Portsmouth Muay Thai.

Discussion in 'Thai Boxing' started by mortimer657, Mar 20, 2011.

  1. mortimer657

    mortimer657 Valued Member

    Hi all,

    I recently started training in Muay Thai Boxing after years of conventional boxing (over 20 years) and chose this place to train:

    http://www.portsmouththaiboxing.co.uk/

    Seems a really good place, started there last week.Plenty of bag and pad work, instructor seems good (based on my limited knowledge of martial arts OTHER than Boxing) but noticed a thread on here by Master Betty, excerpt below:

    " the "muay thai" coach in portsmouth is one of master skens. Despite all the good things the man has done for the sport in this country he still teaches a load of horse dung and his students are usually clones. A lot of the better coaches in the country sometimes refer to it as sken kwon do. "

    This has prompted a little concern for me. The last thing i want to do is train somewhere that i wont ultimately progress and could be hindrance to eventually competing. I definately want to compete, as its familiar territory for me, with a nod towards my time competing in boxing (as a civilian and also whilst serving in the Army). Pressure testing is the ultimate feedback device In my opinion.

    I was advised on one of my other threads to ask in this, the Muay Thai forum, if anyone has trained at this place? Anyone heard of the instructor? Has anyone heard of the Club at all? Has anyone fought anyone from that club in interclubs etc?

    Any info and advice gratefully received.

    Morti
     
  2. ChangNam

    ChangNam Valued Member

    Sken Kwon Do. That sounds terrible in my ears...

    You guys do normal Muay Thai. Or is this some fancy home made style ??
     
  3. ChangNam

    ChangNam Valued Member

    Come and learn from an instructor of Master Sken. Sounds like a big JOKE to me !!
    And the technique him use. When him sweeps you or throw you down. And after go for a kick to the head. Hmmm !! Maybe a different way to preform/train on low kick. But that did look horrible to me.

    Not get me wrong bro. But that gym did look like another MT club with ranking system. or call it what ever you want. A mcdojo would probably be the right name.

    If you want to be a ''NINJA'' do i think that club is good for you and others. LOL !!
     
  4. Moi

    Moi Warriors live forever x

    He's one of the first guys in the UK. He certainly has an eye on business but on the back of that he's pushed MT in the UK possibly more than anyone else.
    Yes he has gradings etc: but I'm not sure if they're compulsory
    He has a vast stable of fighters and instructors which means you're always going to get a fight or have an interclub to go to which can only be a good thing.
    I'm guessing the only link to your club will be through the orginisation of Sken's or maybe he was an ex-student? I really wouldn't worry about it. If you're club fields fighters for shows then that's all you can really ask for, OK if they win might be better :)
     
  5. Moi

    Moi Warriors live forever x

    Oh yes he's on YouTube as well. It's a highlight fight from last year that he lost that's filmed from the other camps perspective so he's not made to look good on it but the fact he's getting in there fills me with optimism for the club
     
  6. Southpaw535

    Southpaw535 Well-Known Member Moderator Supporter

    The gradings are non compulsory and when i was there he only had a couple of red bands. They were good fighters too watched a couple of them at SENI.

    Matt earned his instructor gradings directly from Sken I was told.
     
  7. Moi

    Moi Warriors live forever x

    I would of thought that would be the case for all Sken's instructors.
     
  8. Southpaw535

    Southpaw535 Well-Known Member Moderator Supporter

    Yeah sorry I wasn't sure if you were asking if the portsmouth lot just share Sken's name or if they did actually train with him
     
  9. Moi

    Moi Warriors live forever x

    Looks more like a franchise to me judging by the website. Might not be and doesn't really matter if it is.
     
  10. Southpaw535

    Southpaw535 Well-Known Member Moderator Supporter

    Meh, if Mortimer's enjoying it, learning and gets a chance to compete to test it then its all good to me
     
  11. Master Betty

    Master Betty Banned Banned

    Hi Mortimer, don't take my opinion on it as gospel - after all, I've never trained there so it could be fine.

    For me however, it just rings too many alarm bells. For me to explain, you have to understand a couple of things first. "Master" Sken was basically one of the first guys to bring Muay Thai to the ****r back in the late 70's alongside "Masters" Toddy and Woody. I have great respect for what the man has done for the sport. He's put on some of the country's biggest shows, bringing over world class fighters to fight on home soil - last years SENI having a thai boxing showin the midst of it with Buakaw Por Pramuk fighting Jordan Watson in what turned out to be a surprisingly good fight.

    However, for all that he's done for the sport, he doesn't really produce many high quality fighters in the current day and age because he very much runs his clubs along TKD/karate mcdojo type lines. He has a heavy emphasis on lots of thins which don't really have, according to most of the countries top fighters/coaches, any place in Muay Thai. I'm referring of course to the HEAVY emphasis placed on gradings and such which have only recently been taken on by the WMC in order to squeeze money out of silly foreigners.

    Master Sken himself (as well as the other "masters") have never, as far as the country's top authorities can find out, EVER fought. Indeed, it's known that all 3 "masters" began by training in TKD and then only trained in Muay Thai AFTER they'd decided there was a market in Great Britain for it. Not exactly the best pedigree.

    Beyond that, the guy who's instructig at this club has never actually fought and started coaching Thai Boxing after he'd been training for a year and a half at what already sounds like a dodgy club.

