The Martial Arts Thread

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Voyce

Shit Lord Supreme
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AKA this is the, "I've been practicing Martial Arts for over 8 months now and I figure I'll share it with the class now thread."


I've been doing Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu for about 8 months, as well as a stand up kickboxing hybrid that I recently converted to pure Muay Thai.

Did a NAGA tournament back at the end of August went No Gi, came in second in my division 170-179 weight class about 4 competitors so eh.

I find that when it comes to Jiu-Jitsu I've really developed a rhythm where I can't get worn out, recently I had a 6'6 dude go knee on belly and completely wreck my adrenaline, extremely painful to your abs when you got a 260 lbs dude sticking his knee into you. However energy wise I never get tired when rolling anymore 5, 10, 15 minutes - shit an hour and 30 minutes of non stop rolling and I'm fine.

I'm having trouble adapting to the Muay Thai, I'm not used to the purist type of style my new teacher trains, he's all about techniques that are bit unique to me. Some fierce strikes, I was doing pad work with him, I know he wasn't going full force but his knees were very intimidating to me, I never felt such a powerful impact through padding.

Been using thesePage Title - Ironmindfor my grip strength with BJJ, at 167 lbs right now. Some days I find it really hard to get a good grip around them, other days I can do 10-15 reps on either hand.


Anyway this is pretty much my main hobby pastime now, I'm not much of a gamer anymore, figure if anyone wants to talk about it. I spend a lot of time looking up resources and watching videos on technique can share for those that are interested.
 

Sterling

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I started doing Taekwondo and Hapkido in the early 90s and have gone back to that later on after my military service time and have about 10ish years total involved in it. Never really got into tournaments or any of that stuff in general, was always much more a traditionalist I guess when it came to this sort of thing. We had one of these threads back on FoH I recall some years ago. I'll say again what I said there. The specific art isn't nearly as important as finding quality instructors to train with.
 

Grimmlokk

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Should see if the Amod thread will get this thread re-titled to "The Traditional Martial Arts Thread".

So as a total non-martial artist I have 2 questions specifically for Sterling:

1: How does it feel having TKD turned in to a joke by McDojos? And generally having it's weaknesses exposed by MMA? Just the way traditional TKD leaves so many openings to be exploited,

2: How does it feel having TKD'sstrengthsfinally get integrated and shown on the big stage of MMA? Not only with a guy like Bendo having the belt for a long time. Just with the fairly recent trend of more and more guys using the flashy kicks to devastating effect?

I mean, seriously, all the recent spin kick KO's and shit have got to feel amazing=P

These questions are of course assuming you watch MMA.
 

Sterling

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Should see if the Amod thread will get this thread re-titled to "The Traditional Martial Arts Thread".

So as a total non-martial artist I have 2 questions specifically for Sterling:

1: How does it feel having TKD turned in to a joke by McDojos? And generally having it's weaknesses exposed by MMA? Just the way traditional TKD leaves so many openings to be exploited,

2: How does it feel having TKD'sstrengthsfinally get integrated and shown on the big stage of MMA? Not only with a guy like Bendo having the belt for a long time. Just with the fairly recent trend of more and more guys using the flashy kicks to devastating effect?

I mean, seriously, all the recent spin kick KO's and shit have got to feel amazing=P

These questions are of course assuming you watch MMA.
1. For the first part, this happens with anything that becomes popular. It's happening right now with Jujitsu and MMA in general now, with lots of random generally low quality schools sprouting up everywhere. As for the 2nd part of this I think that it's not just TKD purists that have this issue, but anyone that's trained in a narrow subset of skills and lacking exposure to the variety of skills needed to be successful in MMA.
2. It's impressive and going back to what was said earlier Bendo has a TKD background but his current skillset is much deeper than that.

I watch some MMA though not nearly as regulary as I used to. I've trained with and helped train some low level pro MMA fighters and it's pretty fantastic in general. Would like to see high level MMA continue to grow and hopefully it can start luring a higher number of the truly elite athletes into the sport.
 

Captain Suave

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However energy wise I never get tired when rolling anymore 5, 10, 15 minutes - shit an hour and 30 minutes of non stop rolling and I'm fine.
You and/or your partners aren't pushing very hard, then. Even world champion level competitors can burn themselves out in 10 minutes in a tough match.

Have you competed? I'd be curious to hear your experience with how strenuous that is as opposed to sparring in your gym.
 

Voyce

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You and/or your partners aren't pushing very hard, then. Even world champion level competitors can burn themselves out in 10 minutes in a tough match.

Have you competed? I'd be curious to hear your experience with how strenuous that is as opposed to sparring in your gym.
Yeah it's different in competition and I couldn't give you a valid reason why, because I've had way more aggressive rounds on my Academie's mat. I imagine there's an unqualified amount of stress, but I did find myself a lot more spent after my first round in the tournament I spoke of, when it came to the second round I found I hadn't the time to recompose, which surprised myself because the last round had gone on for the full 5 minutes but I dominated the whole first round and it didn't stress my body as much, or it shouldn't have compared to what I was used to.

