[BoneSnapper]

Originally Posted by kenli

For the absolute best athletes, it comes down to glory, money, respect, AND talent/genetics. That's the difference-maker really. the US simply has a larger pool to draw athletes from and a better chance of the most naturally gifted ones surfacing.

I'd agree, if it weren't for the fact that the US has the highest paid athletes in the world, and the BEST athletes outside of the US come here to play. Even then, the vast majority of the athletes in these sports here are native to the U.S.

I'm not from the US BTW, but it's really hard to dismiss their dominance in athleticism when you look at the big picture.

Olympics Medals Ranks geographic.org

America ranked 46 for medals per capita.

Other sports that are most popular world wide

soccer
cricket
rugby
tennis
field hockey

Despite the huge population they don't dominate in any of them. Tennis they have their share of champs but do not dominate by a long shot. America is best at entertainment I give them that.

Any sport outside of American popular sports they do terribly at. Especially sports that are the more popular around the world that more practice in.

Look at the olympics for example on total medals per sport (not olympic total) and America dominate in very few. They get more medals by have more competitors.
It narrows down to baseball, basketball,boxing.
Wow sports that they made popular world wide by having control of the entertainment industry.Hence advertising and grandstanding their best athletes.

As far as why dont china and India dominate in sport.
You do know that Asians do not focus on sports as much as academics which is why they are dominate in it (academics)?

You may want to use the argument that Americas top athletes are often drafted towards NFL or NBA.

So are other countries athletes. The top athletes veer towards the sports most popular in their country. I don't understand what is so hard to understand about this
For instance, a lot of Australian athletes move towards rugby league or Aussie rules which is not played that much in other countries other than the UK. Aussie rules is only played in Aus.But you wouldnt know this as Australia do not have control over most of the entertainment industry like America.

It amazes me how Americans presume their national sports require more athletic ability than sports played by other countries.

America constanty bombards the world with claims of this basketball player or NFL player is the most gifted athlete in the world.

Like I said they dominate the entertainment industry that is for sure.

[BoneSnapper]

Americans constantly telling everyone how superior they are would be similiar to Drysdale telling everyone in the bjj world constantly that his bjj is far better than marcelo Garcia's just because he beat him. Having a large size difference was what helped him win and he would look like a complete arshole to do that.

Another example would be if you were in a small club and everytime you competed there was this club that had 10 times the amount of members and competitors that your club has so often gets more medals but not by alot. But the competitors insist on walking around screaming how they are number 1 and have the best bjj guys. How would you view members of their club?

[BRASCO]

Originally Posted by NoSmilez

in n class. do you wear shinpads and helmet? or its all full contact? and do u automatically get paid?

No in the N-Class you don't wearing any shinpads and helmet. Just a toque and a bit for your mouth and ofcourse boxing gloves 10 oz.
You don't get paid, only the A-Class fighters get paid, but that is not much. They often have job besides Muay Thai so that is extra hard. To train 6 day's a week and work 5 day's a week.
It's a tough road to become an A-class fighter in Holland.

[trojansc82]

Originally Posted by Kaminoko

Thai's are the best below 70 kg in mT above that the dutch dominates

Actually that's not completely true. Right now there is a gap between the lightweights (155 lbs.) MT fighters and K-1 heavyweights. The Dutch are good at middleweight, but they do not dominate the MT as much as you would think. Nathan "Carnage" Corbett from Australia is dominating the middleweights right now. They are trying to set up a superfight between him and Tyrone Spong. But that is a whole other thread...

[earthman32]

I read that it has more to do with the influence of thai boxing from Holland's colonial days. They picked it up, brought it back to Europe where they had superior athletes to the Thai (like guys that are actually bigger than 160 lbs) and just ran with it. Now it is more practiced as a national sport than here in America (where the emphasis is more on Boxing and Wrestling).

[Da Ghost]

k-1 needs more british fighters

[RJ Powell]

Originally Posted by earthman32

I read that it has more to do with the influence of thai boxing from Holland's colonial days. They picked it up, brought it back to Europe where they had superior athletes to the Thai (like guys that are actually bigger than 160 lbs) and just ran with it. Now it is more practiced as a national sport than here in America (where the emphasis is more on Boxing and Wrestling).

umm i dont get it, so being bigger makes you a superior athlete in muay thai?

also to clarify, the dutch learned kickboxing from the japanese. The japanese were getting pwned royally by the thais, so they decided that if they couldn't beat them they would join them essentially. They used Muay Thai and modified some of the moves to make it more "japanese" with the purpose of trying to beat the thais at their own game. Then dutch guys like Jan plas and Johan vos picked it up from the japanese. This is why alot of gyms in holland do alot of bowing and counting in japanese.

It seems every time an art gets taught to another country (providing the country is left to their own devices after a while) it gets modified in some way to reflect the country, almost making it a whole new style. Such is the story of brazilian jiu jitsu and dutch/japanese kickboxing.

[BabiPangang]

Originally Posted by trojansc82

Actually that's not completely true. Right now there is a gap between the lightweights (155 lbs.) MT fighters and K-1 heavyweights. The Dutch are good at middleweight, but they do not dominate the MT as much as you would think. Nathan "Carnage" Corbett from Australia is dominating the middleweights right now. They are trying to set up a superfight between him and Tyrone Spong. But that is a whole other thread...

If Nathan Corbett would fight in the regular Dutch/European Competetion he would not dominate, he would be good but he would not dominate. I also think less of him because the best MW fighter of the world came to the "King of the Ring" just to fight Nathan. Nathan said he would fight there but did not come to face Tyrone Spong.

He should face real competition on regular base, like the European fighters, if he then keeps on winning we can say Corbett is dominating.

Spong fights all that they throw at him and he defeated some of the greatest names in the world. He beat Joeri Mes (while at the time the considered the best), Shakuta, Vincent Vielvoye, Kaoklai, Mohammed Ouali, Youness, Hutnik His list is a who's is who from Hollands/Europe's finest like Gonzalves, Diender, Akdeniz, Jan van denderen and Zoraj

Who did Corbett beat besides Balrak on though decission, Magomedov on deccision and Kaoklai? a whole bunch of nobodies... Al the guys he beat wouldn't even be fighting with the big boys in Europe.

[CPH]

Originally Posted by earthman32

They picked it up, brought it back to Europe where they had superior athletes to the Thai (like guys that are actually bigger than 160 lbs) and just ran with it.

LOL. How elegantly simple. Thanks for sharing your insight...