Up till recently, I've always been against implementing a universally recognisable grading system for MT/boxing. By grading system I mean something like a judo or BJJ belt system where, even though the tests and standards from each gym may vary, a student's rank will nonetheless be recognised across gyms and there are broad expectations for each rank.
I came to this conclusion when I went back to my old BJJ school recently. I was surprised at how many faces I recognised even though years had past since I last rolled there. In BJJ and in judo, you also often see people who have been coming for years but only ever show up twice or thrice a week, as well as older students still rolling late into their 40s or 50s.
In comparison, MT/boxing tends to have a much sharper drop off rate. For example, it is very rare to find a MT student who has 3-5 years experience that has no desire to compete but still comes on a regular basis. From my personal experience, a lot of MT/boxing students train with the goal of competition. Most run out of interest before they get there but, even for those who did step into the ring, most of them will never reach B class before they themselves stop coming.
Yes, I understand that a coloured piece of fabric won't give you special abilities. I also understand that, in the ideal world, people should concentrate on learning and appreciating technique over anything else. However, the truth is that it sucks to be a MT/boxing student past a certain point. Most fighters are expected to train for 1.5-2 hours a day, at least three or four times a week - and that's when they don't have anything booked. The average worker isn't able or willing to commit this amount of time to their sport - which leaves them in the tricky situation where they may be progressing in skill but that progression is not recognised or felt. They may become a sparring partner for fighters and receive the punishing effect of that - but never any real praise or substantial feedback as they aren't the ones representing the gym. Alternatively, they might not even be progressing in skill - it is easy for students who have around 1.5 years of experience to get complacent as sparring is optional (they don't come), their technique is recognised as 'good' by the coaches, they are used to doing their jab-cross-kick routine and therefore they go through the motions and don't experiment or refine. I have seen so many students like this who, despite 1-2 years in the sport, don't know how to turn their shoulders to throw their weight into a kick or who doesn't really know what to do other than grab the neck while in the clinch.
Ranks therefore will be a useful motivator for most students. Suddenly technique matters not only because doing things correctly feels good but there will suddenly be something concrete to aim for. Something that they can achieve, is meaningful to achieve, and that is achievable over a more relaxed timeframe. Coaches will also become more focused on their intermediate students as they need to make sure they reach the level expected of each rank. During grading, coaches will have to observe each student closely which gives them the chance to give meaningful feedback. Finally, the existence of a syllabus will also serve as quality control as stopping you from progressing until you fix the holes in your game forces you to be aware of them.
What do you think?
I came to this conclusion when I went back to my old BJJ school recently. I was surprised at how many faces I recognised even though years had past since I last rolled there. In BJJ and in judo, you also often see people who have been coming for years but only ever show up twice or thrice a week, as well as older students still rolling late into their 40s or 50s.
In comparison, MT/boxing tends to have a much sharper drop off rate. For example, it is very rare to find a MT student who has 3-5 years experience that has no desire to compete but still comes on a regular basis. From my personal experience, a lot of MT/boxing students train with the goal of competition. Most run out of interest before they get there but, even for those who did step into the ring, most of them will never reach B class before they themselves stop coming.
Yes, I understand that a coloured piece of fabric won't give you special abilities. I also understand that, in the ideal world, people should concentrate on learning and appreciating technique over anything else. However, the truth is that it sucks to be a MT/boxing student past a certain point. Most fighters are expected to train for 1.5-2 hours a day, at least three or four times a week - and that's when they don't have anything booked. The average worker isn't able or willing to commit this amount of time to their sport - which leaves them in the tricky situation where they may be progressing in skill but that progression is not recognised or felt. They may become a sparring partner for fighters and receive the punishing effect of that - but never any real praise or substantial feedback as they aren't the ones representing the gym. Alternatively, they might not even be progressing in skill - it is easy for students who have around 1.5 years of experience to get complacent as sparring is optional (they don't come), their technique is recognised as 'good' by the coaches, they are used to doing their jab-cross-kick routine and therefore they go through the motions and don't experiment or refine. I have seen so many students like this who, despite 1-2 years in the sport, don't know how to turn their shoulders to throw their weight into a kick or who doesn't really know what to do other than grab the neck while in the clinch.
Ranks therefore will be a useful motivator for most students. Suddenly technique matters not only because doing things correctly feels good but there will suddenly be something concrete to aim for. Something that they can achieve, is meaningful to achieve, and that is achievable over a more relaxed timeframe. Coaches will also become more focused on their intermediate students as they need to make sure they reach the level expected of each rank. During grading, coaches will have to observe each student closely which gives them the chance to give meaningful feedback. Finally, the existence of a syllabus will also serve as quality control as stopping you from progressing until you fix the holes in your game forces you to be aware of them.
What do you think?
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