MMA Enthusiasts? NYC Area

Bigger Stronger Leaner Powerlifting & Strength Sports
1

(I apologize in advance for the length of this post)

I have been thinking of giving MMA a shot for a while now. I have been a ?fan? since UFC 1 ? and by fan I mean I watch the fights, have bought a couple of PPVs, rented some of their DVDs, TiVO UFC Unleashed and TUF as well as any PRIDE fights that they air on FSN. In other words, I?m not a hardcore fan, don?t visit the fight forums such as sherdog and don?t keep up with all of the ?drama? that unfolds behind the scenes.

At first I was taken aback and somewhat disgusted by all of the blood from these anything-goes fights but I quickly became desensitized to it. My wife still can?t believe I like that stuff.

Anyway, my interest in joining an MMA academy is twofold: 1.) For cardiovascular fitness purposes; the sports that I used to participate in (soccer, tennis, squash) are a pain in the ass to practice in Manhattan, not to mention expensive in some cases. But most importantly, 2.) My shrink recommended that I take up a combat sport. You see, I suffer from pretty severe anxiety and I take a boatload of meds for this. My doc believes that by taking up a combat sport I will become more desensitized, feel more secure about myself and this will help to counteract the anxiety. He said that many of his clients had gone this route with marked improvements in their mental well-being.

I did some boxing a few years ago and I think that this helped me. Lifting weights definitely helps me feel more self-confident and less paranoid, but I need to do something else to reduce my anxiety and I think MMA is a good option.

I don?t think I would ever get into an actual MMA fight, with 4oz gloves and nothing else, but I would love to spar hard with larger gloves and headgear. You see, I have an office job and I can?t be showing up to work with black eyes and a broken nose every once in a while. Plus, I would be scared shitless.

Anyway, that is a long-winded story to give you some background about my life, and here is the main point of this post:

Can anyone recommend a good MMA academy in Manhattan? (Or do you know of someone in a position to recommend one?)

Here are some of the ones I have found:

  • Blitz Center (East Coast representative of Rigan Machado)
  • Combat Fighting Systems
  • Fabio Clemente BJJ Academy
  • Fighthouse
  • New York San Da Gym
  • Renzo Gracie Academy
  • Anderson?s Martial Arts
  • Carlos Machado Jiu Jitsu
  • NYKK Gym

I really appreciate your help. BTW I?m 5?10?, 205ish and 30yo. I lift 3x per week using mostly basic compound movements in the 5 rep range.

-J

2

[quote]JuliusA wrote:
(I apologize in advance for the length of this post)

I have been thinking of giving MMA a shot for a while now. I have been a ?fan? since UFC 1 ? and by fan I mean I watch the fights, have bought a couple of PPVs, rented some of their DVDs, TiVO UFC Unleashed and TUF as well as any PRIDE fights that they air on FSN. In other words, I?m not a hardcore fan, don?t visit the fight forums such as sherdog and don?t keep up with all of the ?drama? that unfolds behind the scenes.

At first I was taken aback and somewhat disgusted by all of the blood from these anything-goes fights but I quickly became desensitized to it. My wife still can?t believe I like that stuff.

Anyway, my interest in joining an MMA academy is twofold: 1.) For cardiovascular fitness purposes; the sports that I used to participate in (soccer, tennis, squash) are a pain in the ass to practice in Manhattan, not to mention expensive in some cases. But most importantly, 2.) My shrink recommended that I take up a combat sport. You see, I suffer from pretty severe anxiety and I take a boatload of meds for this. My doc believes that by taking up a combat sport I will become more desensitized, feel more secure about myself and this will help to counteract the anxiety. He said that many of his clients had gone this route with marked improvements in their mental well-being.

I did some boxing a few years ago and I think that this helped me. Lifting weights definitely helps me feel more self-confident and less paranoid, but I need to do something else to reduce my anxiety and I think MMA is a good option.

I don?t think I would ever get into an actual MMA fight, with 4oz gloves and nothing else, but I would love to spar hard with larger gloves and headgear. You see, I have an office job and I can?t be showing up to work with black eyes and a broken nose every once in a while. Plus, I would be scared shitless.

Anyway, that is a long-winded story to give you some background about my life, and here is the main point of this post:

Can anyone recommend a good MMA academy in Manhattan? (Or do you know of someone in a position to recommend one?)

Here are some of the ones I have found:

  • Blitz Center (East Coast representative of Rigan Machado)
  • Combat Fighting Systems
  • Fabio Clemente BJJ Academy
  • Fighthouse
  • New York San Da Gym
  • Renzo Gracie Academy
  • Anderson?s Martial Arts
  • Carlos Machado Jiu Jitsu
  • NYKK Gym

I really appreciate your help. BTW I?m 5?10?, 205ish and 30yo. I lift 3x per week using mostly basic compound movements in the 5 rep range.

-J
[/quote]

I’ve trained at both Fighthouse and Anderson’s. I don’t think you’re going to find anything better than Renzo’s place. At least not when it comes to groundfighting.

-MAtt

3

sorry to hijack a little but does anyone know a good place in Brooklyn?

4

[quote]Matgic wrote:
I’ve trained at both Fighthouse and Anderson’s. I don’t think you’re going to find anything better than Renzo’s place. At least not when it comes to groundfighting.

-MAtt[/quote]

I went through Renzo’s website and it looks like their sole focus is on BJJ, and they don’t teach any striking. Is this true?

Thanks,
-J

5

[quote]JuliusA wrote:
Matgic wrote:
I’ve trained at both Fighthouse and Anderson’s. I don’t think you’re going to find anything better than Renzo’s place. At least not when it comes to groundfighting.

-MAtt

I went through Renzo’s website and it looks like their sole focus is on BJJ, and they don’t teach any striking. Is this true?

Thanks,
-J[/quote]

I’ve actually never trained there myself, but I know a MMA fighter who does. Even if they don’t do much striking there (I have no idea either way), they are probably more suited to suggest a place that would teach you that component.

-MAtt

6

I’ve been at Renzo’s place a few months.

The general instruction is BJJ/submisison grappling and is excellent. Very, very highly recommended. There are many students and good instructors.

There are MMA fighters who train out of the school, but that appears to be somewhat separate from the general curriculum. Renzo has an IFL team that they participate in. But I’m not sure how the MMA instruction works.

PM me if you want to know more about the school.

7

[quote]Matgic wrote:
I’ve trained at both Fighthouse and Anderson’s.
-MAtt[/quote]

Matgic, would you recommend either of these academies?

-J

8

Julius,
While I can’t recommend any good MMA gyms in Manhattan, I can tell you that I think your therapist has made a good suggestion for you.

I too suffer from anxiety/panic attacks and am on medication for them. I decided to take up MMA training for several reasons: 1) I am a fan of MMA so I thought it’d be fun to train like the fighters do; 2) I wanted to try and learn something new; 3) taking MMA classes is a good way to stay in shape and a good change of pace from going to the gym 5-6 times a week (I still lift, but just not as much); 4) I thought that putting myself into a new, unfamiliar situation would help with my anxiety. It certainly has so far and I’m glad I’ve decided to push myself to get out there and try something different.

The interaction with the other students and instructors is another good benefit. People with anxiety tend to be somewhat introverted, so taking a class where you’re grappling, sparring with someone, forces you to at least go through the standard stuff of introducing yourself and asking some general questions of your partner.

I hope you find a good gym. Keep in mind that the price to train at an MMA gym/academy is usually not cheap, but it’s well worth the money if you can afford it.

If you need help/motivation with dealing with your anxiety, feel free to shoot me a PM anytime, or stop by my “Starting Back from Anxiety Attacks” thread in the forums.

Take care,
Dan

9

If you are still interested, I know this thread is old, I welcome you to try a FREE class at NY San Da. Our san da program has produced high level kickboxers and currently BJJ Brown Belt Carmine Zocchi offers BJJ no gi classes with an emphasis on MMA at our gym.

www.NYSanDa.com

also

www.SanDa-MMA.com