Is There a Women's Only Muay Thai Class in Ottawa?
Gracie Barra Manotick runs a women's only Muay Thai class every Sunday from 11:15 AM to 12:15 PM in Manotick, south Ottawa. It is open to complete beginners, taught on pads rather than through sparring, and runs directly after the women's only Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu class at 10:15 AM.
Women's only striking classes are genuinely rare in the Ottawa area. Most academies run a women's grappling class or none at all. We run both, back to back, on the same Sunday morning.
Why a Women's Only Class Exists
The reason is unglamorous: for a lot of people, the hardest part of starting a martial art is the first twenty minutes of the first class, and being the only woman in the room makes those twenty minutes harder than they need to be.
That is the whole rationale. It is not a softer version of the class, and it is not a different curriculum. It is the same Muay Thai, taught the same way, in a room where a first-timer is not also managing being the only one.
Plenty of members do a few months on Sunday mornings and then start turning up to the weekday evening classes as well. Some stay on Sundays for years. Both are fine.
What Happens in the Hour
- A warm-up. Movement and footwork, enough to get your stance underneath you.
- Technique. One or two things, broken down slowly. Usually a punch, a kick, or a combination of both.
- Pads. The bulk of the class. You hit a pad, someone tells you what to fix, you do it again.
- A short finisher. Conditioning if there is time. It is not a test.
There is no sparring in this class. Contact work at Gracie Barra Manotick is a separate session, so nobody ends up in one by accident.
Do You Need Any Experience?
No, and most people in the room started with none. Muay Thai has a long technical runway, which is good news for a beginner: the first months are about stance, balance and how to turn your hip over on a kick, and none of that requires fitness you already have. Fitness is a by-product, not a prerequisite.
You are allowed to be bad at this on Sunday. That is what Sunday is for.
Making a Morning of It
The two women's only classes run back to back:
| Time | Class |
|---|---|
| 10:15 – 11:15 AM | Women's Only Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu |
| 11:15 AM – 12:15 PM | Women's Only Muay Thai |
You can do either on its own. Doing both is two hours, which is a real morning, so most people work up to it rather than starting there. If grappling is the part that interests you, our women's BJJ page covers that class specifically.
What to Bring
Athletic clothing you can move in, a water bottle and a small towel. Training is barefoot on the mats, so leave the runners at the door. Gloves and shin guards only become relevant if you later move into the weekday drills and sparring classes, and a coach will tell you what to buy at that point rather than before. There is more detail in our guide to what to wear to your first class.
How to Try It
The first class is free, for this class as for every other one we run. Gracie Barra Manotick is at 5700 Longshadow St in Manotick, roughly 25 minutes south of central Ottawa and a short drive from Barrhaven, Riverside South and Greely, with parking at the door.
If you want to know more about the art itself before you book, our beginner's guide to Muay Thai answers the age, risk and frequency questions honestly. Otherwise, book a free trial for a Sunday and turn up ten minutes early so a coach can meet you first.