I'll add that as long as I can go at my own pace I don't get worn down, when my Professor has me do timed live drills (takedown, to passing, to submission) in 30 seconds, that tears me up something fierce because then its pure explosive energy...explosive energy is really good for establishing a take down or going to finish a submission, but most rolling (especially with the Gi) goes a lot slower, wrestlers like to for example explode for that take down, which is excellent position but you have to be able to finish your guy after that, I try to avoid using to many explosive tactics a bit from laziness and a bit because I know it can spell my ruin, also you're right I don't want to go to hard on somebody, some people are into very light rolling especially on the 4th or 5th day. It is certainly important to develop the explosive energy, but you've got to finish with that same energy. Especially if your coming into grappling being used to only having to pin someone to his back. Also I should take into account tournaments aren't the same as MMA, when you're getting punched and kicked things are more frantic (sports Jiu Jitsu vs Self Defense Jiu Jitsu)


I started doing Taekwondo and Hapkido in the early 90s and have gone back to that later on after my military service time and have about 10ish years total involved in it. Never really got into tournaments or any of that stuff in general, was always much more a traditionalist I guess when it came to this sort of thing. We had one of these threads back on FoH I recall some years ago. I'll say again what I said there. The specific art isn't nearly as important as finding quality instructors to train with.
My Cousin is a third, or I think might have been promoted to fourth Dan in TKD, he's been practicing his entire life with his father who's owned multiple academies, trained in South Korea etc. He's pretty adamant that could he rewind time he'd have sought a BJJ instructor (which probably would have been a bit harder at the time - not sure when Renzo opened up in the city), I would say the explosion of MMA (and not to mention his wife is Brazilian - although he'd do just as well with Japanese Ju Jitsu, Judo, or sambo imo) definitely contributed to his feelings. having said that he does still teach TKD. Myself never took it, don't have a real solid basis to lay down a true judgment but as a kid I never really bought into Karate or TKD or any of the stand up that came from Asia...I mean I knew Sagat practiced Muay Thai but I didn't appreciate that it was Prizefighting except with brutal elbows, knees, and head kicks, the UFC certainly enlightened me to that.

The specific art isn't nearly as important as finding quality instructors to train with.
Absolutely agree with you, the first six months I had an awful instructor, unbelievable ego, terrible shape, got angry for having to instruct a move more than once, didn't even show up to the tournament that he demanded I compete in, would ask for monthly pay 2 weeks in advance, walked out of teaching just to type on his cell phone right in the middle of teaching. One minute on the web and even worse stuff than I'd seen was mentioned about him. However the place was close, it was less expensive and he had other excellent instructors as well as students.

After he didn't show up for my tournament, and there was no one in my corner to give me advice in the final round...well I knew I was leaving before that. When his idea of conditioning me for the tournament was to have me go through a gauntlet with 3 other guys for two hours straight 1 of which was a 300 lbs that had start mounted, over and over while he walked out of class and typed on his cell phone.

Guy I'm with now is a student of Renzo's, super friendly, totally dedicated to his students, I had trained with him a week before the tournament because I was planning on finding a new guy, he saw me before I could even recognize him at the tournament (over a thousand people, place was packed) called me by name, came up shook my hand and congratulated me after seeing my medal.One class, and this dude had easily 10-15 times (not hyperbole) the students of my old teacher and he recognized me! I was sold on his school after that, moved 30 minutes to be closer (it happened to be closer to my job at the time and I'd been looking to move anyway) and been there two months, finally got a stripe on my belt (apparently my old professor was to cheap to buy some athletic tape), not that the belt matters to me, it's always been about the technique, conditioning, and attitude.


Should see if the Amod thread will get this thread re-titled to "The Traditional Martial Arts Thread".
Doesn't seem necessary, any type of fighting you can call a Martial Art, maybe change it to Martial Arts, Prizefighting, Military/LED self defense thread. Should be all encompassing though,
I would totally want to hear boxers and hybrid styles contribute.
 

Grumpus

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I have been doing Brazilian Jiu Jitsu for about 4-5 years now, 2 stripe blue belt. I teach 3 nights a week in a small affiliate club in a small town. My coach actually just got his black belt two days ago. Pretty damn pumped right now about it all.

I do muay thai as well but not as seriously. I do BJJ 6 days a week and muay thai maybe twice a week.
 

Grumpus

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Been using thesePage Title - Ironmindfor my grip strength with BJJ, at 167 lbs right now. Some days I find it really hard to get a good grip around them, other days I can do 10-15 reps on either hand.
Just use one of these

mSndbEGy6jAENAMcOlYptHQ.jpg


Any squishy foam ball from a dollar store will do. I started using one about 6 months ago and my grips have improved 10 fold.

What I do it squeeze open and closed fast until my forearms get a good pump then I squeeze and close for rounds. Its more natural for the grip endurance you need for BJJ and more mimics the grip fatigue you will get when competeing.

I do these exercises while I am standing around at work or sitting watching TV or whatever.
 

Hoss

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This seems like a good place to get into a fight. Hope I remember to check back often.

