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OldBones

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Everything posted by OldBones

  1. I noticed that knee bumps are pretty common for sweeping techniques, but I rarely see full on knee attacks to the thighs. Is this considered a dirty move? Or is this not utilized due to it being considered a low scoring attack (a la leg kicks). That said, I see this as a potentially devastating and effective move. Can someone explain? Thanks.
  2. Definitely appreciate the contrasting viewpoint. And I'd venture to say that I side more with your perspective as my fear of IFMA/Olympic muay thai becoming something completely different altogether. All said, the prospect of muay thai inclusion into the Olympics is still an exciting proposition. The question is, at what cost? But, looking at things a layer deeper, WHY do you think IFMA scoring has taken the approach it has as opposed to just educating and spreading current (or even closer to Golden Age--fighting hard from 1st round to 5th round) scoring practices? Is there an element of giving non-Thais a "level" playing field? Or is it akin to what you and Sylvie have discussed with the changes you see with Maxx Muay Thai and other promotions like it? Lastly, do you feel that IFMA scoring is still better or "more Thai" than what we already see in the US and/or the West in general?
  3. As far as I know, IKF and WMC are international (WMC is based out of Koh Samui if I remember correctly--funny story I almost got matched with a fighter training there who turned out to be some Ukrainian killer amateur champ... long story short, after I changed my huggies, I made a hard pass on that one). IFMA is world wide and is essentially the de facto muay thai olympics What's scary is pros like Superbon fight in their A-class and dude is knocking guys out left and right with gear on. USMTO is mostly known for their two large tourneys (one in New York and another in Arizona I believe). Promotions work more with state athletic commissions. And I know, it IS confusing. As far as olympic inclusion, I think everyone is afraid that it'll be watered down. But, a lot of people believe that IFMA scoring is as close to stadium scoring minus the gambling influence. I can't speak on that with any real knowledge. But one can only hope for the best.
  4. When my boys are a little older, I definitely want to do a European gym crawl. Starting in the UK, then over to France and ending in Holland.
  5. I'm not sure I understand what you specifically mean by "organizations" but as far as promotions go, Lion Fight is probably the most recognizable one because they are on television nationally. Regionally, both coasts have solid promotions with Friday Night Fights and Warrior's Cup on the East and WCK, Triumphant, and Defiant being most prevalent in California as of late (to my knowledge, these are all pro-am mixed shows). I'm sure there are a bunch of other shows that I'm not aware of, but on the whole I'm told there aren't enough fights to keep everyone active enough to be as experienced as other countries. As far as amateur organizations are concerned, the big tournaments are run by TBA (Thai Boxing Association), USMTO (United States Muay Thai Organization), and IKF (International Kickboxing Federation; but the IKF has all kinds of different rule sets--including something called "point muay thai" which is apparently light contact with DQs for too much power on strikes). But, within the past few years, the USMF has been pushing to get some unity among the different orgs by trying to standardize the rule sets (IFMA style) and the reffing/judging. They are also the driving force behind youth development and making the push for the US Olympic Committee to include muay thai as an official olympic sport (fingers crossed for Los Angeles 2028).
  6. Big fan of Liam Harrison. Also really like watching Jonathan Haggerty fight. I think he's the Brit young gun that I've been keeping tabs on.
  7. With IFMA Worlds just a few months away, I've been thinking about the growth and proliferation of muay thai in America. It seems that for some time now, American muay thai has been perceived as behind the rest of the world. Even when compared to our neighbor to the north, Canada, I was always informed that we were just a step behind. However, it seems that the efforts of the USMF have really been proactively pushing for recognition by the USOC as well as creating more awareness, unification, and opportunity at the regional, state, national and international levels. Considering that the roundtable has a lot of international members, I'm curious what YOUR national muay thai scene is like. How popular is muay thai in your country among the general public? Is there a lot of government support and subsidy for travel and training for international tournaments like IFMA? Are there significant efforts on youth development? Is muay thai a potential profession in your country, or is it more of a passionate pursuit? Is there a large media presence with fights on television? How "Thai" is your country's muay thai (technique, scoring, philosophical approach)? Feel free to go beyond the questions, or add your own. I just listed those as a starting point.
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  9. As a clinician who specializes in upper quadrant orthopedic rehab, I've found that one of the best tools for tennis elbow is the Flexbar by a company called Theraband. Here is a link that shows its creator demonstrating the use of the tool: In addition to having your coach re-evaluate your technique (as was suggested by above posters) I would question what brand and what ounce gloves you use to train. As a bit of a gear-slut. I've bought all kinds of gloves over the years and I think that the quality and type of gear you use absolutely has an impact on your joints and muscles. I've had issues of my own with cheaper (i.e., Everlast) and harder, "puncher" style gloves like Cleto Reyes (not cheap, and I'm sad I can't use them bc they are gorgeous gloves). In contrast, I've found that Twins (and the oft celebrated Winnings) are very forgiving and help with people who do a lot of volume training and/or are prone to impact related strain and pain. Hope that helps. You might also want to see a physical or occupational therapist and make sure it's actually tennis elbow as it could be something else.
  10. Yup. But I felt it was most effective for learning to move my head off centerline and maintain balance with movement. I remembered another thing I like about shadowboxing in front of a mirror--it's great for working on feints and fakes.
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  12. One boxing coach I had in my teens used a dry-erase marker to draw a grid (think a tic-tac-toe game) in front of me. He instructed me to use it to help with slipping and rolling as well as pick targets other than just the head (i.e., liver, solar plexus, etc) during shadow. I felt it really helped.
  13. Appreciate the above insights. The FEEL vs KNOWLEDGE concept is something I've only recently begun to really understand--and not with just muay thai (but in many aspects of life). This is obviously where the tutelage under coaches with hundreds of fights coupled with endless opportunity for individual fight experience creates the breeding ground for amazing nak muay. I guess I'm humbled to admit that the root to all of my questions comes from a very American tendency to attempt to find a "hack" that circumvents the cultural context that makes muay thai the beauty that it is. In this regard, aside from a few outliers and mavericks, I wonder if America could ever catch-up from fully homegrown systems. I feel there are so many cultural factors that also stand in the way. That said, I know that USMF is pushing to get youth involvement growing with the Youth Development League, and we're already seeing the IFMA junior team doing very well. Suppose only time will tell.
  14. I've had the fortunate experience of living/training in Thailand many years ago (2000 & 2004), so I think I have a general idea of how adult training breaks down. However, now that I have kids of my own, I always wondered about Thai kids just starting out their muay thai journeys. Scouring the internet for info, I've come across a lot of articles critical of children training and fighting muay thai. In contrast, I've listened to interviews with Francis and Boom Watthanaya who demonstrate the positive impact of muay thai on their community's kids. Furthermore, I've read Sylvie's article about the rambunctious "Jade Dragon Set" at her gym. That all said, I was wondering, for those of you who've lived/trained in Thailand at gyms with kids just starting out (I'm talking age 6-8), what do their training sessions look like (I'm talking specifics--number of kilometers ran, rounds of shadowboxing, heavy bag, clinching, etc)? I'm really interested in the detailed progression from pee wee to stadium professional. At what point do the pups just start on the same program as the big dogs? Any info would be super appreciated. Thanks all! --J
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