Hey there fellow T-Nationer’s! I’ve JUST started trying MMA classes and I’m afraid no one there is anywhere near as new and unexperienced as me. I’m looking for tips on possible websites/books and/or info on “MMA for Complete Idiot’s”.
Can anyone help? I wanna practice and be able to catch up to the other people at my gym. If anyone cares, it’s Adam Zugec’s school: ZUMA in Victoria, BC, Canada.
Thanks everyone!
Kaleb.
I’d recommend BJ Penn’s MMA book of knowledge as well as Eddie Bravo’s “Mastering the Rubberguard.” There’s another jiu-jitsu book on guard drills that I have somewhere that was very helpful for jiu-jitsu.
Fuckin’ Newb >:)
Just kiddin’.
In order to “catch-up” I’d say you’d have to put in a lot of practice time.Watching and reading about what you want to do is completly different from actually doing.
Use the books as reference.
[quote]slimjim wrote:
BJ Penn’s MMA book of knowledge …Eddie Bravo’s “Mastering the Rubberguard.” [/quote]
First, you have a good physique.
Second, if it’s true you’ve battled with depression (as your profile states), then MMA might not be the best thing for you. Head trauma is strongly linked to depression. Just type in head trauma depression into Google to get a feel for the research.
Someone in your position would be better advised to stick to BJJ.
First, don’t worry about being new. Everyone is when they start. Getting over that fear is the first step in becoming a fighter.
Second, primer books are way too thin on detail. If you have no experience they could actually make you worse by reinforcing poor/sloppy technique. Let your coach teach you. Thats what he’s there for.
Third, I gotta disagree w/CaliforniaLaw. There’s a reason some people take up fighting and others take up basketball or golf. I’ve been fighting since I was twelve and I don’t know of anything else that has helped me battle my demons. If you have something clawing at your insides the ring or cage is a good place to deal with him.
[quote]Peeott wrote:
Third, I gotta disagree w/CaliforniaLaw. There’s a reason some people take up fighting and others take up basketball or golf. I’ve been fighting since I was twelve and I don’t know of anything else that has helped me battle my demons. If you have something clawing at your insides the ring or cage is a good place to deal with him.[/quote]
There is a mountain of evidence linking head trauma with depression. Jeremy Williams, who by all accounts didn’t show any signs of depression, recently killed himself. Chris Benoit just killed his wife, son, and self. Recent studies have shown that NFL players who suffered concussions are much more likely to suffer from depression:
The science is quite clear. Someone who has been dealing with severe enough depression that he’s been medicated does not need to suffer head trauma.
The OP, in his profile, stated: “I’ve also had to work through severe panic disorder/depression for 19 years and a bunch of meds to try and control it.”
Someone in such a state is not “wrestling with demons.” There is a difference between wrestling with demons or having a chip on your shoulder; and suffering from clinical depression.
I have gone through my share of life’s drama. I have had my ups-and-downs. I have wrestled with demons. I have also witnessed people fight clinical depression. There is absolutely no comparison. Clinical depression is a specific medical condition. Just because it occurs in the “mind,” doesn’t make it any different from a “physical” injury like a torn ACL.
Everyone is entitled to his opinion. But when one’s opinion is uniformed and goes against scientific fact, then that opinion should be weighted accordingly.
The scientific evidence is clear. The OP should avoid getting hit in the head. He can, of course, do whatever he wants. But he should make his decision only after being fully informed of the risks associated with his conduct.
[quote]Peeott wrote:
First, don’t worry about being new. Everyone is when they start. Getting over that fear is the first step in becoming a fighter.
Second, primer books are way too thin on detail. If you have no experience they could actually make you worse by reinforcing poor/sloppy technique. Let your coach teach you. Thats what he’s there for.[/quote]
I have to agree with this. Give it right now you have a fear of getting hit, and your upset becuse people keep wrapping you up in pretzel knots when you go to the ground. What you can’t see right now is that is fan - fukin -tastic for you. The best way to learn a combat sport is to spar and train with people far better than yourself.
As long as your coach is good and is correcting you along the way, you will be just fine. Give it six months and you will be pleasantly suprised. Once you train for a year to a year and a half then consider picking up some books for some extra pointers. If you start reading them right now you will just confuse yourself. Good luck.
Love
Thai Boxer
First of all, let me just say thanks to everyone who replied so quickly. It is VERY appreciated. I actually bought BJ Penn’s book just a while ago before committing to classes. While I realize it is a BOOK and NOT a coach/instructor, I believe it is one of the better BJJ/MMA books out there that I’ve seen lately. It covers a lot of material for the price compared to many on the same shelf.
