Top 5 things to see at a Muay Thai Show

chprt

what are the top 5 or 10 things you look for at a muay thai show, apart from good fights, that goes with out saying.

Things that make it more of a show and not just a fight night


thanks Paddy

gregmarah

chprt wrote: »

what are the top 5 or 10 things you look for at a muay thai show, apart from good fights, that goes with out saying.

Things that make it more of a show and not just a fight night


thanks Paddy

10 drunk cork langers ringside !!!!

gregmarah

good question thou , it'll be interesting what people come up with rather than my immature answer

chprt

thanks for that valuable input Greg... ahem...

HammerHeadGym

I can tell you what I think detracts from a show, if not Muay Thai in general; pole dancers! Add nothing to the night or the action and only serve to undermine our sport as legitimate.

RainMaker

Some of the pre-fight rituals are pretty cool! It can seem to drag on a bit sometimes though if everybody is doing it - especially the long version!

The music during the fights is something that definitely differentiates it from other shows!


@gregmarah funny you say that, last time I was at a show, I was sitting beside a bunch of lads up from Spartan Ballincollig!

Peetrik

As a fighter...

1. This isn't directed at you Paddy just for other promoters who might be reading, first and foremost - Good judges and ref, I know that should go without saying but sometimes it apparently needs to be said. A recent show had the excellent idea of having all judges and refs from foreign gyms which I thought was a very good idea.

2. Matted space to warm up

3. Showers available. I know its not always possible but again for other promoters reading if its simply a matter of asking a member of staff to 'turn the immersion on' a few hours before then its nice to get all the blood/oil washed off for the night before you start drinking.



As a spectator...

1. Security at the ring to make sure there aren't 10 drunk Cork langers blocking everyone's view You do see it happen that competitors team mates crowd the ringside forcing everyone behind them to stand up to see anything and then everyone has to stand. Annoying especially if you've paid extra for ringside to make sure you can see.

2. Food at the event is always nice.
Not pushed on strippers/dancers, I'm there to watch fights not to see 'Miss least amount of moustache Leitrim 06' prance around. Plus with the sport taking off we have a lot more under eighteen yr olds training at the gyms now, makes it more difficult for them to convince their parents to buy them tickets if there are going to be pole dancers I'd imagine.

3. Decent DJ/Announcer, I know you'll have these sorted Paddy, again more for others who might be reading.

gimmick

I thought the recent show in Cork was pretty much spot on. The one major gripe I had though was the sound was appalling. Could barely make out a word the announcer was making. The speakers are stacked on the ground. This needs to be addressed somehow.

This one is unrealistic, but a big screen would be great as well to show replays of a fights finish or something.

j walsh

I agree with Hammerheadgym 100%, plus I can't stand any kind of demonstrations as all I want to see are fights.
Gimmick, Not unrealistic on big show at all i think, plus a handy lad to rewind straight away for replays of knockouts or during intervals would be brilliant and adds to the show.

Peetrik you never won that fight, I was overuled by the other two judges
Seriously though that was an awesome display Congrats...

Peetrik

I know John, I only had to bribe two judges for the decision and saw the other two first is all

gregmarah

I agree with the pole dancing ****e , I think it makes the whole show very tacky and not family orientated. John had a great idea there with the replay of some highlights of the fight previous, and maybe what the UFC do and have a few live feeds from the dressing room to give a idea to the crowd what goes on behind in the dressing room.
A good dj and announcer followed by exciting ring entrances make the night a "show" as such.

gregmarah

gregmarah wrote: »

I agree with the pole dancing ****e , I think it makes the whole show very tacky and not family orientated. John had a great idea there with the replay of some highlights of the fight previous, and maybe what the UFC do and have a few live feeds from the dressing room to give a idea to the crowd what goes on behind in the dressing room.
A good dj and announcer followed by exciting ring entrances make the night a "show" as such.

Sorry that was gimmicks idea about the replays , I knew John couldn't think of something like that

DTB

A crazy topless chinese man standing on a chair swinging his tshirt over his head haha.

Start the show bang on time and try keep fights rolling one after another.

Only allow A class fighters to perform wai kru,saves time and when the wai kru is performed its apreciated.

Pride Fighter

I like a good wai kru, some of them can be amazing. Certainly adds to the spectacle of the whole thing.

My own €0.02

Wai Kru/Ram Muay for A Class only. Otherwise, it just drags the arse out of a show.....I think it's a little ridiculous when you get the pre-fight ritual lasting longer than the fight itself. Seal the ring and get on with it.

I don't think there's any need for entertainment, just good fights and no big gaps between them.

Chris Boyne had a feature on his shows that I thought worked very well - small clips of interviews with fighters being played on big screen before their fight....thought that added nicely to the atmosphere.

One last thing for ****s n giggles......if there's ring girls for fights, then it's only right that there should be guys carrying the round cards for the female fights (was gonna say ring-boys, but that just sounds all kinds of wrong!)

gregmarah

Personally i have to disagree with not having the Wai Kru , i love it and i think its part and parcel of Muay Thai , but i understand aswell that people find it boring to watch. (only because they don't understand whats it about)

gregmarah

gregmarah wrote: »

Personally i have to disagree with not having the Wai Kru , i love it and i think its part and parcel of Muay Thai , but i understand aswell that people find it boring to watch. (only because they don't understand whats it about)

I hear that, and it is beautiful to watch when done right.....but when it gets to a stage when the ritual is longer than the fights, then it's too much I think.

