Holy shit that's genius. Have you ever thought of starting a fight club? Call it something like idk ultimate fighting warrior or ultimate fighting guy. UFW or UFG.
It's a great idea but time, money and physical energy is a factor and I work big hours and feel currently I can only focus on one discipline however I may try and do both
Man I had no interest in BJJ until I took a class and a female blue belt who was smaller and weaker than me took me down and completely neutralized all of my years of boxing and muay thai experience.
I joined an MMA gym that had boxing, muay thai, and BJJ and it was great to train in multiple arts at the same time. Sometimes I would get an injury in one art that didn't effect the training in another art and vice versa. Hell sometimes I would get bored with one art and just train another art for awhile before coming back.
I think it's completely normal to be curious about other arts and to cross-train them. And that ladies and gentlemen is why MMA training is a thing.
This is so important for every martial artist to experience… many have no idea what an experienced grappler would do to them. I boxed for 5-6 months then took a BJJ class and got my ego smushed apart… I then grappled pretty much exclusively for about 10 years and have fell in love with MT over the last couple years…
Stand-up and grappling are equally as important if you want to be an all rounder.
Either do Bjj on the side or join an MMA gym.
I've been doing Bjj for 3 years now but just starting MT now, I'll probs just end up bounching between the two.
Word of caution, though Bjj, is hard on your body, train sensibly.
Man with as much time as I’ve put into this shit I may as well get the belt lol
But honestly not getting one makes it seem less karate-like in peoples minds. So there is a trade off
I’ve been bouncing around between judo, boxing, BJJ, and Muay Thai since 2011
My only complaint is that there’s no good wrestling schools in my area
I also have no desire to compete in mma. I just think it’s fun and I get less burnt out when I spread my training around
I feel exactly the same as you. Do boxing classes spar as much as MT cause i spar everyday i go and ill miss tf outta that and is the main reason i dont wanna swap. Im also really interested in boxing and havent tried it yet but my ideal swap would be to a gym that dors judo and boxing so i could sharpen my hands and still get to spar while also learning how to slam people haha.
Slamming people is cool, I went to a Judo class but the vibes were weird. People were cultish and stand off. Pretty annoying. I think whatever gyms provides the best training you should go to. Boxing near me from what I'm aware is all pretty shit quality. It feels like a dying sport where i live in the UK, which is shit because its our national sport and we should be leading the way. That said I'm sure there is a fantastic selection of boxing clubs around the country just not where I live. Where I live the best clubs are thai, bjj and mma.
It's because judo schools in western countries are less proud as they were before the 2000s. It's seen as an inferior form of BJJ or a thing for kids.
People have zero knowledge about the history
Shame really. I think Judo is fucking cool. The ability to put people on the floor it's just the best. Thing is, there's literally one club in my city and it's run by arrogant clowns. Gyms are few and far between to say the least.
It's a shame. It's an Olympic sport with an amazing history.
And after all it was Maeda teaching Carlos Gracie his mix of Kodokan judo (and/or jiu jitsu) which led to the creation of BJJ by the Gracie's.
Maeda was trained by the father of modern Judo Jigoro Kano himself.
I said Kodokan Judo or Jiu Jitsu because at that point in Japan the Kodokan Judo style (by the father of Judo, Jigoro Kano) was seen as a style within, or a branch of traditional jiu jitsu.
It already was a mix of innovation and picking the most effective techniques from traditional jiu jitsu.
The Gracie's took that path towards BJJ and in Japan it became modern Judo. Which is beautiful.
Modern Judo and BJJ are beautiful both in their differences and similarities.
But since I was a dutch kid my parents put me in a Judo gym at 5 years old only because when I would fall I would basically faceplant all the time.. they figured it would teach me how to fall and roll properly.. and that's how most parents view Judo.
Definitely do boxing. I’m currently on a break from Muay Thai due to an injury and I’m back into my boxing. It’s a beautiful sport, the footwork is so slick and it’s really my first love as far as MA goes. It’s basically punch dancing and it will definitely augment your Muay Thai if you ever decide to go back. Get out there and explore and have fun.
You know what man, this is the thing. I'm really impressed by the footwork, evasive techniques and insane punching of boxing. I'm never that wowed by footwork in muay thai. I'm never wowed by any evasivity even though it is present in the sport. I've also realised that boxing is excellent for defending yourself due to this. My only problem is that the boxing clubs round me aren't as good as the muay thai clubs available. That said, I'm sure I can get some experience from these various clubs. I already take part in 1 boxing club close to me and do sparring. I'm just on the fence of wondering should I try out boxing and see if I take to it more than muay thai. Is it true that you have to find martial arts that work better for you as an individual? As in will you naturally take to certain disciplines and will you know from this indication its something you wish to continue? I've only ever trained muay thai...
