jayjayshap

hi everyone i am really confused about the mauy thai class i take twice a week i go to American Top Team in Florida i have a jjj and judo backround i signed up about 3 weeks ago i am taking bjj and mauy thai i eventually may want to compete in MMA i am very used to grappling and i love it but i have no stand up at all it is really bad i went to my first mauy thai class a week ago i was very happy before going to class because this would be my chance to improve and start to have a good stand up and learn the correct way to punch,kick, and stance the teacher is said to be very good one of the best his name is Cristian "King Cobra" Toleque he is the PKL international Cruiserweight champion and a Shin Do Kumate Title-Belt champion with a record of 26-0 at my first class the fighter helping the teacher out took me on the side and started to try to teach me the correct stance after about 15 minutes the teacher paired everyone up i still did not have the stance right and we had to do a drill throwing a punch blocking it and countering with an elbow to your partners face then next was a punch and elbow combination to the face i did not have even have the stance down and at the end of class we had to do drills to the heavy bag first 10 punches and then 10 push ups then 10 elbows then push ups then knees,elbows,kicks and outside knees the class had alot of cardio and very tough strength exercises i have never taken a striking art so i am very confused when i did the drill at the end of the class i did not no how to punch correctly or kick,elbow, and knee correctly also was still learning the stance so i did not have the correct stance is this normal for a mauy thai class?i want to have fast hands and feet i am confused because i am used to learning a technique and drilling and practicing the movement until i have it down but since i am new to a striking art do they teach it by having you just keep punching,kicking and going over the stance until you have learned the technique? So really i am asking from what i said about the class is this the way mauy thai is usually taught? i just want to learn the techniqes and combinations the right way

bigred389

Yes, that's generally the way it is taught. If you really want, you can try to get private lessons.

However, what you're doing now should be fine for the basics. Everybody sucks in the beginning. You didn't start judo/jjj as an expert, why would you expect it in Muay Thai?

bigboywasim

Do not worry you will get it down. In about six months you will have all the basics down and will be able to do some real damage. At least you have a martial art background of some kind. MT was my first martial art. My weight was 280 pounds of pure fat. After all that intense conditioning I am in real good shape. That is one of the reasons why I love MT. Your instructor will correct your mistakes. If you do not know something then ask. Get a bag at home and practice practice practice. The stance and techniques are straight-forward in MT.

In my opinion for MMA boxing, muay thai, wrestling and bjj are real good. Your judo and jjj will come in handy as well.

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ZeroAquaduct

I'm in a similar situation. I started my first MT class last week, and yes, it was like that for me too. I actually had to do kicking and clinching techniques before the instructor taught me the basic stance! I was really confused. I trained in Taekwondo and Wing Chun before, so I basically used Taekwondo kicks.

I think the reason why it's like this is because MT isn't taught in a "traditional way." So instead of going one step at a time, it's more like "just go for it and you'll learn all the basics in 6 months." I don't mind learning this way, but it's definately a different experience.

Back when I was learning Wing Chun, all I learned in my first class was the basic stance. I had to stay in that position almost for the entire class. My sifu taught me basic straight punch only at the very end. No contact. Just the basic stance and straight punches to end the class.

Khun Kao

In my experience, you learn most of your MuayThai by osmosis. We will show you the stance, but whether or not you have "gotten it" or not, its time to move on to the next drill. Each class you will pick up another tidbit or two. You'll continually be given tips and advice throughout your training to sharpen up your technique.

The average training time is about 6 months before people have a good grasp on the basics. For some people its less, for others, its much, much longer...

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Kru Brooks C. Miller
USMTA Director of DC, MD, and VA
http://khunkao.com/

sportmuaythai

Zerowaterpipe your assumption is correct. The first thing taught at Thai camp is how to hand wrap. Then it's the stance. After that it's moving foreward and retreat. What follows is weapon execution. Jabs and straight punches, then the famous round house kick. And equally important is the kick blocking. Elbows are also included in the arsenal. Now you're ready for the pad work. This is all in the first session. After pad work, the trainer will follow you to see how you perform on the bag, where he can observe closely if you're executing your kicks and other weapons correctly. I've found that having a full mirror helps you see best how you hold your guard and weapon executions. Al this is possible because we train one on one.

jayjayshap

thanks alot all you guys made me understand the way mauy thai is taught so it really is just keep going to the classes and throw punches,kicks,elbows and knees even if i am not executing the techniques the right way and still hardly know the stance eventually i will start to get everything down the right way i just have to keep going to classes and every class i will improve and in about 6 months i will know all of the basics and i will have a good stand up then i can start to learn advanced move's and combinations i take bjj monday,wednesday and friday 6:30 until 9:00 and mauy thai classes are tuesday,thursday and saturday morining tuesday and thursday 6:30 until 9:00 learning tchniques working with the bags and alot of cardio and strength training and on saturday morning is sparring from 9:30 until 12:00

bigred389

Generally...if you're all jacked up, somebody more experienced(instructor/assistants) should be pointing out something to you ever few days or so.

Like Khun Kao said(who is an instructor btw), even if they show it to you "right" you'll still screw it up. When you start throwing jabs and your shoulders are burning, your stance will probably go to crap. You just add things one at a time, and get better bit by bit with the basics. One day you might get taught to turn the hip over. Another day you get told not to flare elbows. Next day, it's don't drop your left hand. Whatever. You keep going, keep trying, and try to be conscious of what you're taught. Doing that, eventually you'll "get it."