Hey MMA Guys

[ESmorz]

Alright so I've been going it over in my head and I've decided I want to start getting into MMA. I've been into it for years and have friends who have done it but they were never any good really and aren't much help haha.

I know there are a few of you on here who are pretty serious about the stuff. I'm in fairly good shape. Single digit body fat no problem with stamina so far. Kinda lanky because I'm 6'4 and was blessed with the appendages of Lamar Odom so I don't look very big because I have long muscle.

Anywho, what would you suggest doing first. In terms of regimens or work outs to start before I go to train. I would like to get a little bigger and in a little better shape before I start.

Also, what is the best way to find a gym to train at and what to look for and so on and so forth. Any recommendations in So-Cal?

Any advice for a beginner is welcome.

[TiNMAN]

eat hella carbs to gain



(?)

[ALTRNTV]

I've always wanted to know this myself, well, not
full MMA, maybe just kickboxing.

I'm 5'7", 155lbs with 10% body fat. Been working out
recently and seeing results, and trying to lose some of
that baby fat. ;)

I just want something to keep me busy and fit/healthy.

[ESmorz]

I've always wanted to know this myself, well, not
full MMA, maybe just kickboxing.

Yeah.

I don't want to fight competitively I just think It'd be good to have a hobby that involves more physical commitment than working on cars and drumming.

[BOROSUN]

any background of tma/ma/wrestling etc?
any strengths?

theres lots of gym in socal :
chute boxe
elite mma bas gym
braziltopteam
team quest
legends mma
i'm not from socal but, those are well known gyms...it gets pricey too.



^^^editO
if its justs a hobby just stick to a kickboxing/muaythai gym that should work you out...

[ESmorz]

any background of tma/ma/wrestling etc?
any strengths?

theres lots of gym in socal :
chute boxe
elite mma bas gym
braziltopteam
team quest
legends mma
i'm not from socal but, those are well known gyms...it gets pricey too.

Well I was a National Champion in Karate and Okinawan Weapons but that shit doesn't translate at all to this kind of stuff lol

Strengths... I don't get winded easily, long reach, pretty athletic, good center of balance for a tall guy... clarify that?

[BOROSUN]

hey, lots of mma guys started from tma... great ones too.



strengths i mean like striking/wrestling/grappling.

example me...umm im decent striking and okay with wrestling. my boxing is good i have
unorthodox stances and footwork.

[ESmorz]

hey, lots of mma guys started from tma... great ones too.



strengths i mean like striking/wrestling/grappling.

example me...umm im decent striking and okay with wrestling. my boxing is good i have
unorthodox stances and footwork.

Striking is definitely my strong suit. Long arms, good power, and pretty quick.

Mostly anyone else I know who is into it, is a wrestler and they always just take it to the ground game.

Thats no fun when you arent skilled in it haha.

[qwikspool]

my co-worker use to go to this mma class here in oceanside (i think in oceanside). i can ask him where it is. he was inviting me once but didnt go, i think its $80 a month. its a very intensive training.

[ALTRNTV]

I want to be able to beat Chuck Norris.

[g6civcx]

From a strictly technical perspective, I started with Thai and freestyle kickboxing. I then picked up submission wrestling and started gi jiu-jitsu.

My biggest weakness is like Jeremy Horn said in one of his interviews. Anybody with an ounce of Greco-Roman wrestling in them is going to end up on top.

As far as conditioning goes, it really doesn't matter. Just work on your technique first.

When you are new and just started training, I would say that your first year of training will be very impressionable.

I suggest cross training with Thai boxing, jiu-jitsu, and Greco-Roman wrestling, and perhaps even some Judo. A good gym should be able to put together a program like that for you.

When you train like that, you will start seeing the strengths and weaknesses of each style in an MMA/NHB environment.

You're really tall and should have good leverage and mechanical advantage. Make the best of it and train wisely.

[ZenkiKid]

Alliance, City Boxing, Undisputed, and Xtreme Couture.. look into em.

[DUFFM4N]

with all the AFFLICTION, TAPOUT and SULLEN clothing stickers i see out in the 909...there HAS to be a gym in that area :jerkit:

[UfoZ8myCow]

City Boxing and Legends are the best gyms in SoCal.

If you wanna do it just for fun, take a class at one of those places. I guarantee you though if you are a competitive person, once you start sparring with people you will get bit by the bug and want to start actually competing.

