i feel mma can present struggles for further study at particular, non mma martial arts

[martial sparrer]

I have been studying mma for 5 years now. the mma that I have been studying is of course a mixture of: karate, muay thai, boxing, jeet kune do etc. so now I am sparring with opponents, and presently I have found that I need a step up in sparring opponents. I am very interested in joining a non-mma dojo to learn a traditional martial art. I feel like if I do though I will be starting at zero and learning a whole bunch of stuff that I already know and can apply - for example karate, well I have been practicing a whole range of kicks for 5 years. taekwondo, same thing, wing chin, I have done lots of boxing, kenpo - the instructor told me its like boxing with some kicks, and I wont be sparring until 6 months in. now Im kinda discouraged. IS MY THINKING WRONG HERE thanks rocco.

 

[Cyriacus]

Plenty of MMA people learn other stuff to concentrate on learning certain things, or to focus on certain areas. You wont be starting from nothing. Consider the you before you did any sort of training ever, and thats starting from nothing. Youre starting with alot, and probably just either learning new ways to use the same stuff, or some new stuff you can use in ways youre already familiar with. The important thing is the type of training youll get, and what it is exactly youre being trained to do.

With that being said, 6 months is a hefty investment for *maybe* getting something out of it. If it were me, i wouldnt do it. Youre not wrong in your thinking. Unless its something you really think youre going to benefit from that you couldnt get from somewhere else.

 

[Blindside]

I have been studying mma for 5 years now. the mma that I have been studying is of course a mixture of: karate, muay thai, boxing, jeet kune do etc. so now I am sparring with opponents, and presently I have found that I need a step up in sparring opponents. I am very interested in joining a non-mma dojo to learn a traditional martial art. I feel like if I do though I will be starting at zero and learning a whole bunch of stuff that I already know and can apply - for example karate, well I have been practicing a whole range of kicks for 5 years. taekwondo, same thing, wing chin, I have done lots of boxing, kenpo - the instructor told me its like boxing with some kicks, and I wont be sparring until 6 months in. now Im kinda discouraged. IS MY THINKING WRONG HERE thanks rocco.

How about martial arts that don't have an unarmed focus? As an example say the Filipino martial arts, focus on using and defending against knives, sticks, machetes etc. Practical, yet in an area that you haven't had much overlap in. Alternately you might look at some of the historical western martial art recreations.

 

[rframe]

If a particular dojo/style values a solid base and spends hours upon hours practicing kihon and kata, but you feel you already know that and all you want to do is spar then you'll probably just be frustrated and you may be disruptive to the goals of the rest of the class. In my primary art, we spend a lot of time drilling basics and 2nd degree black belts are still working basic strikes and blocks right along with white belts. The movements might be the same but the focus of the drills is very different. So, if someone is not open to learning and improving what they "already know" then they are going to be very frustrated at best.

If you want to learn a traditional martial art, you should be open to learning it the way they teach it. You can modify it and use it your own way in free sparring or in the octagon, but be respectful to the school and teacher while learning and do it their way.

If you only want to spar against people of different styles and not learn the details of those arts, then I'd say you should talk with the instructors of those dojos and be honest about your desires. They might simply not see it as a productive use of their limited time, or they may very well welcome the chance to have some of their students work with you in some sparring-focused sessions. But this way, your intentions are clear and everyone is on the same page.

Private lessons can also be very productive when a student has specific goals and interests that aren't ideal for the whole group.

Good luck.

 

[Touch Of Death]

I have been studying mma for 5 years now. the mma that I have been studying is of course a mixture of: karate, muay thai, boxing, jeet kune do etc. so now I am sparring with opponents, and presently I have found that I need a step up in sparring opponents. I am very interested in joining a non-mma dojo to learn a traditional martial art. I feel like if I do though I will be starting at zero and learning a whole bunch of stuff that I already know and can apply - for example karate, well I have been practicing a whole range of kicks for 5 years. taekwondo, same thing, wing chin, I have done lots of boxing, kenpo - the instructor told me its like boxing with some kicks, and I wont be sparring until 6 months in. now Im kinda discouraged. IS MY THINKING WRONG HERE thanks rocco.

Correction: You will be learning stuff you think you already know.

 

[Tony Dismukes]

I have been studying mma for 5 years now. the mma that I have been studying is of course a mixture of: karate, muay thai, boxing, jeet kune do etc. so now I am sparring with opponents, and presently I have found that I need a step up in sparring opponents. I am very interested in joining a non-mma dojo to learn a traditional martial art. I feel like if I do though I will be starting at zero and learning a whole bunch of stuff that I already know and can apply - for example karate, well I have been practicing a whole range of kicks for 5 years. taekwondo, same thing, wing chin, I have done lots of boxing, kenpo - the instructor told me its like boxing with some kicks, and I wont be sparring until 6 months in. now Im kinda discouraged. IS MY THINKING WRONG HERE thanks rocco.

Please clarify - do you mean that you need opponents who are a step up (i.e. tougher sparring partners) or that you yourself need to take your skills up a step in order to handle the sparring partners you have? Also, do you have any other reasons for wanting to study another martial art?

 

[frank raud]

I have been studying mma for 5 years now. the mma that I have been studying is of course a mixture of: karate, muay thai, boxing, jeet kune do etc. so now I am sparring with opponents, and presently I have found that I need a step up in sparring opponents. I am very interested in joining a non-mma dojo to learn a traditional martial art. I feel like if I do though I will be starting at zero and learning a whole bunch of stuff that I already know and can apply - for example karate, well I have been practicing a whole range of kicks for 5 years. taekwondo, same thing, wing chin, I have done lots of boxing, kenpo - the instructor told me its like boxing with some kicks, and I wont be sparring until 6 months in. now Im kinda discouraged. IS MY THINKING WRONG HERE thanks rocco.