I do Shorin Ryu (okinawan karate) as my primary martial art. I just started doing tai chi too, but that's mostly because the wife wanted an activity for us to do together.

For strengthening our grip, what we use (other than some sanchin kata) is a bucket of corn. Put your hand into the corn and open and close it till you feel the burn. I think you can also use buckets of pebbles and sand the same way, though I can't recall off the top of my head if I ever did. Seems like it was really hard to get my hand all the way into those buckets.
 

Voyce

Shit Lord Supreme
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Just use one of these

mSndbEGy6jAENAMcOlYptHQ.jpg


Any squishy foam ball from a dollar store will do. I started using one about 6 months ago and my grips have improved 10 fold.

What I do it squeeze open and closed fast until my forearms get a good pump then I squeeze and close for rounds. Its more natural for the grip endurance you need for BJJ and more mimics the grip fatigue you will get when competeing.

I do these exercises while I am standing around at work or sitting watching TV or whatever.
I'll look into that, I usually take my COC to work and try a couple repetitions a day. I'm kind of the same way with the Muay Thai at the moment, I want to get into it but it's going to be a steep learning curve to get into the subtleties.

Any preferred Gi brands? I've got two Keiko Racas I'm very happy with, ordered them in A3. I'm 5'10'' and heard that they shrunk a lot and I was able to get them fitting fairly comfortable after a couple of hot runs in the wash.

I really want another tournament but I don't want to drive down to the city for one, especially after doing a no water cycle just to weigh in.
 

Grumpus

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I have a Shoyoroll, Vulkan, and a Fushida. Buy a Fushida.

My Shoyoroll is my favorite gi but they are expencive and hard to get a hold of. My Fushida is like 2 years old, I wear it 3-4 times a week, wash and tumble dry it 3-4 times a week and its still like brand new. Its built like a tank but not to heavy. Fit is great, 0 shrinkage after the initial first wash and dry. Best bang for your buck imo. Awesome customer service as well. They do custom sizing to.

Keiko's shrink like a mother fucker
 

zombiewizardhawk

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Question since I want to start with Muay Thai and Jiu Jitsu in the near future. What kind of shape were you in when you started and would physical condition when starting make much of an impact on the training? Debating if I should spend 3-6 months just focusing on bulking up/getting in to shape in general/flexibility and then look in to the martial arts training or just do it all simultaneously.
 

Sterling

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High fitness level certainly helps. Depends on what you want to get out of it I guess. I wouldn't say that you absolutely need to get in shape before starting, but would recommend doing some work outside of classes on fitness/flexibility.
 

McQueen

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One of the better school's in my area has specific conditioning related classes as part of the curriculum, so that might be something for you to consider looking into.
 

Grumpus

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Question since I want to start with Muay Thai and Jiu Jitsu in the near future. What kind of shape were you in when you started and would physical condition when starting make much of an impact on the training? Debating if I should spend 3-6 months just focusing on bulking up/getting in to shape in general/flexibility and then look in to the martial arts training or just do it all simultaneously.
The hardest part is just showing up to your first class, just got. Getting fit to get fit is retarded.

I was a wheezy asthmatic fat piece of shit when I started. If anything it helps force you to use decent technique.

Don't be a pussy, just go.
 

Voyce

Shit Lord Supreme
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Question since I want to start with Muay Thai and Jiu Jitsu in the near future. What kind of shape were you in when you started and would physical condition when starting make much of an impact on the training? Debating if I should spend 3-6 months just focusing on bulking up/getting in to shape in general/flexibility and then look in to the martial arts training or just do it all simultaneously.
The hardest part is just showing up to your first class, just got. Getting fit to get fit is retarded.

I was a wheezy asthmatic fat piece of shit when I started. If anything it helps force you to use decent technique.

Don't be a pussy, just go.
What Grumpus said, there's no reason to condition yourself beforehand, you join the school to get conditioned.

Myself I was in pretty solid shape, I'd been working with the Army to potentially enter OCS School at the time, things didn't work out and I really missed the "boot Camp" style of training I had so I went to this recently opened Gym that offered Boot Camp workouts, happened that other side of the gym was run by another guy who was doing MMA training, ended up signing with them, got hooked. The first few months even in good shape, it was quite intense on the body, it's a different type of conditioning. Going to the gym and doing benches/ cardio simply won't prepare you. It'll help sure, but why the heck not just go and work on conditioning with your instructor.

Keiko's shrink like a mother fucker
Yeah they do.
 

zombiewizardhawk

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Only reason I was asking is because, as some of you know, i'm not the biggest guy around and I find that people tend to assume i'm incapable of lifting objects that weigh more than 6 ounces/etc. so dunno if they'd just laugh me out of there, in a sense.
 

Sterling

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You'll be fine. You'll struggle at first but everyone does. Being in good general fitness helps, but you'll condition very specifically for whatever art you're training. You can always adjunct whatever you're doing at the gym with some general fitness, strength, flexibility or whatever it is you need outside of class as well. Like someone said earlier, the toughest part is going the first time. Also like anything else that's demanding physically, don't worry about being sore/wrecked for awhile, that's just how it goes at first.