Is it hard to find a legitimate dojo of any kind?

[philwhite44 1]

Beside the aches and pains of being old every time I've taken a break or longer period off from karate I came back better. Not in the flexibility department or cardio but maybe a bit more refreshed mentally. Unless your fight prepping, sparring multiple times a week just drains you.

 

[Tony Dismukes112 9]

Those kinds of techniques absolutely can work when the opportunity comes along, even at high levels. It's just that the opportunities don't come up that often, especially against good opponents. I think I've been caught with a standing wristlock maybe once in decades of sparring and caught other people just a few times.

I like having them in my arsenal even though I very rarely complete them. I can use the threat to provoke a reaction that I use for something else. But I don't usually teach them because the time and effort required to become competent is disproportionately high for the number of opportunities students will have to use them. I only have them in my repertoire because of the years I spent in arts that train them before I started BJJ.

I've seen one guy on YouTube who is a BJJ practitioner with a really strong Aikido background who manages to pull them off semi-regularly in sparring. (Can't remember the name offhand.) I think he's the only guy I've seen manage them with that level of frequency.

I remembered the guy who I've seen use the standing wristlocks effectively in sparring. Guy by the name of Luca with a really nice blend of Aikido, Judo, and BJJ. In this video he teaches one of the black belts at his gym some Aikido moves and you get to see both of them use them in randori.

 

[Holmejr13 12]

Yes, sometimes it is. It can be just where you live or just bad luck. Many schools that offer MT, also offer an exercise only class for the masses. I used to drive 45 minutes to class, so maybe a surrounding city?

 

[Rich Parsons60 2]

I remembered the guy who I've seen use the standing wristlocks effectively in sparring. Guy by the name of Luca with a really nice blend of Aikido, Judo, and BJJ. In this video he teaches one of the black belts at his gym some Aikido moves and you get to see both of them use them in randori.

I am not saying I get them at will or desire.

I have pulled off standing wrist locks and and such while working with a stick in a resisted play. I call 50% with control play.

It was witnessed once. "Did you just get as wrist lock while stick sparring?"
Me: "Yes, it was positional and I recognized and took it."

 

[Kurwenal]

- Form your own "fighting club".
- Spar 15 rounds daily.
- Try to use light sparring as your daily warm up.

That’s the conclusion I came to as well for the most part. Daily light sparring at least one round. Something I’ve learned is that you can’t really get good at something if you do it nearly every day. That applies to every skill.

 

[Kurwenal]

So there's a couple different things to point out here.

First is, nowadays, most schools do light technical sparring. It also happens to be what's videod the most, because it's what people want to see.

Second is that if you just started, there will be lots of schools that (for legitimate reasons) may not have you spar at the beginning. You have to learn technique before sparring is really useful, and safe (opinions are debated on this but ultimately, it just means if that's the philosophy where you're going, you have to be patient).

Third is that you can absolutely get good at martial arts while sparring once a week. There is a huge difference between sparring once a week, and training once a week. You are spending the rest of the week learning the skills that you can practice implementing in sparring. Again, at least IMO, when you start off more time should be spent on technique rather than sparring, then as your technique improves that should start to shift.

Fourth is that "hitting the bags and other drills" should still be done at the gym (but can also be done at home). If you only do them at home, you're not getting feedback on how you're doing the drills, how you're striking, making sure your guard is up, your punch is correct, your footwork is how it should be, etc. It is incredibly obvious to anyone that's trained whether someone is self-trained or not, when they see them do bagwork.

Fifth is that I wouldn't call all TKD or karate mcdojos that phase out sparring, particularly if you haven't trained before. Plenty of those places do spar, and are worth checking out, rather than just limiting yourself to muay thai. You may even find that you like them more. Check out all the schools near you, regardless of style, and see which ones you feel fit you best. Most places will offer a free class/trial.

Finally, where do you live, and how far are you willing to travel? We may have someone here who has a recommendation for you.

I would absolutely kill to go to a place that does any kind if light sparring. I’m in Long Island ny. Right now I am working on the bagwork and other technique, but without any reference in sparring it’s impossible for me to be able to feel how anything would work in real life with a resisting opponent. I don’t feel I’m getting much value from it. Like learning a certain footwork or combination with zero context of when or how it should be used.

 

[Kurwenal]

I think it depends on where you live. Also you have to realize other students want different things than you. I teach more along the lines of TKD/Karate and we do a mix of everything (striking related). While sparring is a key component, not everyone loves it.

