I'm no master, but if you're interested in learning a real old style of MT, then I teach Muay Chaiya in the UK. I spent 11 years in Thailand training under Kru Lek in Bangkok - and trust me that Muay Chaiya (as he teaches) is legit.
Isn't the Gi in japanese based martial arts based on the traditional clothes worn before the arts became more mainstream? As pointed out above, the traditional long tied shorts, or fisherman pants in Thai muay were traditional dress for normal people. I think the shorts are more functional than a Gi - but then it depends on which country you live in - I don't wear shorts at this time of year in the UK! The hemp rope was used for the same use as modern hand raps and gloves - to protect the hands and arms from damage in attack and defense ( with a few sneaky practises to make them more damaging to the opponent). The 'traditional' old style of dress is only used in demonstrations or at schools where they need to convince people that what they teach is traditional (most 'muay boran' schools and teachers lol). The schools that teach solid martial arts don't worry about the presentation so much, because their content is solid. The phrase 'Traditional' Muay Thai has become blurred over the last 50 years, as many (in the west) see the ring style as more traditional than the old styles. Muay Boran (fight ancient) was a phrase invented in the last 50 years to distinguish what was the different Muay Thai styles before the modern rules of the ring made them largely redundant.
No, Kru Lek has never been to the UK (I'm hoping to get him over for some seminars soon). He teaches out of his school, Baan Chang Thai in Bangkok. He's happy being called Kru - although myself and many consider him a master. Interesting thing I learned recently about the titles Ajarn (master?) and Kru (teacher). Many of us (familiar with Muay Thai) consider Ajarn as being higher than Kru, but after talking with a few people, it turns out that Kru is actually held in higher regards, as it represents a more personal connection with students.
It's more in connection with schools School teacher would be kru and university teacher Arjan (Teacher/professor)
Yes, if people ask me for a literal translation of the meaning Kru/Ajarn I say the same thing. But saying that, people have called me Ajarn and I've no connection with universities!
I know the difference between Kru and Ajarn, that's just what Mr Lek calls himself in the UK. Think he's from Bangkok though I don't know him myself personally. Supposed to be a pretty good teacher.
I'm late to the party but I have to ask. Who is their right mind would compare Muay Thai with Shotokan? I could see you comparing Shotokan with TKD because a lot of the kicks in TKD came from Shotokan. However, comparing Shotokan with Muay Thai is like comparing Judo with Kajukenbo. You can't. They each have their strengths and weaknesses. Another thing is this. People in the West are obsessed with belts. Don't be. Get that belt mentality out of your head. A first black belt means nothing. Think about something. How long are you willing to work for a blackbelt. I read an article recently about a guy who took 15 years to get a blackbelt. Could you stick with something for 15 years? I watched a video the other day and the Sensei did an amazing job of communicating the mindset of a student martial artist. There is so much to what this guy says. Everyone should watch it regardless of what you study. I wish we had more teachers like this man. [ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MHZrxag2uaA&list=PL46EB67E4D04A6C41&index=30"]Perspectives on Shotokan karate - YouTube[/ame]
Both are striking arts so the comparison is hardly invalid by any stretch. What makes you believe they are so incomparable? So his 15 years was worthless then was it?
Hannibal, why would you say his 15 years was worthless? It was all part of the journey so it couldn't have been worthless. I used that blackbelt as an example. We should never attach an approximation of how long something takes to achieve a certain level of proficiency. I studied KM a few years back. I walked into the school and everything was going well until the blackbelt started telling me how long it would take me to achieve this or that. I thanked him for his time and walked out. He came out to the parking lot chasing me. No, his school wasn't a McDojo. Yes, he was telling me was most parents and people want to hear. Unfortunately, if I go on a tour of a school and someone starts talking about belts I run. Very, very fast!
YOU said it was worthless not me "a first belt means nothing" Sound familiar? If someone talking about grades makes you leave instantly you are being myopic, not enlightened
Thanks for sharing the vid. I saw some tsuki in there that would really injure the students' wrist in practice, though. :O
matveimediaarts, that's why it's important to strengthen the hand and wrist with specific exercises. This is one of the most overlooked areas in martial arts and often one of the first to get injured.
Since I do both, my opinion is this. It depends on how much fighting focus the Kyokushin dojo has, and how much fighting focus the Muay Thai gym has. How much sparring each does. Kyokushin traditionally spends some time on kata, bunkai, and things of this nature. So if a dojo focuses heavily on these things, it will detract from training on strictly fighting technique, padwork, sparring, etc. Some dojos spend quite a lot of time on the more self-defense and/or traditional karate aspects. Some dojos almost neglect that stuff completely, only really caring for tests/ranking. Generally speaking, a Kyokushin dojo and MT gym of equal worth in terms of quality, you will get better at fighting a bit faster at the MT gym, because there is zero focus on kata, bunkai, and structural hierarchy. Just my opinion. Cheers