Also, how many people at your average show actually understand it and know the meanings behind. 5, 10%?

Khannie

I like the Wai Kru myself. Some people do the full shebang at amateur events which can be a pain in the face to sit through over and over when you sometimes have up to 20 fights to get through. Anyone who's made it to C class professional or above - fire ahead if you want IMO.

inforfun

Visited Rajadamnern Stadium while on holidays in Thailand.

10/12 fights a night, 1 finished and the next one was on. All fights had their Wai-Kru, some longer than others.
But the thing is, i came for the fights and that is really the only thing i saw that night.

Another night years ago i went to a $100.000 tournament in Holland (won by a certain Peter Aerts).
Of course there will be not continuous flow of fights on a night like that, certainly not main tournament fights.

Enjoyed both of those night but preferred the night in Bangkok, more fights in a shorter time.

If i want a show, i ll go to the moulin rouge

Peetrik

I understand what the Wai Kru is about but personally I'm not all that pushed on it. Don't get me wrong, I'm not dead set against it, I just feel its focusing on the wrong aspects of the art and can in fact take away from the experience.

I reckon it should be limited to A class or maybe B class if there are is only 1 or two A class fights on the show.

martinh

Ice sculpture contest would rock

martomcg

I like to see a decent card of fights across a variety of weights. Starting at the lightest (which is typically the way anyway).

You deffo need 8+ fights and for them to be on in quick succession. Extended ring-walks/entrances are a pain and can cause people to lose interest.

Its also nice to see female fighters on the card.

Other than that i agree with everything Peetrik has said.

A pet peeve is when the room isnt set up right. i.e seats blocked by pillars, seats not adequately spaced out to allow people in/out, inadequate lighting, bad sound, bad announcer

martinh

martinh wrote: »

Ice sculpture contest would rock

You should keep that to yourself, they'll all be at it next.

antybots

I think a big screen that would show each fighters profile, stats and/or highlight reel while they walk in would be cool.

Peetrik

antybots wrote: »

I think a big screen that would show each fighters profile, stats and/or highlight reel while they walk in would be cool.

Would be nice but its often the case that fighters don't have a single dayycent photo of themselves let alone a video let alone an actual highlight reel

BridgestoneThai

Also you could be an ugly sod like you Pat so it might be a crowd turn off having you on the big screen but ur good looking coach could be a different story:P

j walsh

Pat doesn't train in Waterford ya big eejit

subway

No downtime is top of my list, shows that start late and finish even later due to delays lead to the crowd getting disinterested or drunker which takes away from the show.

Good sound then from the announcer so nothing is missed

Thought put into the ring position, lighting, seating etc so that everyone gets a good experience. Usually only really matters in smaller venues tho.

Fighters not warming up in the halls. Think it's always a bit ridiculous to have lads forced to get ready in a corridor for whatever reason.

If you can do it, the video screen is a fantastic idea. Highlight reel can be expensive to produce but replays of big knockouts is a guaranteed crowd pleaser. Videos available online after is good too. You upload can be done almost instantly if you are setup for it.

Similar for results and photos on a Facebook page. If you can get them almost live during thw night its a nice additon.

I haven't been to any sole muay thai nights, these would be my opinions from being at plenty of general fight nights so I hope they would apply

oc_pl

1. I'd like to less of gap between fights, one fight finishes next fighters are ready to go.
2. Someone mentioned the video screen that Chris Boyne has at his shows with a short interview from the fighters. I thought that was very good.
3. Well matched fights.
4. Some Thai food at the fights would be great too.

JohnMc1

Deleted User wrote: »

My own €0.02

Wai Kru/Ram Muay for A Class only. Otherwise, it just drags the arse out of a show.....I think it's a little ridiculous when you get the pre-fight ritual lasting longer than the fight itself. Seal the ring and get on with it.

The WaiKru/Ram Muay is important to Muay Thai. Every fighter should do it, but put a time limit on it. Unless your name is Buakaw Por Pramuk [or draw crowds like him] you don't need a 5+ Minute routine.

seamus cogan

I think audience participation is hugely important at a show but its kind of an organic thing, hard to create. the Ballymun chant from the DTB lads is brilliant to hear at a show makes for a great atmosphere. Karl and Dereks fight in Cork last febuary had the crowd going nuts as well.

sean long

fight of the night or knockout of the night bonus.

Colm.Mahon

In fairness people being fat,injured or visa problems are out of the promoters hand. And i would agree on the entertainment in the middle does my head in...just keep the fight coming.

gimmick

Colm.Mahon wrote: »

In fairness people being fat,injured or visa problems are out of the promoters hand. And i would agree on the entertainment in the middle does my head in...just keep the fight coming.

Vivid memories of Damo & Ivor :eek:

Peetrik

gimmick wrote: »

Vivid memories of Damo & Ivor :eek:

Haha aw man that was bad