No sparring first year??

[WildWest.]

New_guy, your instructor sounds like a perfectionist and it sounds like he's putting you through all types of exercises and drills to sharpen your technique, train your body where to be and instill good disciplne. It also sounds like he's putting you through some very tough exercises and, personally, I can't fault this attitude.

However, even though people learn at different speeds, you will be good enough to spar before the one year is up. This is where you learn what works for you, what doesn't, how to react under pressure/getting hit and it's great fitness.

Maybe you need to sneak off to another club during off days and do some sparring!!

[Scott Bolinger]

During a discussion with my instructor, he said in his school, nobody spars in the first year. The first year is spend perfecting technique.

A year sounds like a long time to me. How can you test your skill without sparring?

Thoughts?

yeh, thats a bit long. My standard rule is that they have to train for 2 weeks before they can spar, so they got a good idea of the combos and defensive skills to be able to build on. But as far as compititions, boxers take a average of 3 months of training to be able to compete and to compete in a WRKF event, they'll have to be a greenbelt. But that doesn't mean they can't compete in a regular point karate tournament. It would take ruffly 6 months to obtain a green belt.

[Garland]

Greenbelt? So you only allow american kickboxing stylists to compete within your oganization? Last time I checked boxers and muay thai stylists only work towards obtaining the big heavy belts with shiny stuff on them, and didn't get cloth belts for rank.

[Tom Yum]

New_guy, your instructor sounds like a perfectionist and it sounds like he's putting you through all types of exercises and drills to sharpen your technique, train your body where to be and instill good disciplne. It also sounds like he's putting you through some very tough exercises and, personally, I can't fault this attitude.

I agree with what WW has said.

There's nothing wrong with training the fundamentals for one year, getting yourself slowly accustomed to a little contact from drills and working on your conditioning. Maybe this is also a chance for your instructor to get to know you and your style?

In some gyms, you punch the mitts for about 2-3 months and if you allready know what you're doing or if you show alot of heart, the coach will throw you in the ring.

What I've found in most gyms is that you train for about 4-6 months and then are allowed to do controlled sparring (~60% intensity) to work distance and timing. By the end of the first year, you should've had a few harder sparring sessions with increased contact.

[Abe]

Seem strange, considering that in my gym, under our grading system - we are allowed to come to advanced class after recieving our yellow shirt, which take 3 months form the first time you step into the gym and of cuz a minimum number of classes. Plus the open-mat sessions on friday and sundays, where anyne is welcome to use the gym, and there's always guys asking to sparr or wrestle (BJJ) you.

So basically, keen member get to spar after 3 months or even earlier if they want to. I personally had my first full contact after 4 months or so. To be honest, I can see some bad points about it;

Firstly is the occasionally idiot who's been watching Ong Bak too many times and decide to throw a few elbows, or have basically have a brawl instead of trying to use techniques to fight.

Secondly, beginners are allowed to fight advanced guys and the advance might take it too far on them. I was once totally dominately by a blue shirt (2 yrs) and felt utterly crap as I went home - that might ruin one's confidence and willingness to learn.

Thirdly chances of injury as beginners are not as coniditoned.

But apart from those, I still see sparring early a better choice. Because ultimately the goal of training is to fight. Precious experince gain in the ring is essential for a fighter.

[Scott Bolinger]

Greenbelt? So you only allow american kickboxing stylists to compete within your oganization? Last time I checked boxers and muay thai stylists only work towards obtaining the big heavy belts with shiny stuff on them, and didn't get cloth belts for rank.

belt ranks arnt just american, thats style of ranking if from all over the world. But, you would have to be equivilant the ranking of a greenbelt. And boxers would have to learn how to kick, because there is a minimum 6 kick per round.

[WildWest.]

Secondly, beginners are allowed to fight advanced guys and the advance might take it too far on them. I was once totally dominately by a blue shirt (2 yrs) and felt utterly crap as I went home - that might ruin one's confidence and willingness to learn.

