Problem with muay thai club?

[geoffreysquire]

Hi guys,

About a month ago I started Muay Thai at a well known gym in London. Being a student I can only train during the day when the gym is open but not many people there except me and a friend. At first it was good, shown punches, kicks, elbows, defences etc.

However for the past 3 weeks I have been going in there, doing my skipping , pad work and punch bag with no guidance from the instructor. He never tells me if im doing something right or wrong, just wanders around and I feel like an idiot asking him again and again for advice. My kick isnt perfect, and instead of the teacher helping I ask other students who dont always like to be bothered. I know I still have a hellava lot to do on my basics which ive been taught, but some personal instruction in the class would be nice. I mean theres no point elbowing/kicking the bag hundreds of time and then finding out its all wrong. I know you gotta pay for private lessons, which isnt what im asking for, just a little bit more direction rather than "punch bag now".

Am i being unreasonable? Is this how all MT clubs train? Give you the basic techniques and leave it to you to train and for the attacks to get stronger through practise?

thanks

 

[meng_mao]

There's one instructor? No assistant instructors for the lower level students?
Does he treat all the beginners this way?

As for developing technique, you shouldn't worry.
As long as you observe yourself and keep experimenting, you will find effective techniques, even if they're different from what they might teach you.

Look at all the guys in K-1. Some of them strike really technically and pretty, others are really awkward. But they've gotten that stuff to work for them by really using them and perfecting them.

 

[Chris Cook]

never been in a "club" but that sounds ridiculous. i think you should be getting personal instruction of some kind every time you go. not one on one always, or even rarely, but at least a "class" type setting for some period of time.

i'd be looking somewhere else.

 

[ryouboard]

If you can't even get personal time to ask the instructor how to kick properly, then I would say you are wasting your time and money. No matter how much you train by yourself, you will learn faster and better if you have someone who knows what to do show you the way.

I would definitely look for a better gym.

 

[geoffreysquire]

Yeah I mean he has shown me elbos for example, but has never watched me do it and correct me. He has shown me kicks...but again i dont know if im doing them right. Ill give it another month, if it doesnt get better then i might pack it in.

Sorry forgot toask...can anyone here outline a typical MT class for them?

 

[Newcastle]

Yeah I mean he has shown me elbos for example, but has never watched me do it and correct me. He has shown me kicks...but again i dont know if im doing them right. Ill give it another month, if it doesnt get better then i might pack it in.

Sorry forgot toask...can anyone here outline a typical MT class for them?

Sounds like your MT school is run a little differently than the ones here in the States. The MT school I attend breaks down to paying monthly dues which gives the student unlimited classes to attend. During a typical class, the instructor is involved all of the time and walks around correcting techinique. It kind of sounds like you have a different situation at your school where you pay a certain amount to get in the club and an additional amount for true instruction? Is this correct?

A typical class is 1 hour, 5 min worth of skip rope, 2 rounds of shadow boxing, technique work for the majority of the class (ie: defense, hands, elbows, kicks, knees, etc), and the last 10-15 min of class usually consists of some conditioning.

 

[geoffreysquire]

No i pay monthly and can train whenever I like. Problem i think is that during the day, because there are a couple of us there the instructor gets lazy and does nothing except "skip now" or "Mitts" and maybe one or two sentences regarding technique. Ill give it one more month and if its still bad then move on! thanks for the replies

 

[Newcastle]

No i pay monthly and can train whenever I like. Problem i think is that during the day, because there are a couple of us there the instructor gets lazy and does nothing except "skip now" or "Mitts" and maybe one or two sentences regarding technique. Ill give it one more month and if its still bad then move on! thanks for the replies

It sounds to me like the instructor is very uninterested in doing his job. If he lacks the motivation to teach then you're probably wasting your time there if you have other alternatives to learn MT at other schools. Just my $0.02.

 

[BigWayner]

I agree I think you should have an instructor that is well motivated and is willing to push you and make you work hard, or even harder than you thought you could but at the same time correcting your mistakes, obviously everyone ends up doing it a little different than the other guy depending on what works for you, but you do need some proper instruction on techniques.
In my class the instructor is continually involved in teaching the only time he is not when we are paired up and if has to pair up with someone.
Does your intructor treat everyone the same or give just 1 or 2 people attention and ignore the rest?

 

[SmashiusClay]

Sounds like a bit of a mickey mouse operation to me, if the instructor can't be bothered to correct you then you are'nt going to advance very fast and will porbable end up with poor technique. If I were you I might look for another club that runs proper classes and train with them. If the club you use at the moment is very convenient you can always go back there when you are more cinfident that you have the basics down.

 

[Marvin Covar]

change clubs.

 

[krait]

I'd change club's. And be sure to tell them why. Do it in a repsectful way to the owner/manager whoever. Just tell them what is happeneing and that you don't feel your geting your monies worth. Don't be dick about though. You never know when you might run into soemone from there again.

 

[Mark Limbaga]

I'd change clubs if you feel you aren't getting any better.

 

[SteveX]

you should defiently look around your area for a differnt place to train. I have been doing MA for awhile now and have changed schools about 3 times (once for a style change and the other because the second was a mcdojo), but in all three schools the instuctor walked around during class and checked to make sure you technique was either perfect or getting better with each kick.
Also, now in my current school the instructor explains each kick before, during (if he sees a lot of people making the same mistake), and after the excercise to make sure it is drilled into our heads.
Before you quit maybe you should try to go to a later class and see if things are any different before switching clubs. This might just be a waste of time because it seems this guy just likes to bark out orders without taking the time to actually teach.

 

[geoffreysquire]

Thanks for the reply guys. I live in London so in the new year will try out London Shootfighters. A highly respected club, home to Lee Murray and other great martial artists. I have heard nothing but good stuff about the instructors, and will be good as its a MMA based gym. Its a bit far from me so will have to check out location but will def give it a go

 

[Chthon]

That is poor instruction. Try London Shootfighters.