Everyone is wearing Thai trunks.

[Rickster]

I really don't like the idea of people sticking with Muay Thai just because they might "rank up" soon. It's a good commercial incentive, that's true, but it's a wrong attitude in my opinion. Sadly, it might be necessary to be commerically successful. American Muay Thai schools that closely mimiced training in Thailand would be great of course, but I'm afraid it would scare away most people.

The thing is, modern day Muay Thai is very much a fighting sport and not "martial artsy." Have you ever heard of rankings for good ol' boxing? A more martial artsy version of Muay Thai would be Muay Boran or something, and I feel a ranking system would be more appropriate in that case.

The rank becomes an incentive whereas the practice alone should be.

There are rankings in good ol' boxing. These are not for inter-gym advancement.

Also. ranking per incentive, were not in most martial arts. And the word martial artsy....is incorrect.....martial arts is any system or method of fighting. (Most dictionaries have it incorrect suggesting it is indigenous to "Oriental or Asian")

[cowpaste]

I really don't like the idea of people sticking with Muay Thai just because they might "rank up" soon. It's a good commercial incentive, that's true, but it's a wrong attitude in my opinion. Sadly, it might be necessary to be commerically successful. American Muay Thai schools that closely mimiced training in Thailand would be great of course, but I'm afraid it would scare away most people.

The thing is, modern day Muay Thai is very much a fighting sport and not "martial artsy." Have you ever heard of rankings for good ol' boxing? A more martial artsy version of Muay Thai would be Muay Boran or something, and I feel a ranking system would be more appropriate in that case.

[WhiteTiger]

..

yeah I know. But the howl thing looks like it. Beginning with the trunks. Then next on its somthing else. It dosent feel right to me thats all^^

[Khun Kao]

No one ever said that the art itself was being changed.

[WhiteTiger]

...

maby that. But I think that is just braking down the art if you intruduce this and that. What will Muay Thai be in America 10 years from now. If thay intruduce there own things. Call it somthing else then Muay Thai.
muay Thai is the name of the art. If you whary the art and do this and that. It isent the original art anymore. Then you can change name on it.
And if ppl dont like the core muay thai, then lok for another art. I dont mean you have to fight in the ring. But I think the training shuld be original in the thai stile.
then its Muay Thai. Else its just some bunch och punches and kicks that are labaled as Muay Thai.

But thats just my opinion. Everyone gott there own opinion about it. I dont whana start a fuss here.

[Khun Kao]

From what I've experienced, "YES", it's an American thing. But hey, thats very smart marketing. To your hardcore MuayThai guys, it seems silly. I used to think it was silly. But remember that most people who train in the art of MuayThai internationally are not doing it because they want to step into the ring and compete. They are doing it because they want to exercise while learning a cool martial art. But to keep these people interested in training, you have to offer some kind of incentive to continually put themselves through the rigors of MT training (even if its toned down, MT is still more rigorous than most other martial art workouts).

Think about it, for those of us who are fighters, the experience of stepping into the ring and fighting IS our incentive! But most people simply aren't interested in doing that, or for a variety of reasons are unable to. So they need some other tangible goal so that they will want to keep coming back.

"Oooh! In another two months, I'll have the opportunity to earn those cool Thai shorts!"

That's a strong incentive and a brilliant marketing tool!

[47MartialMan]

Yes. Amercians have to attach a value to something. Earning trunks sound just as silly as color belt ranking in Kung Fu

[WhiteTiger]

I have never heard of erning your thai shorts. Yhat just sounds silly. I Have my own coustume made from Thailand...Allsow ranking in muay thai and all that. Its somthing that isent done in Thailand. I agree with cowpaste...And earning them and ranking. It just sounds american.

[cowpaste]

Err...there are no belts, no ranks in Muay Thai. I bet this "earning your trunks" thing is totally American. In Thailand, you wear what you want to practice.

[Rickster]

Look, once commercialized.....nothing stays authentic or maintains decorum

[Maxx]

My instructor back in michigan gave me a pair of thai shorts the very first day that I walked into class. My perception before I started was that I would have to earn them but to him they were just something you wore when you trained muay thai.

As far as unusual kicks like crescent kicks, most schools that teach that are probably muay thai / tkd / whatever schools that teach a watered down combination of several arts. I have seen several instructors from thailand use techniques like the crescent kick, but I guess it's really rare and they are older techniques that are rarely used.

[Rickster]

47,

Is your cup half empty? lOl.

No, I am merely statting that once something gets out there, it wont tale long for it to be exploited.

Geez....what is it with MT people. Have they gotten kicked in the head too often?

[okimura]

Okimura,

Was your last gym a T.B.A. affiliated gym? I ask because we test to earn our shorts here too, well up until very recently. It varies with each gym. One gym I went to in Des Moines several years ago claimed to teach Muay Thai and they used various colored Thai shorts to determine rank structure...well, they were just watered down TKD, NOT Muay Thai. So, I did not stay. They also did crescent kicks, axe kicks, and such. My guess is that the gym you are at now is much the same as that one. We have always earned our shorts, but my fight team has really grown now, and is in 3 different cities with 4 coaches, and many of them had already bought Thai shorts before coming on board with my team, so I have re-structured the level requirements to make them harder, and more indepth, and if they are fighters, then they wear shorts to fight and don't have to earn them before, but they still have a hard ass test for "level one student". Does this make sense?

If it were me, and I was used to real Muay Thai, I would not be happy at the gym you are at now.

Pete

My last "gym" was a thai boxing p.e. class and a thai boxing club at a university, and our instructor was the TBA representative for the area. I don't know if he still is.

But you're right about the gym. I'm not terribly happy there. I only got a one month membership, so I won't be renewing it when the month is up. If I had to guess, I'd say some of the instructors there are former american kickboxers or TKD, despite their thai trunks.

[Python]

47,

Is your cup half empty? lOl.

[ChaunceyB]

47,

Our school is T.B.A. and we earn our shorts, which we purchase after the test and then we must wear them to train, and we also earn belts for test but we do not wear them for class.