Its funny how every for profit martial arts school is now called a "mcdojo" simply because they don't suit the needs of someone. I mean if you do no touch knock outs I get it. And yes, I loved Black Belt magazine as a kid.

What I am specifically looking for is a gym that gets people ready for real competition. I think you’re right that almost nobody wants that. The thing is, if I am going to devote my time and energy to something I want to actually make improvement. No matter what, improvement is going to be slow in any skill even if it is optimized, which is why it’s so important to make sure you’re doing things effectively and not wasting time, or making things even slower. The only way you can really test how much improvement you’ve made is putting it to the test in a real match, otherwise it’s all in your head. Unfortunately I don’t think there are any gyms like this in Long Island that want to train people who actually want to compete. It’s too bad because there are quite a few martial arts gyms, but they are all basically just non serious fitness classes. Ive done “working out” for my whole life, I want to learn legitimate skills I can continually improve on.

 

[Monkey Turned Wolf114 145]

I would absolutely kill to go to a place that does any kind if light sparring. I’m in Long Island ny. Right now I am working on the bagwork and other technique, but without any reference in sparring it’s impossible for me to be able to feel how anything would work in real life with a resisting opponent. I don’t feel I’m getting much value from it. Like learning a certain footwork or combination with zero context of when or how it should be used.

Where in long island and how far are you willing to travel? I have a couple recommendations for schools in long island (I'm from there originally) but that could still be an hour or two away depending on where exactly you are.

 

[Kurwenal]

Beside the aches and pains of being old every time I've taken a break or longer period off from karate I came back better. Not in the flexibility department or cardio but maybe a bit more refreshed mentally. Unless your fight prepping, sparring multiple times a week just drains you.

That doesn’t make any sense, why would it not be draining “fight prepping” and also why would you ever not be preparing for a fight? What are you training for? Do you have any purpose or are you just trying to kill time ? The best mma gyms in the world have sparring every day and it’s not even a question.

 

[Kurwenal]

Where in long island and how far are you willing to travel? I have a couple recommendations for schools in long island (I'm from there originally) but that could still be an hour or two away depending on where exactly you are.

I would say realistically I would drive up to 45 minutes. I live in glen cove. If it’s a place that regularly does sparring I would absolutely do it at this point. I have no desire to hit or hurt anyone, I just need to feel the pressure of a skilled opponent aggressively coming at me so I can start to get comfortable with that, and some kind of context reference for all the techniques, stances etc.

 

[Monkey Turned Wolf114 145]

I would say realistically I would drive up to 45 minutes. I live in glen cove. If it’s a place that regularly does sparring I would absolutely do it at this point. I have no desire to hit or hurt anyone, I just need to feel the pressure of a skilled opponent aggressively coming at me so I can start to get comfortable with that, and some kind of context reference for all the techniques, stances etc.

Hmm that's a bit far for any personal recommendations, but I know of two. One I can recommend (though it's been close to a decade so things may have changed), is Bellmore Kickboxing MMA. I didn't train there, but a few people that I trained with in BJJ traveled there about 30-40 minutes specifically for striking, and they were pretty good. The other one is called phoenix martial arts. Another person I used to train with posted on FB recently (I think it just opened recently but not 100% sure) - this one I can't necessarily say if they're good or not, but they have on their schedule specifically 2 sparring classes per week, with a third that's invite only.

Home | bellmorekickboxing and Phoenix Muay Thai | Authentic Muay Thai Gym

 

[Kurwenal]

Hmm that's a bit far for any personal recommendations, but I know of two. One I can recommend (though it's been close to a decade so things may have changed), is Bellmore Kickboxing MMA. I didn't train there, but a few people that I trained with in BJJ traveled there about 30-40 minutes specifically for striking, and they were pretty good. The other one is called phoenix martial arts. Another person I used to train with posted on FB recently (I think it just opened recently but not 100% sure) - this one I can't necessarily say if they're good or not, but they have on their schedule specifically 2 sparring classes per week, with a third that's invite only.

Home | bellmorekickboxing and Phoenix Muay Thai | Authentic Muay Thai Gym

Thank you I am going to look into both those places and I don’t mind driving a while if they have what I’m looking for. I need something in my life right now I can put my effort into, learning a skill, bit by bit over time getting better each week. The thing that I can’t stand is putting my time into something for years, with nothing to show for it at the end.