I don’t know that certain people are predisposed to certain martial arts outside of simply having interest in them. Personally I took an interest to boxing almost immediately. There’s beauty in its perceived simplicity but it’s very nuanced and layered. The evasive techniques in boxing are amazing and it’s helped my reaction speed a lot in Muay Thai. I would say that reasonable expectations for a boxing gym should be an equal focus on conditioning, technique and sparring (seems obvious). If it’s just an instructor calling out combos to do on a bag then it’s just an exercise class. Even though the boxing gyms in your area may not be “world class” or whatever as long they emphasize partner drills and explain movement and technique you will without a doubt learn something worth knowing. Either way, enjoy the journey of trying something out.
I started with boxing but I didn’t learn much besides how to take a punch (which actually came in handy in a real situation even tho I wasn’t a good boxer)
Then I tried BJJ because my friend was interested, I really enjoyed it and stayed for a year until my friend betrayed me
Then I wanted to try something new so I did Muay Thai and stuck with it until present (about 3 years total)
These other combat sports are fun and interesting and definitely worth trying, but Muay Thai is me favourite just because the culture is so rich, I’ve been on holidays to Thailand, trained there, met famous fighters, watched one championship and I’ve got a sak yant, I’ve been to the temples, blessed by a monk, I’ve worn the mongkol and everything, and they play music during the fights too! Muay Thai is amazing
It sounds like you just aren’t vibing with Muay Thai. That’s fine, if you like boxing, go do boxing. It’s a great sport with a ton of tradition to absorb and honestly more opportunities as the largest and most popular combat sport in the world. So sure, go box, no one’s gonna brand you a traitor or anything.
I started with MT and then switched to boxing about 1 year+ in. Best decision I’ve ever made. I never learnt how to do footwork or defensive movements in my MT gyms lol. I now have better & faster punches thanks for boxing training. I still go back to MT lessons maybe once a week or so, but main focus will still be boxing.
I did MT for about 4 years. After that I realized my hips are just TOO fucked to be any good, And I had just way too much pain. Switched to traditional boxing which I loved and continued with for another 6 years until I eventually just got old, And tired. Do whatever works for you man
Nah. I tried boxing and they kept telling me to do the stupid stance that sets you up for takedowns and constant leg kicks. I get that it's a fundamental part of the discipline but I found it utterly frustrating to utilize a stance that leaves you so defenceless.
Do it if you want but once you've trained Muay Thai and sparred you'll realize how wildly useless some other artforms are. Kickboxing is similar but without clinching it feels toothless. My BJJ gym had a kickboxing class and seeing how susceptible everyone was to leg kicks and sweeps or how much anyone would completely panic when put on the simplest of clinches made me completely lose interest.
Grappling is sick tho. Wrestliat and BJJ and Judo are all super awesome. But I feel like once you've put in the time in Muay Thai, all the other striking arts feel kind of.....mediocre
(edit:) But also you do you bro. That's just my personal experience
I hear that man. I did a pure boxing class the other night at my thai gym and it was a very basic class with no sparring just doing repetitive pad drills and fuck it felt sooo basic compare to thai pads.
As time goes on I'm becoming interested in grappling. Used to think striking was more important for self defence but starting to appreciate the usefulness of grappling.
Try it all because the love of something makes it so much easier to be passionate about something. I remember in the 90s when guys jumped to bjj I was thinking why but I should have been like go for it and master things and help me out after. You can never learn too much.
As someone who went from doing Kickboxing and BJJ, to years later starting again only doing MT, I get it.
I specifically avoided doing a grappling art when I started up again after my 10 year hiatus, because I remembered HATING BJJ (I mean, who wants a sweaty struggle cuddle with random strangers, right?). But the longer I've trained MT, the more I'm seeing it's inherent limitations, and missing what the others provided, to the point I'm starting to consider doing BJJ again
Based on your mindset, don't drop MT for something else, as yes you will end up in the same boat again. Instead, look to supplement MT with another art, preferably one with a wildly different focus (BJJ, Judo etc)
You're allowed to do more than one.
lol right like just do them... and even say, put them together? **Mix** your **Martial Arts** if you will.
Whoa whoa whoa. Where I come from we don’t mix our martial arts. Just good ol Muay Thai like god intended.
Holy shit that's genius. Have you ever thought of starting a fight club? Call it something like idk ultimate fighting warrior or ultimate fighting guy. UFW or UFG.
It's a great idea but time, money and physical energy is a factor and I work big hours and feel currently I can only focus on one discipline however I may try and do both
Does your gym offer Muay Thai and BJJ? If so, do some drop in classes. The ocean is deep my friend.
