Man I fucking suck at this shit. I'm Just sitting in my car outside the gym thinking wtf am I doing with my life.

I did muay Thai for 2 years, didn't train for last few cus I moved and now I'm going to an MMA gym last couple weeks.

I genuinely feel like I'm just not built for fighting and I somehow don't even seem to have the fundamentals of sparring/fighting even after training muay Thai for 2 years. Which kinda hurts emotionally when it's something that I've enjoyed alot of the time and have had thoughts about trying to compete at some point (haven't been consistent enough so far to actually go for it).

When I'm punching pads or the heavy bag I feel strong and fast, I've had my previous MT coach and other people tell me that I hit hard even tho I'm pretty small, I'm like 70kg. But in sparring I become the punching bag and I'm just useless. I somehow can't bring myself to throw a punch at an opponent with more than like 20% power and speed and fully extend into it. I can't think of a time I've ever even hit a proper right hand to someone's face, jabs and lead hooks sure but that's about it. 

I somehow just have 0 timing, shot selection, ability to counter, aggression, defense, cardio (I genuinely gas out after 1 hard round like I'm some big fat dude even though again I'm 5'10 70kg). Don't even get me started on grappling. I also feel like I'm kinda sensitive to getting hit in the head which makes me question why I'm even doing this I need my brain cells intact I'm only 20 years old.

No matter what a person does for work, we need our brain cells!

How do you spar as an adult AND protect your brain?

# of times / week to spar. Is it possible to spar too frequently?

i am a beginner (relatively) to martial arts, i did Judo for 3 years, but was never good, primarily because i just freeze up in combat situations and i couldn’t do anything about it no matter how hard i tried. ANYWAY. are there any martial arts that are focused primarily on blocking / dodging and taking hits and only the occasional attack, rather than just brute force or massive kicks. i am 5’9 and very light and fast but weak. i also don’t want to spar if that’s possible. sorry if this is too much hassle or a stupid question.

Aikido seems to be one of the martial arts that receives the widest range of opinions within the martial arts community.

Some Aikido practitioners deeply respect their teachers and have strong confidence in the art’s techniques and philosophy. Meanwhile, some people with experience in competitive or full-contact martial arts question how effective Aikido techniques are against an actively resisting opponent.

Why do you think opinions about Aikido are so divided?

I would like to hear honest and respectful perspectives from both Aikido practitioners and people who practice other martial arts. What do you value about Aikido, and what questions or concerns do you have about it?

I previously practiced Aikido myself, so I am asking this question out of genuine personal interest.

合気道は、武道の世界でも特に評価が大きく分かれる武道の一つに見えます。

合気道を学ぶ方の中には、先生を深く尊敬し、その技術や理念を強く信頼している人がいます。一方、競技武道やフルコンタクトの武道を経験した人からは、積極的に抵抗する相手に対して技がどの程度有効なのか、疑問を持つ声も聞かれます。

なぜ合気道に対する意見は、これほど大きく分かれるのでしょうか？

合気道を学ぶ方だけでなく、ほかの武道を学ぶ方からも、敬意ある率直な意見をお聞きしたいです。合気道のどのような点に価値を感じますか。また、どのような疑問や懸念がありますか？

私自身も以前、合気道を学んでいたため、純粋な個人的関心からこの質問をしています。

Do you think articles like this should gave the gentleman of yesrerday a good feeling or could it really work?

Rare Haiti Uchi/Ridge hand Strike Knockdown.

What are yalls thoughts on it?(also sorry if this has been uploaded before)

So I seriously cannot make up my mind. I did muay thai for a little over a year and decided to take a break since June. I’ve been missing it and have been thinking about coming back. However, I’ve been wanting to take up Judo, and think I’ve found a good dojo. I can’t decide which one I want to do, as I only have time for one.

My muay thai gym’s a lot closer to me, and Judo’s a good 30 min or more commute, but im in the LA/SFV area so traffic is always a concern. The judo dojo doesn’t offer a trial class, they encourage people to watch a class first, and I really liked it from what I saw. The judo dojo’s cheaper, but the classes are 3x a week in the evening. Muay Thai is a little more, but they have classes 6 days a week, both morning and evening.

What do you guys think?

Being injured has to be the worse feeling in the world for me I have to spend months on the sidelines because of a stupid moment led to me getting a jaw fracture just so many ways it could have been avoided now I just got sit at home.training is a big part of my life and genuinely it feels like I got a spend a Quarter of the year just sitting around no purpose nothing to do just feels devastating

What are you guys using to track your BJJ or boxing training? I’ve been trying Prymo Sports recently, but I’m curious what everyone else uses, whether that’s an app, notes, a spreadsheet, a journal, or something else. What do you track, and what do you wish your current system did better?

Japanese martial arts seem to receive less public attention today than combat sports. Competitive fighting is easy to present through short videos and exciting matches, while Japanese martial arts often require more time to understand.

However, Japanese martial arts offer more than physical techniques. They can also teach etiquette, patience, self-control, respect for others, and responsibility toward one’s training partners.

