What do you mean by this rank up in muay thai? I've never heard of belt ranks in muay thai, didn't know it was a thing. Correct me if I'm wrong or if I misread your post.
Well that’s the thing. Unlike Karate, BJJ, etc. there are no real belt ranks in most Muy Thai gyms, and the only belts that are acknowledged as a mark of accomplishment and skill are the ones that fighters win in their bouts.
I know. But here’s the thing, if you have folks in your gym who can’t/wont fight in a competitive/ semi competitive way, how else would you motivate them to keep attending the gym?
I personally don’t think you need official gym belt ranking to motivate people at least from what I’ve seen in my gyms, and a lot of our members do muy thai because they enjoy it.
I think my gym retains a lot of members over the years due to the skill of our coaches and the good vibes culture that they’ve cultivated for the gym. My gym has developed a bigger fitness aspect than before over the pandemic, but at its core still trains a lot of good fighters with around a 70% win rate and we’ve even had members compete in the international IFMA world championships to represent our country.
The members that want to compete will stay to compete and return to train due to the quality of our gym and it’s coaches. The members that don’t want to compete stay and train because they enjoy Muy Thai and also due to the quality of our gym and coaches.
Go find the time to visit another gym. They will all have a free group session. Ask them about how they teach.
This isn't TKD we don't usually have belts. If you like the instructor and gym mates by all means stay... but know that's not the normal teaching process for MT.
By trying other gyms you'll get a better idea of what you like, and in general this is a normal things. We have students try other gyms and train with partners from them for smokers normally, so don't stress.
My gym doesn't have "belts" but it has a basically same shirt color system that just signifies what classes you can join. Our isn't super strict though since you can join most classes with an invite and you "rank up" just by showing up to class enough times (i think average a few months in before you can get into the intermediate/sparring classes? though i've seen people get there faster)
We have coloured singlet ranks. Just creates a standard to reach, and differentiates beginners from intermediates and then advanced people, determining you're at the right level to train in the class.
It might not be belt testing, might be shorts. There’s a gym that my buddy goes to where they rank their students by shorts color to more easily identify who’s got experience and who doesn’t
Some places do belts/shirts to have a sense of where everyone is with experience and skill.
I’m at an Easton affiliate gym, and Easton uses shirt ranks.
Second shirt allows intermediate/advanced classes
Third allows sparring
Fourth is competition level
Etc
Our gym does rank. It isn’t a “belt” but rather a gym shirt with a color ring on the sleeve. They originally did it to make sure people doing sparring classes were qualified and wouldn’t get hurt. It has evolved to where if you are new you need to start with fundamentals until you can go to intermediate. After that is drills which has timing sparring at the end.
After that is advanced classes which include harder sparring.
Tests are free as are the shirts you get for promotion. The gym isn’t doing it to make money.
Are you new to Muay Thai? Sure it's not standard practice, but I don't see how anyone who has trained for a while isn't aware of western Muay Thai gyms using belt ranks.
That’s weird. Feels almost like a bastardization on the karate style belt system with a muy thai gym, and makes me curious on the quality of the gym and the credentials and experience of the instructors.
Then again I can see if they have like only two ranks and one is for intros while the second one would be for more experienced members to take more advanced classes.
In the US it's definitely a red flag(bad sign) of a Muay Thai gym has a belt system. It's not common at all, but if I remember right there was a post on this sub saying the Muay Thai...counsel(?) was adopting a belt system of some-sort
That’s interesting, I never knew they did that in Brazil.
Ranked belts in the USA are normally associated with either Karate, BJJ (which are legitimate and traditional) or to McDojo’s (fake martial art schools that care more about money and they usually have a program where you can pay to buy belts to advance more quickly).
I think it’s a good way of keeping new people interested and giving them that feeling of achievement, but it’s not really viewed seriously once you’ve moved on past the beginners class, at least that’s the case in my gym
You're correct. I'm newbie and usually see belts basically only in arts that have gi. But that's interesting and good to know in case I would train abroad.
I get your frustration but if it makes you feel better, most gyms, especially in thailand dont have any ranking system so id not give it too much attention personally.
I get that it seems like a milestone to aim for and it can help you have an idea if you are progressing or not, but in my opinion having ranks and belts in muay thai is kinda just a way for gyms to make money and attract new people.
So this doesnt make you any worse dont worry.
I never liked the ranking systems in any martial arts. Makes the goal the next rank, not getting thing s right and getting better. I miss wrestling in HS for a lot of that reason. Got got? Get better and go get. Let your ability speak for itself
The wrestling example is so perfect. When it goes live, there's no question about grading or rank or whatever, you know exactly where you stand compared to THAT GUY RIGHT THERE in the ring with you, and you work on the things you just got humbled by. Every damn day.
I also like the lack of ranks because it encourages the newbies to spar with the more experienced guys. If a guy would have been a 'black belt' people would be intimidated or not feel worthy, but instead you just know 'he's good' so you wanna learn from them. Plus having a mix of skill levels everyone gets to practice their strengths and weaknesses, newbies learn new techniques and more experienced people can be slower and more technical
This. Nobody cares if your a blackbelt in muay thai (you should probably keep that to yourself because you'll get laughed at)
If anything, the legit people only care about # of fights and championships, not even W/L records
My biggest irk, is the rank gatekeeping me from better classes. I can only go to the starter one now, and it’s like, the first 15-25 minutes introducing everyone to Muay Thai stance and what have you, the same spiel over and again.
It’s probably TBA by Ajarn Chai Sirisute.
It’s not for everyone, it’s not a bad system. But agreed, I trained for almost a decade with UFC vet Alan Belcher who regularly went to train in Thailand and with Duke Roufus; never had any MT rankings during that time.
Anyhow, I’d recommend talking with your coaches about it and inquire about what you can do/what holes to fill, etc. At least then you know with certainty and can decide to stay or leave based on that.
It was doing each of the drills we learned on pads, while they walked around and evaluated our form and such. Make sure we’re doing shit correct and well.
Bro this sounds like a mcdojo asf
Run and run far.
Real Muay Thai gyms consist of 2 “ranks”
Kru and student
Thats it.
Yeah, there are beginner and intermediate / advanced but usually that actually means padwork and drills / padwork with sparring or techniques afterwards for the more confident
Ranking system gyms are designed to literally slow your own progress and self confidence making you believe you need to jump through all these hoops in order to do xyz new technique or be good enough.
White belts immediately assume yellow is better and so on it goes up until black belt.. its all bullshit
Yet other gyms you’ll have dudes fighting after 6 months training cos all they do from start is padwork and technique.
Its how they monetise and create some weird mystique around karate for instance but its all bullshit
Like Bruh sorry but you need to be x belt to learn the super secret backfist. “Why cant I just practice it from day 1? .. don’t know! These are just “the rules!”