I will be going back and training with anyone who doesn’t mind rolling with a noob. Being submitted/choked/TKO’d a whole bunch will probably teach me more than anything else will.
In the meantime, if anyone has good supplementary info of any kind I’d love to hear from you.
Thank you all again for the input!
P.S. If you live in Victoria, BC and wanna help a noob, PM me!!!
Cheers,
Kaleb.
Kaleb,
Glad to hear you’re taking some MMA classes. Don’t worry about being “the new guy.” As long as you’re at a halfway decent gym, the vets won’t care and won’t look to harm you in any way. If anything, they’ll go out of their way to welcome you into the group and will try to bring you up to speed as much as they can.
With that said, the big thing is just getting into a consistent schedule. The more you go, the more you’ll improve. Be sure to ask questions if you need help, that I think, is a big thing as it shows you’re willing to learn the right way.
As for books/manuals, Renzo Gracie has a couple of really good books out (can’t recall the names right now) and Bas Rutten also has some great DVD’s that cover a wide range of MMA-related stuff.
Best of luck,
Dan
[quote]Kaleb wrote:
First of all, let me just say thanks to everyone who replied so quickly. It is VERY appreciated. I actually bought BJ Penn’s book just a while ago before committing to classes. While I realize it is a BOOK and NOT a coach/instructor, I believe it is one of the better BJJ/MMA books out there that I’ve seen lately. It covers a lot of material for the price compared to many on the same shelf.
I will be going back and training with anyone who doesn’t mind rolling with a noob. Being submitted/choked/TKO’d a whole bunch will probably teach me more than anything else will.
In the meantime, if anyone has good supplementary info of any kind I’d love to hear from you.
Thank you all again for the input!
P.S. If you live in Victoria, BC and wanna help a noob, PM me!!!
Cheers,
Kaleb.[/quote]
I’m not going to get into the head trauma argument. Undoubtedly MMA is not a sport for everyone.
That said, definitely get in as many technique classes as you can. I didn’t really start improving at a huge rate until I started training more than 4 or 5 hours a week. Hopefully, your teammates will recognize that you are new and won’t pound you out or crank on you too much.
The deal is that if you are humble you should be fine. If they go out of their way to hurt you don’t train with them. The team is there to help each other, but can that goes two ways.
If you want to come down and train some time, I am in Bellingham, WA about an hour (not including border) from Victoria. PM me for more information if you are interested.
Keep your mouth shut, your ears open, and show up on time to work hard. Respect is earned from the vets, not given, and if you do those things they won’t care how new you are.
[quote]CaliforniaLaw wrote:
Peeott wrote:
Third, I gotta disagree w/CaliforniaLaw. There’s a reason some people take up fighting and others take up basketball or golf. I’ve been fighting since I was twelve and I don’t know of anything else that has helped me battle my demons. If you have something clawing at your insides the ring or cage is a good place to deal with him.
There is a mountain of evidence linking head trauma with depression. Jeremy Williams, who by all accounts didn’t show any signs of depression, recently killed himself. Chris Benoit just killed his wife, son, and self. Recent studies have shown that NFL players who suffered concussions are much more likely to suffer from depression:
The science is quite clear. Someone who has been dealing with severe enough depression that he’s been medicated does not need to suffer head trauma.
The OP, in his profile, stated: “I’ve also had to work through severe panic disorder/depression for 19 years and a bunch of meds to try and control it.”
Someone in such a state is not “wrestling with demons.” There is a difference between wrestling with demons or having a chip on your shoulder; and suffering from clinical depression.
I have gone through my share of life’s drama. I have had my ups-and-downs. I have wrestled with demons. I have also witnessed people fight clinical depression. There is absolutely no comparison. Clinical depression is a specific medical condition. Just because it occurs in the “mind,” doesn’t make it any different from a “physical” injury like a torn ACL.
Everyone is entitled to his opinion. But when one’s opinion is uniformed and goes against scientific fact, then that opinion should be weighted accordingly.
The scientific evidence is clear. The OP should avoid getting hit in the head. He can, of course, do whatever he wants. But he should make his decision only after being fully informed of the risks associated with his conduct.[/quote]
You have a good point, but I really think the degree of risk depends on what Kaleb’s intentions are in MMA. Do you intend to pursue a pro or ammatuer career in the ring? You’re probably risking your health. But how many people these days take up MMA training for fun or to get in shape? Kaleb, if you are just training and don’t intend to get in the cage I don’t think you’re gonna get your head punched in (at least not to a serious degree). Sparring is a learning exercise, not a brawl. If you see people getting knocked out in your gym you’re probably training with a bunch of assholes to begin with. IMHO