DMC

This is tricky. I've been practising Muay Thai and Kickboxing now for approx 12 years, quite a long time, problem is I'm having difficulty finding decent instructors.

Having said that I'm pretty good even though I've had no real fights Im still very fit and at one stage was a Kickboxing Fitness Instructor.

Anyway the problem arises with the instructors and sparring now me being good I'm expected to and heres the "S**t" play down a bit, my defence is pretty good at that so this for me is not necessary as the name of the game is to win and if I start to win the instructor, well put it this way I'm more skilled than the instructor....Having said that you could say I dont need instruction.

Funny thing is I would love to continue with this sport but living in a small town all the instructors know one another and actually going to any of the classes poses a problem, this sadly is due to their own inabilty to teach.

Anyone else come accross instructors like this and what did you do?

kickingboy

12 years is long time to focus in anything and I feel that it is only so long before you equal your instructors ability or surpass it. Thus leading to a stale and repetitive training regiment. If you want to improve there are a few things you can try.

1.) Focus on total exhaustion of your body, i.e. a high rep workout for the entire body with little rest in between sets (30 seconds). The goal of these workouts is to keep your heart rate up. Immediately follow it up with sparring time. The exhaustion will force you to concentrate even more on the things that are simple when you are fresh in the ring. Since you muscles were beaten from the weight regiment it should prove to be difficult to spare as you would normally.

2.) If the above is not of any interest, maybe it would be best to work on ju jitsu. I have only experienced this for a few months and it is one hell of a work out. This allows for an all around better game, you can win in striking or on the ground with submissions.

Personnaly, if I was in your position, I would focus on the ju jitsu side on training while maintaining my knowledge and school with kb.

OctaviousBP

Well, unless the instructors are really not up to snuff, it sounds like you should be competing. If that isn’t an option, and you still really want to train for the fun of it/fitness… than sparring to win shouldn’t really be a concern for you. Just continue to have fun with the training. If you feel unsatisfied with that, and feel the need to beat someone, get in the ring.

I’m sure despite the fact you believe you’re better than your instructors (and maybe you are), there is still a lot that can probably be learned from them. Just my .02 cents.

gregimotis

Octavious has clearly said it, but I like to repeat sometimes for emphasis:


You should be competing.


Consider professional athletes for a sec. and you'll realize that most of them must be better than their trainers and coaches, or the trainers would be the competitiors. That doesn't mean however, that they don't need/have trainers and coaches.
A coaches job is to make you better than you are. In order to do that he has to be able to see where you can improve, and communicate to you how to improve. if he can do those things (and motivate you to get the work done) then it really doesn't matter if he's a better fighter than you. Fighting ain't his job - that's your job.

There isn't anything wrong with taking up another style, but it would be a shame to have come this far and not take the obvious next step - this is a fighting art - go fight.

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I am Tired. Tired. Tired.

Python

Curious...if you have been studying Muay Thai for 12 years, why are you not an instructor yourself, teaching others what you have learned?

DMC

Noooooooooo


I’m sure despite the fact you believe you’re better than your instructors (and maybe you are), there is still a lot that can probably be learned from them. Just my .02 cents.


I think the problem lies here with the fact that I am perhaps wanting to go further than the instructors themselves are capable of going and I think this is causing imbalance and perhaps due to this the instructors may feel that placing me in a position such as this would reflect their own, inexperience.

I'm not better I just want to improve!!!

Cobb35

I don't have 12 years experience the way you do dude, but here goes...

I've only been ThaiBoxing for 1.5 years, and didn't now much when I started, and was willing to go all the way down to NYC, I Live in Ottawa Canada, to learn from some champions down at the WAT.
I'm just a little dude, so I got my ass handed to me by some guys like Phil Nurse and Joe, and Jamie, but hey man I learned alot you know?
How serious do you want it?

If you really want to learn, and you live in the middle of nowhere, you are going to need to travel.
Sometimes you have to make sacrifices, if you "truly" want to improve.

That being said, there is a lot of politics in Martial arts.
There is a wicked Thai club right in my home town, that I have a good freind that trains there but I have been procrastinating to join, beacuse I promised a club owner I would help the guy out of a jam, as the old coach screwed him over kind of thing. The ironic thing is in the end the club owner, never lived up to his end of the bargain, and never replaced our old coach after nearly a year

I just recently decided, life is too short, and have plans to go in and ask the other club if they will train me.

Life is too short man, not to be happy.
Go travel.

I don;t know where you're at Bro, but if you want I can hook you up at the WAT in Manhattan. They are good guys, and you will NOT be better than them trust me. You will learn more in one week-end than in the first 12 years

Good luck
Paice

Python

DMC,

Where are you located?

DMC

Ono I'm prepared to travel to a class about 80 miles from my home in the uk...

After that I practise at the local gym and fortunately for me there are a selection of punchbags and as well as that a good supply of interested people to practice with...it's great.

Believe you me Python, I'm prepared to make sacrifices and go that extra mile for my sport

Cobb35

Master Sken is in the UK !!
He's the shit there Bro, he trained Phil Nurse, who was the UK champ forever

Check out theWAT.com to see Master Sken and Phil Nurse
Paice

john888

I have also being training for 12 years with Master Sken. We now do a live web cast of our training from Master Sken's headquarters in the UK 4 times a week. Please visit http://www.mastersken.com/pages/studynet.asp for more details.

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W: Master Sken's Muay Thai Boxing Camp
E: johnbarwell@mastersken.com

Cobb35

Sick Dude !
I'm on the wrong side of the ocean to train with him, but I was fortunate enough to train with Phil Nurse, last year, and wow!!!
I'll refrain from the swear words, but wow !

Pretty cool about the Web cast
Paice dude

DMC

As far as I'm concerned, this particular conversation with me is over.

AzureBeast

DMC

Teaching is one of the best ways of learning and improving, just my 2 cents.



Cobb35

Where do you train? Why stay if you aren't happy?

billbeat

I'm an instructor and I'll tell you I look foward to seeing my students do as good or surpassing my abillities. I'm sure you've never heard of Angelo Dundee kicking Mohamid Ali's but.
We are the brains and our students are the brawn. In my view thats the evolution of martial arts.
I'm sure Yip Man wanted Bruce Lee to do as good or better than he; I'm also sure Bruce Lee wanted his Jeet Kune Do to evolve as well, as it has.