taekwondo guy gonna try some mma

[13ang]

First off, I train traditional taekwondo. I have a few friends in MMA, and a few others in WTF style, who are gonna go down to team quest and spar some this weekend cuz its open sparring or something and I got some friends down there who want me to come. I have done some sambo so I wont be too worthless on the ground, but i have a feeling my hands/takedowns wont be even close to the same level as these guys.

So anyways I just wanna find out what I should expect, things to keep in mind, and any tricks you guys might have to not get beat up too bad.

[Penance]

If you aren't confident about something, then don't bother doing it. You'll just do it poorly and waste time and energy that you could have used to work the stuff you're good at.

Go in there with a game plan that focuses on you getting to work your strengths. If what you're good at is standup and kicks, then work your range.

Learn to sprawl and stuff people. Drill the crap out of that, otherwise you're going to get taken to the ground. Unless you get lucky or can muscle your way back to your feet, some Sambo probably isn't going to cut it unless the other person just plain sucks.

Don't get discouraged if you lose, but plan to win. Just use the experience to learn. You'll come away from it with a longer list of things you did "wrong" than what you did "right." That list will give you TONS to work on. It'll motivate you, trust me.

[Bjjexpertise@be]

Don't give up your back.

[Clooneytkd]

may i add, keep your chin tucked at all times. they will be looking for that easy choke.

[Jiu-fu fighter]

Just go in there with the mindframe to win,

If you win great

If you lost great,, why? ... cause it makes you stronger, it makes you want to get better, stronger, train harder.

Best of luck!

Jiu fu

[7r14ngL3Ch0k3]

Youve done sambo? Where?

Anyway, i wouldnt take what youre going to do there too seriously. Just have fun. Because when you get yours handed to you, youre probably gonna feel upset.

Just try to defend the takedown and strike with them. And if you do get on bottom, just keep trying to get to guard.

[Tom Yum]

13ang, do whatever you can to stay on your feet since you are primarily a stand up fighter.

Most MMA guys are not used to the kicking speed that TKD fighters use, so make them stay in the kicking range. If you're in straight punching range, lean back and use your side kick or a front snap kick as a defensive tool against a straight and then follow up with a spinning kick. If it misses, expect them to shoot for a takedown or fire off a thai kick.

Better be ready to sprawl or shield. If they wind up for a big rear leg thai kick against your front leg, get out of the way with a switch stance and either snap a lead leg round/hook kick to the head or side/front-snap kick to the body.

Don't trade punches; clinch your opponent if you find yourself on the inside and push them out so you can start kicking again.

------------

Stick to your basic front snap, round, hook kick and side kick as your bread and butter. Use your spinning kicks sparringly.

Get the hell outta the way if you see a thai kick coming and be prepaired to sprawl against shot attempts.

[PlasmaShock]

its good to try different martial arts.

[Tom Yum]

Originally Posted by PlasmaShock

its good to try different martial arts.

Agreed. Its also good to bring what you've got so you can both benefit.

[13ang]

honestly im glad they dont teach muay thai at team quest cuz I wouldnt realy want to go up against a skilled muay thai fighter, although it would be fun.

to answer you question trianglechoke, I dont go to an actual school, my taekwondo instructor got in touch with aaron fields of the us sambo assosiation (or something like that i forget), and so he comes down once a month and gives a few of the higher ranked guys a free seminar. Plus one of his students recently moved to portland, so he is holding classes 2 days a week. Usualy only 2-3 people show but I love doing ground work and that usualy what we do so it works out for me.

But our ground isnt a sambo ground its grass tatami mats (good for taekwondo, but hard) so we dont work a whole lot of standup just cuz it is prety painfull to be taken down on that floor.

[13ang]

im realy interested to see how my friend from wtf does, he is real damn good, like he is trying to get to the olympics in the future. Honestly I think if he keeps it on his feet he will have no trouble, but he has 0 ground experience sooooo

[Maxx]

My suggestion is to go in with what you know, have an open mind and don't be afraid to ask questions. Use it as an opportunity to learn as opposed to thinking of it as a challenge to keep from getting beaten. Often times people mistake sparring for actual competition. above and beyond all else, sparring is a drill used to develop Spontaneous actions and reactions. I'm a firm believer that you should never beat the hell out of each other so much that a 15 year old kid can mug you in the parking lot as soon as you limp out of the training hall.

Also, every time you spar someone new, be sure to shake hands and introduce yourself. It'll help to keep both your ego and the ego of the other person in check. If you get taken down, ask how to prevent it. If you get arm barred, ask how to escape it. and thank the other person for the info.

On the other hand be careful about any advice you dispense... especially if someone hasn't asked for it. Ego is a powerful thing in martial arts and you're often better off just lying low on the advice until people get to know you better.

[Tom Yum]

Maxx, you brought up a good point.

When two different styles train together it should be a learning experience, not a showdown.

Thanks for reminding me the importance of humilty!

[Thai Bri]

Originally Posted by 13ang

So anyways I just wanna find out what I should expect, things to keep in mind, and any tricks you guys might have to not get beat up too bad.

Nah. The MMA pioneers already did all that. And they came up with MMA.

Expect to get the sheeeeeit kicked out of you. Expect to either change to their style of fighting and improve, or stick with your own and pretend you can fight.

Sorry to be blunt!

[Garland]

Originally Posted by Thai Bri

Expect to get the sheeeeeit kicked out of you. Expect to either change to their style of fighting and improve, or stick with your own and pretend you can fight.
Sorry to be blunt!

Wasn't Kimo Leopoldo supposed to be a TKD guy?


...naw!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xniHJZmfHi4