Maryland(DC/NOVA) Muay Thai/MMA

[bigred389]

I got a buddy of mine hooked on Muay Thai and MMA. He's college athletic level shape, and he's basically looking for some seriously hardcore beatdown fight training to keep him at that level.

So he's searching for a gym in the DC area, if it's not too far out he's willing to go to places in NoVA.

Unfortunately, he doesn't know much about martial arts, and doesn't have the BS detector needed to filter out the crap. For example...I had to talk him out of this: http://www.bestmartialartsstyles.com/index.html (blatant BS)

Anyway, I'm looking for any gyms that do Muay Thai and/or MMA in the DC area, he's already hitting the gyms to scope em out but I'm trying to help him out with his search.

Khun Kao, I know you teach in VA, if you've got any recommendations at all they'd be much appreciated. And from your posts/credibility here I'd be perfectly happy to send him your way if you teach in the area. If not, if you personally know anybody decent around there it would really help us out.

Thanks in advance all.

[..n..]

http://www.mdthaiboxing.com
Maryland Thai Boxing is located in Columbia (20 min north of the beltway). Great group of people and no BS. Good luck.

[Khun Kao]

MD Thai-Boxing is a good choice, but it is a little bit of a trek, almost to Baltimore. Scott and his gang run a class operation! The two DC-area Maryland gyms I'd recommend, though, are Lloyd Irvin Martial Arts Academy in Camp Springs, MD and Evolve Academy in Germantown, MD.

If your bud is in DC, it might be easiest to get to Team Lloyd Irvin in Arlington, VA, which is right off of the Orange Line Metro (Ballston stop, just a few blocks from Ballston Commons Mall). I coach at that location on Friday nights and Sunday middays.

There is also Yamasaki's in Rockville. I know that they have a MuayThai program, but my understanding is that their program is mostly a fitness based program as opposed to fighting. Don't take my word for that, though, as that's just hearsay. I simply don't know anyone at that facility and I never see these guys at local competitions.

In DC itself, I honestly do not know of anything. Its *possible* that Third Power in Adams Morgan has added MuayThai. They solicited me to coach there a few years ago, but my schedule simply wasn't condusive to me doing so. Pretty cool facility though! Won't hurt for you to look them up.

You can hit me up on email if you need more assistance or have further questions....

brooks@khunkao.com

[Khun Kao]

Maryland Thai-Boxing in Columbia, MD - http://www.mdthaiboxing.com/

Team Lloyd Irvin in Arlington, VA - http://novamma.com/

Evolve Academy in Germantown, MD - http://evolveacademy.com/

Lloyd Irvin Martial Arts Academy in Camp Springs, MD - http://www.lloydirvin.com/

Third Power Fitness in Washington, DC - http://www.thirdpower-fitness.com/

Yamasaki Academy in Rockville, MD - http://www.grappling.com/

[Prometheus]

Thanks

Thanks for the advice -- I'm living right off of the 495/270 split so I think that the evolve academy will probably be the most convenient. I am checking everything out though.

--The martial arts n00b

[Khun Kao]

I actually just checked that website you posted. That's grandmaster Quoc Dung. Its difficult to separate the bull from the truth there. I've met and spoken with him on numerous occassions. On the one hand, he really does seem to know some badass stuff, but at the same time, he starts saying some stuff that is way over the top and makes it very hard to take him seriously.

In the past, he has trained some legitimate fighters, but I have not heard of a legitimate fighter coming out of his gym in years. I also never see him at local events. I once visited him at his gym back in '97 to invite he and his gym to compete in a MuayThai event. He was not only completely unaware that there were legitimate MuayThai matches in the US, but he never bothered to follow up with me.....

Its possible that he really is legit, but I think this is an excellent example of the old adage, "Let the buyer beware!"

[Khun Kao]

I also have SERIOUS questions about "Speedy" Chuck Young...

Apart from what is listed on their website, I have never heard of this guy. I have competed up & down the East Coast. I am a 3x East Coast MuayThai Champion myself with recognized sanctioning bodies, yet I've NEVER heard of this guy.... Who the hell is he? Why have I never heard of him? Why have I never seen him? Who has he fought? What events has he competed in?

INQUIRING MINDS WANT TO KNOW!!!!!!!!!!

[bigred389]

I don't think it's physically possible to have as many grandmaster level belts in as many styles as he claims. That's what raised the BS flag for me.

Claims to 6 styles...it takes enough of a time commitment to be a grandmaster in 1, and maybe you'll see 2-3 in styles that are frequently taught together(ie TKD, HKD, and kendo/kumdo)...but 6 styles coming from 5 different countries? Please...

[Prometheus]

Other Sketchiness

Equally unlikely is his "Hall of Fame" award...

http://www.unitedstatesmartialartshalloffame.com/inductee/inductee_list.php

"Grandmaster Dung is a retired Lt. Colonel for the US 5th Special Forces, Vietnam Veteran G3 officer Former hand to Hand combat instructor for the 52 Combat Aviation Bn in Camp Holloway Vietnam and the Us 173rd Airborn as well as 101st Airborn which is now in Iraq. He has been in the martial arts for 62 years and has 51 years of teaching experience. He holds a 10th dan in Vo Co Truyen, 2nd successor of HTM World Martial Arts 18th Successor of Hiep-Tinh-Mon Vietnamese Traditional Martial arts. 8th dan in Kyokushinkai Karate, 8th dan in Daito Ryu Aiki jujitsu, 7th dan in Tae Kwon Do, 6th in Kenjutsu and Judo. He was Undefeated Vo Tu Do Vietnamese Kickinkboxing Champion for 1955-1963 and undefeated Free style Kickboxing Southeast Asia champion from 1958-1960."

