New To MMA

[makiwara]

I start at a new gym on Sat. I will be learning BJJ, Wrestling, Boxing, and Muay Thai. I've got a bit of Karate experience, but from what I've watched their basic movements seem a lot different from the way I'm used to moving. Has anyone else made this transition, and what kind of tips do you have on adapting.

[bigboywasim]

Originally Posted by makiwara

I start at a new gym on Sat. I will be learning BJJ, Wrestling, Boxing, and Muay Thai. I've got a bit of Karate experience, but from what I've watched their basic movements seem a lot different from the way I'm used to moving. Has anyone else made this transition, and what kind of tips do you have on adapting.

I have done full contact karate, and I am doing MMA right now. I am thinking you have done traditional karate. The main difference for you will be the conditioning and full contact sparring. You will need to be able to take those elbows and knees at full power and need to condition the shins for those low kicks. This was my main problem when I first started. I was not able to take the shin kicks. The movement and stance is different in Muay Thai but you will get it down. The default MMA stance is like Muay Thai but slightly adjusted to better avoid take downs.

Since you have no grappling background just do whatever they tell you and you will be ok.

[makiwara]

Hey, thanks for that. I have picked up running again. I figured the endurance thing would be a concern for me. I did do traditional arts, as well as some full contact schools, and been in a few situations that have showed me just how tough I am (and how tough I'm not), but I have always focused on ending the fight in under a minute. Now I have to go rounds with rules. Trying to keep one lead in front. I almost feel like a fish out of water.
As for the shins, my brother figured out that the bottom circumference (sp?) of my heavy bag is a little harder than the rest of the bag, and grabbing the chains while slamming my shins into that spot has begun to toughen them a little.

[Marksmarkou]

I recommend you go there, forget about your karate training and do exactly what they tell you. you will probably find that some things are similar to your karate, (eg, rotating the hips when punching, keeping your knees bent for mobility.) good luck

[cakegirl]

Welcome!

[migo]

Keep an open mind both ways. Absorb what you can from the MMA gym, but don't out of hand discard everything you learned from Karate - maybe you'll decide after a while that doing so is best, but you might not. The quality of instruction can vary quite widely among MMA gyms, and also within gyms as time progresses. My ex-gym was quite good (by my estimation) when I started in 2005, 3 years later it's treading a fine line of becoming a McDojo.

Train for a while, talk about your training experiences with other people and also see what others say about their training experiences. Obviously it's in your best interest to do what you're told, even if it contradicts what you'd expect or what you learned previously, but at the same time don't be afraid to analyze and question what you're taught. Best case scenario, if you've taken the time to really look at something and you find that it's really solid, you'll find you understand it better and it sticks with you more than if you just accept it right off the bat and don't give it much more thought.