There's alot of those around, not real MMA gyms, but "multiple martial art" gyms. Can't blame em really, there's no real venue for MMA locally, and fighting in the states or other provinces mean you have to forge contacts with outside your home base.
The whole combat sport community is cliquey anyways. MT is kinda getting the BJJ treatment on lineage these days, which is odd because Its a striking sport where the prize is: wins, belts, and medals. But lineage is starting to rear itself into here. aka. If you didn't come from suchart's line, you ain't a real nak muay
Luckily I came from the main man Toddy. If you listened to the coach K from CSA podcast he mentions him as one of the best trainers which I was surprised to randomly hear.
Haha it was a rule in my house if I plan to compete I must have a job as well. Had a job and trained since I was fourteen and I recently turned twenty one. Just always found a way to get my training in. dedication and all that.
The sport's changing though, more camps are now incorporating a boxing program in, and I mean actual boxing, not just adding punches to the combos.
Boxing is love of mine as well so I noticed a lack of efficiency with it in MT so my “style” was a lot more boxing oriented hence my wanting to use footwork and head movement more than the average student at the first gym.
Recently I've switched gyms and realized why didn't I do it earlier. Its a big world out there. Only problem with gym hopping is they might not be ready to invest in you and you have to "make your bones" with them before getting access to good quality partners and fighting under their banner.
Is gym #5 fresh and brand new? Can't spar seems odd, but its good he has a handle of the gym. So many gyms end up becoming bang seshes because the head honcho got laxed and had no order, and everyone just reacts to getting banged.
Time in is the main reason I haven’t competed thus far. Gone through a lot of family home stuff so iv been moving around the past two and a half years, I was averaging six months at a gym after I left the first one. So I never really got to have that HQ gym that I can call my own but hop out of ( id love to travel to a ton of different gym here and there eventually) like you said it’s a big world outside Canada especially.
Gym 5 iv been at around six months actually haha. I was invited to the intermediate and sparring class after maybe two months, which once I talked to my coach I learned it was just time in and he knew skill wise I was ready for that level. Same thing with fighting im guessing. Our headcoach was apart of the old team Tomkins and he has to approve sparring, class level changes and if you can fight for the gym. Im helping my buddy get resy to compete though which I think is a sign of good things to come. We have maybe 100 something total members and maybe 7-8 people that have competed as far as I know only Me and the guy im helping want to compete in the near future
