Nerds In MMA

[Mighty Jalapeno]

G'day, y'all.

I thought it might be time for a proper MMA thread here in the Fit Club.

I am now a proper member of the Mixed Martial Arts Association of British Columbia, which, at the moment, doesn't mean MUCH, but it has proven to be a big boost to my ego, as well as my desire to train. When I eventually score a Class C fight, I will undoubtedly still be a superheavyweight, simply because even when I drop some weight and gain some muscle, I'm going to be enormous (6'4", broad shoulders, big frame). Bone-thin, I'm going to be 200 lbs, and I'm never going to be bone-thin. That's a little terrifying, but at the same time very exciting!

Is anyone else here actually interested in professional (semi-pro, amateur, or just bucket-list) MMA fighting?

[Nath]

Awesome; keep us posted on your progress.

I grapple, so I have a casual interest in MMA. I don't strike, so I haven't competed in MMA, but some of my training partners have.

What does your training protocol look like?

[Mighty Jalapeno]

Right now: dieting, Big Three lifting, and running. I have a ways to go to get back into real fighting trim. Making a punching bag right now to hang off the spar on the kids' swingset. I am a striker, definitely, and really need to work on my grappling.

[AngrySquirrel]

I love MMA. Unfortunately my back is ruined so I can't practice grappling too much or compete, but it's definitely one of the more fun forms of exercise I know of. I'm really tiny so I prefer not to get too close to my opponent, but just knowing what to do when in a grappling situation and practicing holds is something I really love.

Have you encountered any of the community yet? I have this notion that MMA-people have a somewhat unfairly bad rep, but I'm unsure if that's just something that's the case around here.

Also, what's your plan for training grappling? Have you got someone to practice with?

[Mighty Jalapeno]

I've met two professional fighters: one is super-nice, one is a bag of cocks. My sample size is insufficient.

There are a couple of JJ/BJJ dojos in town which I will definitely take advantage of when I make it those last forty pounds, and I have been trying to find a sparring partner for months now, with no success. I have done a lot of grappling in my original training, but... I always thought it was dumb. Why train for this, when I can just kick the guy BEFORE he grabs me? Of course, now I know better and wish I had been a better pupil.

[Choboman]

Congrats on your new hobby. Love sparring and MT, but don't do much of it any more. Tell us more, and inspire me to get off my lazy butt and go back!

[Nath]

Have you encountered any of the community yet? I have this notion that MMA-people have a somewhat unfairly bad rep, but I'm unsure if that's just something that's the case around here.

Nearly all the fighters and coaches I've met have been good folks. The fanbase, however, tends to include some not-so-awesome folks.

[Izawwlgood]

Nearly all the fighters and coaches I've met have been good folks. The fanbase, however, tends to include some not-so-awesome folks.

That's a pretty solid summation of martial arts in general I'd say.

I think that's awesome MJ, good luck kicking ass and taking names. Post a video, doubly so if it's of you getting knocked out and doing something funny.

I haven't sparred since undergrad, but I used to grapple a bunch. I loved it, the last time I went up against someone he did some kind of flying spinning arm bar that started at my hip, went up my back, spun his crotch over my shoulders and ended with me face first on the mat with my arm bent up and behind me. I was having trouble tapping because I was laughing and wincing so hard.

Never strike (never heard that term, but I assume it means throwing punches or kicks?), but I'd be really curious to try.

[madd0ct0r]

laughing and wincing - defination of a good traning session.

Is it worth looking into MMA if you've only ever done pure -fu before?

I'm currently a beginner at vietnamese shaolin (i think, the master doesn't bother with belts), but I'm going to be moving soon and looking for a new thing to pick up.

[Mighty Jalapeno]

Striking - yeah, punches and kicks. AKA, "stand up and bang". Not as naughty as it sounds.

Not much to tell right now! I've gotten sick of dreaming and saying 'someday', and properly registered with the regulating association for MMA in my province. I took the first step. 9001 to go, but the first one is DOWN. Looking at the leagues available (WarPath, Armageddon, QFG) and seeing how many events happen around BC that I never even knew about has been a big inspiration, along with seeing some recaps of fights and thinking to myself honestly "Man, back when I was training... I could really have taken that guy. He has no defense. Cripes, anything on that guy's left gets through. Why does no-one THRUST KICK? Augh, you guys!" I know how good I used to be, and I know how much I suck now. Seeing that difference is a constant reminder of what I had, and what I threw away.

[Purky]

Good luck with this MJ.

I started at a local MMA gym about 10 weeks ago, began with MMA and BJJ sessions. Now I'm just hooked on BJJ, it is a really fun art and takes a lot of mental effort as each move has a counter and then there is a counter to each counter, it really is like a game of chess on the floor and the really good guys are thinking 4-5 moves ahead.
The stand-up work also really helps shift weight too, all in all, if nothing else, it is a fun and interesting workout

[madd0ct0r]

What's BJJ - British Ju-Jitsu?

[AngrySquirrel]

What's BJJ - British Ju-Jitsu?

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

[Mighty Jalapeno]

I was going to link him to www.hereletmegooglethatforyou.com, but your answer was much more polite. Thanks

[madd0ct0r]

heh, although as LMGTFY gives me DNS errors the snark would have been secondary.

I did practice ju-jitsu a long time back, but I've forgetten nearly all of beyond the elementary throws and pins, and a single kata I converted for the dance floor.

In the early 1990s, practitioners of grappling based styles such as Brazilian jiu-jitsu dominated competition in the United States. Practitioners of striking based arts such as boxing, kickboxing, and karate who were unfamiliar with submission grappling proved to be unprepared to deal with its submission techniques.[30][31][32][33][34] This increase of cross-training resulted in fighters becoming increasingly multi-dimensional and well-rounded in their skills.
The new hybridization of fighting styles can be seen in the technique of "ground and pound" developed by wrestling based UFC pioneers such as Dan Severn, Don Frye and Mark Coleman. These wrestlers realized the need for the incorporation of strikes on the ground as well as on the feet and incorporated ground striking into their grappling based styles. Mark Coleman stated at UFC 14 his strategy was to "Ground him and pound him" which may be the first televised use of the term ground and pound.
Since the late 1990s, both strikers and grapplers have been successful at MMA though it is rare to see any fighter who is not schooled in both striking and grappling arts reach the highest levels of competition.

so grappling practice is very important, but no longer enough for full competition?

[Paradigm_Arsonist]

I'm thinking of going down to my local MMA club and seeing how I get on, but as has been pointed out not all martial arts students are sensible and I don't want to repeat my old mistake of associating with dangerous morons. I've been learning Krav Maga on my own and I've done some Judo, so that might help. My main motive is to get some brutal realistic fighting experience as training in self-defence. I'm not so interested in grappling, as I gather that that's mainly a sporting thing.

[Nath]

Grappling includes throws, takedowns, pins and escapes. Judo is grappling. As martial arts go, I think this is pretty useful for self defense. (The submissions, maybe less so.)

That said, I think studying martial arts for self defense is poor use of time, since most useful self-defense is about recognizing and defusing problem situations, rather than beating people up.

[Paradigm_Arsonist]

True. Avoidance, reasoning, submission and running away usually provide a better option, especially if you learn to sprint faster than the average thug -- probably not hard. One exception would be if you're a self-defeating primitive who wants to get his frontal lobes damaged in a barfight. I'm not one of those.

I do believe that for some infrequent situations, using reasonable force as is necessary and proportionate is appropriate. But not if that means timidly blocking and attempting wrist-grabs while getting punched in the neck. I'd rather curl up into a foetal position and wait for the nasty man to go away than do that.