how many martial arts...

Withers · 02-15-2013, 04:50 PM

Hey guys, not sure if I'm not understanding how MMA works, or if it's just me but should I be learning/training different martial arts at the same time? The gym I go to offers: BJJ, muay thai, no-gi, and has MMA days as well. here's the schedule:

I really want to go as much as possible (like every day) but obviously that's not possible if I'm training just one art. I had my first class on Wednesday which was muay thai beginner and I absolutely loved muay thai. What should I do here? Take every single class there or just go to the muay thai classes? I don't want to overwhelm myself and move to fast, but I also want to train as much as possible, as I am very dedicated and determined on getting better. What would you guys do? Thanks so much, sorry about the long post!

fluffball · 02-15-2013, 04:53 PM

Take MT since you like it. Then take BJJ and wrestling as your schedule allows. I'd definitely take the wrestling class though because it will allow you to use your MT more effectively. Leave the MMA till you have a base to work off of.

It's not going to hurt you to work on different ranges. A lot of people feel that way when they start but I disagree. In fact most martial arts incorporate both grappling and striking naturally.

Withers · 02-15-2013, 05:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fluffball

Take MT since you like it. Then take BJJ and wrestling as your schedule allows. I'd definitely take the wrestling class though because it will allow you to use your MT more effectively. Leave the MMA till you have a base to work off of.

It's not going to hurt you to work on different ranges. A lot of people feel that way when they start but I disagree. In fact most martial arts incorporate both grappling and striking naturally.

ok so take MT, BJJ, and wrestling all at once?

fluffball · 02-15-2013, 05:03 PM

I would. If you don't like the grappling aspect, I highly recommend sticking with the 1 day of wrestling.

If you want to be a fighter, take everything. It's not going to confuse you.

Edit: If you do want to take some MMA fights, the MMA class might be something you dive in to. It depends on how the class is set up though, just talk to the instructors and see what they recommend.

Withers · 02-15-2013, 05:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fluffball

I would. If you don't like the grappling aspect, I highly recommend sticking with the 1 day of wrestling.

If you want to be a fighter, take everything. It's not going to confuse you.

Edit: If you do want to take some MMA fights, the MMA class might be something you dive in to. It depends on how the class is set up though, just talk to the instructors and see what they recommend.

whats the difference between no-gi and bjj? should i keep it simple and just do bjj/muay thai?

fluffball · 02-15-2013, 05:10 PM

Gi is the heavy uniform. It offers hand-holds for grappling. Getting good at gi is a good way to prep for no-gi (same style though, BJJ). Again, if you want to take some fights, you may want to just dive in and take no-gi.

It depends on what your time-table and also your schedule is.

I'll shut up now so you can hear some other opinions.

LJD · 02-15-2013, 06:10 PM

Try everything and keep doing what you enjoy and can fit into your schedule. If you do too much, your body will tell you, and you'll just have to dial it back a bit. If you like BJJ and wrestling, keep doing thm, if not just do the Muay Thai.

Gi and no gi BJJ comes down to personal preference, but most great BJJ fighters wear the gi for at least part of their training. Gi and no gi are different, my opinion (and the general consensus) is that the gi slows things down a bit and emphasizes technique over athleticism.

The only thing I'd advise you ask about before hand is the MMA class. Some MMA classes drill techniques that combine striking and grappling, like a punching combo followed by a takedown. Others are basically just MMA sparring classes. You'd probably want to wait until you have some grasp of striking and grappling basics before doing that (and also wait until you have done some sparring with only striking and only grappling).

cjwhitt51 · 02-16-2013, 06:45 AM

Depends on your goals. If you don't want to do MMA and like MT don't grapple. If you want to do MMA start both at the same time. Training in multiple arts in my experience actually makes you better at other ones by introducing new techniques, having a more complete understanding of martial arts in general, as well as each art having different kinds of physical benefits.

No-gi is geared more towards MMA since you don't wear a gi (the traditionally white shirt and pants with the colored belts) while fighting. But there is a lot of dispute between grapplers on whether training in the gi is helpful to learning no gi as well. If you enjoy do both and see which you like. If your into it theres no reason not to do MT, BJJ, and no gi, as I said more knowledge is never a bad thing.

Free your mind · 02-16-2013, 01:05 PM

If your goal is to fight in mma bouts then im under the opinion that you should dive head first into all the classes, or better yet find a gym that is more heavily focused on mma, a gym that trains different elements of the fight game in a single class everyday.

I know people are going to shit on me and tell you that you should base out in one discipline, but if you're going to be an mma fighter why spend time learning a lot of bad habits that you're just going to have to unlearn when you start mixing everything together?

As it stands now the majority of fighters are coming in with a strong single base, but we are seeing more and more fighters that begin training as a "full contact fighter" from the start and I think we will keep seeing a rise in these types of competitors.

Nuclearlandmine · 02-16-2013, 01:27 PM

Meh. I disagree with the notion above. Those guys with an "MMA" background (like Chris Leben) is the jack of all trades, master of none type that can be moderately good in MMA, but most of the time never manages to excel because their lack of specializations. It is a nice and convinient concept to try to roll everything into a single style but to me chancesyou will end up with so-so skill sets from across the board and lacks of depths at everything.

On the other hand, an excellent MMA fighter is someone who works to their strengths but learn other skills from other arts to bolster and compliment it. The top fighters in MMA right now are all specialized in one or two areas that they are strongest while having other skill sets to compliment it. So to TS, try all of the class first, then pick out either Muay Thai or BJJ as base, then learn it for a while. After that try the other one, then after a while then you should go to MMA class to finally mix it together. IMHO that's the best way to go.