i want to transition to grappling

RJ Powell**

RJ Powell**

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So i have been practicing and competing in Muay Thai and Boxing for a few years now, but i wanna actually get paid for fighting in the future. And as we all know, pickins are slim when it comes to paychecks for Kickboxers in america. So i might try my hand at MMA.

I'm not in a mad rush to go pro or anything, considering the fact that i have a VERY cozy government job where i post on sherdog all day, i just want to compete in something with a deeper talent pool that is not outside of the USA. If i lived in europe i would have no problem going 100% on the Kickboxing. but here in the U.S. there is a severe lack of sparring partners and MT specific training camps, everything caters to MMA. So i guess if i can't beat em', ill join em.

I am a fucking devout, extremist Kickboxing and Muay thai fan, with very strong beliefs that the striking talent in MMA is dismal compared to the grappling talent. But all that aside, MMA is somewhere up there in my favorites list too, so i'll be willing to try it out one day.

Now i have never grappled seriously, with the exception of a little bit of Judo in high school, and watching alot of grappling instructionals & live competitions, picking up a bit of techniques from my friends etc. Yeah i know, all that counts for squat when it comes to real grappling.

-anyways-

I wanna learn (and eventually compete in) some form of grappling, but i want to learn it as a pure art,(and seperately from my muay thai) with ranks and nuggets of wisdom and stuff. Probably not in an MMA gym, i want something with more......"structure", like more of a TMA vibe, with lots of history and "roots" i suppose. It seems like every MMA gym i look at in my area has no real structure, more like a mixbag of random shit every day. I am not even in a hurry to compete in MMA. I am just coming out of my teen years, and just really want to round out my fighting game and devote myself to a new art in the process. I also have a love hate relationship with MMA fans, wannabes, and the fact that the sport has been turning into a novelty/fad as of late, and don't get me started on all of that "meteoric rise", or "best sport on earth" propaganda that the UFC has been peddling.

So my question is, does Brazilian Jiu Jitsu have alot of tradition and ritual attached to it? Are most classes structured well with basic techniques that are worked on every day? Will i most likely feel a good sense of history and TMA-ness in a traditional BJJ class? I'm not really fond of loud talkin' tough guys is why i ask. What can i expect from a good BJJ class most likely?

Thanks guys.
 
It really depends where you train. Where I train, we do it more like a traditional martial arts approach. Don't get me wrong, both our instructors are legit black belts, but they teach bjj in a more structured style, with an emphasis on a code of honor, and codes of conduct in the dojo.

A lot of other places (the majority, from what I've heard) are much more informal. Not less rigorous, and plenty intense, but not like studying a traditional martial art.

What kind of atmosphere are you looking for, and where do you live?
 
Hawaii, i have been looking into Relson gracie's place, it seems real nice, and it is by the beach too. And i think a few other gracies have schools here.

I am looking for just a friendly atmosphere, but i want to actually gain belts and learn techniques really well. And maybe some type of ettiquette and code of conduct, but overall, just pure gi and no-gi jiujitsu training, because i am looking to compete in both Muay thai and BJJ separately for a few years, really learn the arts themselves.

Alot of the MMA gyms offer jiu-jitsu, but of course it is geared towards MMA, with ground-and-pound etc, so i feel shortchanged when i train in those places for some reason.

What type of grappling do you train in Rambo?
 
I train in bjj, both gi and no gi. We tend to have a heavy judo influence in the gi class, as that instructor is a black belt in judo before bjj. I wrestled prior to that for about 6 years, but stopped after high school, and that's about all my grappling experience.

I've heard good things about Relson's, and judging by the fact that it's a Gracie school, I'm sure you can train in pure bjj there, both gi and no gi, and not have it geared towards MMA.

I'd want to add that I think it's a good idea to train in a grappling style just for the sake of that style. I think there's a value in that, that you don't get when you train it specifically for MMA. Same with Muay Thai. A lot of guys that want to learn grappling and come from a striking background just want to learn some no gi to survive in MMA, but few make the commitment to advancing up the ranks.
 
i completly agree with supersuperrambo, learn the art for the sake of learning the art, not to survive in MMA, that way instead of being a great striker with some anti-grappling, you can be a great striker and a great grappler, when you are good at both, then look at mixing the 2.
 
