First Time Tomorrow!

Since I’m done with my football career/finishing up college, I’ve decided that I want to pick up martial arts again. I was into the basic stuff as a kid, but had to drop it once I started competing in other sports.

I’m really fucking excited! I’m pretty much a total n00b at wrestling, and a partial n00b a striking. So tomorrow will probably be baby steps (learning basics). I’ve got as much stuff as I could get ready over the weekend for it. I’ve got my bag with some tape, ankle supports, trunks and a shirt basically.

What else should I be looking at? I’d imagine they’ll tell me, but should I go ahead and get my own pair of gloves after a few sessions instead of using the gyms all the time? Once I learn how to properly hit a heavy bag, I might want to get one of those.

I’m gonna go in there open minded, and I can’t wait to see what’s in store.

  1. Get all your own shit ASAP so you don’t get a nasty infection and get sick (or die).

  2. Buy a cup… A METAL ONE… don’t trust your cock n balls to tupperware.

  3. Not sure what you’re training but approach it with no ego. realize that though you THINK you’re doing good… even if someone is saying that you’re doing good … you’re doing good for a complete and total uncoordinate retard. So keep working. Most people assume that “they got it” after doing something 5x and only the people who stick with training for about a year realize how bad they were when they previously thought they were hot shit.

I’m sure someone will come on here and say that I’m just projecting but fact is if you’ve been around a gym for amount of time you know exactly what I’m talking about.

Same guy that thinks cause be can bench 225 that he’s a beast. Or that thinks because he watched a few UFC that he could take Aoki. “If that skinny fucker tried to gogoplata me I’d just slam him”. Sure you would buddy, because no one’s thought of that brilliant strategy yet.

  1. Don’t muscle shit. I’m sure you’re strong. I don’t give a shit. If you want to get patted on the back for being strong go powerlift (and subsequently find out how weak you are). This is fighting, learn your technique. When you complimented on picking things up for or how smooth you move then you’re onto something.

  2. Set a date. No not with the cute girl in the class, that isn’t really cute but she’s the only female in the building when everyone’s testosterone is high so she immediately goes from a 5 to an 8 for some reason.

I mean set a competition date. It could be from a year for now but you need to make a commitment. Grappling competition, smoker fight… doesn’t matter.

Just go in there with a damn plan that in a year I will be a better fighter because I HAVE to be so that i dont get embarassed at this thing I have in a few months.

It gives your training relevance and a gauge to see if you even learned anything.

Good luck.

[quote]Xen Nova wrote:

  1. Not sure what you’re training but approach it with no ego. realize that though you THINK you’re doing good… even if someone is saying that you’re doing good … you’re doing good for a complete and total uncoordinate retard. So keep working. Most people assume that “they got it” after doing something 5x and only the people who stick with training for about a year realize how bad they were when they previously thought they were hot shit.

  2. Don’t muscle shit. I’m sure you’re strong. I don’t give a shit. If you want to get patted on the back for being strong go powerlift (and subsequently find out how weak you are). This is fighting, learn your technique. When you complimented on picking things up for or how smooth you move then you’re onto something.

[/quote]

Great post, Xen. So true, especially the parts above. Good luck, Droogan Leader. I’m excited for you! Now go do what Xen says.

No lie, that was a great post. Too often people say that and it’s untrue. Very quality stuff. No reason to add on he gave you gold, now attack it.

[quote]Xen Nova wrote:

  1. Get all your own shit ASAP so you don’t get a nasty infection and get sick (or die).[/quote]

I was so close to buying my own gloves yesterday, but held off at the last second because I wasn’t 100% sure what I should get. I was going to grab a pair of open thumb/palm/fingerless bag gloves. I think similar to the ones commonly seen in MMA, but with a little more padding. I believe they were 4oz.

Haha. Yah I need one of these, completely missed it.

