# Quick advice much appreciated



## Danyar (Aug 18, 2016)

Good day folks!

Quickly about me: 21 years old, 173 cm, 75 kg, been going to the gym with focus on bodybuilding for about a year, decent physique. Cardio level is zero. 

Looking to start some sort of martial arts. Im interested in both standing fight and ground work. The only problem I have with punches and kicks however is that I do not want to be hit in the head too much and too often, because of the long term chronic consequences of it (or is even a person that not going for a professional level at risk?). 

So I want an art where there is both ground work, I am thinking that BJJ would be perfect in this aspect and it seems really fun, combined with some sort of standing art. Or maybe there already is some sort of art that incorporate both of these aspects? Im thinking MMA. But in that case, wont I be hit in the head too often? In UFC they aim for the head much more often than Id like. I want to learn punches and kicks, but I want to focus on ground work. 

I hope this all wasnt too confusing and Im sorry for being completely new in this area. I hope to get some help from you guys.

Thanks a lot
Best regards
Danny


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## Blindside (Aug 18, 2016)

Most schools control contact in practice.  Even "full contact" school rarely practice at full intensity all the time, that just breaks students.  That said, if you want to do BJJ, do BJJ, it is a great art.  And later if you want to learn some striking then go do that.  Lots of gyms offer multiple arts, BJJ and Muay Thai is relatively common so that it can cover several different bases, this will be decided by what is in your area.


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## drop bear (Aug 18, 2016)

If you want to be good at striking face punching will come in to play. 

You can control the risk but you can't eliminate it. 

And to be honest if the fast acceleration and deccelaration of a throw doesn't cause brain injury i would be very surprised


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## Monkey Turned Wolf (Aug 18, 2016)

If you want to compete you will get knocked in the head, and like drop bear said throwing can be just as bad, or worse, than punching the head. Depending on if there is a good BJJ school near you, try that out and then add a striking art if you're still interested in doing that. I would suggest just focusing on one at first, and BJJ has low chances of concussions as far as I know (plus there is more than enough material to keep you busy with just one art).


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## mograph (Aug 18, 2016)

drop bear said:


> And to be honest if the fast acceleration and deceleration of a throw doesn't cause brain injury i would be very surprised.


Interesting. Here's more info on judo at least, which is new to me:

Is there a serious risk of brain damage from practising judo? - Quora
http://media.usja.net/2013/02/Concussion-2012.06ML-JL.pdf
Urgent message regarding frequent judo accidents in recent months | Japan Judo Accident Victims Association (JJAVA)
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/18/sports/japan-confronts-hazards-of-judo.html?_r=0


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## Monkey Turned Wolf (Aug 18, 2016)

mograph said:


> Interesting. Here's more info on judo at least, which is new to me:
> 
> