Some comments on various forums has me thinking if others see thngs as me. We have netural corners so if a fighter is being counted or what ever his/her opponent goes to the netural so their corner cannot coach them during that time. MT, Kickboxing and Boxing rules typically state fighters cannot be coached during a bout. How well is this policed by Refs and is it changing? I believe it is. It seems to be common for BJJ players to be activly coached while fighting and in serious detail. Not just the usual "keep ya guard up!" but talked through move by move to gain dominance. This behaviour has gone with them into MMA caged events and now seems to be making inroads into MT. Should we be accepting this or activly working to keep it out of our sport?

lets be honest at the stadiums the corners, their families, the gamblers and pretty much everyone involved shouts instructions to the fighter... prob one of the least things I am concerned with in the sport to be honest .... but thats just me

I think it is part of any combat sport, from past experience, it is very hard to concentrate on what everyone is shouting whilst doing what you are out there to do. Yes you are going to follow instruction from your coach/corner but if you are in any other part of the ring/cage other than your corner it can be very hard to distinguish who is telling who to do what.

It happens in amature boxing, what gyms are doing now ( not all gyms ) is sitting a member of there gym near the front row and they shout instructions as the corner arnt allowed too during the contest, I witnessed this about 2-3years ago when I was helping out in a corner!

It's part of fighting, I think anyway.
You train as a team and fight as a team, granted one person is doin the fighting but with good instruction it makes all the difference.

When ref'ing i try to keep coaches & their seconds in their corner.
There shouldn't really anyone ringside so if I see someone where they shouldn't be then I will move them.
This goes for when I am judging too.

I've seen high level coaching win fights (MMA), obviously the fight still has to implement instructions being giving but those instructions being simple, clear and precise...... even a demo being given.

I was ref'ing an MMA show recently, on one of the fights I wasn't ref'ing I was sitting cage side. it had been a fairly long show and some of the crowd were getting rowdy. As i worked to my seat I noticed a guy sitting in the "red" corner but had a team t-shirt of the "blue" corner!!!! Hahahaha I asked him to leave the seat but he genuinely (if not slightly intoxicatedly) didn't think there was a problem with him sitting there. He did however move once i explained I would withhold the start of the bout until he moved back into the crowd.
Also seen a pretty high level MMA fight paused due to the crowd and team mates not abiding by the rules. There fighter was on top and dominating...... They were restarted standing..... the crowd behaved.

I have yet to attend a proper MT fight night here in the UK so cant really comment on the way things are dealt with on these nights.

In MMA, Marc Goddard is particularly good at upholding the rules and can often be heard speaking to the fighter and corner both, advising them of the rules when he deems this to be necessary.

I have been a reader of AX for a number of years and really only took an interest in what was happening on the UKMT scene when I started training MT earlier this year. It appears to me that corners giving instruction may be the least of your worries, however the formation of the IBMTO is a step in the right direction for UKMT officiating.

erm...am i missing something here? we're not supposed to shout instructions to our fighters??

what constitutes 'instructions' then?

I think that the OP is talking about when the fighter has been sent to a neutral corner?

From the WMC rules
8.2.1. Seconds shall not give any advice or encourage their boxer during the bout. If they violate the rule, the referee will warn, caution, or dismiss them from their duties.

so they will fight at empty stadiums if that enforced ...Lumpinee will be like the old days of football when games played behind closed doors!

This is applicable in amateur boxing and I remember that one of my trainers was banned from cornering for a period (not sure how long for).
But for MT I have seen GM Sken almost in with the fighter at the Reebok

I'm just interested in the different views and if things are changing with the cross over between differing combat sports or how differnt is it in Muay Thai as compared to Kickboxing, Boxing or MMA. How much is just the "culture" of that particular sport and therefore acceptable. And especially thoughts from thoes who are there to uphold the rules, ie Refs. Do you tolerate quite a high level of encouragements and instruction from corners or are you firm on them. In some codes a fighter can be disqualifed from a bout because of their corners behaviour so there is an intent in the rules that it is an important issue but sometimes looks to be ignored. The general crowd and fightes team mates/family etc are different and is all part of the excitement and vibrantcy of the sport and if it gets out of hand then it is up to security to deal with. But Refs do have control over the fighter and corner team so is there a common understanding as to how much it too much? For example is denigrating the opposing fighter where you draw the line? I see one of the prime responsabilities of the corner team is to keep calm, controled and focused, rather than getting caught up in and carried along with the emotion and excitement that is a combat sport bout. Yet sometimes see some of the loudest coaching and encouraging from corners as being emotion driven rather than (in my view) good coaching.

betaboy,
That's just the way GM Sken does things. He's just very passionate about MT.

Is that ok then?

Does not look great and obscures the view of the people who have paid the most money to support the sport and fighters.

Passion is one thing, decorum is another. No other ring sport at a high level will allow that.

Correct amount of people in the corner for all, correct amount of people in the ring during rest periods, stay low so that the crowd can see more than your backside. Watch your language, and if you really want to do the job properly and professionally, dress properly.

thats the sort of thing ive said about muay thai being about who you know and as a result the sport can lack professionalism

master sken and his fighter should have been disqualified for the above

...but who wants to disqualify master sken..so it's ignored

Im very passionate about KFC but I dont jump the counter and start helping myself
;-)

its the referees dutie to keep a fair and safe playing field, with only the ref and two fighters in the ring during the bout.

In fairness to Master Sken the senior official should have done something, and the referee should have been more aware of what was going on in his ring.

Corner team conduct is far from what it should be in this country.

Depends on the show and the officials involved..

Is the ref in that photo SHAUN Boland?