I’m probably going to train what ever the instructor thinks I should train, I don’t care what I start with. I do know that my gym does a broad range of arts, but specializes in a lot of grappling (specifically BJJ/wrestling) and striking (MT/Box/Kickbox)

I know exactly what you’re talking about. It was like kids joining my football team thinking because they can catch a pass from John Hancock in the park on the weekends, they can beat a 220lb. CB who runs a 4.2 on a deep ball during a game. I think what you’re are saying applies to actually almost anything in life, not just athletics. Great insight though.

Yah I’m pretty strong, but even with my super limited knowledge I already understand in many ways strength doesn’t mean jack. Good technique would probably beat out good strength most of the time.

Alright. I would definitely love to compete with someone down the road. I don’t know how I could train, train, train and not want to see what’s come of it. Plus, I’m a competitive person :stuck_out_tongue:

Awesome post man, thanks for all the excellent information. I’ll keep you updated after today’s session!

Xen gives some great advice (no shock).

You’ll be OK buying BOTH the 4-oz. gloves and some 16-oz. gloves, as you’ll use the bigger gloves in some sparring and pretty much any Muay Thai class you take.

Biggest thing is just be humble and try and soak in as much information as you can. It’ll be overwhelming at first, but just have fun with it and if you can remember a key point or two from every class, you’ll be in good shape.

Let us know how it goes.

You’re welcome,

Ask the guys at your gym what you should buy they’ll reccomend shit for you and probably a cheap place to get it.

you seem to have a greatmindset so i wish you good luck. sorry if i came off a little blunt but its mainly for the 10-15 other people who will see your post and wonder the same thing.

again, good luck, keep us updated with your progress. Start logging/blogging in the MMA hub thread if you have time

[quote]Xen Nova wrote:

  1. Set a date. No not with the cute girl in the class, that isn’t really cute but she’s the only female in the building when everyone’s testosterone is high so she immediately goes from a 5 to an 8 for some reason.

I mean set a competition date. It could be from a year for now but you need to make a commitment. Grappling competition, smoker fight… doesn’t matter.

Just go in there with a damn plan that in a year I will be a better fighter because I HAVE to be so that i dont get embarassed at this thing I have in a few months.

It gives your training relevance and a gauge to see if you even learned anything.

Good luck.[/quote]

The earlier you can get into a grappling competition the better (if that’s your interest.) Almost every tourney has levels based on experience, and with no wrestling experience you probably have not felt the pressure or adrenaline rush that comes with performing in front of others by yourself. Compete and compete often is one of the best pieces of advice I can think of for someone who wants to improve their grappling, there’s almost no way to create the competitive atmosphere outside of a tournament environment.

Seriously, even if the next tournament’s only a month or two away I’d still recommend it. I know a guy who took BJJ for three weeks before entering his first tournament and taking second place…obviously the conditioning won’t be there (typically) but the more often you are in that atmosphere, the better off you will be.

Alright just got home. It was fucking sweet!

We worked on basic upper striking (jab, straight, cross) technique, shadow boxed and then hit the pads.

I thought I was gonna be totally out of shape, but I managed to hang in there. The instructors were pretty chill. Stern, stern but fair.

I’m definitely going back on Wednesday!

xen’s post was spot on, I trained for a couple months and then I was getting burned out, came back and scheduled a fight for december, and now it’s like I have to go to every practice or I’m gonna get my ass kicked in December.

Question for the other guys: How many of you wear a cup to train and fight? I don’t, and I’m pretty sure none of the guys I train with wear one either and most are pretty experienced. I’ve been at it for 4 months or so, so I know I’m no expert, I was just wondering.

[quote]ungs9 wrote:
xen’s post was spot on, I trained for a couple months and then I was getting burned out, came back and scheduled a fight for december, and now it’s like I have to go to every practice or I’m gonna get my ass kicked in December.

