Hey guys.
I want to study some form of martial art. I read the sticky threads, and in my area, I have access to: BJJ, Judo, Muay Thai, boxing, and Krav Maga.
I am 5'5" and 175 pounds. I compete in Olympic weightlifting at 169/77kg. I've only been weightlifting seriously for about a year, but it seems to come relatively naturally, and I wish I started sooner (previously was a distance runner then got into powerlifting so I'm in decent shape).
Here's the thing: I want to be able to defend myself and I want more discipline in my life. Those are the two things I am looking for in any type of martial art. I am not interested in actually competing in anything that isn't weightlifting.
I also have a herniated C6 (from benching back in the day) and am worried about what having my neck grabbed and pulled will do to it.
Muay Thai interests me a lot. Watching pro matches, those guys destroy each other. I mean that is serious, serious, skill. The sport is clearly violent and I am worried about what it will do to my body's ability to recover to snatch and clean & jerk properly.
The other thing is that:
With my schedule, I can study Muay Thai two or three times per week.
I can study BJJ once or twice per week depending on work.
I can take a Krav Maga classes 1-3 times per week depending on my work schedule.
Judo I can study once or twice per week, but the gym is in a terrible part of the city and I'll be walking through it/on the bus at night.
Obviously the frequency isn't ideal but it's what I have to work with.
I plan on checking out the individual gyms. My problem with Krav Maga is that it seems to be sort of hokey in the United States at least; I don't doubt it's legitimacy, but when you YouTube BJJ or Muay Thai, or Judo, you see these brutal matches where these guys have been studying and training these arts their entire lives. When you search Krav Maga, you mostly see a maneuver in slow motion that an instructor applies against a willing subject. Granted Krav Maga seems like it's really only self defense and not meant to be competitive, but I don't know. Something about it rubs me the wrong way.
I am going to check out each gym but if you guys have any advice, I'd like to hear it.
I want to study some form of martial art. I read the sticky threads, and in my area, I have access to: BJJ, Judo, Muay Thai, boxing, and Krav Maga.
I am 5'5" and 175 pounds. I compete in Olympic weightlifting at 169/77kg. I've only been weightlifting seriously for about a year, but it seems to come relatively naturally, and I wish I started sooner (previously was a distance runner then got into powerlifting so I'm in decent shape).
Here's the thing: I want to be able to defend myself and I want more discipline in my life. Those are the two things I am looking for in any type of martial art. I am not interested in actually competing in anything that isn't weightlifting.
I also have a herniated C6 (from benching back in the day) and am worried about what having my neck grabbed and pulled will do to it.
Muay Thai interests me a lot. Watching pro matches, those guys destroy each other. I mean that is serious, serious, skill. The sport is clearly violent and I am worried about what it will do to my body's ability to recover to snatch and clean & jerk properly.
The other thing is that:
With my schedule, I can study Muay Thai two or three times per week.
I can study BJJ once or twice per week depending on work.
I can take a Krav Maga classes 1-3 times per week depending on my work schedule.
Judo I can study once or twice per week, but the gym is in a terrible part of the city and I'll be walking through it/on the bus at night.
Obviously the frequency isn't ideal but it's what I have to work with.
I plan on checking out the individual gyms. My problem with Krav Maga is that it seems to be sort of hokey in the United States at least; I don't doubt it's legitimacy, but when you YouTube BJJ or Muay Thai, or Judo, you see these brutal matches where these guys have been studying and training these arts their entire lives. When you search Krav Maga, you mostly see a maneuver in slow motion that an instructor applies against a willing subject. Granted Krav Maga seems like it's really only self defense and not meant to be competitive, but I don't know. Something about it rubs me the wrong way.
I am going to check out each gym but if you guys have any advice, I'd like to hear it.
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