Martial artists

[TalkingDonkey]

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Ok, I know this is stupid and *NOT* the point of MMA, but...
I have to ask this question out of curiosity..

I'm planning on starting working out with a mix of Muay Thai and BJJ in columbus OH with a professional. This is going to be me a friend and him so private lessons.

Will this combo help me out in real life fighting situations? Or will I still get dominated by someone who knows wrestling techniques?

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The Thai will definitely help, but if wrestling is your issue BJJ might not be of the most help. Wrestlers are trained to stuff takedowns, whereas in sport BJJ it's ok to pull guard and essentially concede a takedown. In sport BJJ/sub-wrestling without strikes this is OK and maybe even advantageous, but with strikes it's another game entirely - if your sub game from the guard isn't great wrestlers will kick the living [censored] out of you any time it goes to the ground.

For an example of what wrestlers can do to people with suspect ground skills, check out Mark Coleman or Mark Kerr's fights from the UFC days.

[cbloom]

[ QUOTE ]
Ok, I know this is stupid and *NOT* the point of MMA, but...
I have to ask this question out of curiosity..

I'm planning on starting working out with a mix of Muay Thai and BJJ in columbus OH with a professional. This is going to be me a friend and him so private lessons.

Will this combo help me out in real life fighting situations? Or will I still get dominated by someone who knows wrestling techniques?

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It depends what your goal is. Really there's a big difference between competitive MMA, and being able to win a fight to the death against a skilled opponent, and just being able to handle an average street fight situation. Anything like BJJ with emphasize on submission holds is a very useful skill in a bar fight situation because you can put someone in a hold and (relatively) peacefully resolve the situation. One of the problems with striking arts in practical situations is you often can't end a fight without inflicting serious damage, especially if the opponent is drunk.

[slickpoppa]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Ok, I know this is stupid and *NOT* the point of MMA, but...
I have to ask this question out of curiosity..

I'm planning on starting working out with a mix of Muay Thai and BJJ in columbus OH with a professional. This is going to be me a friend and him so private lessons.

Will this combo help me out in real life fighting situations? Or will I still get dominated by someone who knows wrestling techniques?

[/ QUOTE ]

The Thai will definitely help, but if wrestling is your issue BJJ might not be of the most help. Wrestlers are trained to stuff takedowns, whereas in sport BJJ it's ok to pull guard and essentially concede a takedown. In sport BJJ/sub-wrestling without strikes this is OK and maybe even advantageous, but with strikes it's another game entirely - if your sub game from the guard isn't great wrestlers will kick the living [censored] out of you any time it goes to the ground.

For an example of what wrestlers can do to people with suspect ground skills, check out Mark Coleman or Mark Kerr's fights from the UFC days.

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Huh? Well of course if he's fighting Mark Coleman or Makr Kerr he is absolutely screwed. But BJJ is one of the best things to know against a pure wrestler. A very good wrestler will be able to take nearly anyone down, so if you're fighting a wrestler you better know how to defend yourself on your back, which is exactly what BJJ will teach you. Now you would not necessarily want to get involved with a wrestler on the ground if you have an advantage on the feet, but you might not have a choice in the matter.

[LyinKing]

Having explored arts from every area/discipline, I honestly think a background in American boxing and wrestling can provide a formidable martial toolbox. There is little substitute for hand speed, punching power, and cardio. The idea of applying a submission hold in a frenetic fighting situation is optimistic. And grappling is no way to confront multiple opponents, of course.

[slickpoppa]

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Having explored arts from every area/discipline, I honestly think a background in American boxing and wrestling can provide a formidable martial toolbox. There is little substitute for hand speed, punching power, and cardio. The idea of applying a submission hold in a frenetic fighting situation is optimistic. And grappling is no way to confront multiple opponents, of course.

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Boxing and wrestling are great, but I think that at least some training in BJJ is necessary for self-defense. As I alluded to in my previous post, there are legitimate reasons for not wanting to take a fight to the ground (such as multiple attackers), but you don't always have the choice. You may get blindsided and be involuntarily put on the ground with someone on top of you and punching you in the face. Especially if the attacker played football and is much bigger than you, his natural instinct will often be to just tackle you and pound your face in. With just boxing and wrestling training, you'd be screwed in such a situation. At the very least BJJ will teach you how to escape or sweep from bad positions.

[SNOWBALL]

Where did you train in JKD. Did you learn primarily original JKD as it was practiced and taught by bruce lee or did you learn jkd concepts a la dan inosanto and richard bustillo?

I've been doing JKD for about 8 months, and I fight strong side forward also. The guys in my boxing class have more power than I do partly because they fight weak side forward. As much as I love the advantages of strong side forward like having powerful stop-hits and doing time hits on guys in a left-lead, it's hard to not miss the sheer power of a good right handed rear cross.

[LyinKing]

Most of what's taught is via Guro Dan and Bustillo. I in fact had a seminar with Bustillo last year. Amazing stuff.

As much as I like the liberation of strong side forward, it can often be an impediment as aforementioned.

I'm a huge grappling proponent, I happen to prefer the CSW no-gi techniques and sambo's emphasis on leg locks. Leg locks can be devastating, especially against unskilled opponents. BJJ is about incremental victories, I prefer something more dynamic. A lot of it does come down to splitting hairs, however.

[SNOWBALL]

[ QUOTE ]

Most of what's taught is via Guro Dan and Bustillo. I in fact had a seminar with Bustillo last year. Amazing stuff.

As much as I like the liberation of strong side forward, it can often be an impediment as aforementioned.

I'm a huge grappling proponent, I happen to prefer the CSW no-gi techniques and sambo's emphasis on leg locks. Leg locks can be devastating, especially against unskilled opponents. BJJ is about incremental victories, I prefer something more dynamic. A lot of it does come down to splitting hairs, however.

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Have you ever been to a Ted Wong seminar? I haven't had the pleasure, but he's supposed to be very good, and to teach very differently than Guro Dan and Bustillo.

Do you think CSW no gi and Sambo would work quicker on an untrained opponent than BJJ? I checked out a couple BJJ places that train primarily with the Gi, but offer a couple no gi classes. I like the way that they train, but I'd also like to check out my other options. I was thinking of maybe trying Judo too, because they have some ground techniques in addition to throws. Can you recommend anything near LA?