I am doing an intro class at a local muay thai/boxing gym next week. Are there any peculiarities of fighter culture that I should be aware of so that I don’t make an ass of myself? I ask because if it is anything like bodybuilding culture it would be very easy for a noob to potentially commit a grievous error without even knowing it. Also any specifically fighting related tips for my first class?
Thanks
[quote]Vanagandr wrote:
Are there any peculiarities of fighter culture that I should be aware of so that I don’t make an ass of myself?
[/quote]
If it is muay thai, make sure to dip your wraps in glue and then broken glass BEFORE the class starts, otherwise you will just look like a complete noob.
I would say if you encounter anything like that then I would leave that gym. Bodybuilder types are wired different than martial arts types. That normally comes after the skinny kid in the corner woops your ass.
Just be yourself and try to do what they are doing im sure you will mess something up but that is expected.
[quote]Vanagandr wrote:
I am doing an intro class at a local muay thai/boxing gym next week. Are there any peculiarities of fighter culture that I should be aware of so that I don’t make an ass of myself? I ask because if it is anything like bodybuilding culture it would be very easy for a noob to potentially commit a grievous error without even knowing it. Also any specifically fighting related tips for my first class?
Thanks[/quote]
When doing a new technique, start slow. I know a lot of guys come in their first day and try to do everything as fast as they can. But when they do that, they ruin their technique and form and just look awful/noobish. Imo it’s better to do a technique slow and right than fast and wrong. You’ll learn faster this way too I think, because once the muscle memory is there, you can add speed easily and do the technique right and fast.
Hmmm…I think the worst thing you could do is to not listen and act like you “got this.”
[quote]Vanagandr wrote:
I am doing an intro class at a local muay thai/boxing gym next week. Are there any peculiarities of fighter culture that I should be aware of so that I don’t make an ass of myself? I ask because if it is anything like bodybuilding culture it would be very easy for a noob to potentially commit a grievous error without even knowing it. Also any specifically fighting related tips for my first class?
Thanks[/quote]
Just do exactly what they tell you to do. They expect that you’ll look like an uncoordinated ass because that’s how everyone looks their first time. A good coach will be very patient, as long as he can tell that you’re trying.
Best tips are the most basic - hands up, chin down, protect yourself at all times.
[quote]Ranzo wrote:
I would say if you encounter anything like that then I would leave that gym. Bodybuilder types are wired different than martial arts types. That normally comes after the skinny kid in the corner woops your ass.
[/quote]
I never really thought about it until you said it, but it’s so true. The culture of fighters and the culture of bodybuilders really do not share much at all. Fighters tend to be much more welcoming and much more open… that elitism is just not there.
Plus, in stark contrast to bodybuilding gyms, a good fighters’ gym tends to build much more of a “team” atmosphere… even though they’re both individual sports in that you compete alone, there’s something about training for a fight that can get you really close to your teammates.
Be a sponge. Listen and observe alot. You dont know much if anything right now so be a sponge and soak up what you can.
Also stay respectful at all times. Nothing drives fighters more nuts in my experience than cocky new guys. You wont enjoy how they humble in the fighters world.
[quote]punchedbear wrote:
Also stay respectful at all times. Nothing drives fighters more nuts in my experience than cocky new guys. You wont enjoy how they humble in the fighters world.[/quote]
Hahaha so true.
This facet is MUCH different than the bodybuilding world…
[quote]FightinIrish26 wrote:
[quote]punchedbear wrote:
Also stay respectful at all times. Nothing drives fighters more nuts in my experience than cocky new guys. You wont enjoy how they humble in the fighters world.[/quote]
Hahaha so true.
This facet is MUCH different than the bodybuilding world…[/quote]
I made that mistake. Ended up on my ass then in a wall. I learned fast. It worked as I learned being bigger than the guy didnt guarantee I could muscle him around. Getting flipped over hard tends to teach you not to do that again.
You are ahead of the game just admitting you dont know anything. Believe me, honesty is much appreciated by trainers and instructors. It has been my experience to ask a few basic questions, such as: any medical problems? high blood pressure medications? recent surguries? Any experience in any of the other arts? military? LEO?.
This is where it gets really interesting. I have heard everything from ninja secret clans to military special forces. Just tell the truth: be respectful, listen, and learn. Nothing shows a bullshit artist quicker than the ring,cage or training floor.
Ye, as everyone has said above, fighting gyms are a completely different kettle of fish.
Don’t expect anyone to really give a shit that you are there. So many people quit after a session, a week, a month, first sparring, that it takes a while before anyone will take you seriously. You have to earn your stripes as it were. If you work hard, are polite and respectful (not in any kind of bullshit way, just treat the fighters like you’d like to be treated yourself), then in time you will find yourself being welcomed into an extraordinary community.
Bodybuilding seems to have a real macho tough guy element to it. You only have to read the forums here to know that a lot of these guys are wired to the eyeballs on insecurities. Fighting gyms are very different. Everyone in there, even the top fighters, has taken a pasting at somepoint in their careers. Confidence tends to breed a more humble atmosphere, in my experience. If you are a big guy, be careful about thinking you are a billy bad ass. Nothing tends to provide more entertainment than watching a big guy who wants to throw their weight/attitude around taking a hammering from a schoolboy.
We had a body builder come in once who thought he was harder than everyone, and could fuck everyone up because he had 30lbs or so on the heavyweights. He was put in the ring with a 5’11" 13 year old runner up in the british schoolboy championships at welterweight, who put the body builder down twice inside the first minute, before our coach stopped it, inside the first round. Pretty embarrassing stuff.