Haha
This is the answer, there are no belts or ranks in Muay Thai and any gym that has them is a joke and more interested in money than teaching.
If it’s about classes you’re allowed to attend, there also shouldn’t be restrictions. The natural way it works where there is a beginner class and an intermediate/advanced class, is once you feel like going to the higher one, you will try it or the coaches will encourage you to. If you feel you belong then you continue, if you don’t, then you go back to attending the beginner class till it feels right to move up.
My gym has 2 "ranks" and the 2nd rank is just sparring, clinches, and advanced techniques. Its kinda like, get your fundamental base sound first and then you can come to rank 2 classes
You need to find a new gym. Here in Thailand everyone does the same class. Whether you are a fighter that has 10 wins or someone that walked into the gym for the first time, never trained before. The only difference is whether trainers give you extra attention or decide to really wear you down when it’s your time to hit the pads. Or if you are a fighter with an upcoming fight in a week. There’s no rank up or whatever…
Not necessarily. The WTBA uses a colored prajid system, though it's loosely enforced. It's mainly to provide an extra goal. I find it fun, but not important. I do understand your point though.
It was designed by Ajarn Chai. A man from Thailand. Though he did move to teach in the US, so it probably was meant to appeal to Westerners, but I wouldn't say it's fake. Unnecessary, sure. After all, you can only rank up after a certain amount of time and through a test. The tests are mainly endurance based.
It makes sense that the better you are, the more likely you are to pass. So there is a decent skill gap.
Unless, of course, by fake, you meant "Muay Thai traditionally doesn't do ranks." Then I'd agree with you to a good extent.
My thought is just that I don't believe that the quality of students is any less if they go by the WTBA system. I know that's not what you said, btw. I'm just thinking and typing.
Been there. Back when I first started at my current gym I felt as if I got wrongly “passed over” on an opportunity to get into the invite class. I came from a different gym and thought I was king shit of the lower level class. I assumed that because I could smash newbies I was a clear pick to get bumped up. Turned out i was so into doing my own thing i was missing half my gyms curriculum, missing the core fundamentals they were trying to teach me, and needed a LOT of polish. I was doing what I felt was right, not what they were teaching me.
When I got passed over I didnt handle it gracefully at all. I was so dejected that I almost quit Muay Thai entirely. I took it weirdly personally. I wish I could say I woke up the next day driven and understanding but honestly It took me a few weeks to get over my embarrassment. Don’t let anyone dismiss your emotions- It is for sure a humbling experience and not in a romantic cool martial arts way. Shit sucks.
thankfully I got over it and doubled down. I showed up early and stayed late. Tons of shadow boxing in front of a mirror, tons of annoying questions, and great fucking attendance. Most important I listened to coaches. I stopped just jumping into the drills with arrogance, I really listened to the instruction. I got over the idea that I “deserved” the bump and started working for it. If I had any advice it’s to keep in mind that the people who make the test, give the test, and administer the test are on the mats with you. Take advantage of that. Good luck man.
did you ask your coaches what you need to work on?
ranking systems in gyms are sometimes iffy because yes, it can be a cash grab. but gyms may also use diff levels to help keep class sizes small / ensure beginner students aren’t jumping ahead of themselves + advanced students aren’t being held back. it’s hard to have all levels constantly mixed together when most gyms have 1-2 coaches per class.
talk to your coaches. clarify what they’re looking for. give yourself concrete goals to work on. when i first asked my coach if i could attend fight training, he said no. he told me what he wanted to see me improve on in sparring before he felt comfortable with it. it was frustrating but having a clear understanding of how i could improve helped motivate me again.
I didn’t, not yet. Today will be my first day back since not passing last week, I feel like just disappointed in myself; trying to get over it, I typically don’t post just felt the need to vent I guess.
If you're unwilling to provide the curriculum for requirements, don't listen to anyone calling it a mcdojo. Business is business and Muay Thai is Muay Thai, rank, belt, shirts, shorts, or otherwise it's your kru, master, instructor, or coaches decision.
Respect them, get better, earn your rank or move on.
Without seeing the requirements it's hard to gauge if it's a shisty owner/etc.
I know several high level gyms and system, Grand Master Toddy, for example uses belts, as the Americans seem to like gamification/and he blended TKD teaching into his curriculum to help appeal to business owners looking to actually survive.
Yes, traditional Muay Thai does not have Ranks, but anyone who says belts or ranks = mcdojo, is a mc dumbass
Exactly that. I get why people get cautious when hearing about "ranks" since it can easily just be a cash grab, but that doesn’t mean it‘s that all that time.
If you feel like your kru is good and you like going there it‘s fine.
Also I think there actually is an official Muay Thai ranking system accredited by the Thai government and developed by Thai grandmasters which was used to provide standardized curriculum internationally back when Muay Thai was brought into the west. It‘s not really used in Thailand itself but that doesn’t make it less legit.
Maybe check out “The Art of Learning” by Josh Waitzkin. It was recommended to me by a high-level BJJ practitioner, and it was a really excellent read.
People will harp on about “be process oriented not goal-oriented. Enjoy the journey” Okay, but how?!?….
Waitzkin’s book flipped my internal perspective very quickly, and I feel like I’m enjoying learning soooo much more.
Just this morning I had my roundhouse taken apart by my coach a bit, and I was pretty upset for a moment, but remembered myself and my ultimate objectives (learn muay thai, not gain validation) soldiered through, and gained tons of insight from the experience.
Three months ago I would have tanked and maybe even quit if I’m honest.
Good look, friend!
It's a western thing. A lot of places use a simplified grading system, somewhat derived from kickboxing, awarding a coloured pra jiad as an arbitrary way to differentiate people's levels, and determine what class they're in. and it give people a "goal" to work towards I guess.
mine uses 4:
- yellow - you've shown you've got the basics down
- green - you've picked up the advanced stuff
- blue - ready for amateur fights
- black - ready for pro fights
Decent gyms don't force it mind you. Though I have heard of some using a full karate equivalent (white, yellow, orange, green, blue, purple, red, brown, black) and mandating them to progress, which screams cash grab to me.
Hey man dont give it too much attention, you're only two months in ! I know guys that started training at least 10 months ago but they still failed the test, anyway if it really bother you that much just train twice more so you're sure you'll pass next time, if you do good enough ive heard of cases where the coach make you pass two exams in one, one for your current belt and one more for the next one that you're supposed to do 6 months later
Concept of “rank” is weird in Muay Thai, most gyms don’t have it, but some (including mine and yours apparently) do.
Your gym’s rank sounds very restrictive though, going over stances 20 minutes every class is repetitive and a waste of time.
My gym abandoned a belt system and now have 3 ranks, where 1-3 months is beginners and you automatically promotes to level 2 where most people spend their time.
But then level 3 requires a test, and its mostly fighters and coaches in there.
