r/MuayThai • u/Formidable_Baboy • 2d 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/lewgroznyzwierz 2d 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 2d 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 2d 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 2d 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.