If you have ever been to one of the hosted fight nights at Carlsbad Kickboxing Club, you are well aware that the sport of muay thai in terms of scoring is arguably one of the more complex to judge in global combat sports.

The United States Muay Thai Federation too believes that education is an important role and when members become educated in the sport—with understanding of the sport’s fundamentals, techniques and scoring—the quality of athletes improve.

It is for that reason, especially during our current pandemic restrictions, that the USMF has created a virtual education class that covers the history of muay thai rules, ring procedure and more.

“There are significant differences when evaluating the winner of a fight, that potentially perplexes fans, fighters and coaches who have not been formally educated in Muay thai’s unique judging criteria,” said president of Judge & Referee Commission and executive board member Stephen Strotmeyer. “Whether you are a fighter, coach, or aspire to become an official, a crucial first step is to acquire a basic understanding of scoring.”

This education in scoring is also important for those that want advance their muay thai careers on the world stage. Having a great understanding of International Federation Muay Thai Amateur standards, provides athletes and coaches an upper hand when competing for gold medals around the world, according to the USMF.

Strotmeyer adds that The USMF E-class is an educational endeavor aligned with the International Federation Muaythai Amateur standards in order to develop order to promote and expand the US muay thai community’s knowledge on the intricacies of IFMA scoring and rules. “We delve into those multi-layered attributes and how judges evaluation those when determining the fight’s winner.”