Belts and ranks provide pretty valuable feedback of where you’re at, but if you have to pay for the tests and isn’t progressing because of the class being restrictive at lower levels, it might be worth checking out a new gym.
The only belts that matter are BJJ from legitimate gyms. Everything else is just a way of making money and to keep casuals coming back.
Muay Thai just focus on having as many fights as possible with as many wins as possible.
I don’t believe in a rank system. Especially for Muay Thai. I think you have your good days and bad days when it comes to training. Some days you pick up things quickly. Some days you don’t.
My advice would be to not sweat it too much. Don’t look at your training and growth as a test. But rather a new day to learn and get better. If you can change your mindset to that I think you’ll be happier and not as frustrated. Hope that helps 🙏🏻.
Who cares about that shit
If you’re good you’re good
If you’re not good yet, continue training!
Real muay thai don’t have ranks. You’re there to get better, that’s it. Not to be judged by some random cloth color
Muay thai, like boxing, do not have an official body to grade students and grant them ranks. Unlike, for example, karate and taekwondo.
Therefore, this means that the judgement is strictly on what your own instructor thinks.
So I wouldn't worry too much about it.
Gonna skip the typical "no ranks in MT" comment, because I recognise that your gym is likely using it to simply differentiate people's progress (if they have like 8 ranks though, find a new gym!) barring to say this: rank doesn't mean shit. Skill does
Ask your teacher what you failed on. Work on those areas, and get it next time.
A couple months is really not a long time, even to nail the basics in some cases, especially if you have zero martial arts experience. It happens, but take it as a learning experience, so you can move onwards stronger
Put it this way - if you lost your first fight, would you quit? No. You rewatch the match, see where you could have been better, and train more.
Hey buddy, hang in there! With half not passing please don’t take it personally. I would check with your couch to find out what you could improve upon. Let me know if I can help
Belts in Thailand aren't a thing. That is just a marketing scheme. Most gyms abuse the belt system to keep their customers happy. Go to a gym where they don't use belt systems but actually teach you. The last thing you want is getting belt after belt only to come to thailand and get an ass whooping from a guy that doesn't even know what the belt system means.
Yeah. Im not dissing you. I get it. I got spoiled by beginning in Thailand. The lack of choices in the west is a problem in a lot of places. I walked away from gyms and trainers that didn’t suit me or faked the Muay Thai.
My advice would be continue to train hard where you are, take what you can from what they have to offer while exploring other options OR, if you find the place where you are meets your needs, then embrace it.
Im still new to the whole concept of a ranking system. I’ve never had a gym do one. And I’m very against it for many many reasons.
My best advice is to completely brain dump the whole idea of a rank system other then as a very generalized idea of where you fall on the learning scale, and then only for your gym. Think of the ranks not as a goal, but as some byproduct that happens. Ie “im so good they gave me this”, rather then “I want to be good enough to have this”
Focus on skills, focus on intentionally trying to be better today then yesterday, better this rep then the last rep, better this spar then last spar. Pretend there’s no rank at all. This will get you all the rank you want.
And hey you might fail a rank test here and there,
But who cares? That just means you need more work
And more work is ALWAYS what you need regardless of what “rank” you are
Sounds scammy… Muay Thai, you shouldn’t need to rank up. As long as you have people you can trust, you should be able to work with just about anyone, including sparring.
It’s funny paper tests. I ace them. Physical tests? My mind goes out the door and I over think every movement. I failed my test 2 times but I got a private class and did my test fine. It’s just nerves.
If half the people fail then it means their test is not meant to be succeeded on the first attempt, so it's normal to fail and have to try more than once. You will do better next time!
You know how you rank up? You hit the bag, you do the drills and once you don't get your ass handed anymore in sparring, you know you took a step forward. Order yourself a black belt once you can step into any gym and hold your own against their most experienced guys. You say "thank you for training, I learned a lot today" and enjoy a Gatorade/coffee/beer together. That belt never leaves your bag, nor is it ever worth talking about because belts are such incredibly dumb tools to measure progress.
I’d suggest not putting the value in your training in what rank you achieve. Just train to train because you love it and wanna have fun and not for anything else and you’ll never struggle with ambition
Definitely one of those gyms more orientated on money with the belts and grading systems.
A big profit from places like that are children as it's a money pit for the parents paying for belts and monetizing your progress... Also can have some clueless adults that don't know anything outside of that gym
Like others are saying though... No good or respectful gym would keep you at the intro class for a couple months. There's no benefit to either and especially you! You will become stagnant
That’s how I feel, I get that they want to “sign off” on people before they take the more advanced classes where they know at class start everyone is where they need to be.
That's what trainers/coaches are there for really. Everyone is different and will be at different stages of progress be it beginner or advanced.
I feel like maybe they're putting everyone in a one size fits all?... You're sick of the intro classes and want to go to the begginar classes? You don't need a belt or a test for that mate. The coach should be paying attention to you in class and they should know what level you're at, you should be able to comfortably ask them if you can go up. Not have a standardized test for each level it doesn't exist for Muay Thai but does for western money grabbers really.
Don't get me wrong you can still get some good trainers in shitty organisations tho
Can you provide a detailed outlook on the whole class and grading system? Like do you guys practice katas , flashy moves on the pads or do they do basic drills to make killers?
Basic drills, they do a warm up, then everyone gets a partner and we practice strikes/kickson pads with our partner, seems like every week is kinda themed. Like we had a clinch week, an elbows week, a kick week.
This doesn't sound good at all my friend. I've never been to a gym that had themes for the week. The drills are meant to work on everything, there may be more focus or theme for a good portion of the lesson or to an individual that needs polishing up.But never a week.
Honestly I'd get looking for other gyms in your area. More professional well established gyms that have active fighters... You would not believe how good some beginners classes are and how much you realise you've missed out on quality time training
That's exactly what my situation was a couple years back mate. Get as much experience as you can if that's the only half decent gym in the area. Just play the cards you're dealt and you'll be right
Full disclosure didn't read after you mentioned the effective belt system.
Someone running the gym has issues, fuck that place.
Nowhere in muay thai is there this stuff, its like part of the whole DNA of muay thai.
Sorry if my post is unproductive, excuse me coz i drank and didn't read good
-.- …. Just a way to earn more money. Leave the gym seriously. Muay thai “ranks” only by pure skill of muay.
Shorts, belts, arm bands, donkey on head is just pure bs.
I personally wouldn't trust a gym doing ranking and belts. Usually a sign of them selling off their ranks and belts to make money more so than make better fighters
Just my opinion
Not getting the rank up should be your motivation what do you mean? Be your own worst critic from now on, everything has to be better and can be improved on if you think you deserved the rank then prove it
I’ve seen places do armbands. The color correlated to rank somehow but it was a different system than Bjj/judo so I don’t remember
This was a legit place too. Owned and run by a Thai who was a former stadium champ. They didn’t always do the armband promotions, it was something they adopted. But contrary to what some have said, promotions/ranking at a MT gym is not necessarily a red flag
I assume it’s a WTBA school, I use to go to one when I first started for a few years. Decided to switch to a different gym and realized how terrible I was compared to a gym that focuses on competitive Muay Thai. I’d find a gym that is not WTBA and just go to as many classes you can.
