Thinking about quitting Muay Thai

[drop bear]

As I said previously in this thread, he will explicitly say what gear we need for each drill. Things like:

• Put on gloves.
• Gloves and shinpads.
• One person gloves, no shinpads. Other person hold targets.
• Gloves, shinpads, mouthguard, we're sparring.

So yes, I go by what he explicitly tells us to put on, because usually if you put on something he didn't tell you, he will tell you to take it off. "I said gloves on, no shinpads."

He told us once several months ago to get more gear than we've ever used in class, including groin cup and headgear. Neither he nor the other coaches have worn them. He doesn't tell new people to get anything more than gloves, shinpad, and mouthpiece. He's never once told us to put them on.

So yes, I hold him responsible for at the very least recommending the appropriate gear for sparring.

I put "as I have said previously in this thread" in bold, because this nobody is coming onto the board and criticizing me without even reading the thread.

Are you wearing a groin gard now that you realise you don't like getting kicked in the nuts?

 

[HighKick]

As I said previously in this thread, he will explicitly say what gear we need for each drill. Things like:

• Put on gloves.
• Gloves and shinpads.
• One person gloves, no shinpads. Other person hold targets.
• Gloves, shinpads, mouthguard, we're sparring.

So yes, I go by what he explicitly tells us to put on, because usually if you put on something he didn't tell you, he will tell you to take it off. "I said gloves on, no shinpads."

He told us once several months ago to get more gear than we've ever used in class, including groin cup and headgear. Neither he nor the other coaches have worn them. He doesn't tell new people to get anything more than gloves, shinpad, and mouthpiece. He's never once told us to put them on.

So yes, I hold him responsible for at the very least recommending the appropriate gear for sparring.

I put "as I have said previously in this thread" in bold, because this nobody is coming onto the board and criticizing me without even reading the thread.

Fair enough, but is there some kind of misguided fear component that is pushing you past using your common sense?
If he is telling you to have certain gear, then he is implicitly telling you to wear said gear.
Absolutely, some gear (or any gear) may not be need for certain drills, but I cannot think of any scenario where a cup would be a hinderance. The exception may be if you are wearing an over the clothes cup like frequently used in TKD like this: Adidas Groin Protector

Have you ever looked at the Shock Doctor products? I don't think all of them would be good for grappling, but they make groin protection. Shock Doctor Groin Protection

 

[Fungus]

Nut conditioning, that's dedication.

 

[Fungus]

he also has never told us to put more on than gloves, shin pads, and a mouthguard.

I don't do muay thai but we normally put on the groin cup in the dressing room, before class starts - under the gi. We get no explicit instructions in the dressing room.

Gloves and shinpads etc are put on in the dojo - on demand by instructor, we may get 2 mins to put them on - during the class when we are about to do free fighting.

 

[HighKick]

I don't do muay thai but we normally put on the groin cup in the dressing room, before class starts - under the gi. We get no explicit instructions in the dressing room.

Gloves and shinpads etc are put on in the dojo - on demand by instructor, we may get 2 mins to put them on - during the class when we are about to do free fighting.

This is a question to hopefully to help @skribs. In your classroom environment, would it be 'wrong' for you to put gear on at any time during class? I don't mean right in the middle of drilling or forms, but when there is a logical break.

 

[tlpcpa001]

I've been doing BJJ for the last year and a half, Muay Thai for the last several months. Both at the same gym. The Muay Thai coach is one of the black belts in BJJ.

I absolutely love BJJ. I am 100% planning on continuing BJJ. But I'm not entirely enjoying my Muay Thai experience. I really dislike the sparring. I don't like getting punched in the face, which is pretty much a given. Yesterday, I took a bad groin shot. A little bit of drama between me and my coach about protective gear. He gave me a hard time about not wearing a cup, but he also has never told us to put more on than gloves, shin pads, and a mouthguard. He sees it as our responsibility to decide what gear to wear (we're adults), I see it as his responsibility as coach to at least recommend the appropriate gear when he tells us to put gear on. When I mentioned I don't want to spar anymore, he seemed to begrudgingly accept it, but gave me a hard time about it.

As some of you know, I would eventually like to open my own TKD school. I much prefer the TKD style of sparring (at least, the TKD sparring I'm used to). No head punches, no head kicks before you're an upper belt. You can punch and kick to the chest as hard as you want, but the chest can take it. I always had fun in TKD sparring. I always have fun in BJJ rolls. I don't have fun in MT sparring. It doesn't help that I'm 5'5 and pretty much always the smallest person, especially in terms of reach.

As a counterpoint, there are three reasons I'm thinking about not quitting. 1) I do enjoy the rest of the class. I like learning different ways of doing technique than we did in TKD. I also like seeing a lot of the things that are done similar to TKD. 2) I want to make sure I'm not just reacting to the bad shot I took yesterday, and that I'm not happy as a whole. 3) I feel like if I can't handle Muay Thai and open a TKD school, it kind of makes me a fraud. Although at the same time, one of the reasons I want to open up a TKD school is because I think the sparring in TKD is safer and more fun than the sparring in MT.

