Muay Thai - Ranking System? - Page 2

Spoonking · 11-07-2009, 08:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SarahSunwalker

Muay Thai is a very traditional martial art; you won't last long in Thailand with your attitude.

There's no official ranking system; a Kru (Master), in Thailand, is determined by age and the amount of fights they've done. When you hit about late twenties, Thai men will stop fighting and start teaching; they'll only be able to get students interested in their skills if they've done maybe over 100 fights.
.

I think anyone would have to agree that MT is structured differently from other martial arts such as karate, kung-fu etc...These days it is a professional sport.

Also plenty of famous trainers/ camp owners in Thailand had not many fights at all. Otherwise I agree with the great majority of your post.

Payak · 11-07-2009, 08:17 AM

there are no prajiad in thailand to show rank, no white uniforms, no nothing.
khru does not mean master, a crew is a teacher regardless of what you teach.
you have teachers and students,nothing more.

Wiseyoda · 11-08-2009, 01:19 AM

Yes.. all good points coming from a Thailand view..

However, im talking more from a Western's point of view. Lots of people look for rank or to get something rewarded to them for all there hard training. That is why i was asking this at the start. Take my country, Australia. Do you think it would be frowned on if you had some (i have no idea what) ranking system?

Spoonking · 11-08-2009, 05:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wiseyoda

Yes.. all good points coming from a Thailand view..

However, im talking more from a Western's point of view. Lots of people look for rank or to get something rewarded to them for all there hard training. That is why i was asking this at the start. Take my country, Australia. Do you think it would be frowned on if you had some (i have no idea what) ranking system?

Not frowned upon...but does it really mean anything? I personally don't think so, I mean what does a colored arm band tell you?? It wouldn't mean anything to me.

M@sato · 11-08-2009, 06:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SarahSunwalker

Of course, some 14 year olds I know have done over 100 fights; I don't call them Kru. Age and experience is the key; unlike Karate where you have 7 year old black belts *rolls eyes*...

A nice and informative post overall...but I take exception to this particular comment. Not all Karate styles readily hand out black belts to prepubescents...and if they do, well you're obviously in the wrong place. The 7 or 8yr old black belt is something more commonly associated with Taekwondo for one, but even amongst them I'm sure there are more serious schools that would scoff at the idea. I started off in Karate, and I studied for 12yrs and only attained a rank of brown belt. I now train in Muay Thai, but I don't regret my Karate background for an instant. Just sayin'

Wiseyoda · 11-08-2009, 05:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by M@sato

A nice and informative post overall...but I take exception to this particular comment. Not all Karate styles readily hand out black belts to prepubescents...and if they do, well you're obviously in the wrong place. The 7 or 8yr old black belt is something more commonly associated with Taekwondo for one, but even amongst them I'm sure there are more serious schools that would scoff at the idea. I started off in Karate, and I studied for 12yrs and only attained a rank of brown belt. I now train in Muay Thai, but I don't regret my Karate background for an instant. Just sayin'

I agree

Wiseyoda · 11-08-2009, 05:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spoonking

Not frowned upon...but does it really mean anything? I personally don't think so, I mean what does a colored arm band tell you?? It wouldn't mean anything to me.

Spoony, i spose i look at it more from a stiuiation like this..

K, so lots of us have traveled to Thailand for one thing.. to train.

Back at home (Australia) little jimmy, might be unfit and want to try something out in life, say Muay Thai, he walks into a gym and starts to train, yet, he does not know who to work with. He sees some behemoth kicking a bag, and rocking it back and forward, and thinks he should jump right in with this guy and start training with him.

A ranking system, May, and i repeat may, help with this, and identify with small things on who to work with, who to ask, and who is the teacher.

I am sure with the above situation the experienced guy would not have the time to work with him, as he might have an important fight coming up. ? possible anyway.

Look, i dont really see the need for it either, but i have also been in the style for more than 3 years now, and understand a little of the Thai culture (to a degree) and why they dont have them. Once again, i am talking purely from a westerns point of view.

Spoonking · 11-08-2009, 09:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wiseyoda

Spoony, i spose i look at it more from a stiuiation like this..

K, so lots of us have traveled to Thailand for one thing.. to train.

Back at home (Australia) little jimmy, might be unfit and want to try something out in life, say Muay Thai, he walks into a gym and starts to train, yet, he does not know who to work with. He sees some behemoth kicking a bag, and rocking it back and forward, and thinks he should jump right in with this guy and start training with him.

A ranking system, May, and i repeat may, help with this, and identify with small things on who to work with, who to ask, and who is the teacher.

I am sure with the above situation the experienced guy would not have the time to work with him, as he might have an important fight coming up. ? possible anyway.

Look, i dont really see the need for it either, but i have also been in the style for more than 3 years now, and understand a little of the Thai culture (to a degree) and why they dont have them. Once again, i am talking purely from a westerns point of view.

So are you saying that a ranking system points out who is in charge?

If this is right it seems a little overdone, couldn't 'little Jimmy' ask somebody who is in charge, or alternatively couldn't this 'behemoth' point him in the direction of a teacher. Seems, a cheaper and simpler alternative than giving each person a colored armband to denote experience.

Wiseyoda · 11-08-2009, 09:16 PM

Yep, True, good points.. Just throwin this out there for discussion, nothin more.

SarahSunwalker · 11-09-2009, 02:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wiseyoda

Yes.. all good points coming from a Thailand view..

However, im talking more from a Western's point of view. Lots of people look for rank or to get something rewarded to them for all there hard training. That is why i was asking this at the start. Take my country, Australia. Do you think it would be frowned on if you had some (i have no idea what) ranking system?

Honestly, it'd be up to the students.

If a student wants to believe in a ranking system and their unqualified instructor, then that will become common place. That will never pass in Thailand right now, but. Thank fuck!

I mean, take Ninjutsu, for example. Supposedly, we're talking about the badest mudda fukks in the world here, in the past. Nowadays, however, it's a bunch of overweight middle aged wannabes. Why? Simply because those men said so.

Some of us we'll keep it real, but we can all only keep it where we're at...