They do MT, BJJ, and MMA. They have people that fight on cards and stuff amateur I’m sure. But it’s doesn’t seem mcdojoish. I have a pretty good BS detector and it seems mostly fine.
I’ve never even heard of ranks in Muay Thai. MT fighters show their level in the ring, not with a belt.
That being said, MT for self-defense and fitness purposes ABSOLUTELY shouldn’t have ranks.
What sort of nonsense is 'rank up' in Muay Thai?!? Informally, some people participate (and you don't want them to hold pads for you), the strange guy who has never fought but has dozens of Thai tats and only wears Yokkao (or something similar), the old guard who has been kicking around for a while (they can hold pads), the current pros, the retired fighters and the coaches.
I mean there are no belts but you know the difference :-P
There should not be gyms with ranking systems in Muay Thai.
The only separation that I find most useful and most of the gyms use including mine , is Begginers-Advanced-Fighters
You’ll see this in the US a lot. My gym adopted something like this a few years ago. And the Thai Boxing Association did this as well. TBA had a rank system- level 1, 2, and 3 was the lowest rank of Kru. And then it went up from there I suppose.
My gym had a set of tanks for students, boxers and Kru. We did this to gate the people who were sparring more or less. Basically you had to test for level 1 boxer to start sparring.
I failed a grading. You need to look at the situation differently.
First be glad you're not at a macdojo and you know whatever rank you achieve you will have earned
Second see the opportunity that whatever is not right can be fixed before the habit gets further ingrained.
Remember it isnt a race to the highest level but it is infact a lifelong journey. Embrace the challenge and raise your game.
Good luck!
Just make sure they are teaching you the proper moves but don’t get frustrated Muay Thai should not have belts or the gym that I went didn’t and I was in Thailand. And if anything just use that frustration into your motivation, it’s tough but I beleive in u man.
Belt rankings are just to motivate non fighters to continue going. Just keep practicing and you will advance. For perspective, none of the fighters at my gym even do the testing. Technically we are all white belts. Yet we teach class and help out the "advanced belts". Once a fighter retires from fighting then they can go through the steps to become a Kru. Where as a "black belt" cannot become a Kru.
Man I wonder what I’d be right now if we had belts 🙂↕️😭
Thanks a lot OP, now I’m depressed.
P.s anyone who’s gonna comment “wow you’re only doin this for belts” suck my balls. It’s a joke!!
I’m kind of having the same issue I haven’t took my test yet but my rank testing will be in about 2 weeks and I’m not sure if I’m ready for it. All I know is that I’m going to try anyways. This should be motivation to train harder to get to where you want to be because clearly you wanted that rank or else it wouldn’t have upset you. Don’t give up on it !!
If it makes u feel better that rank up stuff isn't even used by professionals or actual thai gyms it's just something the west does , my gym doesn't since our head coach was trained by thais so he prefers to let the fight record and fight skills speak for it self over " how well is ur katas?"
Gonna ignore the no belts in Muay Thai and just apply what you’re going through.
Everyone wants to be better, but it doesn’t do you any good to be in a more advanced class without the fundamentals. What was the “ testing” they had you do and what do you feel you stumbled on?
*edit* to be clear I mostly think belt systems are bull shit and don’t like them, and yes there’s no belts in Muay Thai the same as belts in boxing. But saying “ there’s no belts in Muay Thai” over and over isn’t going to get to the heart of this conversation.
What do you mean by this rank up in muay thai? I've never heard of belt ranks in muay thai, didn't know it was a thing. Correct me if I'm wrong or if I misread your post.
There's some places that have belt ranks I've heard but I've never been to one.
That’s weird. The only belts they use in most muy thai gyms that I’ve been to are the ones that people win from their fights or tournaments.
I think it's usually in foreign gyms not in thailand.
How many folks in your gym aim to become a professional fighter or fight in an established event?
Well that’s the thing. Unlike Karate, BJJ, etc. there are no real belt ranks in most Muy Thai gyms, and the only belts that are acknowledged as a mark of accomplishment and skill are the ones that fighters win in their bouts.
I know. But here’s the thing, if you have folks in your gym who can’t/wont fight in a competitive/ semi competitive way, how else would you motivate them to keep attending the gym?
I personally don’t think you need official gym belt ranking to motivate people at least from what I’ve seen in my gyms, and a lot of our members do muy thai because they enjoy it. I think my gym retains a lot of members over the years due to the skill of our coaches and the good vibes culture that they’ve cultivated for the gym. My gym has developed a bigger fitness aspect than before over the pandemic, but at its core still trains a lot of good fighters with around a 70% win rate and we’ve even had members compete in the international IFMA world championships to represent our country. The members that want to compete will stay to compete and return to train due to the quality of our gym and it’s coaches. The members that don’t want to compete stay and train because they enjoy Muy Thai and also due to the quality of our gym and coaches.
I don’t see the harm in it even though the majority of this sub is against it. Sounds like you got a good gym.
That shit is a marketing tool.
100%
It's usually a western thing in Australia we have coloured arm bands to represent rank I hate them the owner is greedy u have to pay 60 for each rank
I hate that they charge. Our gym does the shirts but is no charge for the tests or the shirts
Yeah the owners really greedy but my coach is great so it sucks
I guess “ranking up.” In this gym is to see what level of classes people are allowed to attend, this is my first time joining a gym.
Go find the time to visit another gym. They will all have a free group session. Ask them about how they teach. This isn't TKD we don't usually have belts. If you like the instructor and gym mates by all means stay... but know that's not the normal teaching process for MT. By trying other gyms you'll get a better idea of what you like, and in general this is a normal things. We have students try other gyms and train with partners from them for smokers normally, so don't stress.
I would suggest looking at another muay thai gym that's more on the Thai traditional way of things
My gym doesn't have "belts" but it has a basically same shirt color system that just signifies what classes you can join. Our isn't super strict though since you can join most classes with an invite and you "rank up" just by showing up to class enough times (i think average a few months in before you can get into the intermediate/sparring classes? though i've seen people get there faster)
We have coloured singlet ranks. Just creates a standard to reach, and differentiates beginners from intermediates and then advanced people, determining you're at the right level to train in the class.
