Brazilian Jiu Jitsu: Not Just for the UFC

[SJman]

Hey everyone,

So I'm new to this website, and since I can't contribute PE advice yet, I thought I'd
add at least something of my own that's useful.

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is my greatest love (other than soon to be PE), and if you're looking
for an amazing way to trim off fat, build lean muscle, and increase your stamina all-around,
then look for a legitimate practitioner somewhere nearby. Try and find one who offers "No Gi"
BJJ, sometimes referred to as "10th Planet BJJ" - in my opinion it's more fun and even harder
than BJJ with a Gi, but still just as fun if not more!

Anyone who has any questions can post them in here or send me a PM, I'll help anyone out
in any way I can.

Do yourself a favor and get into this amazing sport!

[buttheadyeah]

I've always been interested in it, but there's no place that has it where I live. I'd have to travel 500 miles to get to one, literally.

[W.M.P.]

I've spoken to Matt Serra a couple of times at my gym; his main academy is a short, 5 minute walk from my place. However, I'm broke as a dog and I also have some old shoulder injuries that tend to come back to haunt me when applying force at certain angles. As soon as I get these old injuries properly treated (basically getting rid of excess scar tissue that limits motion) and get some $$, I'll join his school to learn from "The Terror" himself.

[Nacho]

Sometime next year I think I might start training MMA for fun.

I wouldn't want to learn just BJJ though. I want to hit people.

[SJman]

Originally Posted by Nacho

Sometime next year I think I might start training MMA for fun.

I wouldn't want to learn just BJJ though. I want to hit people.

That's the same attitude that got me into BJJ Nacho.

I wanted to hit people too, and MMA was definitely the route to take. When you go
to the ground though, you've got to have BJJ to save you from being killed

If you're looking for a course to start with in training, I'd be more than happy to give
you some advice there, I hope you decide to start and stick with it.

Good luck!

[Nacho]

Give me some advice I am all ears!

[SJman]

For your ground game, look into BJJ and Sambo. Try and find a teacher who understands the military
stylings of the latter, as they are much more effective than the "watered-down" civilian version.

For a good introduction on what to expect from BJJ, do a little online research and look for a guy by
the name of Stephan Kesting. He's a master BJJ practitioner/instructor and holds a number of other
qualifications as well (including Sambo, if memory serves).

Your striking game can really come from anywhere, but I would recommend you avoid Krav Maga
and Karate for this. While both arts can be effective if applied in the right circumstances of every-
day life, they will get you destroyed in an Octagon against someone who knows what they're doing.

Boxing can provide a good framework in terms of breathing, tracking, and punching technique in general,
but the comparisons really end there. No amount of bobbing and weaving or shoulder rolling can save you
from a polished, MMA striker. For your striking game, look to Muay Thai and Kickboxing. Learn to use your
knees and legs as weapons, and you'll demolish your opponent.

Do a little looking around of your own, and let me know what you're interested in. This is a good place to
start so find what you think works for you!

P.S. There is more than what I have listed here, so if you find something different that appeals to you,
then go for it by all means. Some guys have actually made a great career adapting Karate to MMA, but
I feel the other arts mentioned above are far more effective. Go with what you can understand.

[jaden100]

Originally Posted by W.M.P.

I've spoken to Matt Serra a couple of times at my gym; his main academy is a short, 5 minute walk from my place. However, I'm broke as a dog and I also have some old shoulder injuries that tend to come back to haunt me when applying force at certain angles. As soon as I get these old injuries properly treated (basically getting rid of excess scar tissue that limits motion) and get some $$, I'll join his school to learn from "The Terror" himself.

Thats crazy man. Im a big UFC fan myself. Thats awesome you got to talk to him. I wanna join BJJ aswell but i dont think i can. I had broken my left tibia bone almost 3 years ago and i have 2 screws in it right now. When i tend to run on it alot it starts to hurt alittle bit and gets alittle swollen, not really noticable but it does bother it if i run on it, if i just jog on it for awhile its fine. So thats why i dont know if i should take BJJ or Kickboxing because you gotta kick and kneel down on your knees and all of that stuff, so i dont wanna risk my leg breaking again lol!!!

[Thimsile]

I agree with you on this, martial arts increases your potential in life by ten-fold. I have been practicing bjj for about a year and I love it.

I have also been practicing American kenpo karate for over three years now. SJman i agree that karate is rarely effective in the octagon. Sadly the reason is, is that there are not enough karate aces out there who are willing to intelligently adopt there skills into the octogon. Not only that, but the number of karate blackbelts that are also experts on the ground is very low. Look at Lyoto Machida, he was willing to stick to his karate in the cage (and he is a bjj blackbelt). It didn't take him long in his mma career to make quick work of beating light heavyweight ufc world champ Rashad Evans. Currently there is nobody in his weight division who could touch him, hell he hasn't lost one round in his mma career and he is undefeated at 15-0-0. There is much more to be said about him but I don't want to ramble.

I do agree that Muay Thai and Kickboxing has been the dominant striking base in mma for the time that it's been around. But mma is still a new sport and we are just beggining to see the new styles and techniques that have the potential to dominate in this exciting sport. Thats the beauty of it.

[eompow]

Sounding interesting, How long have you been training? What is there ranking system like? Are there black belts?

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