I was wondering are most foreigners who visit Thailand to train serious about it? I’ve heard from other people that most people who go to Japan to train are more interested in the night life. This one Japanese teacher hated foreigners because he said they were mostly interested in screwing the local women than training. So I’m asking is it the same in Thailand?
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I think they are a bit serious about it. Even from a hobbiest point of view.
one person’s opinion is hardly quantified and a poor sample size for any claim without extreme bias.
You’ll find people go for all sorts of reasons but as far as training goes, you’ll get new starters at anywhere from Rawaii and Sangha through to Tiger, and you’ll see ranges of ‘just trying this as a martial arts holiday’ to ‘Im here to fight and screw’ to serious fighters.
You will find similar in all countries where martial arts has been widely commodified. In China there is everything from An Wushu’s english speaking school in Shanghai and the Sports Universities (Korea has these too) through to training at the would be shaolin schools.
You’d have to ascertain how many people training martial arts are serious about it first, then how many people go on training trips abroad who are serious about that.
I know i’ve got my plans to train seriously abroad but Im basically doing my own version of fight quest, so I doubt Im in the majority of practitioners of MA
I quickly became unserious about it.
Mainly because I quickly decided that I didn’t really like getting kicked in the leg, or kicking hard things with my leg.
The food is wonderful, the temples are beautiful, and Muay Thai is a lot more fun to watch while you drink beer than do, at least in my opinion.
And Thailand is a wonderful place to visit.
For what it is worth, I have traveled to nearly 40 countries, and I always check out the local combat sports when I do, and Thailand was the only country where the reality exceeded the hype.
The reason I asked this question is because I was wondering if people who go to other countries to train are more serious about it than the average martial artist. If you’re going to another country to train in martial arts shouldn’t you focus more on it than someone who’s training at home?
I was talking to this girl who lives and trains in Osaka at an Aikido tournament and she asked me “when are you coming to Osaka?” I would really like to go there if I ever got enough money to actually train there but I would also like to go to Osaka castle and try all the food there. So I’m not saying it’s bad to be a tourist.
Japan is a great place to go, if one is enthusiastic about base ball.
Martial arts, not so much.
Although, if one likes watching Sumo, maybe.
I just assumed so since it has all these japanese martial arts practiced all over the world. I have a cousin who used to play for a japanese baseball team. He was really popular.
that, like kung fu, has a lot to do with military campaigns and how that led to further nationalism, cinema, commodification and foreigners who were out there bringing some of it back, combined with orientalist wow factor by the western consumers.
Asian sex tourism and martial arts.
OK.
Thailand being what it is, it’s got nothing on the Bujinkan.
Discuss amongst yourselves, but as a Muay Boran and Myanmaresse specialist ropes glass and all, I think you’re on to something.
Asian martial arts are not for everyone, but they definitely bring in tourism dollars.
me, wondering if as a trans woman doing muay thai and krabi krabong in my time there, could be unironically accused of cultural appropriation by either shitposters and/or morons
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Ive trained at TIger Muay Thai.
Its fun .
For every serious pro training in Phuket there are 1000000 pretending to train just so they can have parties and whores.
My understanding from the coaches out there are that serious Muay Thai guys go to Bankok to train but I didnt go to find out,
The guys I know who ask me in Europe if its worth going their to improve their standup I advise that if they want a holiday mixed with training go to Thailand but if the priority is to improve their stand up then go to Holland.
I always chuckle when guys I know are “going out to train in Thailand again” ,
I laugh hard if they tell me they are going to fight out there.
But if somebody tells me they are going to Holland to improve their stand-up i know they will return with drills ground into them and better.
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Here is my theory. They chose to go to Thailand for the reason to pay money to do a thai camp.
So most people are pretty committed to that.
And you don’t have to pretend to do a thai camp in Thailand to do a sex tour. You just do a sex tour.
I know a few people that go. But i live in Australia. It is close.
Ausies must be different to people in the UK .
Most guys over here dont like admitting they are going for a sex tour.
How often do you go?
I’ve been told Tiger has gone downhill in recent years and Rawaii is where it’s at now
I was there when Ray Elbe was in charge and Roger Huerta was training there but even then it was full of tourists but still had a solid core of pros .
Was a serious party culture though every night .
Australia is already a premium muay thai and sex mecca.
5:00 reminds me of the thread. It’s sad Thai trainers would even entertain this. But money is money.
I think the part about Ping Pong nailed it.
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I suspect many who travel to train at Asian countries, aside from the less than reputable reasons mentioned above (or not depending on your outlook), do so for reasons of wanting to pad up a resume instead of hitting pads for its own sake. That is why some would prefer Thailand over Holland, tourism aside. The orientalist angle makes going to Thailand the equivalent of hombu dojo training for karate or sumthin’.
I am reminded of the contrast in the books THE FIGHTER’S HEART, by Sam Sheridan and KARATE STUPID, by Scott Langley. The last has a title very descriptive of the contents in several senses. Sheridan trained in Thailand, lived in a complex devoted to training, and had an amateur fight, and he was a dilletante, interested in getting tougher and trying out the real thing. Langley went to Japan to gain cred for his career as a karate teacher. He went to try out the night life immediately and injured his ankle at a bar after drinking too much. So he skipped classes at the dojo, not even showing up, and was later baffled that the teachers expected him to at least go and WATCH the classes. He ended up badmouthing the school and teachers in his book for basically being mean to him and expecting him to be able to actually take hard training and fight for real, and was ultimately expelled from that organization.
It also serves as a contrast between typical MT and karate to me. And I am a long time krotty guy.