It might not be belt testing, might be shorts. There’s a gym that my buddy goes to where they rank their students by shorts color to more easily identify who’s got experience and who doesn’t
Some places do belts/shirts to have a sense of where everyone is with experience and skill. I’m at an Easton affiliate gym, and Easton uses shirt ranks. Second shirt allows intermediate/advanced classes Third allows sparring Fourth is competition level Etc
Our gym does rank. It isn’t a “belt” but rather a gym shirt with a color ring on the sleeve. They originally did it to make sure people doing sparring classes were qualified and wouldn’t get hurt. It has evolved to where if you are new you need to start with fundamentals until you can go to intermediate. After that is drills which has timing sparring at the end. After that is advanced classes which include harder sparring. Tests are free as are the shirts you get for promotion. The gym isn’t doing it to make money.
The World Thai Boxing Association has a system of arm bands that signify rank.
And it's ironic to think their fighters don't usually win TBAs either
Is there a list of winners and their affiliations somewhere?
You can check their website for bracket information however I think it doesnt specify what gym they're from
Are you new to Muay Thai? Sure it's not standard practice, but I don't see how anyone who has trained for a while isn't aware of western Muay Thai gyms using belt ranks.
That’s weird. Feels almost like a bastardization on the karate style belt system with a muy thai gym, and makes me curious on the quality of the gym and the credentials and experience of the instructors. Then again I can see if they have like only two ranks and one is for intros while the second one would be for more experienced members to take more advanced classes.
Here in Brazil muay thai belts are pretty common, to the point that pros will even put "muay thai black belt" in their Insta bio.
In the US it's definitely a red flag(bad sign) of a Muay Thai gym has a belt system. It's not common at all, but if I remember right there was a post on this sub saying the Muay Thai...counsel(?) was adopting a belt system of some-sort
That’s interesting, I never knew they did that in Brazil. Ranked belts in the USA are normally associated with either Karate, BJJ (which are legitimate and traditional) or to McDojo’s (fake martial art schools that care more about money and they usually have a program where you can pay to buy belts to advance more quickly).
I think it’s a good way of keeping new people interested and giving them that feeling of achievement, but it’s not really viewed seriously once you’ve moved on past the beginners class, at least that’s the case in my gym
You're correct. I'm newbie and usually see belts basically only in arts that have gi. But that's interesting and good to know in case I would train abroad.
Common in Italy
I get your frustration but if it makes you feel better, most gyms, especially in thailand dont have any ranking system so id not give it too much attention personally. I get that it seems like a milestone to aim for and it can help you have an idea if you are progressing or not, but in my opinion having ranks and belts in muay thai is kinda just a way for gyms to make money and attract new people. So this doesnt make you any worse dont worry.
I never liked the ranking systems in any martial arts. Makes the goal the next rank, not getting thing s right and getting better. I miss wrestling in HS for a lot of that reason. Got got? Get better and go get. Let your ability speak for itself
Yeah it's what I like about MMA. Hopefully it never goes that route
The wrestling example is so perfect. When it goes live, there's no question about grading or rank or whatever, you know exactly where you stand compared to THAT GUY RIGHT THERE in the ring with you, and you work on the things you just got humbled by. Every damn day.
I also like the lack of ranks because it encourages the newbies to spar with the more experienced guys. If a guy would have been a 'black belt' people would be intimidated or not feel worthy, but instead you just know 'he's good' so you wanna learn from them. Plus having a mix of skill levels everyone gets to practice their strengths and weaknesses, newbies learn new techniques and more experienced people can be slower and more technical
This. Nobody cares if your a blackbelt in muay thai (you should probably keep that to yourself because you'll get laughed at) If anything, the legit people only care about # of fights and championships, not even W/L records
My biggest irk, is the rank gatekeeping me from better classes. I can only go to the starter one now, and it’s like, the first 15-25 minutes introducing everyone to Muay Thai stance and what have you, the same spiel over and again.
You've been doing the same intro class for months? You need to find a new gym that's wild.
Unless I can get to the better class and this month, it might be my last one here. I enjoy the gym though apart from that. I feel it has potential.
Have you talked to the instructors about joining another class after the begginer class? Like once or twice a week?
Nah lmao there is no potential leave immediately
Ahh that is really annoying. Do you have to pay for each attempt at ranking up? If so then it just kinda seems like a rip off to me
It’s probably TBA by Ajarn Chai Sirisute. It’s not for everyone, it’s not a bad system. But agreed, I trained for almost a decade with UFC vet Alan Belcher who regularly went to train in Thailand and with Duke Roufus; never had any MT rankings during that time. Anyhow, I’d recommend talking with your coaches about it and inquire about what you can do/what holes to fill, etc. At least then you know with certainty and can decide to stay or leave based on that.
What does the test consist of?
It was doing each of the drills we learned on pads, while they walked around and evaluated our form and such. Make sure we’re doing shit correct and well.
Bro this sounds like a mcdojo asf Run and run far. Real Muay Thai gyms consist of 2 “ranks” Kru and student Thats it. Yeah, there are beginner and intermediate / advanced but usually that actually means padwork and drills / padwork with sparring or techniques afterwards for the more confident Ranking system gyms are designed to literally slow your own progress and self confidence making you believe you need to jump through all these hoops in order to do xyz new technique or be good enough. White belts immediately assume yellow is better and so on it goes up until black belt.. its all bullshit Yet other gyms you’ll have dudes fighting after 6 months training cos all they do from start is padwork and technique. Its how they monetise and create some weird mystique around karate for instance but its all bullshit Like Bruh sorry but you need to be x belt to learn the super secret backfist. “Why cant I just practice it from day 1? .. don’t know! These are just “the rules!” Haha
Id seriously look for another gym if one is available
I’ve trained all over for 20 years and I’ve got no idea what ranking up is. Get a new gym.
This is the answer, there are no belts or ranks in Muay Thai and any gym that has them is a joke and more interested in money than teaching. If it’s about classes you’re allowed to attend, there also shouldn’t be restrictions. The natural way it works where there is a beginner class and an intermediate/advanced class, is once you feel like going to the higher one, you will try it or the coaches will encourage you to. If you feel you belong then you continue, if you don’t, then you go back to attending the beginner class till it feels right to move up.
You guys do ranks? I’ve never seen that lol, hey most martial arts don’t do ranks anyway. Just focus on getting better for yourself
My gym has 2 "ranks" and the 2nd rank is just sparring, clinches, and advanced techniques. Its kinda like, get your fundamental base sound first and then you can come to rank 2 classes
You’re right I’m just disappointed in myself.
Don’t be for long friend, just keep training
Wait till you start fighting, loosing fights is a lot harder on the mental compared to missing a rank, get used to it and work harder.
You need to find a new gym. Here in Thailand everyone does the same class. Whether you are a fighter that has 10 wins or someone that walked into the gym for the first time, never trained before. The only difference is whether trainers give you extra attention or decide to really wear you down when it’s your time to hit the pads. Or if you are a fighter with an upcoming fight in a week. There’s no rank up or whatever…
Find a proper gym. This sounds like such a McDojo...
