strictly muay thai?

[Jon Masaya]

I'm still trying to feel out the Muay Thai community... I get the impression that most schools (including mine) outside of Thailand teach Muay Thai as part of a larger MMA curriculum. Are you part of a school that teaches strictly Muay Thai? What's it like? Why do you think Muay Thai is usually taught as supplemental? Thanks!

[aseepish]

My school http://universalmma.com has a Muay Thai class that is strictly Muay Thai - i.e. during that class we ONLY practice Muay Thai (and there are a lot of students in that class that only attend the Muay Thai classes). But the school also offers classes in BJJ/Submission grappling and Boxing.

The disadvantage is that the class is only one hour. We get a lot done in that hour, but my first MT experience was in Thailand - Three hours plus worth of class time, twice a day, six days a week. Of course I can do my running (when I can be bothered) and skipping on my own time, and we're free to come in to the gym when there isn't a class on to work the bags, but it isn't the same.

The advantage is I can take the BJJ class immediately following the MT class.

I think MT is taught as supplemental because of the MMA phenomenon. MT and BJJ are complimentary. Of course, JKD people were into "borrowing" bits and pieces of the MT curriculum long before the UFC. It's also a very accessible martial art - you don't have to work your way up a ladder of belt-ranks to get the "good stuff". There are no secrets except for hard work.

[Garland]

I've been taking a break...but I used to study muay under Sakasem and another guy working out of MTIK, which is for the most part a thai boxing fight camp, but my best experiences and I learned the most from Khuen Khru Bernales, who is a TBA instructor as well as an Inosanto JKD/FMA guy and holds instructorships in a few other things, namely a bb under prof. Pedro Sauer in BJJ. Alot of my training partners over there had a great deal to bring to the table too, and the diversity of things I was able to encorporate into my training because of that was truly one of the many blessings that working with the Kalista and Mushin guys. (a few of the others were being able to work with people who were professional about what they were doing, dedicated, and truly caring. Those instructors (Khuen Khru Bernales first and foremost, Sakasem, and some of my training partners incuding Brian Yamasaki and Coach (CSW) Brandon Kiser, most likely unbeknownst to them, have given me skills for life, not only in the martial arts, but things that have truly saved my life. (if I had not met them, I could have ended up like a great many of my friends, and for that I owe them more than I feel I could let them know, because I feel it would be awkward for them to spill all of this emotional stuff out to them.)

These people gained my respect so much that I wanted to be better. I wanted to be productive, a good student, a good martial artist, and a good person, because if not, I didn't want to lose face to these people whom I hold in such high regards.

Oddly enough, it was through learning how to fight that I began to stop bragging about being able to, (of course, I still burst out with the occassional numbskulled comment), and I feel like I'm much more humble and sincere when I work with them, because they are something to aspire to, I'm very glad that the instructors I've had have been people I can honestly look up to.

(I don't count one instructor amongst them, Muhammed "D" fake-last name whom I trained under for years and became a family friend, whom I got a very different experience from, who was a thief, a liar a braggard, and a murderer (he threatened the lives of several people who might have exposed his nefarious bullshit, but left town before he could exact anything on them, but bragged about killing some people in Malaysia.))

I'm sorry, I got off topic.

[Khun Kao]

I voted just MT, but I think maybe I should have voted the other way. I think I misread what you were asking

[muaythaiguy15]

My school teaches muay thai classes, BJJ classes, and shootfighting classes at different times. Another school I visited has Muay Thai then BJJ back to back so mostly everyone stays for both. Oh I wish i was in thailand.

[aseepish]

Oh I wish i was in thailand.

I hear that, man!

[>:)]

My school is pretty much muay thai through and through with the exception of boxing on monday nights. But I kind of see that as focusing on the punch work of muay thai anyway (yes, I know they are differnet in certain ways before any smartasses want to point that out)

[commandos]

it's kind of sad these days , trainer look more for money than help other ..

so they run like all kind of martials arts , and just throw names in there ads to bring people to there gym .


example they would teach aikido ... instead they will say we teacher aikido , bushido , krav maga ...

if they teach thai , they will say we teach kick boxnig , thai boxing

etc ...

[Maxx]

I currently train and sometimes teach at Boxing Works in Hermosa Beach, CA. Boxing Works is primarily a Muay Thai and Western Boxing Gym, but it has an eclectic atmosphere to it which, which in a way is good.

I used to train under Ajarn Kak Koonala in Northern Michigan and that was probably the most authentic Muay Thai Training that I have ever done. He taught it because he loved it and he also taught a lot of little things that you just don't see anymore. It was heavily steeped in the thai culture and he would also spend time with you teaching you some of the master tricks... most of which you don't see much anymore because they are too dangerous to use in the ring (depending on the trick either for the opponent or the person trying the trick). But since they were part of the original art, I think it's important to preserve.

[Tufael]

Are short fighters good against taller fighters?

[Kungfoolery]

it's kind of sad these days , trainer look more for money than help other ..

so they run like all kind of martials arts , and just throw names in there ads to bring people to there gym .


example they would teach aikido ... instead they will say we teacher aikido , bushido , krav maga ...

if they teach thai , they will say we teach kick boxnig , thai boxing

etc ...

My feelings exactly. Check out my opinion on this in the JKD forum.

[Mca]

Tufael: Are short fighters good against taller fighters?

fight a taller fighter and if he rocks you a few times then you know ok.

[muaythaiart.com]

I think taller is better.

[Little Apple]

We do mostly Thai, but we train for what's coming up too. A couple months before an Inosanto seminar we'll be doing trapping knife and stick with our thai, before a seminar with Ajarn Chai though we'll do just thai. Right now we're training for camp...even the people not going, heh. So we're doing the 2-4 hour sessions twice a day. We're all a bunch of college kids with part time jobs, which is why that works.

So for us I'd say we do mostly Thai and suplement it with other stuff, not the other way around.

[WildWest.]

Our club teaches Muay Thai. There is also a boxing trainer and a BJJ club attached to the Muay Thai club. Whether you want to train in all of them is up to the individual.