Q&A with Greg Bander, Owner/founder of RingCraft
Greg Bander moved to Portland in 2009 and has lived in Buckman and now Lents. A fan of traditional martial arts, he began practicing Muay Thai in 2009. Also known as Thai Boxing, Muay Thai is a martial art that’s known for its embrace of punches, kicks, elbows, knees, and “clinching” techniques. Wanting to share Muay Thai with others, he opened RingCraft in Sunnyside in January of 2020. RingCraft offers classes for all age groups and all levels of experience. You can take a foundational program with others or opt for private lessons with Bander or one of eight other instructors. “The training is done at a very high intensity, “he says. “And it’s done in a safe environment using pads and heavy bags, so people are able to practice techniques with full force and low risk of injury.”
What brought you to Portland?
Greg: I graduated college at the University of Vermont, and I didn’t know what I was gonna do with my life. I was dating a girl who I’d met studying abroad, and she was going to school in Salem and had a year left. So I thought, “Well, I’ve always wanted to check out the West Coast. I’ll just move to Portland.” And then I stayed, and she left.
What was it about Muay Thai that spoke to you?
Greg: I had done a lot of traditional martial arts where everything was set up. It was like, “Okay, you’re gonna grab my wrist.” And then you’d grab their wrist and they’d say, “No, no, with the other hand.” That sort of thing. Muay Thai is more of a live, dynamic thing. It’s real combat, a real way to test to see if what you’re doing works. No one’s gonna tell you how they’re gonna attack you before they attack you.
Then there’s the physical aspect of it. It’s pretty challenging physically. And when I started sparring, I was like, “I feel like I’m okay at this. Maybe I can actually get in the ring and test myself.” And so it satisfied all these boxes of self-defense, physical conditioning, and competition.
What made you want to transition from being a practitioner to being a teacher?
Greg: When I started doing traditional martial arts, I looked up those old movies from the 80s and 90s like Karate Kid and Blood Sport. You see the master training the student, and I thought it would be cool to be that.
When I started coaching classes, I found that I had a knack for it. Students would come up to me and say stuff like, “Hey, I’ve learned more in the last two months training with you than I had in the previous six months to a year.” That felt really good.
How were you different from other coaches?
Greg: At that time, I was training in a gym where the coaches hadn’t been to Thailand, and I don’t think they’d competed in Muay Thai, and I had done both. I was also obsessed with the sport. I was watching fights all the time, trying to incorporate things I had experienced or had seen done by people at the highest levels. I tried to teach those things in the way that I understood them. And I think that that resonated.
What, to you, is the difference between a hobby and an obsession?
Greg: I think a hobby is a thing that you do for fun. You get some enjoyment out of it, but when you’re done doing it, you’re done. People come to the gym, and they train and they enjoy it, and then they leave and then they’re not doing Muay Thai anymore. It crosses over into obsession when you go to the gym early, you stay late, and when you leave the gym you’re watching videos on Muay Thai, you’re reading books about it, you’re thinking about it before you go to sleep and you’re thinking about it when you wake up. Pretty much all of your free time is spent in that space.
What is it about the physicality of Muay Thai that dials people in?
Greg: It’s like a presence – a state of being in the here and now. There’s no thinking about whatever else you have going on in your life when your brain is struggling to maintain its oxygen levels. It feels freeing. That high intensity interval training doesn’t allow you to be burdened by your outside life stuff.
How would you describe the culture of RingCraft?
Greg: I get a lot of feedback from people that they feel really welcome. They enjoy the community, they enjoy the space, and they feel safe. It’s an inclusive space that’s welcoming. You have your small percentage of people who are competing seriously, and then the vast majority of people who are just there to have fun and get in a workout. If they learn about the art in that process, that’s great.
Why do you think so many people find their self-confidence through Muay Thai?
Greg: I think people are able to see that, “Oh, if I just come in, if I listen, if I work hard then I get better.” There’s data to support that I am capable of improving myself. The whole point of martial arts is that it’s process oriented. There isn’t necessarily an end place to get to. The goal is just to keep doing it and to learn. If you keep showing up, you are achieving the goal. And then on top of that, there is something to be said for the confidence you gain in feeling like you can defend yourself.
Who would you encourage to go to RingCraft?
Greg: Anyone who’s interested in moving their body in a way that’s empowering and non-traditional. Anyone who wants to be surrounded by a community of people who are gonna be supportive of you making mistakes, learning, and growing.
Why did you choose Sunnyside for your business?
Greg: It’s a great neighborhood. I would attribute this location to why the gym is successful. We have so much visibility with foot, bike, and car traffic. We have other businesses nearby, and are also tucked into this residential area. Also, Hawthorne in particular is a destination street. It feels cool to be located in a part of Portland that people know about.
RingCraft is located at 4220 SE Hawthorne Blvd. You can learn more or sign up for classes at ringcraftmuaythai.com You can also follow the business at
@ringcraftmuaythai on Instagram.