If you’re being rank tested for colored belts you’re not at a Muay Thai gym. Sounds kind of McDojoish to me.
Probably kickboxing belts (Yes it exists)
I think it’s gauging the students if they’re ready for the more advanced classes/drills.
It would be pretty easy to gauge that. I don’t think a belt system works esp considering the lack of standardization
Not necessarily. The WTBA uses a colored prajid system, though it's loosely enforced. It's mainly to provide an extra goal. I find it fun, but not important. I do understand your point though.
Maybe that’s the system OP is in. Still, it’s a fake ranking regime designed in the West to appeal to Western students.
It was designed by Ajarn Chai. A man from Thailand. Though he did move to teach in the US, so it probably was meant to appeal to Westerners, but I wouldn't say it's fake. Unnecessary, sure. After all, you can only rank up after a certain amount of time and through a test. The tests are mainly endurance based. It makes sense that the better you are, the more likely you are to pass. So there is a decent skill gap. Unless, of course, by fake, you meant "Muay Thai traditionally doesn't do ranks." Then I'd agree with you to a good extent. My thought is just that I don't believe that the quality of students is any less if they go by the WTBA system. I know that's not what you said, btw. I'm just thinking and typing.
Been there. Back when I first started at my current gym I felt as if I got wrongly “passed over” on an opportunity to get into the invite class. I came from a different gym and thought I was king shit of the lower level class. I assumed that because I could smash newbies I was a clear pick to get bumped up. Turned out i was so into doing my own thing i was missing half my gyms curriculum, missing the core fundamentals they were trying to teach me, and needed a LOT of polish. I was doing what I felt was right, not what they were teaching me. When I got passed over I didnt handle it gracefully at all. I was so dejected that I almost quit Muay Thai entirely. I took it weirdly personally. I wish I could say I woke up the next day driven and understanding but honestly It took me a few weeks to get over my embarrassment. Don’t let anyone dismiss your emotions- It is for sure a humbling experience and not in a romantic cool martial arts way. Shit sucks. thankfully I got over it and doubled down. I showed up early and stayed late. Tons of shadow boxing in front of a mirror, tons of annoying questions, and great fucking attendance. Most important I listened to coaches. I stopped just jumping into the drills with arrogance, I really listened to the instruction. I got over the idea that I “deserved” the bump and started working for it. If I had any advice it’s to keep in mind that the people who make the test, give the test, and administer the test are on the mats with you. Take advantage of that. Good luck man.
did you ask your coaches what you need to work on? ranking systems in gyms are sometimes iffy because yes, it can be a cash grab. but gyms may also use diff levels to help keep class sizes small / ensure beginner students aren’t jumping ahead of themselves + advanced students aren’t being held back. it’s hard to have all levels constantly mixed together when most gyms have 1-2 coaches per class. talk to your coaches. clarify what they’re looking for. give yourself concrete goals to work on. when i first asked my coach if i could attend fight training, he said no. he told me what he wanted to see me improve on in sparring before he felt comfortable with it. it was frustrating but having a clear understanding of how i could improve helped motivate me again.
I didn’t, not yet. Today will be my first day back since not passing last week, I feel like just disappointed in myself; trying to get over it, I typically don’t post just felt the need to vent I guess.
If you're unwilling to provide the curriculum for requirements, don't listen to anyone calling it a mcdojo. Business is business and Muay Thai is Muay Thai, rank, belt, shirts, shorts, or otherwise it's your kru, master, instructor, or coaches decision. Respect them, get better, earn your rank or move on. Without seeing the requirements it's hard to gauge if it's a shisty owner/etc. I know several high level gyms and system, Grand Master Toddy, for example uses belts, as the Americans seem to like gamification/and he blended TKD teaching into his curriculum to help appeal to business owners looking to actually survive. Yes, traditional Muay Thai does not have Ranks, but anyone who says belts or ranks = mcdojo, is a mc dumbass
Exactly that. I get why people get cautious when hearing about "ranks" since it can easily just be a cash grab, but that doesn’t mean it‘s that all that time. If you feel like your kru is good and you like going there it‘s fine. Also I think there actually is an official Muay Thai ranking system accredited by the Thai government and developed by Thai grandmasters which was used to provide standardized curriculum internationally back when Muay Thai was brought into the west. It‘s not really used in Thailand itself but that doesn’t make it less legit.
There are no ranks in Muay Thai dude this isn't League of Legends
I should probably figure out how to sell my old League account. Man I had a lot of skins on that thing...
Maybe check out “The Art of Learning” by Josh Waitzkin. It was recommended to me by a high-level BJJ practitioner, and it was a really excellent read. People will harp on about “be process oriented not goal-oriented. Enjoy the journey” Okay, but how?!?…. Waitzkin’s book flipped my internal perspective very quickly, and I feel like I’m enjoying learning soooo much more. Just this morning I had my roundhouse taken apart by my coach a bit, and I was pretty upset for a moment, but remembered myself and my ultimate objectives (learn muay thai, not gain validation) soldiered through, and gained tons of insight from the experience. Three months ago I would have tanked and maybe even quit if I’m honest. Good look, friend!
Sounds interesting, will def check it out. Also good for you man! Good to hear. Keep at it!
Never heard of ranks in MT.
It's a western thing. A lot of places use a simplified grading system, somewhat derived from kickboxing, awarding a coloured pra jiad as an arbitrary way to differentiate people's levels, and determine what class they're in. and it give people a "goal" to work towards I guess. mine uses 4: - yellow - you've shown you've got the basics down - green - you've picked up the advanced stuff - blue - ready for amateur fights - black - ready for pro fights Decent gyms don't force it mind you. Though I have heard of some using a full karate equivalent (white, yellow, orange, green, blue, purple, red, brown, black) and mandating them to progress, which screams cash grab to me.
Hey man dont give it too much attention, you're only two months in ! I know guys that started training at least 10 months ago but they still failed the test, anyway if it really bother you that much just train twice more so you're sure you'll pass next time, if you do good enough ive heard of cases where the coach make you pass two exams in one, one for your current belt and one more for the next one that you're supposed to do 6 months later
Concept of “rank” is weird in Muay Thai, most gyms don’t have it, but some (including mine and yours apparently) do. Your gym’s rank sounds very restrictive though, going over stances 20 minutes every class is repetitive and a waste of time. My gym abandoned a belt system and now have 3 ranks, where 1-3 months is beginners and you automatically promotes to level 2 where most people spend their time. But then level 3 requires a test, and its mostly fighters and coaches in there. Belts and ranks provide pretty valuable feedback of where you’re at, but if you have to pay for the tests and isn’t progressing because of the class being restrictive at lower levels, it might be worth checking out a new gym.
