choosing the right stand up school

[outonbail]

hey guys,

as a BJJ fighter who wants to get into mma in aprox a year-year and a half, I think it's time to start training stand up a few times a week when I get back from Brasil.

Coming from a friendly relaxed BJJ academy where we only go hard during drilling and sparring, I don't know what to look for in a muay thai/kickboxing gym. I trained at 2 different gym's for a very short time ( under a month) a year ago. one place had some good competitors but a shitty team spirit ( people who actually couldn't stand each other were training together) and the other place had a good team spirit, the classes were small ( 5 - 12 people max) and the instructor was actually helping me, but not many competitors were around. both gyms are pretty close ( 15min drive ) from my place, first gym has a lot more classes though.

There are also 3 gym's of K1 fighters under an hour drive from my house ( Rustemi Kreshnik , Murat Direckci and Ramon Dekkers) but as far as I heard they are crowded and full of people in the normal group classes) obviously, the instruction at dekkers place would be top notch

what do you guys look for in a gym?

thanks in advance!

 

[MMA RLZ]

If you're going to Dekkers place, you're going to a legit gym.

 

[a dead stick]

You might be better off starting out with the smaller school, just so you can get more hands on instruction by the instructor during regular class times.

As a beginner, you don't need to be training with competitive level guys right away, first you need to develop a solid foundation of basics, and IMO, a smaller school is ideal for that.

Striking gyms also tend to have a perhaps slightly higher turn over rate than grappling gyms, so if you stick it out at a smaller place you might have some good guys come through eventually.

If you get to the point where you feel you aren't being challenged anymore, then look at a gym with more serious competitors perhaps.

I would avoid a school where people who train together actually have animosity/dislike for one another. That sort of environment is toxic for a beginner, especially if guys are all mad at each other after sparring, then you get to partner up with them while they are still pissed off. That is how injuries happen.

However, if you have the time/money to do a few private lessons here and there and really want to focus on getting to a competitive level as soon as possible, then a crowded gym should not discourage you, so go for the K-1 guys.

I find that most people who want to do kick boxing don't want to compete, so by the time you are ready for the advanced classes, they will be much smaller, but worth so much more in terms of the level of guys to spar with.

Learning the basics in a "crowded" gym has its benefits as well, as having many different people to work with is usually a good thing, also it can give you a better contrast in terms of direct experience as to what "good stand up" is.

 

[mrclean226]

hey guys,

as a BJJ fighter who wants to get into mma in aprox a year-year and a half, I think it's time to start training stand up a few times a week when I get back from Brasil.

Coming from a friendly relaxed BJJ academy where we only go hard during drilling and sparring, I don't know what to look for in a muay thai/kickboxing gym. I trained at 2 different gym's for a very short time ( under a month) a year ago. one place had some good competitors but a shitty team spirit ( people who actually couldn't stand each other were training together) and the other place had a good team spirit, the classes were small ( 5 - 12 people max) and the instructor was actually helping me, but not many competitors were around. both gyms are pretty close ( 15min drive ) from my place, first gym has a lot more classes though.

There are also 3 gym's of K1 fighters under an hour drive from my house ( Rustemi Kreshnik , Murat Direckci and Ramon Dekkers) but as far as I heard they are crowded and full of people in the normal group classes) obviously, the instruction at dekkers place would be top notch

what do you guys look for in a gym?

thanks in advance!

Where are you located?

 

[silvasurfer5253]

I would train with the guy who was helping you, and then go check out the big gyms on the weekend. Can't put a price on a coach that takes interest in you, and location is a big factor.

 

[outonbail]

belgium / holland border