I completely agree with you guys. I guess i am just old fashioned or whatever, but i still believe that devoting your time and energy to truly learning styles outside of MMA can really give you an amazing base and a huge advantage to people that jump right into MMA from the start, but i could be wrong.

Wrong or not, I guess i just feel alot of satisfaction from training in a "style". I know the idea of "Styles" is a dated one, but training in a style comes with a sense of belonging, pride, and tradition. There are just so many little things you can learn training with a Gi that you couldn't learn in an MMA class. Just like how training in Pure boxing is an indispensable asset in MMA.
 
Couldn't agree more. If Relson Gracie is a good option (not too far, not too expensive, etc) I think that would be a good choice.
 
Thanks for the Input man, i'll check it out in the coming days and bump this thread with my experiences in the future.

Ur in new york eh? So do you train with renzo/serra or anything like that? You ever compete? how was it?
 
Bjj is prob my fav martial art, once you start you will grow a strong passion for it... Relsons place has a pretty good rep, im sure you'll enjoy it there... just curious what island are you on? i have fam on oahu
 
Just go check out the Judo/Bjj schools around and see if you like they way they operate. My grappling class is a Judo/Bjj hybrid structured more like a TMA and I love it. We line up and do bow in's to start the class and also when you first walk on to the mat, and I really enjoy that aspect.
 
RJ Powell said:
^ is that you matt majors? You still fighting?
Click to expand...

Haha, nope, different Matt, just have the same first name. I hate to admit this, but yes...., I watched that one episode of tapout :redface: with him on it and thought he was nuts.:icon_chee So I figured I would bum the handle. He is on here somewhere though, but he has the "Pro fighter" tag on it of course.
 
RJ Powell said:
Thanks for the Input man, i'll check it out in the coming days and bump this thread with my experiences in the future.

Ur in new york eh? So do you train with renzo/serra or anything like that? You ever compete? how was it?
Click to expand...

We are run by a Renzo black belt, and one of the classes is taught by a black belt under Soca. Matt Serra has dropped by, both instructors are friendly with Matt and Nick, and they all came up together in bjj, just a little later than the Serras (by a couple of years).

Never competed, although I was going to compete a month or two ago. Then I couldn't make it to NAGA, and then while training for another tourney I injured my rib. But that's just how it goes I guess.
 
Just go to Relson's gym. A top notch, old-fashioned, internationally respected instructor running a school the way bjj schools were intended to be run. Of course, I think you should also check out whatever other gyms are in your area (and by check out I mean get off your butt and go train for an afternoon), because endorsements really pale in comparison to you own personal impressions when you actually drop by and train at a place.
 
What a surprise. A kid with good attitude who wants to take baby steps in becoming a well rounded fighter posting on Sherdog? Keep it up and best of luck.
 
I really like this approach. Starting young and really learning the arts well before mashing it together in to MMA. I have noticed a lot of up and coming MMA fighters aren't very good at any one aspect of the game. It isn't like they are good but so well rounded nothing stands out, they are mediocre in all areas. Part of it is that there is no amateur program to grow in like boxing. But alot is that they don't understand the component arts well enough to really make it work.

coming from a strong MT Background, then adding a strong BJJ background before movign to MMA will only help you. The only thing I would add is to seek out a good wrestling coach as well. Greco is preferable but hard to find.
 
SuperSuperRambo said:
We are run by a Renzo black belt, and one of the classes is taught by a black belt under Soca. Matt Serra has dropped by, both instructors are friendly with Matt and Nick, and they all came up together in bjj, just a little later than the Serras (by a couple of years).

Never competed, although I was going to compete a month or two ago. Then I couldn't make it to NAGA, and then while training for another tourney I injured my rib. But that's just how it goes I guess.
Click to expand...

Are you referring to the Renzo invitationals a month ago? I was there
 
yeah def check out Relson's school. i train at a Relson academy in the upper 48, our head instructor is a black belt under Relson and Relson comes to our school a few times a year for seminars. If youre looking for an old school tradional feel in a bjj school you cant get more so than Relson. hes a lot more about jiu jitsu and less about business and churning out belts then some of the other gracie bros..cough Rorian cough Royce.
 
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