[quote]LondonBoxer123 wrote:
Ye, as everyone has said above, fighting gyms are a completely different kettle of fish.
Don’t expect anyone to really give a shit that you are there. So many people quit after a session, a week, a month, first sparring, that it takes a while before anyone will take you seriously. You have to earn your stripes as it were. If you work hard, are polite and respectful (not in any kind of bullshit way, just treat the fighters like you’d like to be treated yourself), then in time you will find yourself being welcomed into an extraordinary community.
Bodybuilding seems to have a real macho tough guy element to it. You only have to read the forums here to know that a lot of these guys are wired to the eyeballs on insecurities. Fighting gyms are very different. Everyone in there, even the top fighters, has taken a pasting at somepoint in their careers. Confidence tends to breed a more humble atmosphere, in my experience. If you are a big guy, be careful about thinking you are a billy bad ass. Nothing tends to provide more entertainment than watching a big guy who wants to throw their weight/attitude around taking a hammering from a schoolboy.
We had a body builder come in once who thought he was harder than everyone, and could fuck everyone up because he had 30lbs or so on the heavyweights. He was put in the ring with a 5’11" 13 year old runner up in the british schoolboy championships at welterweight, who put the body builder down twice inside the first minute, before our coach stopped it, inside the first round. Pretty embarrassing stuff. [/quote]
LOL. Great point about the forums here…I could name several that fit into that category.
But yea, getting your ass whipped by a 13 year old kid humbles the shit out of EVERYONE. At my gym there’s a 16 year old that is like that in sparring, as well as another kid who’s maybe 19. When they whip your ass, you really got nothing to say haha.
It’s so true. I remember when I was 15 and was in the late stages of the junior ABAs, I really thought I knew some shit and could handle myself. We did some inter gym sparring one night, and I got beaten black and blue. I was proud of myself for taking a pasting from a lad who was 17 or 18. Turned out I had 2 years on the kid. I was a lot more humble after that.
I always remember it when I start feeling like my inner tough guy might make an appearance. That anecdote probably belongs in the street fighting thread: be careful when you start thinking you’re a hard nut, because somewhere there is a small child who would use you as a toy.
Vanagandr,
You have already got some fantastic advice, and I am late to the party here.
I will just make a few notes.
Personal Grooming: You are going to be sweating on other people/equipment here. Washing BEFORE you go to work out may be a good move. Use soap. If you will be bare foot for the class consider it. Make sure you don’t need to start with the Tinactin now. If you have smelly feet, start washing/airing them out now. Clip finger and toe nails and use a file on them (you may have to buy a file). Seriously, don’t show up with eyeball gougers on your hands for your first Judo/BJJ class. Brush your teeth, or at least use mouthwash if you are in doubt. Basically, make yourself as easy to talk to as possible.
Before Class/Workout: Go ahead and introduce yourself to any/everyone that seems amenable. They may not bother to learn your name, but you can learn theirs. Ask if there is anything you should be doing. Show up a bit early to get this done.
Dress Appropriate: A phone call can make this go easier, but dress according to instructions. Don’t wear a t-shirt with a witty or political saying on it. I love my “Save a Virgin, Do Me Instead Shirt”, but I may not want it to make my first impression for me. Don’t show up in clothes covered in pit stains and oil stains. If you are not wearing a uniform; wear pants with a good drawstring. Getting the mats or your body cut open by some new guy’s belt buckle does not make you want to help him. If you are to wear shoes for the class, clean the bottoms, and wear different shoes in and out of the gym/dojo. Leave time to change/be a little early. It is summer/hot. Bring an extra t-shirt and a clean towel for sweat, you may or may not be able to use these.
It was already covered, but DO WHAT YOU ARE TOLD TO DO. Asking questions may or may not work at different times. Irish was right about not worrying about feeling awkward. That is why you will be practicing. DO NOT be the guy who asks 50 questions about “What if”. Just practice when you are there. Maybe the best question I have ever been asked was “Is there anything in particular I should do between now and next class?” It was asked at the end of a first or second class. If you don’t/didn’t ask that question. Just practice/walk through whatever you did in the first class before the second. Asking questions about something from last class that came up when you practiced will likely be much better accepted than asking 50 questions during class time. Most teachers/coaches do this for the absolute love and reverence they have for it. If you are an earnest student I am sure you will find a great teacher.
Now, and in the interest of comedy:
All fighters lick hello. It is our secret handshake. When you shake hands, just quickly run you tongue up the side of their face. Try to get it over the eye.
Trust me.
Do it.
Regards,
Robert A
P.S. It will be awesome if one of the Cali forum members starts a “New guy licked my eye-ball thread”.
^^^YES…personal hygiene…good call Robert A. Lot of new guys(even some gals) fall into stink trap. What has been smelled…can’t be un-smelled…lol
[quote]Big_Boss wrote:
^^^YES…personal hygiene…good call Robert A. Lot of new guys(even some gals) fall into stink trap. What has been smelled…can’t be un-smelled…lol. Along with other nasty stuff…staph/MRSA…etc.[/quote]
Ok…don’t know why I quoted myself after I edited the original…lol.
x 3
Noone wants to be in a clinch with someone who smells. In my experience, the willingness to pull punches decreases proportionate to how bad the guy in front of me smells.
Former amateur boxer, longtime lurker. Great forum, knowledgeable posters.
Thanks for all the advice everybody, especially Robert A for consolidating everything so clearly.