In the Training Partners Wanted thread you said " new to martial arts...been training some boxing and karate principles, some thai boxing, now reading up on bruce lees jeet kune do.been learning martial arts stuff for about 4 years now. what I would like to do is some light sparring and training exercises."

So a question which immediately comes up is, do you actually train MMA at a club(for the last 4 or 5 years) or have you been teaching yourself "principles" for that period of time? Your thread on combining weightlifting and punching bag workouts is cause for concern that you are not working under any guidance from a qualified instructor. Very few people in Toronto teach JKD, even fewer MMA instructors would list it as a core art, especially with no additional reference to BJJ or wrestling. My spider senses are tingling.

 

[martial sparrer]

hey thank you so much guys for yur responses! I am leaning towards either a muai thai gym or mma gym I think....to answer franks question I train in home and invite sparring partners in home. I am a professional and I can afford a little mini dojo slash mma gym that can comfortbly accommodate 5-7 people. one of my goals slash dreams along with my business partners is too start another mma gym in Toronto. that would be very exciting! cheers.

 

[Tony Dismukes]

So you've been teaching yourself based on what, books and videos? In that case, please let go of the idea that you already know any of what you will be learning in whatever dojo you end up attending. You may think "oh that's a front kick, that's a left hook, I know how to do that," but there will be a lot of important details you have missed that your instructor will be able to correct you on.

 

[martial sparrer]

so what your saying is even though I can apply various skills in self defense and simulated fighting, a dojo will teach me the subtle skills and movement I may be lacking.....I can see that. I tend to talk to blackbelts and instructors for advice.....and they have been confusing me. many blackbelts will say go to a dojo....no matter what. some blackbelts say you can learn whatever you want on your own....the real test is applying what you think you know to sparring. well I can do that quite well so far, hence my need for a gym for higher level sparring. so what is martial arts: fighting or something else.....I feel mma in particular is more geared towards fighting, it uses all the best from ma for fighting I find.

 

[frank raud]

hey thank you so much guys for yur responses! I am leaning towards either a muai thai gym or mma gym I think....to answer franks question I train in home and invite sparring partners in home. I am a professional and I can afford a little mini dojo slash mma gym that can comfortbly accommodate 5-7 people. one of my goals slash dreams along with my business partners is too start another mma gym in Toronto. that would be very exciting! cheers.

Out of curiousity, what is you a professional in? Are you like a software engineer or an investment banker?

 

[martial sparrer]

I am a teacher and a stock trader. my father in law started his own venture capitalist firm after becoming ceo of a large mutual fund company. and yes, I married a very wealthy woman. I believe along with business partners at the firm that an mma gym would be good for Toronto. the ufc calls Toronto the mecca of mma but there are only a couple mma gyms. much better than a casino or brothel!

 

[martial sparrer]

frank...are you from Toronto.....I would love to get some bjj teaching from a blackbelt......

 

[frank raud]

I am a teacher and a stock trader. my father in law started his own venture capitalist firm after becoming ceo of a large mutual fund company. and yes, I married a very wealthy woman. I believe along with business partners at the firm that an mma gym would be good for Toronto. the ufc calls Toronto the mecca of mma but there are only a couple mma gyms. much better than a casino or brothel!

So, you're a teacher who questions the value of learning under someone qualified to teach? Do you consider yourself to be auto-didactic?

 

[frank raud]

frank...are you from Toronto.....I would love to get some bjj teaching from a blackbelt......

I'm in Ottawa. My black belt is in a modern style of jiu jitsu. The tag under my name reflects the amount of posts I have made, not my rank in any martial art. There are several BJJ/MMA/ Muay Thai either in Scarborough or close by.

 

[martial sparrer]

So, you're a teacher who questions the value of learning under someone qualified to teach? Do you consider yourself to be auto-didactic?

no not at all....the place has to fit my needs though....if I want to train against good high quality opponents that will make my strategy better I cant go to a place that wont let me spar for four months. I found open mat at yonge and bloor...they have wrestling, bjj, thai etc. anyways if yu wanna beat someones *** while in Toronto hit me up frank!

 

[Monkey Turned Wolf]

This is (slightly) off topic, but just want to mention it...I have no problem with you doing your own sparring, and teaching yourself, especially if you can spar capably against bb's and other fighters. BUT, id seriously suggest getting a legitimate instructor and going to a dojo/gym you dedicate yourself to if you're planning on becoming an instructor, if for nothing else then to make sure you dont have any bad habits, know the logical reason behind body-mechanics/certain moves if a student asks, and most importantly see how someone else teaches MMA...its a lot different to learn and teach, completely different mindset you have to have, and different from the mindset of teaching at a school too, so that might not help you as much as you think (might still help though)

 

[Monkey Turned Wolf]

I'm in Ottawa. My black belt is in a modern style of jiu jitsu. The tag under my name reflects the amount of posts I have made, not my rank in any martial art. There are several BJJ/MMA/ Muay Thai either in Scarborough or close by.

But you did say youre a bb in jiu jitsu (although you didnt specify what type) in your profile

 

[frank raud]

But you did say youre a bb in jiu jitsu (although you didnt specify what type) in your profile

That would be because I am a black belt in Jiu jitsu, not BJJ.

 

[Monkey Turned Wolf]

That would be because I am a black belt in Jiu jitsu, not BJJ.

Yeah, I know, just saying that that at least explains the reason for the assumption you were a blackbelt, not just the tag under your name