Sorry I don't have a suggestion, but I found the question interesting. Can you let me in on as to why it is important to learn traditional MT from a Thai as opposed to traditional MT from a non-Thai?
I included the word "traditional" because I didn't want recommendations for some guy teaching "MT for MMA." I don't need my friend to become an expert at the wai kru anything but I'd like for him to get the real deal.
One of the main things I value when learning is avoiding diluted knowledge and going to the source as much as possible (money being no object). If I wanted to learn Sambo, I'd find a Russian Sambo expert here in LA or go to Gokor's gym, not seek out some American dude who trained in Russia for a few years.
Yea I was wondering if there was a reason beyond this obvious analogy when I read the word "traditional." For example, what advantage is there to training under a "traditional" Muay Thai coach from Thailand and training under an accomplished Muay Thai coach from another country.
How come? What sort of things do they change?
Muay Thai in the US is watered down already compared to what you get in Thailand...you can't even use elbows in competition in some states. It's much easier to find a legit BJJ coach (or instructors for many other combat sports) in the US compared to MT. Not everyone with MT shorts on is a legit instructor and you'll find a lot of schools teaching "Muay Thai" when what they're really teaching is kickboxing.
These guys have been living and breathing the sport since they were children. It is highly doubtful that you'll find someone with a better knowledge of their sport than them. Many MT schools teach rudimentary clinch, if at all.
On top of that, the state of Muay Thai in the US is crap compared to other countries like Australia, France, etc. Who are our greatest MT fighters and what have they done at the highest level? I'd probably say Kevin Ross but I'm not really up on the current US MT scene as a whole.
Would you rather learn a language from a native speaker who grew up practicing and using it every day of their lives, or from someone who likely learned it as a young adult and has a questionable (or less proven) grasp on that language in comparison? At least that's how I look at it.
This. There is no one with better knowledge of Muay Thai in the world than Thais...it's their national sport, after all. You can find guys with a better grasp of English to convey but it would be like learning (Brazilian) Portuguese from a lifelong Brazilian vs an American ex-pat that lived in Brazil for 10 years. The American may be able to explain certain things better due to speaking English better but the Brazilian will have nuances and experiences the American will never be able to provide.
The thing about MT also is that you don't need to speak English very well to teach it necessarily...the student and the teacher just both need to speak "Muay Thai."
Very few former Thai fighters who teach in the US teach Muay Thai the same way they learned.
While that's true, what do you suggest instead? I guess I could send him to the cardio kickboxing classes at 24 Hour Fitness, since he'll never be a pro fighter anyway but that's besides the point.
That's really not the fault of the Thais here...more the demographic of student they're dealing with. Fact of the matter is that most Americans are physically lazy and a gym that has the same training regimen as at a camp in Thailand will be out of business fast. I wish we had professional padholders like in Thailand but we don't.
Who can teach the clinch in MT better than Thais?
I've been training at Melchor's gym for almost a year now and it is definitely legit. I'm not really sure what being Thai has to do with it. Skill is skill, and doesn't discriminate.
I never said that Menor wasn't legit and that's probably the place he'll end up at but to ignore or gloss over the fact that the Thais know more about their own sport than he does makes me question how much you know about the sport itself.
Who is his biggest win in MT? Muay Thai, not K-1 or kickboxing.
In thailand training is done one on one with a trainer. In the US it's very difficult to have an instructor to hold pads for every student, so students hold for each other mostly doing preset combos. A solution for this is to pay for private training.
That's part of the problem here. I wish more schools emphasized padholding as a skill, since you'll be holding pads for other students frequently. I try to give the people I'm holding pads for good rounds but a lot of people really have no idea how to hold pads at all. A good round with a decent holder should at least somewhat simulate a round in a fight.
