T.A.G. Muay Thai’s 2nd Sparring Exhibition

T.A.G. hosted our 2nd Sparring Exhibition this past Saturday, November 7th at the UFC Gym in Reston!  This event had 3 youth fights and 8 adult fights in total that were a lot more competitive than our first event back in June.  We made adjustments with our training and how we approached this event.  This time around, students gained more experience fighting and picking their shots while under stress.  We added staff (judges, scorekeeper, etc.), new blue and red 10oz gloves, and shins.

Our 2nd Sparring Exhibition event was first time we invited another school to compete with TAG and UFC students.  Students from One Spirit Martial Arts were also invited because they are also a World Thai Boxing Association School (WTBA) and have instructors under Ajarn Chai Sirisute.

The first fight of the evening had two of our women where one has only been training for around 2-3 months.  Some people might say it’s too soon, however, they weren’t killing each other, each student worked on particular elements of their game and executed excellent control.  For the newer girl – just getting to be in front of the crowd, controlling her breathing, moving and hitting is all we wanted her to do.  For the more experienced woman, we expected better ring control, controlled aggression and picking the most effective shots. The majority of the fights we evenly matched; it was great to see our Muay Thai students challenging themselves in the ring.

Youth fights are always fun to watch, instead of doing 3×1 minute rounds, we did 3×2 minute rounds.  The rounds started off fast and as expected but slowed down as kids realized that they had to be smarter to be successful with their combinations and techniques to land.  Our kids no longer wear body shields as they can be awkward and hinder movement.  Small adjustments like changing the length of time and no body shields will help our kids transition to compete at the WKA’s in March 2016.

Our oldest competitors were between the ages of 38 years old to 47 years old (4 competitors were over 40!).  How many guys ages 40+ and toddlers fight Muay Thai on the weekends?  Other gyms focus on young guys and girls to carry the gym, here at TAG, ALL students are required do their best, regardless of age!

Our next event will be held at the end of January 2016 and elbows will be added to the mix!  The past two T.A.G. Sparring Exhibitions featured modified rules: kicks, no knees to head and no elbows. Additional schools will be invited to become more competitive and we will have (at minimum) a paramedic to make sure the sport is safe for all competitors!