics properly.
We teach the second one. If the first one is what you came for, it’s all good, and we’d rather tell you to keep looking than sell you an hour you didn’t really want.
Why We Say Muay Thai Instead
We prefer the term Muay Thai because it covers more ground. Kickboxing typically covers punches and kicks. Muay Thai includes those plus elbows, knees, the clinch, and a handful of takedowns. Kickboxing fits inside Muay Thai. It doesn’t work the other way around.
So if you walked in looking for kickboxing, you’ll get everything you were looking for and a few tools you weren’t. We also wrote a longer breakdown of Muay Thai in Bastrop if you want the full picture, and a separate piece on boxing and where it fits.
What a Class Looks Like
Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 7:00pm. One hour each.
Class opens with a warmup, then technique for the night, broken down slow and then built back up to speed. From there it’s pad work with a partner, which is where most of the learning happens, because somebody has to hold and somebody has to hit and both jobs teach you something. Then conditioning rounds to close.
Your first night, a coach or an experienced student will pair up with you and walk you through it. Nobody is going to throw you into a round you aren’t ready for.
Do You Have to Spar?
No. Sparring is optional and it’s for intermediate and advanced students who want it.
Beginners work pads, bags, and drills. That’s where technique gets built, and it’s most of what everybody does anyway, including people who’ve been at it for years. When you’ve got enough tools and you want to try them against somebody moving back, the door’s open. Plenty of people never walk through it and still get very good.
What You Need to Bring
For your first class: shorts, a t-shirt, and water. We’ll loan you gloves and shin guards, and you’ll buy a pair of cheap hand wraps from us. Flip flops or Crocs are handy for walking off the mat.
Once you decide you’re sticking around, you’ll want your own 16oz boxing gloves and a pair of Muay Thai shin guards. Amazon has solid options at every price point, so get what fits your budget. If you aren’t sure what to get, ask us before you buy. We’d rather spend two minutes on it than watch you order something you’ll replace in a month.
Same hygiene rules as the rest of the gym: clip your nails, shower beforehand, wear deodorant. You’re going to be close to people.
Who Teaches Striking
Mark Geiger leads striking all three nights. He’s got over fifteen years of training and competing behind him, he’s coached and cornered professional fighters including UFC athletes. Oh, and his jiu jitsu is sharp too. He’s a 10th Planet Tucson brown belt under Anthony Birchak…
Rei Villa, our head instructor, also coaches striking on occasion. Rei spent twenty years in the Army Infantry and worked as a full-time Tactical Combatives Instructor at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, which is a different road into striking than most coaches take and it shows in how he teaches it.
About the Workout
You’ll get in shape. Three rounds into pad work and you’ll notice it. The people who show up three nights a week look like people who show up three nights a week.
We just build the class around teaching you to strike and let the conditioning come along for the ride. In our experience that order sticks better, because it’s easier to keep showing up for something you’re getting good at.
What It Costs
Striking is $120 a month. If you want striking and jiu jitsu together, that’s $200 a month. No setup fee and no contract, so if it turns out this isn’t for you, you can stop.
We wrote up the full pricing picture here, including how we think about what training should cost in a town like Bastrop.
If You Want the Whole Game
A lot of people start with striking and get curious about the other half of martial arts… Striking covers you standing up. Jiu jitsu and grappling covers you once someone has hold of you, and most real altercations end up there fast.
Running both is why the dual membership exists, and it’s what a lot of our members end up doing. You can also just do striking three nights a week.
Come Try It
Monday, Wednesday, or Friday at 7:00pm. First class is free, we’ll loan you the gear, and you don’t need to know anything before you walk in.
Or call us: (512) 271-5260
Or email: airlockbjj@gmail.com
We’re at 303 Martin Luther King Dr in Bastrop, inside Bastrop Fitness Project. Also serving Elgin, Smithville, and Cedar Creek.
10th Planet Airlock | 303 Martin Luther King Dr, Bastrop, TX 78602 | Inside Bastrop Fitness Project | Voted #1 Best Martial Arts Gym in Bastrop County 2025 | We Defy Foundation Partner