I was a Hapkido black belt way before I ever started training/competing in MMA, you say Karate wont translate to MMA? So wrong... It brings a whole new dimension to fighting that most fighters arent used to seeing (ie you can do more than just stand up and box and throw a leg kick once in a while- some people's definition of good "stand up").

[MikeisNissan]

First and most important, the mind.

[azndoc]

Mind over matter, if you don't mind then it don't matter.

Done and done.

[g6civcx]

Mind over matter, if you don't mind then it don't matter.

Done and done.

That's some funny bullsh*t right there :)

There is more to stand-up but I think people are so scared of the takedown that they don't let their strikes go.

I think if you have good wrestling and jiu jitsu, you wouldn't mind the takedown at all and would be able to throw more.

Unfortunately most guys who are good at wrestling and submission suck at striking.

[downshift_sideways]

That's some funny bullsh*t right there :)

There is more to stand-up but I think people are so scared of the takedown that they don't let their strikes go.

I think if you have good wrestling and jiu jitsu, you wouldn't mind the takedown at all and would be able to throw more.

Unfortunately most guys who are good at wrestling and submission suck at striking.

You'd be suprised how easy it is to fight a take down.

I've been in plenty of fights on the street. It's all about body control, and shifting your weight.

Nice post jack :keke:

[g6civcx]

You'd be suprised how easy it is to fight a take down.

I've been in plenty of fights on the street. It's all about body control, and shifting your weight.

People can use strength to overcome technique if they're strong. I'd rather go down at my pace than being slammed.

My favourite fighter in the guard position if Frank Mir. He has some really weird and cool submissions.

[powersteeringless180sx]

6'4? how the hell do you fit into a 240? Anyway have you tried googling for any gyms around your area? There's hendo's gym in murrieta Team Quest.

I've been wanting to take jiu jitsu or muay thai but i've been lagging on looking for a good gym in Orange County.

[azndoc]

Yeah not my line.

Just something that's been pushed into my head from the MC days.

Kinda like

Pain is weakness leaving the body.

[emersonLP]

I started taking muay thai because I was sick of the regular gym. Lifting weights just bored me and I never could stick with a program for more than a month or 2.

I started taking muay thai classes back in early February I think and I love it, I average 2-3 times a week and I would definitely go even more often except it takes me too long to get there everyday.

I am in the best shape I have ever been in too.

[Fat Felix]

Less talking, more doing.

google gyms in your hood, call them up and tell them you're interested in training, and most places offer a free first class. Try out all the gyms in your area and choose from there.

909 area, I recommend Millenia. Total MMA pacakge there with a huuuge facility.

Millenia is too far of a drive for me, so I do Muay Thai at Sityodtong in Pasadena. Best Muay Thai gym around, real legit, and real authentic. The most recent amatuer Muay Thai fight that was held in N. Hollywood had one of our fighters beat a dude from Legends ;)

[sxe]

to fight competitively you gotta learn ground, and stand-up

Brazilian jujitsu would be a good start.

i did it for a few years. it was amazing. the knowledge i learned in there kept me from getting my ass beat numerous times...

[Mi Beardo es Loco]

I would fully recommend hardcore cardio and wrestling. A good place to start off is team quest in temecula. right over there by the temecula mall. The place is hella nice and the trainers are great. They all have fought in UFC at one point or another.

[Enjin]

find a good school.

don't worry about physical training before you start... trust me... it won't help for shit. the type of workout you get while doing any sort of fighting is ridiculous... so no need to get in shape before you do it... do it concurrently.

my advice is train standup only for a while, and then train ground fighting for a while. while you are training, start thinking about the weaknesses that the style has and how you could properly blend them using mma.

then train mma.

good luck, have fun, be a man about it :-P

[ESmorz]

6'4? how the hell do you fit into a 240?

Seat back all the way, and speed bumps kill? :keke:

As for goggling gyms, I already did that. I just wanted some guys personal experience on the matter.

[firm tofu]

Alliance, City Boxing, Undisputed, and Xtreme Couture.. look into em.


city is cool and legends is good also! but stay away from undisputed, they still have problems with staph infection.

[ESmorz]

Eeew I think I'll give quest a call. Since that seems to be the closest.

[BOROSUN]

Unfortunately most guys who are good at wrestling and submission suck at striking.


not really most but, some...look at kid or bj.

some guys just really suck at striking. like andy wang. oops mac :keke:

[MikeisNissan]

you wanna fly to MD and grapple me for fun?