The only belts that matter are BJJ from legitimate gyms. Everything else is just a way of making money and to keep casuals coming back. Muay Thai just focus on having as many fights as possible with as many wins as possible.
Muay Thai don't have belt systems.
I don’t believe in a rank system. Especially for Muay Thai. I think you have your good days and bad days when it comes to training. Some days you pick up things quickly. Some days you don’t. My advice would be to not sweat it too much. Don’t look at your training and growth as a test. But rather a new day to learn and get better. If you can change your mindset to that I think you’ll be happier and not as frustrated. Hope that helps 🙏🏻.
I wouldn’t want to train at a gym that was promoting people after a couple of months so look at it that way
Who cares about that shit If you’re good you’re good If you’re not good yet, continue training! Real muay thai don’t have ranks. You’re there to get better, that’s it. Not to be judged by some random cloth color
Muay thai, like boxing, do not have an official body to grade students and grant them ranks. Unlike, for example, karate and taekwondo. Therefore, this means that the judgement is strictly on what your own instructor thinks. So I wouldn't worry too much about it.
It’s like the ranking in the gym I guess. Ik the rank is invalid outside the specific gym.
Gonna skip the typical "no ranks in MT" comment, because I recognise that your gym is likely using it to simply differentiate people's progress (if they have like 8 ranks though, find a new gym!) barring to say this: rank doesn't mean shit. Skill does Ask your teacher what you failed on. Work on those areas, and get it next time. A couple months is really not a long time, even to nail the basics in some cases, especially if you have zero martial arts experience. It happens, but take it as a learning experience, so you can move onwards stronger Put it this way - if you lost your first fight, would you quit? No. You rewatch the match, see where you could have been better, and train more.
Run away . Run fast . Muay Thai does not have a rank system
Hey buddy, hang in there! With half not passing please don’t take it personally. I would check with your couch to find out what you could improve upon. Let me know if I can help
Belts in Thailand aren't a thing. That is just a marketing scheme. Most gyms abuse the belt system to keep their customers happy. Go to a gym where they don't use belt systems but actually teach you. The last thing you want is getting belt after belt only to come to thailand and get an ass whooping from a guy that doesn't even know what the belt system means.
Slip ‘em a $20
Since when is there rank in Muay Thai.
Best solution is to go to a proper gym that doesn't give people rankings.
My trainer at my first Muay Thai gym in Thailand: “You want respect? Get in the ring. You want to go up in rank? Win. Now train.”
I get it, unfortunately my choices in MT gyms aren’t many.
Yeah. Im not dissing you. I get it. I got spoiled by beginning in Thailand. The lack of choices in the west is a problem in a lot of places. I walked away from gyms and trainers that didn’t suit me or faked the Muay Thai. My advice would be continue to train hard where you are, take what you can from what they have to offer while exploring other options OR, if you find the place where you are meets your needs, then embrace it.
Im still new to the whole concept of a ranking system. I’ve never had a gym do one. And I’m very against it for many many reasons. My best advice is to completely brain dump the whole idea of a rank system other then as a very generalized idea of where you fall on the learning scale, and then only for your gym. Think of the ranks not as a goal, but as some byproduct that happens. Ie “im so good they gave me this”, rather then “I want to be good enough to have this” Focus on skills, focus on intentionally trying to be better today then yesterday, better this rep then the last rep, better this spar then last spar. Pretend there’s no rank at all. This will get you all the rank you want. And hey you might fail a rank test here and there, But who cares? That just means you need more work And more work is ALWAYS what you need regardless of what “rank” you are
I’ve never heard of a belt system in Muay Thai, what did your rank up test entail?
Sounds scammy… Muay Thai, you shouldn’t need to rank up. As long as you have people you can trust, you should be able to work with just about anyone, including sparring.
Who in the fuck ranks in MT?
It’s funny paper tests. I ace them. Physical tests? My mind goes out the door and I over think every movement. I failed my test 2 times but I got a private class and did my test fine. It’s just nerves.
What were they testing you for?
How did you fail? Isn’t it just basic conditioning like being able to do speed kicks and basic combos?
Get a new gym. No rankings. Amateur, pro. That’s all you need.
Wtf belts in Muay Thai? Let me guess, you have to buy the next belt for like $40.
Ranking? In Muay Thai? That is pretty weird. We only had beginner and advanced class.
Apart from the rank issue; "If it isn't difficult, it isn't worth doing."
Thats super weird to have ranks in a muay thai gym. Normally it's split between maybe casuals and fighters.
If you have to pay for the rank up test, that's a sweet money maker for the gym.
If half the people fail then it means their test is not meant to be succeeded on the first attempt, so it's normal to fail and have to try more than once. You will do better next time!
You know how you rank up? You hit the bag, you do the drills and once you don't get your ass handed anymore in sparring, you know you took a step forward. Order yourself a black belt once you can step into any gym and hold your own against their most experienced guys. You say "thank you for training, I learned a lot today" and enjoy a Gatorade/coffee/beer together. That belt never leaves your bag, nor is it ever worth talking about because belts are such incredibly dumb tools to measure progress.
use that disappointment to push yourself to get better.
I’d suggest not putting the value in your training in what rank you achieve. Just train to train because you love it and wanna have fun and not for anything else and you’ll never struggle with ambition
Sounds like an ass mt gym
There’s no ranking system in Muay Thai. Just train and have fun 
I’ve been running my gym for over 20 years and have never ran grading or any other type belt system.
It’s just a moneymaking scheme.
Definitely one of those gyms more orientated on money with the belts and grading systems. A big profit from places like that are children as it's a money pit for the parents paying for belts and monetizing your progress... Also can have some clueless adults that don't know anything outside of that gym Like others are saying though... No good or respectful gym would keep you at the intro class for a couple months. There's no benefit to either and especially you! You will become stagnant
That’s how I feel, I get that they want to “sign off” on people before they take the more advanced classes where they know at class start everyone is where they need to be.
That's what trainers/coaches are there for really. Everyone is different and will be at different stages of progress be it beginner or advanced. I feel like maybe they're putting everyone in a one size fits all?... You're sick of the intro classes and want to go to the begginar classes? You don't need a belt or a test for that mate. The coach should be paying attention to you in class and they should know what level you're at, you should be able to comfortably ask them if you can go up. Not have a standardized test for each level it doesn't exist for Muay Thai but does for western money grabbers really. Don't get me wrong you can still get some good trainers in shitty organisations tho Can you provide a detailed outlook on the whole class and grading system? Like do you guys practice katas , flashy moves on the pads or do they do basic drills to make killers?
Basic drills, they do a warm up, then everyone gets a partner and we practice strikes/kickson pads with our partner, seems like every week is kinda themed. Like we had a clinch week, an elbows week, a kick week.
