The State of Muay Thai in the East Coast: Its been a while since I posted anything about this topic but its hard to hold it in any longer. Ive been keeping a sharp eye on many of the venues putting on Muay Thai Competitions and the sudden emergence of So-Called Muay Thai Schools/Programs everywhere. I guess Teaching is no longer an Art form. All you need is a few square feet of room, mats on the floor, a punching bag and some pads to hold. It also shows in the quality of the product being put out there. :( I dont get it, every other Martial Art has Levels, Tiers, Grades, etc. Even Track and Field has Levels of Competition: Grade A, B, C, / Level 1, 2, 3, and so on. Theres a STANDARD in place. When we watch those Competitions, we already expect a Certain Level Of Competition. No Surprises! Wrestling Tournaments, Judo, Karate, Grappling are for the most part well organized and run. But not Muay Thai in the East Coast. Lets take a student, train him/her for a couple of weeks, push them to compete and lets call it Muay Thai. Lets also eliminate Elbows, Clinch, Certain Kicks, and Knees! Great!!! We basically have a bunch of Competitions with Fighters throwing Wild Punches and Kicks and calling it Muay Thai! Why not just call it the Wild Punches and Kicks Tournament. I bet it would sell more tickets. I know I would go! But calling it Muay Thai is a disgrace! Giving them a Belt afterwards is an even bigger slap to the face. No wonder the public confusion as to what Muay Thai really is. If you really care about growing the Art, you must first learn the Culture! Teach students the Beautiful History, Wai Kru, Proper Movements, Footwork, Strategies, etc. Let students Master the Basics before encouraging them to compete. Lets Grow the Art Not Embarrass it!
Posted on: Wed, 22 Oct 2014 17:46:14 +0000
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