[mRclARK1]

Not really into MMA or sport fighting myself.

Krav Maga - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krav_Maga)

[BOROSUN]

i saw kravmaga on human weapon. its ummm its good.

any great street self defence school that teaches strictly street tatic self defence

can teach you the same thing including some kravmaga. they prepare you physically and especially mentally.

[bunnathp]

learn muay thai and BJJ =)
its going to take a long time to master the techniques of brazilian jiu jitsu. and also to get used to the harshness of muay thai.
if youre in so-cal. check out OC Muay Thai. their training is more legit then those places that just tell you to kick shit and punch shit and not teach you how to do it. theyre in santa ana. iono where you are though.
hope i helped. =D
i did alot of research of places in person i kinda got started but i now have no time. good luck!

[mRclARK1]

i saw kravmaga on human weapon. its ummm its good.

any great street self defence school that teaches strictly street tatic self defence

can teach you the same thing including some kravmaga. they prepare you physically and especially mentally.

Fighting for sport and fighting to survive are two different things. Krav Maga and systems like it are for the latter. Not saying typical MMA forms like Muay Thai etc. will leave you defenseless by any means, but this is a step further.

[BOROSUN]

what?

all i said was any street tatic self defence school can teach you the same thing as
kravmaga including some kravmaga. even good TMA schools will teach it. similar to sambo/systema and sanshou both combative systems.

i should include also eskrima because it is evolving.

i know the difference i was preaching about it way back on the mma thread.

[mRclARK1]

what?

all i said was any street tatic self defence school can teach you the same thing as
kravmaga including some kravmaga. even good TMA schools will teach it. similar to sambo/systema and sanshou both combative systems.

i should include also eskrima because it is evolving.

i know the difference i was preaching about it way back on the mma thread.

I know. I was agreeing with you. All I was saying is someone who focuses on ring fighting, MMA sports etc. isn't dealing with what the primary focus of self defense systems such as krav maga or systema is. I do have to say though (first admitting I have very limited experience in this area) I have yet to come across a TMA school that would even consider teaching anything like Krav Maga or other modern hybrid forms.

I would say eskrima is one of the best systems for learning to use and defend against weapons IMHO.

I actually haven't even bothered to open the MMA thread. *shrug lol ... So my apologies. I wasn't thinking you didn't know the difference. I was more just trying to reinforce what you said. :)

[g6civcx]

All I was saying is someone who focuses on ring fighting, MMA sports etc. isn't dealing with what the primary focus of self defense systems such as krav maga or systema is.

Your argument is valid for some organizations while not valid for others. Brazilian vale tudo is fought much differently than UFC.

"ring fighting" is much more than just what we get to see in the USA.

Please don't kill me :)


Back on topic again. If I were 14 again I would definitely do Greco-Roman wrestling above all. Striking and jiu-jitsu are easy to learn, but wrestling and condtioning are not easy to pick up.

[BOROSUN]

hehehe... ummm sorry to burst your bubbles.

submission (catch) wrestling vs greco wraslting

just watch
part 1 "hello"
YouTube - Frank Shamrock Vs. Dan Henderson pt. 1 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g2rF9Jbl5mM)

part 2 "let's rumble"
YouTube - Frank Shamrock Vs. Dan Henderson pt. 2 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JegpMK2jbJU)

part 3 "the big shocka"
YouTube - Frank Shamrock Vs. Dan Henderson pt. 3 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6eNTcsA1e4)

part 4 "the big disappointment"
YouTube - Frank Shamrock Vs. Dan Henderson pt. 4 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXBEEqpmcoM)






in the end its really what works for you.

[g6civcx]

submission (catch) wrestling vs greco wraslting

in the end its really what works for you.

What point are you trying to show with these videos? Is your point that style doesn't matter?

[mRclARK1]

Your argument is valid for some organizations while not valid for others. Brazilian vale tudo is fought much differently than UFC.

"ring fighting" is much more than just what we get to see in the USA.

Please don't kill me :)


Back on topic again. If I were 14 again I would definitely do Greco-Roman wrestling above all. Striking and jiu-jitsu are easy to learn, but wrestling and condtioning are not easy to pick up.

