Leaning MMA

[bigboywasim]

Is it better to learn MMA from scrach at a MMA gym or learn the arts that make MMA and then go to a MMA school and put it all together?

Which arts do you guys think are best to learn for MMA? I think Muay Thai, Greco-Roman wrestling and BJJ. Western boxing is good to learn also.

[jubaji]

Gonna depend on how much time you have and what your goals are, right?

[kingoftheforest]

Don't train it but watvh it a lot.

I'd say Muay Thai for the stand up fighting aspect. Judo for the throws and tosses so you can get them to the ground without relying on a shoot all the time. And BJJ so once you get them on the ground you can use the punching skills from Thai for ground and pound and the BJJ for locks and chokes.

Plus since most MMA people train BJJ you will have a defense against what your fighting so you have an idea of what the opponents tool box looks like.

I don't train in MMA but I took Judo, Thai, boxing, and wrestled when I was younger (growing up). So from what I see these guys doing on T.V. that should give you a pretty good base to start with. Remember it's a learning and growing process so you may find new stuff to add later on that will help. The foundation is always got to be the strongest part of any structure.

[lorenzodamarith]

Is it better to learn MMA from scrach at a MMA gym or learn the arts that make MMA and then go to a MMA school and put it all together?

Which arts do you guys think are best to learn for MMA? I think Muay Thai, Greco-Roman wrestling and BJJ. Western boxing is good to learn also.

hello,

there are those who would argue vehemently in both directions. while both approaches are valid (and have produced a lot of good fighters), it seems that learning the component systems first and then finishing with mma yields the best "bang for the buck".

if one concentrates on one or two systems and then moves on to mma later, the technical skills seem to come more easily (shorter timeline). also, if one trains purely in mma with no prior training, the injury rate appears to be a little higher (nothing lethal mind you, it's just that injuries lead to lost training time, that's all).

as far as the best systems? muaythai is a given. judo and jiujitsu are very complimentary (easy to learn simultaneously). grecoroman wrestling and freestyle wrestling are a little trickier. the majority of practitioners spent thier careers practicing for a certain rules set. unfortunately, that rules set is not conducive to mma training. that said, if you can find an instructor capable of teaching technique without regard to rules set, then you definitely should train wrestling. good stuff. check out everything and see what you like. enjoyment will go a long long way in any system.

thanks

[Ghost]

i think id do base arts first, judo is often under rated in my opinion. something like muay thai, bjj, judo, id actually throw in some staight forward boxing lessons as well. i know thai boxing has it but many gyms dont teach it well in comparison to a boxing gym.
maybe pick 2 systems to start with. then work from that.

[lorenzodamarith]

hello,

absolute must is boxing!! forgot that (thanks ghost). yes muaythai has it and many train it. typical muaythai schedule will include 5 rnds of padwork. if the school is not making 2 of those specifically elbow and boxing, you will need a boxing gym.

thanks

[Bjjexpertise@be]

Usually people start off one art as a base then branch off from there. Sooooo maybe pick an interesting art then stick with that for awhile before deciding to add anything to your belt?