gedanmawashigeriking

You may not think about wearing your black belt to the class, but the instructor may want you to. You never know, he might, or might not. Never hurts to be prepared. No BJJ black belt would want you to wear your black belt if you are training in BJJ under him/her. It doesn't matter if it's private or not. Keep this as a rule of thumb, if you are training in another style always wear a white belt unless the instructor tells you otherwise. Don't even ask, just do it.(kohai101) I hate to say it but it takes the average person a decade to get to 1st Dan in BJJ...the belts mean more in BJJ then it does in at least 95% of Karate/kenpo/tkd/etc., or at least they do now. You wearing a shodan that may have took you 4-5 years to get when a white belt can probably tap you out is a huge insult to a bjj instructor. Many BJJ players disrespect Karate unless they also have a Karate background but even then a lot of them totally quit Karate.

I know, it seems kind of silly, huh? I will say that from what I have seen TKD in Thailand isn't as easy to get your black belt in as it is in the USA. A few of the Muay Thai champions have used MT as a way to get into the entertainment business, be it, music, movies, etc. I know if I was in Thailand right now I would be doing Muay Thai and Krabri Krabrong, not TKD, but that's just me.

For most instructors you need to focus on Kids, which can have pros and cons..unfortunately, I've mostly seen cons which end up watering down a system to please kids getting belts quick. For the cream of the crop, the answer lies in being a Champion in some fighting event and/or having created world champions. If you have this reputation most of your $ will be made by private lessons. Last but not least, be reliable. I know this seems like common sense but I know a very capable instructor that has a lot of personal problems that let it interfere with showing up on time or even showing up at all to teach. I got to see how Master Toddy ran his gym in Las Vegas, which was a very good opportunity and he told me he made most of his $ in teaching from private lessons. Then again, not many of us are near his skill level at teaching to have the rep to demand as much money as he is getting.

It's just a rank, who cares. Your sensei may also have higher standards for you then others, too. Train hard, dont' question your sensei, give it 110% and train some more. If you stick to Karate or any other martial art, ten years or so from now you're going to be thinking how silly this was to even worry about. Osu!

I think the current law is you're supposed to be 12 to fight Muay Thai in Thailand but it is rarely, if at all, enforced. As others have pointed out, most of these young kids are sent to the camps because they come from a poverty stricken family that sends their kids as a way out. Muay Thai is reverred as a national sport in Thailand but if you talk to a Thai in Thailand that is more middle class they probably wouldn't do Muay Thai. If they wanted to do a martial art, the martial art in Thailand to do is Tae Kwon Do. True, there are other styles in Thailand but Tae Kwon Do is the most popular for someone that isn't stricken by poverty. By the way, I'm not a TKD stylist, this is just the way it is in Thailand.

I couldn't agree more. I lost a couple of students a few years back because I wouldn't let them spar on their first day. They only had wrestling and bjj as a background, no striking at all. In karate, if I remember right, it was at least 2 to 3 months before I sparred. For some crazy reason my first Kru let me spar either my first day of Muay Thai or some time during my first week, I can't remember(maybe been hit too many times in the old noggen). Let me say this, though..at the time I won nationals in the USANKF and was scheduled for the jr. olympics when I first got into Muay Thai..even though my hands were way too low from Karate. Before I let someone free spar in Muay Thai I'd make them wait at least 3 months and that's only if they trained at least 3 days a week. Two main reasons why it's this way: 1. most beginners(at least 90%)don't understand what control is; i.e. they will throw a crazy haymaker as hard as they can when it's not a fight,it's SPARRING 2. Most people have horrible defense for a while but they should invest at least 3 months to learn a little bit of defense so they don't get hurt Now, I would let someone spar in Karate much quicker before I would let them spar in Muay Thai...just my two cents.