This sort of "bullying" (I can't think of a better way to describe it) does more damage than good to a persons confidence. How you described your reaction to being dominated is perfectly normal, but the instructor should have pulled the blue shirt guy aside and reprimanded him, or got someone else to spar him and then let him get dominated. Obviously you still train so you got over it, but some people don't and, from an instructors point of view, if you want to keep students it must be dealt with promptly.
I had it myself as a teenager and spar against a guy much bigger and older than me, he basically tore me apart. I went home nearly in tears so my father rang our instructor and asked him what the hell was going on. My instructor at the time was a very good trainer and fighter himself and didn't realise what had happened. The next time we had class, he pulled the guy aside, reprimanded him and then punished him by using him as the guinea pig when explaining techniques to the class. I think he hurt him a few times, made me feel better .

[new_guy]

OK guys, I need to decide if I'll commit to this school next time I go in.

Last night, I visted another kickboxing and BJJ and MMA school that has MT classes. This guy has controlled sparring right from the get-go. In his classes, you do pretty heavt duty conditioning, do some combunations in air during the conditioning then learn some techniques and then practice them through sparring, usuall very light (his position is "you hit as hard as you want to get hit"). There are no focus pads, no thai pads abd the guy does not insist on perfection. In fact, he commented on how sound my punching is as a biginner (thank you Mr. Yee, the stickler that won't let us par).

Contrast that with AMAA (the first school, the one that has no sparing for a year). They do some conditioning with jumprope and then we hit pads and hit pads and do it again and again and again. Punches, kicks combos again and again until it's perfect. "Your left hand was down, do 5 more" You didn't pivot your right foot enough, 5 more"

I can't even come close to describing how different the two schools are. One gives opportunities to practice but doesn't demand perfection and the other demends perfection and won't let me practice.

Here is another thought. I wonder if the sparring school is really teaching genuine Muay thai. The certs hanging on the wall were kenpo and kickboxing. Maybe he just calls it muay thai. Though I know the guy trains MMA fighters and has extensive kickboxing and ring experience.

The non sparring perfectionist school is the only school in town that is certified. See the quote below:

AMAA is proud to be the only Muay Thai training facility in Albuquerque, New Mexico to be affiliated with Ajarn (Master) Surachai Sirisute & the Thai Boxing Association of the USA. (All instructors are certified by TBA / USA)

So now, I have a lot to think about. I never knew choosing a school could be so complicated.

Thank you for your thoughts

[Abe]

Go to AMAA for the first few months, then go to the sparring-allowed gym for a few months. By then you can really be sure which one will suit you as a trainee since you know more about the sport and yourself as a fighter.

[WildWest.]

Go to AMAA for the first few months, then go to the sparring-allowed gym for a few months. By then you can really be sure which one will suit you as a trainee since you know more about the sport and yourself as a fighter.

I agree.

You may want a short break from AMAA to spar at the other club, but don't quit AMAA as, to me, it sounds like a very good club with some great conditioning drills and will make sure your technique is spot on. This sort of discipline in the long run is irreplaceable.

Ultimately this is your decision. You've chosen the style, now choose the club that suits you the best.

Good luck

[Garland]

belt ranks arnt just american, thats style of ranking if from all over the world. But, you would have to be equivilant the ranking of a greenbelt. And boxers would have to learn how to kick, because there is a minimum 6 kick per round.

I've never been in a muay thai gym where they give out belts for rank, unless it's a championship belt.

[Khun Kao]

I've never been in a muay thai gym where they give out belts for rank, unless it's a championship belt.

I have. Its uncommon, but not unheard of. Most MT gyms have maintained the "rule" that the only belt is in the ring, but there are those that don't. Even though I can understand how that could be a turn-off initially, it doesn't mean that they aren't a quality MT training program.....

[Scott Bolinger]

I do both belt ranks for my style of fighting up to black belt. But I also teach boxing and I do levels of training on that. For a kickboxer that learns the boxing levels, that would add stripes to there belt. But running the different belts and boxing levels, makes it so I can go back and look at what needs to be taught, to make sure I don't miss anything in there training.

[kurt_myers0369]

I started sparring my first week, and I'm glad I did. A live oppenent definitely motivates you to perfect your technique faster, nobody likes getting beaten up!

[Garland]

I started sparring my first week, and I'm glad I did. A live oppenent definitely motivates you to perfect your technique faster, nobody likes getting beaten up!

not so... Leopold von Sascher Masoch liked getting beat up...
and god knows what the **** R. Kelly is into these days....