You can always cut down a little on MT to dip your toes into whatever you fancy, then balance the times between the two once you find your groove
Man I had no interest in BJJ until I took a class and a female blue belt who was smaller and weaker than me took me down and completely neutralized all of my years of boxing and muay thai experience. I joined an MMA gym that had boxing, muay thai, and BJJ and it was great to train in multiple arts at the same time. Sometimes I would get an injury in one art that didn't effect the training in another art and vice versa. Hell sometimes I would get bored with one art and just train another art for awhile before coming back. I think it's completely normal to be curious about other arts and to cross-train them. And that ladies and gentlemen is why MMA training is a thing.
This is so important for every martial artist to experience… many have no idea what an experienced grappler would do to them. I boxed for 5-6 months then took a BJJ class and got my ego smushed apart… I then grappled pretty much exclusively for about 10 years and have fell in love with MT over the last couple years…
Nothing feels more helpless when someone toys with you, playing with you, before choking you out.
Stand-up and grappling are equally as important if you want to be an all rounder. Either do Bjj on the side or join an MMA gym. I've been doing Bjj for 3 years now but just starting MT now, I'll probs just end up bounching between the two. Word of caution, though Bjj, is hard on your body, train sensibly.
Tap early, tap often. Ego is a bitch.
No but I envy the fancy belts other arts get
Those bjj belts take big long to rank up in though. They really make you earn that shit.
Man with as much time as I’ve put into this shit I may as well get the belt lol But honestly not getting one makes it seem less karate-like in peoples minds. So there is a trade off
I’ve been bouncing around between judo, boxing, BJJ, and Muay Thai since 2011 My only complaint is that there’s no good wrestling schools in my area I also have no desire to compete in mma. I just think it’s fun and I get less burnt out when I spread my training around
I feel exactly the same as you. Do boxing classes spar as much as MT cause i spar everyday i go and ill miss tf outta that and is the main reason i dont wanna swap. Im also really interested in boxing and havent tried it yet but my ideal swap would be to a gym that dors judo and boxing so i could sharpen my hands and still get to spar while also learning how to slam people haha.
Slamming people is cool, I went to a Judo class but the vibes were weird. People were cultish and stand off. Pretty annoying. I think whatever gyms provides the best training you should go to. Boxing near me from what I'm aware is all pretty shit quality. It feels like a dying sport where i live in the UK, which is shit because its our national sport and we should be leading the way. That said I'm sure there is a fantastic selection of boxing clubs around the country just not where I live. Where I live the best clubs are thai, bjj and mma.
It's because judo schools in western countries are less proud as they were before the 2000s. It's seen as an inferior form of BJJ or a thing for kids. People have zero knowledge about the history
Shame really. I think Judo is fucking cool. The ability to put people on the floor it's just the best. Thing is, there's literally one club in my city and it's run by arrogant clowns. Gyms are few and far between to say the least.
It's a shame. It's an Olympic sport with an amazing history. And after all it was Maeda teaching Carlos Gracie his mix of Kodokan judo (and/or jiu jitsu) which led to the creation of BJJ by the Gracie's. Maeda was trained by the father of modern Judo Jigoro Kano himself. I said Kodokan Judo or Jiu Jitsu because at that point in Japan the Kodokan Judo style (by the father of Judo, Jigoro Kano) was seen as a style within, or a branch of traditional jiu jitsu. It already was a mix of innovation and picking the most effective techniques from traditional jiu jitsu. The Gracie's took that path towards BJJ and in Japan it became modern Judo. Which is beautiful. Modern Judo and BJJ are beautiful both in their differences and similarities. But since I was a dutch kid my parents put me in a Judo gym at 5 years old only because when I would fall I would basically faceplant all the time.. they figured it would teach me how to fall and roll properly.. and that's how most parents view Judo.
Definitely do boxing. I’m currently on a break from Muay Thai due to an injury and I’m back into my boxing. It’s a beautiful sport, the footwork is so slick and it’s really my first love as far as MA goes. It’s basically punch dancing and it will definitely augment your Muay Thai if you ever decide to go back. Get out there and explore and have fun.
You know what man, this is the thing. I'm really impressed by the footwork, evasive techniques and insane punching of boxing. I'm never that wowed by footwork in muay thai. I'm never wowed by any evasivity even though it is present in the sport. I've also realised that boxing is excellent for defending yourself due to this. My only problem is that the boxing clubs round me aren't as good as the muay thai clubs available. That said, I'm sure I can get some experience from these various clubs. I already take part in 1 boxing club close to me and do sparring. I'm just on the fence of wondering should I try out boxing and see if I take to it more than muay thai. Is it true that you have to find martial arts that work better for you as an individual? As in will you naturally take to certain disciplines and will you know from this indication its something you wish to continue? I've only ever trained muay thai...
