does muay thai have belts/grades?

[Crouchtig]

does thai boxing have belts or grades like karate or taekwondo and if so how is it measured? technical skill, fighting ability, amount of time you have been doing it etc. ps do oyu learn spinning back hands and are you allowed to throw people eg like in judo. are there any moves where you grab the opponents arm then hit the repeatedly without letting go.

[OctaviousBP]

Belts

"The belt is in the ring."

D

[JIMI]

I dont believe so. I think that your level is judged maybe by how many fights you have under your belt. And from what i understand is that they dont even consider you a fighter in thailand without at least 50 fights under your belt.

[ryanhall]

are there any moves where you grab the opponents arm then hit the repeatedly without letting go.

Most people won't let you do that to them.

It's called a clinch. Bad things happen to you when you are on the receiving end of one.

[dave_UK_MT]

Muay Thai doesn't have a standard grading system as such although some gyms will operate a system in order for non-competing students to measure their progress.

Its kind of like boxing, which has no grading system, in that your skill is determined by your fight record.

And to explain whats involved in Full Muay Thai rules fighting its easier to tell you the things you CAN'T do, it goes something like this:-

-No headbutting
-No Biting
-No strikes to the groin
-No Groundfighting/Striking opponent on the ground

Everything else is allowed.

Bear in mind, thats for FULL rules only, european matches usually have further restrictions on whats allowed depending on the level of competition.

[DJ Coldfusion]

Re: does muay thai have belts/grades?

Originally posted by Crouchtig
[B]does thai boxing have belts or grades like karate or taekwondo and if so how is it measured? technical skill, fighting ability, amount of time you have been doing it etc. ]

Simple answer, No. Don't worry about Grades or belts. A colored belt or a pretty sash have nothing to do with your ability to fight or defend your self.

Originally posted by Crouchtig
ps do oyu learn spinning back hands and are you allowed to throw people eg like in judo. are there any moves where you grab the opponents arm then hit the repeatedly without letting go.

As far as spinning, much of it depends on who you are learning from. I have seen spinning thrust kicks and spinning elbows but I have never seen a spinning fist.

Conerning grabbing their arm and hitting . . . I think Muay Thai excels beyond any other art when it comes to the clinch range and when striking is involved. FYI: the clinch range is basically the range within which you can physically grab your opponent. Add a little Greco and you have the most complete clinch-range on the planet.

And while throws are not allowed in competition the clinch offers many, many opportunities to use throws and sweeps. All that is needed is a little knowledge about when and how you should do them. Click here to see Khuen Khru Nelson demonstrate a sweep from the clinch.

Everyone really should go out and buy Khuen Khru Greg Nelson's Clinch videos: http://www.trainingblades.com/edgesv...n/gnclinch.htm

Good luck