I don't know if the purpose of this post is to vent or to get advice, but it's there if people want to comment.

Wear a damn cup! Even just holding pads accidents happen

 

[Fungus]

This is a question to hopefully to help @skribs. In your classroom environment, would it be 'wrong' for you to put gear on at any time during class? I don't mean right in the middle of drilling or forms, but when there is a logical break.

In Kyokushin class, we normally have no breaks. Part of endurance training is that no drinking pauses or otherwise. If you are tired and thirsty - keep it to yourself and don't shop your opponent. Exceptions are if you are about to pass out, then you may get excused.

In particular noone is supposed to pull down their pants in the dojo I think. So unless you put your cup outside the gi it is done in advance.

But as we never do seiza kihon, kata with gloves or shinpads, all class start without protection (except cup underneath). Only after warmup in fighting class, do we get a few fast minutes to put on gloves nad shinpads. But this is no recreational break or for drinking water, its just to put on protection.

 

[Nuuli]

I've been doing BJJ for the last year and a half, Muay Thai for the last several months. Both at the same gym. The Muay Thai coach is one of the black belts in BJJ.

I absolutely love BJJ. I am 100% planning on continuing BJJ. But I'm not entirely enjoying my Muay Thai experience. I really dislike the sparring. I don't like getting punched in the face, which is pretty much a given. Yesterday, I took a bad groin shot. A little bit of drama between me and my coach about protective gear. He gave me a hard time about not wearing a cup, but he also has never told us to put more on than gloves, shin pads, and a mouthguard. He sees it as our responsibility to decide what gear to wear (we're adults), I see it as his responsibility as coach to at least recommend the appropriate gear when he tells us to put gear on. When I mentioned I don't want to spar anymore, he seemed to begrudgingly accept it, but gave me a hard time about it.

As some of you know, I would eventually like to open my own TKD school. I much prefer the TKD style of sparring (at least, the TKD sparring I'm used to). No head punches, no head kicks before you're an upper belt. You can punch and kick to the chest as hard as you want, but the chest can take it. I always had fun in TKD sparring. I always have fun in BJJ rolls. I don't have fun in MT sparring. It doesn't help that I'm 5'5 and pretty much always the smallest person, especially in terms of reach.

As a counterpoint, there are three reasons I'm thinking about not quitting. 1) I do enjoy the rest of the class. I like learning different ways of doing technique than we did in TKD. I also like seeing a lot of the things that are done similar to TKD. 2) I want to make sure I'm not just reacting to the bad shot I took yesterday, and that I'm not happy as a whole. 3) I feel like if I can't handle Muay Thai and open a TKD school, it kind of makes me a fraud. Although at the same time, one of the reasons I want to open up a TKD school is because I think the sparring in TKD is safer and more fun than the sparring in MT.

I don't know if the purpose of this post is to vent or to get advice, but it's there if people want to comment.

It's your path to take. Also not taking your instructors advice regarding the cup is a learning lesson. But from a learning point, you know now what a shot to the tenders feels like. Take that as a positive. My path has always been for self defense and real life situations. So fun isn't part of the game. It's developing oneself to survive. I'm from an older generation where there wasn't these foam pads that they use for protective gear. We had cups but pretty much bare knuckles and feet. Being 5'5" and probably light weight? means you have to approach differently. Not head on but angular. Use speed and footwork. Test out your opponent, read them, get them to play your game. Get them to react the way you want and respond accordingly. This applies what ever art you choose. MT is not for everyone, as is any full contact activity. There's a price in the long run, beating your body up. Look at professional athletes in contact sports. They have their peak. But they pay the price in the long run. If TKD is for you, by all means do so. It's your skin. Your life. It should be meaningful to you. Like marriage... lol!

 

[Nuuli]

I actually made the decision a while back to stop wearing a cup while rolling in BJJ, because I found it was leading me to bad habits in terms of not protecting my groin properly. (Also wearing a cup is against the rules in most BJJ competition because it can be used as a weapon, but that wasn’t a primary concern for me.) I do recognize that if that lack of protection leads me to get accidentally nailed in the nuts, that’s my responsibility.

I'm not a BJJ practitioner, my son is. I'm a standup martial artist. Respect the game though. When I get questioned about what arts to start with especially young people, I tell them grappling. Judo, Wrestling, BJJ. It builds strength, real confidence and you're always pressure tested. Also, I worked in the public school for 27 years. When it comes to administration punching, kicking, etc which highly get you suspended even if you're defending yourself. Grappling and getting control of your attacker won't. I'm trying to imagine how the cup is used as a weapon. Good Lord! Ouch! Cup to the face???

