- Joined
- Jul 13, 2003
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I have thought about establishing a school that would be not only solid in the techniques taught but also well schooled in the history, traditions and Thai culture. If IFMA is one of the legitimate places to begin are there any other worldwide or continental organizations that merit consideration as well? I'm in North America and I'm thinking specifically of the USMTA.
In NC you either run into one man schools that basically guard their lineage and cater to either JKD enthusiasts or fighters ONLY. No education about the origins, history, traditions or culture of Muay Thai. These instructors HAVE trained MT though their background does not originate in Thailand. It is what it is but they actively hide this, instead, using as their foundation 1-3 one month long trips to Thailand that they then post and talk about voluminously to promote themselves. I am NOT bagging on these types of instructors however .. in most cases they can use their techniques in self defense and have produced fighters that experienced success in competition. Their carefully guarded origins speak volumes. It's not that it is significant to me but the fact they hide this speaks to their own feelings of deficiency, real or imagined. I know that 20 years ago there weren't nearly the options there are today. In Charlotte there was ONE school known to me though I know now that there were a few others. Back then guys who were into Karate, JKD, Kickboxing, etc .. stumbled into Muay Thai and of course, recognized it's efficacy and embraced the "no nonsense" training stripped of some of the "fluff" people often associate with other styles.
You would think that people who teach Muay Thai would follow the sport as well, keeping abreast of amateur and professional fights to some degree. The way it is usually presented in NC actually degrades the art in contrast to their claims of superiority. They claim this is a style for martial artists you cannot ignore but their lack of knowledge of the current champions and contenders says otherwise. They also pointedly fail to acknowledge people who are obviously promoting the art and the reason is simply because it diminishes their own status because they aren't doing anything similar unless it fills their pockets. They do not want to add credibility to people they aren't associated with and may not endorse them in return. Rather than expanding the significance of Muay Thai they prefer to isolate themselves and that isolation is precisely what keeps a community of Muay Thai from forming in our state. THERE ARE EXCEPTIONS but I'm speaking of my experience.
It is just frustrating that there "seems" to be no "Kodokan" in Muay Thai if you know what I mean. No "Gracie Barra" or "Gracie Academy". I KNOW that their are very old and respected teachers of Muay Thai but I guess the language and cultural barriers prevent me from seeing them clearly and regularly.
In NC you either run into one man schools that basically guard their lineage and cater to either JKD enthusiasts or fighters ONLY. No education about the origins, history, traditions or culture of Muay Thai. These instructors HAVE trained MT though their background does not originate in Thailand. It is what it is but they actively hide this, instead, using as their foundation 1-3 one month long trips to Thailand that they then post and talk about voluminously to promote themselves. I am NOT bagging on these types of instructors however .. in most cases they can use their techniques in self defense and have produced fighters that experienced success in competition. Their carefully guarded origins speak volumes. It's not that it is significant to me but the fact they hide this speaks to their own feelings of deficiency, real or imagined. I know that 20 years ago there weren't nearly the options there are today. In Charlotte there was ONE school known to me though I know now that there were a few others. Back then guys who were into Karate, JKD, Kickboxing, etc .. stumbled into Muay Thai and of course, recognized it's efficacy and embraced the "no nonsense" training stripped of some of the "fluff" people often associate with other styles.
You would think that people who teach Muay Thai would follow the sport as well, keeping abreast of amateur and professional fights to some degree. The way it is usually presented in NC actually degrades the art in contrast to their claims of superiority. They claim this is a style for martial artists you cannot ignore but their lack of knowledge of the current champions and contenders says otherwise. They also pointedly fail to acknowledge people who are obviously promoting the art and the reason is simply because it diminishes their own status because they aren't doing anything similar unless it fills their pockets. They do not want to add credibility to people they aren't associated with and may not endorse them in return. Rather than expanding the significance of Muay Thai they prefer to isolate themselves and that isolation is precisely what keeps a community of Muay Thai from forming in our state. THERE ARE EXCEPTIONS but I'm speaking of my experience.
It is just frustrating that there "seems" to be no "Kodokan" in Muay Thai if you know what I mean. No "Gracie Barra" or "Gracie Academy". I KNOW that their are very old and respected teachers of Muay Thai but I guess the language and cultural barriers prevent me from seeing them clearly and regularly.
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