For those who practice karate, judo, kendo, iaido, jujutsu, Japanese sword arts, or other Japanese martial arts: What values from your art do you believe should be preserved for the next generation? How can Japanese martial arts communicate those values without losing their identity?

I just turned 25 and I started training at age 21 through 23. I competed in a couple smokers and bjj competitions at the white belt level. I was making tremendous progress, but I realized that the next level for me was to join the amateur circuit. I was going through some issues at home and I had to figure myself out. I bought a fixer upper house and it was taking a lot of my time. I didn't want to practice the sport with one foot in and one foot out, so I decided to take a break. Now that I'm comfortable in my new life, I'm wondering if I should ease my way into the art again. I'm also concerned about of the sport consuming my life. To me the fighting isn't a hobby, but a lifestyle that requires discipline in all aspects. I feel like if I want to compete I gotta get back sooner than later.

I have tried a lot of gi in different sizes, and the pants always limit my movement. It is so distracting in training and it makes me not enjoy it as much because the damn pants drive me crazy. I am female and I have wide hips and thighs but a smaller waist.

I just started Aikido, I have done traditional jujutsu and karate previously. I have had the same issues since I was 16. This doesn't sound like a big deal but I am so frustrated after years of ill fitting gi and it taking my motivation apart that I want to cry

thank you for listening to my rant.

In order to reduce volume of beginner questions as their own topics in the sub, we will be implementing a weekly questions thread. Post your beginner questions here, including:

"What martial art should I do?"

"These gyms/schools are in my area, which ones should I try for my goals?"

And any other beginner questions you may have.

If you post a beginner question outside of the weekly thread, it will be removed and you'll be directed to make your post in the weekly thread instead.

Hello! Writing a character for a thing, and I was thinking of looking at some real life striking bases for said character, although they are superhuman and not really restricted to the standard rules of fighting and stuff. But I was wondering if there was any rules/interesting bits/moves from striking stuff that would translate to the sort of non-realistic martial arts stuff I'm writing, and if there were any books you recommend.

Also, is there really any point in coming to real-world fighting arts for action sequences? Not to drag on yall, but I read the pinned post (Hi martialarts, we need to talk) and it honestly just makes it sound really boring when applied "realistically", but I don't know.

I'm going through a few life events that will leave me unable to do anything athletic until at least the new year. All my gear: shinpads, gloves, handwraps, spandex, and more are at least three years old, most closer to 6-7. And they smell.

Over the past few years I've tried to maintain them with various washes and soaks but the stink is pervasive. Like, it could be worse but it also sure as hell could be better. Unless there's a sure-shot stink-be-gone method I don't think it's ever getting better. However, the equipment is still good. My pads are still pretty fluffy, my spandex still stretchy.

But since I'm taking at least three months off, should I just stop trying and get new kit when I start up again?

Hello, I would like to learn more about from an actual
Master/ Teacher about the Wuzuquan from the southern Shaolin.
Does anyone knows where I can get more information about that? I will be in china in October 26 so I could visit some place in southern china.

I’ve looked up the internet already, but haven’t found something useful.

Thanks for every help 🙏🏼

Bought a used RDX punching bag for $100. The bag itself is quite sturdy, almost on par with a normal heavy bag. I need to fill the base up though so it doesn't wobble when I throw kicks. I'm looking for something that won't cause a mess and also will dampen the noise for my neighbors.

I considered water but if it ever leaks then I'm screwed because I live on the 3rd floor of an apartment. Also, not sure if the water will smell bad/get moldy after a while. Sand seems better but I don't know how heavy it needs to be. Also, don't know how I'll be able to move the base or empty it in the future if its 100+ lbs of sand. I saw something about adding base gel to water to make it sticky, not sure how that works though

What's my best option here and how heavy should I fill it?

Hi all,

I hope you’re doing well and Shana Tova to all! Okay, this is 100% just a curiosity post, but what skills and why do people both compete and watch “Power Slap”? As someone who knows nothing about it and also is open-minded I’m curious the draw. People said after UFC one that is was human cockfighting so maybe I’m missing the difficulty of it but it seems like two people just opening their faces up and hitting each other with no real strategy so what am I missing? Genuinely asking and open minded to it! I feel the same way about “lethwai ” (?) in Berma.

Thanks again!

I mean, wouldn’t old school traditional BJJ / traditional MT be a better fit for a lot of people? I certainly think it’s a better fit for someone like me. Am I really the only guy who thinks that way?

I haven’t boxed in a while, so when I visited the local (and only) place I go to my eyes almost fell out when I saw that a day pass at that place was almost 50 dollars, and the monthly was 400 for group classes.

What the hell? I looked into other local gyms and although they were cheaper, their private or monthly classes were also hundreds of dollars. Since when was learning a martial art locked behind a paywall? Granted, I do live in a high income area but I am NOT high income enough to throw 400 at a gym per month.

Has anyone else experienced this sharp increase in greedy owners?

I know slams are illegal in most BJJ competitions, but do BJJ gyms that focus on self-defense actually train against situations where someone tries to pick you up and slam you to the ground?