Things to look out for when choosing a martial arts teacher.
I don't remember if I wrote a blog post like this before, but let's clarify anyway, if I did I will take this post down or re-edit the two.
1) Does your instructor have real fighting experience in the ring or cage or mat against non-cooperative opponents using the style or styles taught? If your teacher/instructor/coach has real experience using the style or styles that are taught then that teacher has a valid opinion. My Muay Thai teacher and coach both won championship belts and their fights are recorded and documented to prove it. My BJJ teachers grappled all the time during class against much younger students and competed in BJJ tournaments. It would be hard for me to recommend learning Muay Thai from someone who has never fought in Muay Thai before (this is becoming a serious issue in Muay Thai since it is becoming more popular around the world).
2) Does you instructor have a decent level of physical fitness? My Muay Thai teacher and coach are still in decent shape and don't look like fat slobs at all. They punch and kick with amazing speed and power for their age and their technique is amazing! Same for my BJJ teachers (some competed in MMA). If your instructor is not in shape how can you be confident on what he teaches you will work?
3) Does your instructor talk shit about other styles, but never is willing to back it up? This is a huge thing to remember! My Muay Thai teacher and coach NEVER bad mouthed any martial art style! NEVER! I always talked to them about different styles and I admit I told them how I felt which ones were good and which ones were shit, but they NEVER said anything bad. Deep down I believe they know which styles are worth the time and money to study though. If they didn't they wouldn't have been so loyal to Muay Thai. I WILL NEVER FORGET WHEN MY MUAY THAI COACH AGREED WITH ME THAT SANDA WAS THE ONE STYLE THAT HAS BEEN THE MOST DIFFICULT FOR MUAY THAI TO HANDLE! I respect him for that honesty. Any instructor that criticizes another style without willing to back it up in the ring or cage or street should be looked at with caution!
4) Does your instructor admit the weaknesses of their style? My Muay Thai teacher or coach never stopped their students from learning BJJ because they knew Muay Thai had no ground game. The same for my BJJ teachers (that's why they offered kickboxing classes). Any martial arts teacher that never admits weaknesses in their art should be looked at with caution! My san soo teacher said that we didn't need to know any other art besides san soo. Bullshit! What we needed was to not study san soo and find a BJJ or Muay Thai gym! That is huge red flag! Besides MMA gyms, a person will have to study more than one style to cover all aspects of fighting.
5) Does your instructor train with his students? Coaches make their students do insane rounds on pads or bags, my Muay Thai teacher and coach did it to us, but they also trained with us or in front of us and trained hard! They didn't have this attitude that just because they were experienced fighters or teachers they didn't have to train in front of their students. Just because a person wears a fancy uniform and has a black belt with a ton of stripes doesn't make them better than anyone, including their students!
6) Does your instructor have ridiculous fees for students? I can understand high rent, high utilities, and cost of living in the big city (Depending on where you live), but very very few legitimate reasons exist to charge high fees to students to learn any martial art. Teachers should not have testing fees, make students by specific school gear, ridiculous contracts, etc. I have to admit this is becoming an issue in Muay Thai gyms and BJJ gyms around the USA. A gym looks more professional and legit with just a monthly fee or drop in fee.
*Side Note: THERE ARE NO BELT RANKINGS OR ANYTYPE OF LEVELS IN MUAY THAI OR WESTERN BOXING! However, a teacher or coach can be called an Ajarn or Kru. That is it! THERE ARE NO RANKINGS IN THE FIGHTING STYLES RECOMMENDED ON THIS BLOG!
Questions or Comments?
JimmyHWoo2016@gmail.com
Recommended Fighting Styles:
Southeast Asian Boxing
Muay Thai, Muay Lao, Pradal Serey, Lethwei, Tomoi
East Asian Boxing
Sanda (San Shou, San Da), Kyuk Too Ki, Shoot Boxing, Yaw Yan
Western Striking
Dutch Kickboxing, Savate, Western Boxing
Grappling and Other
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Wrestling, Sambo, Pankration, Judo, Shuai Jiao, Kali/Arnis/Escrima
Great. Thoughts. When someone is. In a one step SPARRING art like. SAN SOO they never. Really feel the fear of getting hit. I remember in high school when. I. Would so a r at the seaside gym in Long Beach I would often get very. Weak in the legs before SPARRING with the opponent. My GOD I AM GOING TO GET HIT. YOU NEVET G WE T THAT IN A SAN SOO SCHOOL BECA U SE HETE COMES THE SLOW PUNCH SO. YOU CAN D O THE TECHNI Q UE.
ReplyDeleteTHERE REALLY IS NO PRES SD URE OR FEAR IN SAN SOO. YOU DO YOUR BLOCK AS ND TECHNIQUE WITH A FULLY COOPERATIVE PARTNER. NO RESISTANCE.
ReplyDeleteIF YOU LOOK AT SAN SOO REALISTICALLY. IT IS. THE BLIND LEADING THE BLIND. SAD BUT TRUE. I bet Larry Wikel and his former wife Sharon are still talking about the MUY THAI FIGHT. That NEVer happened but never. The CULVER City fight with their TRAINED FIGHTET.ERS.
ReplyDeleteTHE CULVER CITU FIGHT. 5. LOSSES FOR SAN SOO OUT OF 5 FIGHTS. 3 WERE KO'D. A TEUE BEAYDOWN OF MASTET WIKEL'S S O CALLED FIGHTERS.
ReplyDeleteI LOOK AT SAN SOO LIKE THIS. THEY TALK ABOUT FIGHTS THAT NEVER HAPPENED. THEY TALK ABOUT WHAT cannot be proved or documented as if it happened. For FIGHTS and beatdowns of SAN SOO participants; they never mention. They call their art a. Fighting art based on practically no evidence it works against elite combat arts. THEY HAVE A GRANDMASTET WITH NO VERIFIABLE FIGHT. NEITHET OFFICIAL FIGHTS, STREET FIGHTS, CLOSED DOOR FIGHTS ETC AL.
ReplyDeleteJIMMY H. WOO HAS NO VERIFIABLE FIGHTS AGAONST ANTONE ON THE STREET, IN THE CAGE OR RING OR. IN CLOSED DOOR COMPETITION. NONE. ZERO. ZERO. ZERO. HIS SUCCESSOR JACK SERRA. THE SAME. NADA. NADA. NADA.
ReplyDeleteI WONDET IF THE BLOGGER COULD. TALK ABOUT WHAT ARE THE A C T UAL Q U ALIFICA T IONS TO BE A MASTER IN SAN SOO. IT DOES NOT APPEAR ANYONE HAS TO JAVE ANY COMBAT EXPERIENCE.
ReplyDeleteWHAT ARE THE CRITERIA TODAY OF BEING A MASTER IN SAN SOO.
ReplyDeleteTHE SAN SOO PEOPLE CLAIM THIS IS THE DEADLIEST ART IN THE WORLD. WHAT SAN SOO MASTER HAD SHOWN THIS TO BE SO. WHETE IS THE PROOF THAT THIS IS SO.
ReplyDelete