I don’t know that certain people are predisposed to certain martial arts outside of simply having interest in them. Personally I took an interest to boxing almost immediately. There’s beauty in its perceived simplicity but it’s very nuanced and layered. The evasive techniques in boxing are amazing and it’s helped my reaction speed a lot in Muay Thai. I would say that reasonable expectations for a boxing gym should be an equal focus on conditioning, technique and sparring (seems obvious). If it’s just an instructor calling out combos to do on a bag then it’s just an exercise class. Even though the boxing gyms in your area may not be “world class” or whatever as long they emphasize partner drills and explain movement and technique you will without a doubt learn something worth knowing. Either way, enjoy the journey of trying something out.
I started with boxing but I didn’t learn much besides how to take a punch (which actually came in handy in a real situation even tho I wasn’t a good boxer) Then I tried BJJ because my friend was interested, I really enjoyed it and stayed for a year until my friend betrayed me Then I wanted to try something new so I did Muay Thai and stuck with it until present (about 3 years total) These other combat sports are fun and interesting and definitely worth trying, but Muay Thai is me favourite just because the culture is so rich, I’ve been on holidays to Thailand, trained there, met famous fighters, watched one championship and I’ve got a sak yant, I’ve been to the temples, blessed by a monk, I’ve worn the mongkol and everything, and they play music during the fights too! Muay Thai is amazing
Do both
If MT ignited the fire in your heart to explore other martial arts, hell yeah go ahead and do that shit.
It sounds like you just aren’t vibing with Muay Thai. That’s fine, if you like boxing, go do boxing. It’s a great sport with a ton of tradition to absorb and honestly more opportunities as the largest and most popular combat sport in the world. So sure, go box, no one’s gonna brand you a traitor or anything.
Do whatever is best for your body and mind my bro
I started with MT and then switched to boxing about 1 year+ in. Best decision I’ve ever made. I never learnt how to do footwork or defensive movements in my MT gyms lol. I now have better & faster punches thanks for boxing training. I still go back to MT lessons maybe once a week or so, but main focus will still be boxing.
I did MT for about 4 years. After that I realized my hips are just TOO fucked to be any good, And I had just way too much pain. Switched to traditional boxing which I loved and continued with for another 6 years until I eventually just got old, And tired. Do whatever works for you man
Nah. I tried boxing and they kept telling me to do the stupid stance that sets you up for takedowns and constant leg kicks. I get that it's a fundamental part of the discipline but I found it utterly frustrating to utilize a stance that leaves you so defenceless. Do it if you want but once you've trained Muay Thai and sparred you'll realize how wildly useless some other artforms are. Kickboxing is similar but without clinching it feels toothless. My BJJ gym had a kickboxing class and seeing how susceptible everyone was to leg kicks and sweeps or how much anyone would completely panic when put on the simplest of clinches made me completely lose interest. Grappling is sick tho. Wrestliat and BJJ and Judo are all super awesome. But I feel like once you've put in the time in Muay Thai, all the other striking arts feel kind of.....mediocre (edit:) But also you do you bro. That's just my personal experience
I hear that man. I did a pure boxing class the other night at my thai gym and it was a very basic class with no sparring just doing repetitive pad drills and fuck it felt sooo basic compare to thai pads. As time goes on I'm becoming interested in grappling. Used to think striking was more important for self defence but starting to appreciate the usefulness of grappling.
Fuck no. I started 14 years ago and never stopped unless I was injured. Muay thai is the greatest!
Try it all because the love of something makes it so much easier to be passionate about something. I remember in the 90s when guys jumped to bjj I was thinking why but I should have been like go for it and master things and help me out after. You can never learn too much.
Is you just add the headhutt in every now and then, thats essentially Lethwei covered
As someone who went from doing Kickboxing and BJJ, to years later starting again only doing MT, I get it. I specifically avoided doing a grappling art when I started up again after my 10 year hiatus, because I remembered HATING BJJ (I mean, who wants a sweaty struggle cuddle with random strangers, right?). But the longer I've trained MT, the more I'm seeing it's inherent limitations, and missing what the others provided, to the point I'm starting to consider doing BJJ again Based on your mindset, don't drop MT for something else, as yes you will end up in the same boat again. Instead, look to supplement MT with another art, preferably one with a wildly different focus (BJJ, Judo etc)
You can do anything you do in Muay Thai in kickboxing. I train both MT and KB.