I completely agree with you 100%. Most of the time when I refer to ring fighting you can basically assume things like UFC and what we mainly see here on TV. What I find is something lots of people, both trained and untrained, don't seem to grasp is the huge difference between a fight with rules, and one without, which is in effect combat. Seems like most in this thread are well aware of the difference however. lol

I hear you on that last point. haha... If there is one thing I wish I was better at... It would be wrestling and ground fighting. I'm just usually at a disadvantage on the ground being I've never really taken any wrestling and my build isn't the most suited to it. Fortunately my stand up is not lacking, and I'm not easy to take down by any means as I'm pretty damn quick... especially getting back up to my feet if I am knocked down... Cause I know I'm in trouble there. :p haha. A friend of mine is a very accomplished wrestler, I only wish he lived near by so I could get him to teach me a bit.

BOROSUN is very correct too. Whatever works for you is where you should focus your training, while not ignoring your weaknesses at the same time. For me, I'm naturally very quick and agile on my feet, so striking and having a very good stand up is my best defense.

[BOROSUN]

no, just to show you a bad ass grappling/wrestling match. do you work you upper strength much? whatever works for your needs




i think striking is the hardest art to learn. beside propper technique there is reflex/timing/adapting, faints/fakes, speed/accuracy, countering/blocking, and especially footwork/range. i'm sure i leftout some, but those all have to click all at once.

[happy408]

no, just to show you a bad ass grappling/wrestling match. do you work you upper strength much? whatever works for your needs




i think striking is the hardest art to learn. beside propper technique there is reflex/timing/adapting, faints/fakes, speed/accuracy, countering/blocking, and especially footwork/range. i'm sure i leftout some, but those all have to click all at once.

i think striking is fairly easy to take in. you learn the technique step by step until it becomes more of muscle memory and for every strike you learn a counter for it. they all do have to click at once but practice makes perfect.

since your looking into mma you should work on stand up striking and ground work at the same time to kinda even things out and after a while youll find out which suits your style more...just my 2 cents

[Fat Felix]

no, just to show you a bad ass grappling/wrestling match. do you work you upper strength much? whatever works for your needs



why upper strength? I find core strength way more useful.



Also, if I were an aspiring mma fighter, I'd work way harder on my stand up game (not saying neglect ground work) because knocking people out make you way more exciting to watch and thus attract sponsorship (aka money) a lot easier.

[ESmorz]

I'm not an aspiring mma fighter.

I just think it would be one of the most beneficial ways to work out, now that I am out of high school. Learning how to better fight and getting in peak physical condition is really win win.

[BOROSUN]

wow you guys must be champions. since striking is so easy.
dieslenoi, hoost and masato watchout!!!!

i cant forget about samart.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_L03D5fcyzc


i said upper strength because greco uses alot of upper strength.

[g6civcx]

wow you guys must be champions. since striking is so easy.

For me, striking is easier to learn than wrestling. Wrestling is so physically grueling that it's hard to do well.

Striking focuses on grace whereas I feel that wrestling focuses more on strength.

Your argument is not valid. Just because A is easier than B, that doesn't mean that I am the best person on earth at A. It just means that it's easier to learn A than B.

i said upper strength because greco uses alot of upper strength.

I will agree there. Upper body strength implies core strength.

I have good core strength from bjj, but I have weak upper body. I need to work more on it.

[Unholy S14]

so cal is a great place to find a gym

MMA Teams and Gyms in California (http://www.mmacalifornia.net/teams.html)

I practice under Team Gurgel.

[happy408]

wow you guys must be champions. since striking is so easy.
dieslenoi, hoost and masato watchout!!!!

i cant forget about samart.
YouTube - Samart Payakaroon (Muay Thai highlight) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_L03D5fcyzc)


i said upper strength because greco uses alot of upper strength.

im not saying that striking is easy i meant that learning the basics is pretty easy to learn because you start out learning how to do simple jabs and crosses and when you learn how to jab and cross you learn how to slip and parry. im not sayin im the best striker im just saying that learning the basic techniques is easy to learn if you're looking to get into stand up striking you just have to practice all the basic striking to get it down.

[powersteeringless180sx]

so did you check out team quest yet?

[MikeisNissan]

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f12/S14Kouki240sx/determination5ij-1.jpg

[Mi Beardo es Loco]

so did you check out team quest yet?
yeah. trained there for about 3 months.

[ESmorz]

so did you check out team quest yet?

:aw:

I'm not going to go until I have my car ready for the track and find a job though.

Time management.