I was over in the Ninjutsu section when someone mentioned "getting a Black Belt in Muay Thai" I was compeletely unaware that you could get a Black Belt in M/T. Can you get one in Boxing/Pugilism? I've just never seen it mentioned before.
I suppose it was inevitable.Someone decided they should cash in on those lucrative belt promotion$. After all, I read on another thread that an individual's 4th degree test cost $1000.What the heck justifies that!?!?!? I think I'll start teaching again, and institute a belt system.So I can overcharge just for giving someone a piece of paper and a new piece of colored material. Right after I promote myself to 20th degree something or other. Oh wait.I couldn't afford it under my new system.
WKA grades in M/T so do many European and US orgs. It's not really taken seriously though, it's your fight record thats counts. Many people if not most don't bother grading at all.
I took one grading in MT, after not training for long. Won't bother with another one though! It was called a khan and we were given a Prajioud (armband) instead of a belt or sash. It's just a money maker though, you learn the same stuff in class whether you have one or not!
Yeah this is what i thought, what about the Pugilism though? (assuming that's still taught as more than just western boxing, i think it used to contain a bit more?) Didn't know about the arm band thing though.
" Thai fighters are also usually handed down many of the rituals and superstitions of the art. A fighter usually wears arm bands around his biceps that either have magical charms written on them or are wrapped within them for good luck and to ward off evil spirits " http://www.afsacademy.com/mthistory.htm Adapted from Superstition for the western world
The armband in MT was there anyway but the colour grading has been introduced just for the western world, basically as said its just a money spinner. Your fight record counts for more, there are plenty of ppl who are high ranking bands yet cant spar/fight. In boxing ive never once heard of any sort of ranking, not from an ABA club anyway. With the 2 MA's ppl are matched up on weight and experience so rank wouldnt really matter. I honestly wouldnt know if Pugilism is still taught, I wouldve thought its nearly died out if not completely died.