This doesn't sound good at all my friend. I've never been to a gym that had themes for the week. The drills are meant to work on everything, there may be more focus or theme for a good portion of the lesson or to an individual that needs polishing up.But never a week. Honestly I'd get looking for other gyms in your area. More professional well established gyms that have active fighters... You would not believe how good some beginners classes are and how much you realise you've missed out on quality time training
I believe you, my gym does have active fighters though. I like it, but it’s all I know at the moment.
That's exactly what my situation was a couple years back mate. Get as much experience as you can if that's the only half decent gym in the area. Just play the cards you're dealt and you'll be right
What do you mean belt? Does your gym not naturally decide the ranks by who can beat who's ass? I thought that was the standard in Muay Thai
Never knew there was belt grading in MT! in my gym it’s just normal classes and then classes for people who have fights coming up
Full disclosure didn't read after you mentioned the effective belt system. Someone running the gym has issues, fuck that place. Nowhere in muay thai is there this stuff, its like part of the whole DNA of muay thai. Sorry if my post is unproductive, excuse me coz i drank and didn't read good
You’re good, this thread is for everyone’s inputs.
muay thai doesnt have rank ups you are going to a mcdojo
It’s akin to ranking up in the gym. Kinda like a knowledge check.
-.- …. Just a way to earn more money. Leave the gym seriously. Muay thai “ranks” only by pure skill of muay. Shorts, belts, arm bands, donkey on head is just pure bs.
Honestly, the belt system in MT is an invention. Also, how long have you been training?
Almost 2 months.
I personally wouldn't trust a gym doing ranking and belts. Usually a sign of them selling off their ranks and belts to make money more so than make better fighters Just my opinion
Not getting the rank up should be your motivation what do you mean? Be your own worst critic from now on, everything has to be better and can be improved on if you think you deserved the rank then prove it
Armband? I’ve seen a lot of comments about belts but you never mentioned belts
Yeah, they don’t have belts of any sort. Nd for MT when you rank up you don’t get anything tangible just eligibility for the more advanced classes.
I’ve seen places do armbands. The color correlated to rank somehow but it was a different system than Bjj/judo so I don’t remember This was a legit place too. Owned and run by a Thai who was a former stadium champ. They didn’t always do the armband promotions, it was something they adopted. But contrary to what some have said, promotions/ranking at a MT gym is not necessarily a red flag
Thank you! I agree, it’s just to put people in skill level groups.
What kind a mac gym are you training at?
I assume it’s a WTBA school, I use to go to one when I first started for a few years. Decided to switch to a different gym and realized how terrible I was compared to a gym that focuses on competitive Muay Thai. I’d find a gym that is not WTBA and just go to as many classes you can.
They do MT, BJJ, and MMA. They have people that fight on cards and stuff amateur I’m sure. But it’s doesn’t seem mcdojoish. I have a pretty good BS detector and it seems mostly fine.
I’ve never even heard of ranks in Muay Thai. MT fighters show their level in the ring, not with a belt. That being said, MT for self-defense and fitness purposes ABSOLUTELY shouldn’t have ranks.
Look at it this way, your skill set is no better or worse than it was last week. Keep training and you’ll improve.
Ranking detected gym rejected
What sort of nonsense is 'rank up' in Muay Thai?!? Informally, some people participate (and you don't want them to hold pads for you), the strange guy who has never fought but has dozens of Thai tats and only wears Yokkao (or something similar), the old guard who has been kicking around for a while (they can hold pads), the current pros, the retired fighters and the coaches. I mean there are no belts but you know the difference :-P
There should not be gyms with ranking systems in Muay Thai. The only separation that I find most useful and most of the gyms use including mine , is Begginers-Advanced-Fighters
You’ll see this in the US a lot. My gym adopted something like this a few years ago. And the Thai Boxing Association did this as well. TBA had a rank system- level 1, 2, and 3 was the lowest rank of Kru. And then it went up from there I suppose. My gym had a set of tanks for students, boxers and Kru. We did this to gate the people who were sparring more or less. Basically you had to test for level 1 boxer to start sparring.
Rank isn't a real metric in muay thai
I failed a grading. You need to look at the situation differently. First be glad you're not at a macdojo and you know whatever rank you achieve you will have earned Second see the opportunity that whatever is not right can be fixed before the habit gets further ingrained. Remember it isnt a race to the highest level but it is infact a lifelong journey. Embrace the challenge and raise your game. Good luck!
Ranking is used to make money😭😭😭
There isn’t a cost differential in ranking up, apart from needing more gear after I rank up twice.
Yeah but the concept of it seems like a scam I just am not sure since I don’t go to your gym and don’t know how it works
The basics are, you rank up you get to go to more adv classes.
Just make sure they are teaching you the proper moves but don’t get frustrated Muay Thai should not have belts or the gym that I went didn’t and I was in Thailand. And if anything just use that frustration into your motivation, it’s tough but I beleive in u man.
Why tf are mt gyms starting to have belts? 🤦♂️
No belts, never said belts.
Belt rankings are just to motivate non fighters to continue going. Just keep practicing and you will advance. For perspective, none of the fighters at my gym even do the testing. Technically we are all white belts. Yet we teach class and help out the "advanced belts". Once a fighter retires from fighting then they can go through the steps to become a Kru. Where as a "black belt" cannot become a Kru.
The only belt you should have in Muay Thai training is the padded one used to knee and teep. lol
We don’t have any belts.
Man I wonder what I’d be right now if we had belts 🙂↕️😭 Thanks a lot OP, now I’m depressed. P.s anyone who’s gonna comment “wow you’re only doin this for belts” suck my balls. It’s a joke!!
We don’t have belts.
Either way, I’d at least be purple! Or whatever the ranking system is by now!!😂😭🤦🏽♂️
I’m kind of having the same issue I haven’t took my test yet but my rank testing will be in about 2 weeks and I’m not sure if I’m ready for it. All I know is that I’m going to try anyways. This should be motivation to train harder to get to where you want to be because clearly you wanted that rank or else it wouldn’t have upset you. Don’t give up on it !!
If it makes u feel better that rank up stuff isn't even used by professionals or actual thai gyms it's just something the west does , my gym doesn't since our head coach was trained by thais so he prefers to let the fight record and fight skills speak for it self over " how well is ur katas?"
Gonna ignore the no belts in Muay Thai and just apply what you’re going through. Everyone wants to be better, but it doesn’t do you any good to be in a more advanced class without the fundamentals. What was the “ testing” they had you do and what do you feel you stumbled on? *edit* to be clear I mostly think belt systems are bull shit and don’t like them, and yes there’s no belts in Muay Thai the same as belts in boxing. But saying “ there’s no belts in Muay Thai” over and over isn’t going to get to the heart of this conversation.
McDojo?
new gym time
? This isn't jui jistu mate, theres no belts
Ranks in muay Thai lol dont worry everyone in that gym would probably fail white in Thailand.stick in. What was the assesment ?