Mauy Thai advice.

[Cipher]

Hey everyone,

It's been awhile since I have posted on the forums, lifes been hecktic recently.

I am thinking about taking some Muay Thai classes in my area. I live next to Louisville KY. and there is only one place that advertises Thai boxing classes. I no nothing about this place so far, I would like to go by and check them out though. Can any of you that are experienced in Thai boxing give me a few pointers of what to look for, I want to make sure they know their stuff if I am going to pay them and take my time to go to classes.

Also is there anyone on the forums that live near Louisville KY that knows about the place or knows of another good place? It is on Bardstown Rd.

There are several american kickboxing places but I want to take the classes to compliment my Wing Chun training and to work out with other people too.

Thanks for any advice or help.

[Merryprankster]

What's the name of the place, and who are they affiliated with, if anybody?

I can forward this to a couple of friends of mine who are both Thai Boxing coaches. And good ones at that.

[Anarcho]

I guess their competition record would be a good place to start.

[The Willow Sword]

it may say muy thai but might actually be americanized kickboxing. just like when you see Karate on the door and it is TKD(tae kwon do). good luck!!!

Many Respects,,The Willow Sword

[Cipher]

MP,

Thanks, I will try to find out more info. I called their number but it said it was not configured for incoming calls, could be a problem with their phone lines I guess.

I think I will try to go by the school after work tonight, if I do I'll get as much info about their a affiliations and what the head honcho's name is.

In the meantime is there anything I need to check on or ask specifically when I go to check it out? Thanks.

[LEGEND]

Training wise...u will feel pain in your shins...and your cardio will be lit up! Good luck...it's an awesome fighting art! There's a reason why it's BRUTAL...surprisingly it's very very technical also. I have met KUNG LAO who teaches at ONE SPIRIT in VA. Having seen his class...it's like boxing training but alot more techs.

[Merryprankster]

Yeah.

How often do you spar?
When do you start sparring, typically?
Can I watch a class?
Who are the fighters here and what are there records?
Who are you affiliated with, etc...

[Khun Kao Charuad]

There are a number of things you can look into.

1. Lineage: Who is the instructor? Who was his instructor? Who was his instructors instructor? Basically, you want to find out how far removed from "the source" this instructor is. "The Source" refers to an actual Thai fighter, preferably a fighter in Thailand.

2. Instructors Credentials: This is more subjective. But essentially, does this instructor know his ****? You should be allowed to come and either watch or participate in a class (or a few classes). You can tell, to an extent, how good of an instructor this person is after observing and participating. Also, has this instuctor fought? The instructors fight record is inconsequential, because some of the best fighters are the worst instructors, and vice-versa. But ring experience is still a MUST!

3. The Class Itself: How is class conducted? A Muay Thai class should have an atmosphere similar to a professional boxing gym. How intense is the class? Is the workout geared towards developing fighters? Or is the focus on "learning the art" and "self defense"?

Ideally, you want to train under someone who is straight out of Bangkok, but if that isn't the case, you'd want to train under one of his personal pupils. I would be more suspect of an instructor who only trained with "the Master" once or twice a year at seminars than the instructor who trained under an actual fighter for a few years.

Also, ideally, you want an instructor with ring experience. It doesn't matter if they lost every single fight, the experience of being in the ring and getting hit really makes one understand the reality of Muay Thai. This is what keeps Muay Thai so simple, yet so effective. Someone with no ring experience may not be able to grasp that concept.

Now, the last point I mentioned is subjective, also. How is the class conducted? You may walk into a Muay Thai class expecting to find a group of hardcore fighters, but instead find a bunch of "weekend warriors" instead. Don't let this discourage you, unless thats the kind of training you're looking for (LOL). To quote an overused cliche: "The proof of the pudding is in the eating." What I'm getting at is that an instructor often has to tailor his class around who his students are. A class that may appear to not be that serious may be due to a lack of serious students. A good instructor will be able to tailor individual workouts based on how serious a particular student is. The more serious students will workout together in one group, the less serious students will workout together in other groups.

My only other advice for you is to simply go and check the class out. Watch it and talk to the instructor and students. Do they all enjoy what they're doing? Does it look like what you'd enjoy doing also? Hopefully, they will invite you to step in and enjoy a few free classes to help you make up your mind. Then you can really see if this is what you want to do...

Khun Kao

[Khun Kao Charuad]

Kung Lao???

LOL

Khun KAO!

[Xebsball]

isnt Kung Lao from Mortal Kombat :D

[SevenStar]

Everyting that kung lao (LOL) khun kao said. Also, visit multiple classes, not just one. Get a feel of what they do there.

[Cipher]

Thanks for the tips. My Mother in law is visiting from Japan so I may have to wait a few days longer to visit the class but as soon as I do I will post what I find out here.