Does your Muay Thai gym retain traditions?

[White Warlock]

all depends on who you want to become in view of a martial artist,some people( mostly beginners) just ditch traditions because they think its useless in fighting. Which i can understand, but taking away that maybe taking away the art in martial art......

i consider this to be an imposed misconception. The traditions do not make the art. It is the study of the art itself, with the techniques, the principles, the presentation of the principles in a philosophical context that make the art.

Philosophies are 'not' dependent upon regional traditions, nor are they dependent upon religions, belief systems... but 'imposed' foundations are. I.e., if you base your philosophical outlook on a foundation that is not based on reality, but instead based on a religion, then you are going to be inducted into the hall of delusion. For if a religion states that all things are made of Spam, and you then develop a philosophy based on that foundation... you are essentially running on a false premise.

This... is not a philosophy, but a postulation based on a 'belief-based' preconception.

That tangent out of the way, the art aspect of a martial art is not about aesthetics. If that were the case, most 'effective' martial studies would not be arts, and only those really fancy, really useless, martial studies would receive guaranteed status as arts.

No, the arts aspect of martial refers to the studies that impress so many variables, scientific variables, that the only 'reasonable' means to 'utilize' such sciences... is to allow for subjective analysis, presentation, and implementation. I.e., when you grab a whole mess of sciences and mix them together, you get to a point where you just have to 'guess.' The arts are about 'making the best guess' based on the information one has. That is why it is so subjective. Because the information one obtains through their life presents only a 'sample' of all the variables associated with a confrontation and with the study of war as a whole.

Everything else presented... is just gift wrap and ribbons. Things that present the package in a 'prettier light,' but that have no relevance to the actual gift of knowledge that a martial art constitutes.

[Menjo]

ok, ill still stick with my post however

lol

Edited November 8, 2005 by Menjo

[White Warlock]

lol

[elbows_and_knees]

all depends on who you want to become in view of a martial artist,some people( mostly beginners) just ditch traditions because they think its useless in fighting. Which i can understand, but taking away that maybe taking away the art in martial art......

that is not where the art comes in. The art is in the self expression. For example, There are three thai boxing coaches at our club - myself and two others. I have known one of them for 10 years, and we spent about 6 of those years training together under the same teachers in the same styles (muay thai, kali and JKD). We had the same teachers and learned the same way - we even have a similar body type - but if you watch us, we both fight completely different. You wouldn't think we trained at the same schools. Why is this so? Self expression - our interpretation of how the style works for us. That is the art in martial arts, IMO.

[Menjo]

ok fine i take back my post

[elbows_and_knees]

lol, don't take it back. These forums are about discussion... you are entitled to feel however you wish and express that. We are entitled to do the same. In the end, everyone can learn something.

[ElbowTKO]

when you say religon is one of the reasons as to why they don't bow they way they do or perform the wai khru what about the large karate/TKD/ and even aikido?

[elbows_and_knees]

when you say religon is one of the reasons as to why they don't bow they way they do or perform the wai khru what about the large karate/TKD/ and even aikido?

religion has nothing to do with bowng - that is merely a sign of respect. But what is most kung fu based around? buddhism. And some of is is muslim. (cha quan and tai tzu, for example). The other arts you mentioned are the same way.

[White Warlock]

religion has nothing to do with bowng - that is merely a sign of respect.

Agreed that has nothing to do with religion, and that bowing is a sign of respect, but it is also culturally bound and thus awkward and inappropriate to apply in another culture. If you visit Japan and attempt to shake hands, they will look at you odd, and bow instead.

It is not merely religious connotations, but cultural ones as well that are 'distractions' from learning the arts themselves.

[ElbowTKO]

so what makes bowing in muay thai different than the bowing of other asian arts aren't most of them buddist? Isn't bowing in Muay Thai a sign of respect also?