 

[jks9199]

He didn't advise us to.

He told us months ago to get one, never advised us to use it.

One sort of implies the other, in my world...

 

[jks9199]

So that did sound as stupid as I thought It did,.,.wasn’t sure if I was missing a joke

Sounded like a 12 year old scout, on a hike with an empty water bottle, or returning from said hike never having taken a sip and complaining of being dehydrated... "Well, Mr. Scoutmaster, you only told us to bring a water bottle, you didn't say to fill it or drink from it!"

 

[Monkey Turned Wolf]

Sounded like a 12 year old scout, on a hike with an empty water bottle, or returning from said hike never having taken a sip and complaining of being dehydrated... "Well, Mr. Scoutmaster, you only told us to bring a water bottle, you didn't say to fill it or drink from it!"

Another one on the same level - week long summer camp, first day it rains and one scout has super wet shoes. Spends the whole week complaining about it, determined to make the rest of us miserable. Ask him if he has any other shoes he can wear. Says no. We can't actually go into his tent to confirm. Second to last day, we go on a hike, and he comes out wearing a clean pair of boots. When we ask him about it, his response was "You asked me if I had another pair of shoes to put on, these are boots".

 

[Monkey Turned Wolf]

As I said previously in this thread, he will explicitly say what gear we need for each drill. Things like:

• Put on gloves.
• Gloves and shinpads.
• One person gloves, no shinpads. Other person hold targets.
• Gloves, shinpads, mouthguard, we're sparring.

So yes, I go by what he explicitly tells us to put on, because usually if you put on something he didn't tell you, he will tell you to take it off. "I said gloves on, no shinpads."

He told us once several months ago to get more gear than we've ever used in class, including groin cup and headgear. Neither he nor the other coaches have worn them. He doesn't tell new people to get anything more than gloves, shinpad, and mouthpiece. He's never once told us to put them on.

So yes, I hold him responsible for at the very least recommending the appropriate gear for sparring.

I put "as I have said previously in this thread" in bold, because this nobody is coming onto the board and criticizing me without even reading the thread.

Those are all things that you can put on in between drills though. A groin cup is assumed that you're wearing it before you get into class. I wouldn't really say it's required, but it's up to you to decide whether or not to take that risk, not your instructor. And to me

"He gave me a hard time about not wearing a cup, but he also has never told us to put more on than gloves, shin pads, and a mouthguard. He sees it as our responsibility to decide what gear to wear (we're adults), I see it as his responsibility as coach to at least recommend the appropriate gear when he tells us to put gear on"

Telling you to buy it is pretty much him recommending that gear for class.

 

[JowGaWolf]

In all fairness. Did anyone else wear a cup?

 

[skribs]

Those are all things that you can put on in between drills though. A groin cup is assumed that you're wearing it before you get into class. I wouldn't really say it's required, but it's up to you to decide whether or not to take that risk, not your instructor. And to me

"He gave me a hard time about not wearing a cup, but he also has never told us to put more on than gloves, shin pads, and a mouthguard. He sees it as our responsibility to decide what gear to wear (we're adults), I see it as his responsibility as coach to at least recommend the appropriate gear when he tells us to put gear on"

Telling you to buy it is pretty much him recommending that gear for class.

He explicitly recommends over-the-pants style of groin cup.

It's also right after BJJ where groin gups are not allowed.

 

[Monkey Turned Wolf]

He explicitly recommends over-the-pants style of groin cup.

It's also right after BJJ where groin gups are not allowed.

Both of those statements are weird.

 

[JowGaWolf]

Both of those statements are weird.

This entire thread is weird lol

 

[HighKick]

In Kyokushin class, we normally have no breaks. Part of endurance training is that no drinking pauses or otherwise. If you are tired and thirsty - keep it to yourself and don't shop your opponent. Exceptions are if you are about to pass out, then you may get excused.

In particular noone is supposed to pull down their pants in the dojo I think. So unless you put your cup outside the gi it is done in advance.

But as we never do seiza kihon, kata with gloves or shinpads, all class start without protection (except cup underneath). Only after warmup in fighting class, do we get a few fast minutes to put on gloves nad shinpads. But this is no recreational break or for drinking water, its just to put on protection.

That is what I am talking about. Obviously, unless you are wearing a over the clothing cup, it must go on in the dressing room. But we get/give breaks to pad up.

 

[HighKick]

He explicitly recommends over-the-pants style of groin cup.

It's also right after BJJ where groin gups are not allowed.

They do give more protection because they have padding up above the groin as well.

 

[drop bear]

That is what I am talking about. Obviously, unless you are wearing a over the clothing cup, it must go on in the dressing room. But we get/give breaks to pad up.

No because they don't do jock straps anymore they have undies with little pockets in them. You just shove it down the front.