Welcome to the Standup Forum

Welcome to the standup forum. Feel free to ask for practical training, technique, equipment, and fighting advice from your peers - or to discuss any aspect of standup fighting. You'll find a wide variety of folks here at various skill levels and a broad range of knowledge.

Talk about specific fights and fighters if you like, too. But keep in mind that here we don't bash anyone.

All styles are welcome and respected. You can maturely discuss the pros and cons of anything but avoid slamming fighters, styles, and forum members. Instead, focus on helping each other out. That's what this forum should be all about. Basically: Keep it positive.

Any threads that deteriorate into "flame wars" will be removed. If you're ever in doubt about what's allowed and what's not, refer to the sherdog forum user rules or send me a private message, and I'll try to get back to you as quickly as I can. And remember, all this advice is simply opinion - try anything you read here at your own risk!

NEW GUYS: Use the search function before starting new threads. There's a good chance your question has been asked and answered before.

Now that that's out of the way, start browsing threads and posting; have some fun.

 

Sherdog User Rules

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I condition my shins?

To make your shins tougher and more tolerant of pain: Kick the heavy bag, kick the Thai pads, spar while wearing shin pads, or try light sparring without shin pads. Avoid the following: Rolling bottles or rolling pins on your shins, hitting your shins with sticks or other objects, kicking trees. (Yes, I know, in the past Thai boxers used to kick soft, sapling banana trees.)

My shins are really bruised and they hurt. What should I do?

Apply ice/cold to help get the bumps and contusions down. Then later, apply heat. An anti-inflammatory such as Advil can also help reduce swelling and help minimize the pain. Contrary to what some people say, Thai liniment does not help alleviate damaged shins; it is used to help you warm up prior to training or fighting. It is also useful for massage.

Are traditional martial arts, such as tae kwon do, karate, kung fu, etc., useful/effective?

Opinions on this subject vary. Just know that this has already been debated ad nausea in this forum.

What moves would/have you use/used in a street fight?

This topic has been done numerous times and often encourages bogus stories. If you want to start or revive it, please do so in the Wasteland forum.

What should I take, boxing or muay thai? Which is better?

This is subjective and contingent upon what you want to get out of your training. The debate is ongoing and essentially redundant at this point. The consensus seems to be boxing is the way to go if you want excellent hands. However, if you want more weapons, muay thai is superior. Muay Thai hands are very similar to western boxing hands but because more time is dedicated to training all the weapons (knees, kicks, elbows, etc.) the hands are theoretically not honed and refined to the level they would be for someone who purely focuses on boxing. That's it in a nutshell but the bottom line is this subject has been done many times and there are many variables involved and no definitive way of knowing which is superior.

I don't live near a gym/school/dojo and I don't have anyone to train with, what can I do?

You will have a very difficult time becoming proficient without the benefit of an experienced trainer and sparring partners. There are no substitutes for these things. You can watch instructional videos to learn techniques, and get in shape (running, jumping rope, shadow boxing, swimming, lifting weights, doing situps, bagwork, etc.) but you will most likely pick up bad habits - without anyone to correct them - and you will not be able to get the feel and experience of fighting an actual opponent. If you are very serious about training, you need to move and join a school.

What are some good combinations for the heavy bag or sparring?

Use the keyword search or view these threads for member recommendations. Keep in mind that these suggestions are each person

 

Resources

Instructional videos

Members have recommended videos created by some of the following:

• Rob Kaman
• Pud Pad Noy Worawoot
• Kru Vut Kamnark

 

Before you take the time to upload that youtube video for all the world to see, and then start a new thread on Sherdog here are a few things to consider:

1. If you aren't training at a gym and have never received any legitimate training, don't bother posting your video. There isn't anything against the rules but it will probably be locked to cut down on ridiculous threads.

2. If you are looking for feedback, fine. However don't flame others for giving their criticisms when you chose to start a new thread.

3. There is nothing that will act as a substitute for training in a REAL gym. If you're looking for an ego boost you are sure to be disappointed because more often than not, you're going to look foolish prancing around in your backyard with UFC gloves and a sleeveless shirt.

4. Sparring/Training without proper guidance and/or headgear, gloves, etc. is dangerous and inhibits progression. It develops bad habits and can end up costing you an eye, a tooth or worse.

5. Put the video up at your own risk. If you look ridiculous in your video, it will be pointed out by other posters.