    He has lots of pretty pictures of him posing whilst doing techniques on his very pretty website which has lots of info on how to join and pay him money... but doesn't have any fighters. That, in itself, is the single largest alarm bell. Any thai boxing gym that doesn't have any fighters is immediately, perhaps unfortunately, placed in a suspicious group of gyms. It's not hard to train fighters if you have the experience necessary to coach, so why doesnt a gym produce fighters? Is it simply that they are too new to have any? Have they no interest in producing fighters? If that's the case then they're probably mince. Are they more interested in the "art" than the martial side of things? I read that as saying they're more interested in the "money" side of things. Or perhaps they're only interested in Muay Thai self defense. If such is the case then I despair.

    As I said, I've never trained there and I've never heard anything about this club in the circles I move in (an alarm bell in and off itself) so I can't provide any concrete evidence or answers. All I can say is that, for me, there are FAR too man alarm bells going off. I've seen clubs that make these alarm bells go off before and without fail have eventually been given good reason for them.

    If yo're having fun, then continue, if they ask you to pay loads of moeny for various things but you're happy to then continue. If, however, you get the chance totrain with another established club tha produces decent fighters, I suggest you do so if only so that you have something with which to compare your current club.


    Iain
     
  12. Master Betty

    Master Betty Banned Banned

    the ****r was supposed to be "country" but my keyboard's actin up.
     
  13. Moi

    Moi Warriors live forever x

    He has been in the ring and continues to fight from what I can see.

    If he's the guy I think he is then when I spoke to him he seemed a genuinely nice guy and bent over backwards to accommodate young Lefty

    Shame about the fighters page I agree
     
    Last edited: Mar 21, 2011
  14. Master Betty

    Master Betty Banned Banned

    I could be wrong I'm simply going by what the guy writes about himself on his clubs website.
     
  15. Moi

    Moi Warriors live forever x

    I couldn't find anything on the site either but he's on YouTube so he's getting in there.

    [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ksZheoP7dhI"]YouTube - Matt Scott (Portsmouth Thai Boxing) v Rafal Gorka ( Oxford Martial Arts Academy)[/ame]
     
    Last edited: Mar 21, 2011
  16. Killa_Gorillas

    Killa_Gorillas Banned Banned

  17. Master Betty

    Master Betty Banned Banned

    See much as I'd be prepared to say thats a plus it also sets off another alarm bell in my head. Who sanctioned that fight? With shinguards it should be amateur (in which case it's still not really a fight) but with amateur they should also be wearing full protective gear, not just heavier gloves + shinnies. IKF, ISKA, UKMF etc. all say amateur should be with full protective gear and fought over 3 x 2minute rounds.
     
  18. mortimer657

    mortimer657 Valued Member

    This was my other option. I spoke to Big Bri from SCS and took a look on their website and he has a good stable of established and up and coming fighters including some Pro and Amateur national champions. This is encouraging for me as competing is where my aspirations lie. Always competed when training in conventional boxing so it would be a natural thing for me to do when training in Martial Arts. I think i'll use the trial and error method, i've tried Portsmouth Muay Thai and enjoyed it, however just enjoying it will never be enough for me, the need to compete is pretty strong, i use it as a part of my goal setting.

    I was goingt o go over to SCS anyway to take a look at the BJJ side of training to give me some groundwork based knowledge however in light of the posts here i may very well train there full time.

    Morti
     
  19. mortimer657

    mortimer657 Valued Member

    Thanks for this, and all your other replies Master Betty. I knew from some of your other posts and threads that MT is where you passion lies so its good to have an in depth reply from someone as reputable. I must admit when put across the way you have it does set the alarm bells ringing. Im naive to the sport so its good to have an insight from someone in the know.

    My other options in this area are limited. Lefty/SouthPaw mentioned Southern Kickboxing Academy, and i've got in touch with their head man to ask if its low kick full contact and asked whether gradings are optional or compulsory. Waiting for a reply now. I'll see what they have to say. His guys compete and the instructor, Luke Carter has a load of video's of him competing. Wait and see what he says. Though To be honest though given recent developments im seriously considering SouthCoastSubmissions MMA. As i said they have a good stable of Amateur and Porfessional fighters, excellent facilities and first class instructors including one who trains their new trainees only, in order to bring them up to speed. They use plenty of pad and bag work, sparring and have regular fight nights and i've been told if i want to compete amateur or pro they will push and encourage me all the way in that direction. I heard from their head man they are planning a move (taking place soon im assuming) to a 7,000sq ft premises in central Portsmouth to include day and evening training sessions. Ideal for me as a shift worker. Plus a mate of mine, Incredible Bulk from on here trained there and has said nothing but good things about them.

    Morti
     
  20. Southpaw535

    Southpaw535 Well-Known Member Moderator Supporter

    To be honest mate I'd go with south coast over SKA. I respect Luke as a kickboxer but reading your replies on this thread I think Bri has a much better chance of keeping you happy with his competition focus. Luke has good guys but he also has to oversee a load of different clubs all over Portsmouth that include a lot of people who don't want to fight whereas I don't think anyone I knew at SCS wasn't planning on getting in the cage. Plus if you're as focused on fighting as you seem to be that merger will open that right up for you with the facilities and the number of hours open to train.

    That said depending how you find jujitsu you may prefer Luke just for not having groundwork but wrestling standards aren't all that in England's mma particuarly at amateur so you should be able to keep it standing with some decent training.

    Just my 2p
     

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