Question for the other guys: How many of you wear a cup to train and fight? I don’t, and I’m pretty sure none of the guys I train with wear one either and most are pretty experienced. I’ve been at it for 4 months or so, so I know I’m no expert, I was just wondering. [/quote]

I used to not wear a cup, but after catch a knee to the balls, the cup has become part of my attire for pretty much all activities MMA related - including BJJ because I wanted to be comfortable wearing it and the only way to get comfortable with a piece of equipment is to wear it.

Last thing that you want to do before you step in the ring is get use to a piece of equipment that you have had for months, but never wore. Get intimate with kicking with a steel cup tied up you crack! Same goes for your mouthguard (minus the crack bit naturally).

I get pissed when an athlete tells me he is uncomfortable or his piece doesn’t fit ten minutes before the fight and we have to troubleshoot. Get it, wear it, it isn’t an issue, and you can focus. Just my experience.

Xen Nova is the Confucius of beginners MMA. :slight_smile:

Xen, you said something about getting a cup… Are the “Bioflex cups” with undershorts absolutely unacceptable? 'Cause I need some undershorts sooner than later.

For competition generally steel cup is the norm. In practice you can wear whatever you like. However, I have seen some composite cups broken in half by a rouge knee from time to time. Rare, but the fighter wasn’t too pleased…

xen’s post made me think of those guys who came into my bjj school with a tapout shirt and wanted to train to get on the ultimate fighter for the next season. then they quit once they realized people have been training for 4 or 5 years and they’re only a purple belt.

…or those thugs who show up at local MMA events and think “yo, i could do this, i’ve been in street fights before!” and you just wanna say “…dude, you will be all done in 30 seconds.”

Congrats on choosing to take up martial arts. I think it’s a great humbling experience for anyone. It was a great post earlier about the strength; don’t get all caught up in it. Strength leaves you quickly in a fight and, I know it might piss people off especially on this site, but it’s easily gained. Technique is the hard part and it’s the last thing to leave you.

As far as grappling goes, it’s become the “in” thing not to train gi anymore because obviously those in MMA don’t use it in the cage, so the same grips are not available. I would encourage you to train both gi and no-gi, even though gi is very technical and frustrating as all hell. Your submission defense will be better and just remember that the best fighters in the world learned in the gi, there’s just gotta be something to it.

[quote]Xen Nova wrote:

  1. Get all your own shit ASAP so you don’t get a nasty infection and get sick (or die).

  2. Buy a cup… A METAL ONE… don’t trust your cock n balls to tupperware.

  3. Not sure what you’re training but approach it with no ego. realize that though you THINK you’re doing good… even if someone is saying that you’re doing good … you’re doing good for a complete and total uncoordinate retard. So keep working. Most people assume that “they got it” after doing something 5x and only the people who stick with training for about a year realize how bad they were when they previously thought they were hot shit.

I’m sure someone will come on here and say that I’m just projecting but fact is if you’ve been around a gym for amount of time you know exactly what I’m talking about.

Same guy that thinks cause be can bench 225 that he’s a beast. Or that thinks because he watched a few UFC that he could take Aoki. “If that skinny fucker tried to gogoplata me I’d just slam him”. Sure you would buddy, because no one’s thought of that brilliant strategy yet.

  1. Don’t muscle shit. I’m sure you’re strong. I don’t give a shit. If you want to get patted on the back for being strong go powerlift (and subsequently find out how weak you are). This is fighting, learn your technique. When you complimented on picking things up for or how smooth you move then you’re onto something.

  2. Set a date. No not with the cute girl in the class, that isn’t really cute but she’s the only female in the building when everyone’s testosterone is high so she immediately goes from a 5 to an 8 for some reason.

I mean set a competition date. It could be from a year for now but you need to make a commitment. Grappling competition, smoker fight… doesn’t matter.

Just go in there with a damn plan that in a year I will be a better fighter because I HAVE to be so that i dont get embarassed at this thing I have in a few months.

It gives your training relevance and a gauge to see if you even learned anything.

Good luck.[/quote]

I bow to the wisdom of Xen Nova.