Do you really think he is a former special forces officer for the US?

[Khun Kao]

Well, just about any of those "Martial Arts Hall of Fame" awards are crap. In many ways, just seeing someone listing one of those awards sets off my BS Detector. Those awards are typically doled out by a group of guys who sit around handing out bogus awards and recognitions to one another to pad their resumes...

[drummermorkul]

http://www.mdthaiboxing.com
Maryland Thai Boxing is located in Columbia (20 min north of the beltway). Great group of people and no BS. Good luck.

It's funny cause in 94 I used to train with Scott when he was big into Ninjitsu. He was barely getting into the Thai stuff then. Guru Steve Braun was mainly doing it then: C.A.T.S. was what it was called.

[Khun Kao]

LOL @ Ninjutsu! Funny stuff! I, too, was on the Ninjutsu kick when I discovered MuayThai..... I used to train Ninjutsu in Clinton, MD and happened to run across a TKD gym offering MuayThai at a local tournament (Capital Classics) that I was competing in.....

[irondragonmt]

Grandmaster Quoc Dung and His School - My experiences

Hello one and all thanks for your interest in Grandmaster Col. Quoc Dung. I am a student of his and I have trained for a while on an off with him. In between trips to Thailand for some casual training. I am not a bad ass or any threat to Lumpini stadium. But I will say I have learned a lot from training in his school. Martial arts being only one of many things. I have been in a lot of schools but this is the only one where I have been really taught amazing things about life mastery. Grandmaster Dung is hard on you he forces to see your shortcomings. Training there is not easy and you must be mentally strong and willing to hear your faults. At an age where most people are in a nursing home he is still breaking bricks and flipping people all over the place. The man is a genius and speaks about 13 languages. Although I at first found it hard to believe everything he told me in time I found out he has a lot of integrity and everything he said was true. This is from my own research and independent checking I never take things at face value. He truly is an officer and a gentleman. If you are humble enough come and learn from him. If you are an arrogant and prideful person who is not ready to improve do not go there it will crush your ego. If you think you know it all and its only physical skills that matter then I think you are missing the point completely.

A good teacher should break you down and then build you back up stronger and better. Its the military style of teaching which is hard on civilians, but works better in the long run. If you do not have the guts to hear things straight he is not for you. If you listen to everything the man tells you to do and you do it, you will improve your life. That I can 100% guarantee. He has a 2 PHD's in Psychology and Philosophy he can back it with knowledge. He is not a god or a guru but an extraordinary man we should all aspire to be like. Yes he is quite a wily and eccentric character but most genius' are. He has survived things most of us could not even conceive of. He has a level of mental toughness none of us could even approach.

Yes Grandmaster Quoc Dungs military career is completely true. He was attached to the US military in Vietnam during the war. He is a special forces commander, as recently as desert storm.. He knows more about killing people than any martial arts teacher I have ever met. He is a natural born killer I kid you not. He was written up by special forces command as being one of the best military officers they have ever had. Let me know if you want a copy of the article. I quote the article in saying that when horses of apocolypse come, he will be one of the riders. I am not aware of any of those individuals you listed who have as many kills or combat experience he does. No he has not recently had a lot of competition teams in the circuit thats is true. Is that all you base a martial artists' value on, how many silly competitions he or his students have won? This seems to be pretty shortsighted and immature if you ask me. What I look for is the art improving you as a person? Making you stronger and tougher? Bettering your best? Giving you the KILLER instinct you need to be able to truly destroy an opponent on the street who wishes you and your family harm?

The schools you listed are all fine schools I would train there myself and I know some of those instructors. Its not a my school is better than yours thing AT ALL. I think all schools have something to offer and you can learn something pretty much anywhere.

But Grandmaster Dungs teachings are helping me ALOT off the mat as well as on. I mean that with true sincerity this is not a Jhoon Ree commercial. I have seen him touch many lives in a positive way. Through tough discipline, a crafty and ruthless mind, and a black heart. He is truly a REAL warrior and a renaissance man. He is the last of a dying breed of great men and anyone who is lucky enough to know him and benefit from his wisdom is quite fortunate. He is a living breathing master and he teaches you to become a master to. He makes it REAL for you in daily life. Life is a battle and only the strong will survive - he gives you the will , strength and inspiration to succeed and kill the enemy. Those people and things both inside and outside of you that wish to stop you and do you harm.
He has a take no prisoners and show no mercy approach to destroying those obstacles in your path some thing in all my years of training in the arts have yet to see duplicated.

That is another point. So few teachers have REAL wisdom based on true experience to offer their students. His school is not just a martial arts school - its a LIFE school and a finishing school. Most of these masters are in there 30's and 40's and have not made masters yet. Grandmaster Quoc Dung was making masters and killing people before these guys were breast feeding. That is not an insult its just to give you some perspective. I respect all martial artists I am just trying to make a point here that he is old school in a good way.

As far as the Hall of fame awards being BS - I would have to agree. But the world of martial arts is a lot of promotion from within because we only rank ourselves. If a group of skilled masters come together to recognize one another then its just a nice way of showing a lifetime achievement. Who else is going to offer that? Non martial artists? Who else would promote you but another martial artist. Whats a black belt worth when you stop training and get out of shape? Nothing its just a form of recognition of your achievement and dedication.

When you guys are 83 I hope you are kicking ass and taking names and in the health he is in. Have a little respect for his lifetime of dedication and achievement people. Thanks for hearing my input - much respect and love to you all.