Getting into MMA? page

[milkycereal]

Hey guys I need advice, gonna get a little personal up in here so bear with me lol....

I have a punching bag in my garage I use to...you know, punch. It's hella fun and feels good and helps me relive stress.

I know that one of the best ways to get in shape is taking up a sport you really like. And I'd really like to get my technique down pat. I'm good at keeping my hands up and im okay at moving around the bag, but I doubt I look good to someone who really knows what they're doing.


But to be straight with you guys I could use some self confindence too.

I'm sort of a p*ssy, you see. I barley have to balls to walk into a regular gym, let alone an MMA type place. My whole life i've fought with anxiety. At one point it got really bad and I started doing all kinds of drugs thinking they helped me, but I was only spinning my tires and fucking up my life. Now that i've kicked the crap and have been focusing on my health I only want to get better and better and more and more confident.

I think alot of my anxiety stems from the fact that i'm really really short for a guy my age, i'm 5'3 and 20 years old. I've always felt smaller and weaker then everyone, so I got picked on a bit, which made me more anxious, which made me an easier target. It was a vicous cycle.

At one point I lifted weights and got pretty strong and buff, but I felt like I had the mighty mouse look which didn't help my confindence haha.

What's an MMA gym like? I know alota guys are into MMA nowadays, but to be honest I don't watch UFC or any of that stuff. It never intrests me.

But even though I don't watch UFC on TV at all really,

There's a part of me that's always always always wanted to know how to really fight. I'm not trying to sound tough or anything but I love fighting. I'd get into really rough "play" fights with my brother, to a point where he'd be grinding my face into the dirt and i'd be cracking up the whole time. It's just really, really fun to me. It's such a release....thinking on your feet and that "high" you get from it is the greatest high, because it's a high without all the negatives of drug abuse.

And I think being my height and being able to kick ass and having buttloads of energy, all while looking great would do wonders for my confidence...


...So what should I do? where do I look and where do I start? I need advice and tips from people already in the game. With my anxiety issues it's not easy for me to dive right into shit. Especially this kinda shit with all that testosterone flying around. I feel like i'd be walking into a room with all the types of people that used to fuck with me in school. Like diving into a shark tank. But maybe once I'm in and I get going I'll be ok...

I know of one place in my area that's 90$ a month! That's pretty beefy IMO, is that average? I don't need to go pro or anything, this is purely recreational.

Advice is appreciated, thanks guys

[fitmom]

I'm a middle aged short woman, and I walked into a dojo and got into martial arts. And had eight year olds running circles around me. And then a few months later, I was running circles around beefy 6'2" jocks while they were beginners.

Nobody ever looks cool starting something new. The ones who seem all badass? They're just the ones who never quit. Good luck and get started!

[milkycereal]

I'm a middle aged short woman, and I walked into a dojo and got into martial arts. And had eight year olds running circles around me. And then a few months later, I was running circles around beefy 6'2" jocks while they were beginners.

Nobody ever looks cool starting something new. The ones who seem all badass? They're just the ones who never quit. Good luck and get started!

Thanks mom.

(sorry I had to say that, but really thanks. Your post alone helps alot.)

[Alex Good]

The single most important thing to remember is DO NOT GO IF YOU ARE CONSTIPATED! Seriously, this one time when I was 10 and in tae kwon doe... Just remember to crap before you go, okay?

[Dr. Bork Bork]

If you genuinely love it, you'll stop at nothing to do it!

[Al_Kavadlo]

Nobody ever looks cool starting something new. The ones who seem all badass? They're just the ones who never quit. Good luck and get started!

+1

By the way, $90 a month is pretty cheap imo. If you go twice a week it's like $10 a class. Go 3-4x a week and it's an even better deal.

If you're serious, bite the bullet and do it. There may be some jerks, but most of the people will probably be positive and supportive.

[milkycereal]

word, didn't think about it like that...

how do classes generally work? you pay the monthly fee and show up as much as you want?

[Coach Palfrey]

Get involved. Most of the guys who train in MMA fight because they enjoy the competition, not because they're jerks. I work in strength and conditioning for a few MMA guys in the UK. PM me if you want to ask any more specific questions.

[Karate Lisa]

I'm a middle aged short woman, and I walked into a dojo and got into martial arts. And had eight year olds running circles around me. And then a few months later, I was running circles around beefy 6'2" jocks while they were beginners.

Ditto. Everyone starts as a beginner.

[/QUOTE]Nobody ever looks cool starting something new. The ones who seem all badass? They're just the ones who never quit. Good luck and get started![/QUOTE]

As our Kyoshi always says, a black belt is just a white belt that didn't quit. I started at 38 and felt stupid the first couple of weeks but with time, training and perseverance, I've learned skills that to look at me, you'd never know I possess. A tremendous benefit apart from the discipline and physical training is just what martial arts will teach you about yourself and what you're capable of.

[iniQuity]

My only experience with a martial arts gym is Muay Thai training I used to do. I was lucky to find a place with no egos and no bullshit, just old school traditional Muay Thai, Thai style, no gimmicks, etc.

Later on I expressed interest in Brazillian Jiu Jitsu (bjj) and my gf being the attentive princess that she is got me a membership for a month at a school near my college when I was on my last semester. I enjoyed that experience greatly as well, it reminded me of when I started Muay Thai all over again, everybody wanted to help me out and show me things.

Honestly, if you approach it with respect and don't act like you have a chip on your shoulder or something to prove, you'll be welcomed because people respect the fact that you want to learn about the sport they love. It's sort of like a pack of dogs, if a new one enters and is humble shit is quiet, but if the new one is trying to be all alpha he's usually addressed by the pack and they chill him out (I watch a lot of "Dog Whisperer"...) and I've found it's similar in martial arts circles. You can tell the guys that are all "let's get ready to rumble!" and only want to learn how to fuck people up, then there are the ones that want to learn how to defend themselves, the why and how of techniques, the history of the sport, the who's who, etc.

If I could do it all over again I would have stuck with bjj longer (only did the month that was paid for, then finals happened, then graduation, job started, etc etc... the gym wasn't close by either) but I'm getting back to that now.

I say do it! it's very rewarding. I don't have experience at an MMA gym, but I've heard that since they're trying to teach you a lot of things at once (stand up and ground game) you don't get in-depth with anything in particular. You would be learning the most useful stuff though presumably. Make sure to ask questions to your training partners, ask them to correct your mistakes if they see any, etc etc. If I were you though, I'd check out individual gyms if you have them nearby, take intro classes for a few weeks at different places and see which one feels best based on the population and the instructors. If there's a pure BJJ gym get an intro lesson there, as a small guy it's important to know what to do if a bigger person gets you on the ground. If there's a pure muay thai place check that out too, then check out an MMA place or two if you have that many choices of course.