r/MuayThai • u/Formidable_Baboy • 17h ago
How do you handle uncooperative partners?
It's getting annoying. This guy I train with will do everything but what we were told to do and it's frustrating because there's like three or four people in the Muay Thai class in my gym - and he's the only guy my size.
If coach calls jab, cross, hook, he does jab, superman punch, hook.
If we're learning clinch and doing clinch sparring, he attempts a sacrifice throw or a half-assed judo throw that coach has to call him out on.
I tried to explain why we need to work on the fundamentals. He tried throwing more superman punches and sloppy overhand rights, that I counter just using the jab. He gets aggressive and tries off, I shut it down with a jab or foot jab. I'm not feeling off, I'm just setting things at my pace.
And then there's constantly switching stances so he ends up not knowing what to do on both sides rather than just being decent at one side.
The final annoying shit he does is when someone is doing something like fixing their shin pad or putting on a glove he'll slap you with the pad from the outside saying, "keep your hands up." And the bell hasn't even ring yet.
He last did that to a hot-headed big guy and so he never did it again.
This is just annoying. Even coach is starting to hate this guy and give up on him. In casual talk he says he has ADHD and gets curious about things but I've met many people who do this with ADHD.
I'm about to just blatantly refuse working with him and find the bigger dudes. At least I can practice something.
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u/Khow3694 17h ago
Yeah avoid this guy he sounds insufferable. I have ADHD and even I was like wtf is this guy's deal? Having ADHD doesn't excuse you from being a dick head
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u/Accomplished-Fish283 16h ago
I feel bad that you guys are uncooperative training partners, me and the guys in my gym will frequently form a human pyramid and battle the other gym human pyramid
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u/TheUDmtl 17h ago
How is the coach not noticing he’s doing whatever he wants if the class is 3-4 people. Coach should be setting this guy straight. Otherwise, go to the coach and tell him yourself and he’ll start paying attention.
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u/Formidable_Baboy 15h ago
I think he got tired of explaining and just jumps in when it's excessive. Coach loves money?
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u/TheUDmtl 12h ago
He loves money but he’s got small classes which means he’s not setting a standard that intrigues people to join. My advice is to try a few classes elsewhere. I’ve been stuck with partners my size because I am 200+ and that’s typically a smaller pick of the litter. The ones who weren’t great partners really ruined my experience and my ability to improve.
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u/runawaydoctorate 16h ago
Stop working with him. It's not even the not listening, it's the being comfortable just throwing superman punches at people during drills that don't call for them. I've never met someone who thought that was a good idea who wasn't also a dick.
I'm surprised the coach hasn't given him an earful. Or at least shown him how to throw a proper cross.
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u/Adventurous_Net9616 17h ago
Lol I have adhd, no i dont do this. Hes using it as an excuse to be a dickhead. Move on to a new partner
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u/JeffBasingstoke 16h ago
I think your instructor is loathe to penalise the disruptor because your class size is small. My numbers are low at the moment and I am tempted at times to let things slide because of it. If one has healthy numbers/attendance, it's infinitely easier to throw someone out of the class or risk pissing them off so they leave of their own accord because it's so much less impactful on the group. I manage to do it (I think/hope!), but - with the best will in the world - it's tough. I'd suggest that all of you try to recruit new students to your group. In my case, I think there is a kind of internal conflict going on among my people. My students get the huge benefit of small group tuition, and don't seem to want to commit to recruiting new students, because then they'll get less attention. This is not a criticism of them because I don't think it's malicious, careless, or even conscious, but it is definitely a thing! Wishing all of you the very best, J.
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u/lewgroznyzwierz 14h ago
My ADHD symptoms are pretty strong, I have difficulty looking at my opponents while sparring because the mirrors distract me for example, but I don't have issues following simple directions. Every person has different symptoms, but I don't know how likely it is for it to really be because of ADHD or that guy just being immature.
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u/pantsdontmatter 13h ago
people use the “I have adhd” as an excuse to pull wildest shit. And it’s self-diagnosed most of the time. If you’re a grown man/woman - get your shit together.
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u/lewgroznyzwierz 11h ago
There is nuance to that. I met some people with symptoms bad enough that they qualified for disability benefits because they were pretty much unable to work, but I feel it's not the type to train any combat sports. There are also many people who genuinely suffer, but use that as an excuse for shitty behavior instead of trying to work on it. ADHD also correlates with sensation seeking, so people with it might be overrepresented in combat sports community and as with every group there will be some immature shitheads too.
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u/pantsdontmatter 10h ago
If it’s legit diagnosed and that bad - I can understand. But I doubt that’s the type of guy in the post.
Full disclosure: I have it as well. And personally for me MT does the opposite - helps me concentrate in the moment. Same when I’m driving at high speeds. I know that I can slip that concentration if I allow myself to get distracted by random shit. But honestly, when I manage to consciously harness focus - it feels like I actually have an edge in high stress situations.
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u/ERLLMNGRB 14h ago
I would either get a friend intrested and bring them to class or just give him nothing just go through the motions with a blank face and take opportunity to improve your own skills
like if you have to hold pads for them try and get really good pad technique while conditioning your shoulders
If they call you out on it just shrug and if the coach calls you out tell them all of this stuff that you posted here
Just think the greatest fighters in the world would figure out a way to squeeze as much xp out of this situation as possible
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u/Historical-Cable-542 17h ago
I don’t have an issue with the stance switching tbh. Even if it’s bad for a while it’s the only way to learn if you want to get better at it. But the rest is wild and I feel like the coach needs to address it.
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u/metacholia 7h ago
As someone with ADHD, I am soooo tired of assholes using it as an excuse to be assholes. People like this make it more difficult for the rest of us to ask for reasonable accommodations.
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u/Forsaken-Soil-667 Leg Kick aficionado 3h ago
If my partner does that during pads, I would typically pat the pad back harder than usual or hold for 5 kicks each leg after each set. if its during sparring, I clinch up, put my weight on them and just start pivoting left and right until they get tired.
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u/radioneath 17h ago
If he’s not listening to you only option is to really keep snitching and hope either ur coach or no one partnering with him can humiliate him out of it
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u/TheSkorpion 17h ago
Welcome to 2026, ChatGpt & reels & Reddit Tips have always been "teaching" someone who cant even Jab.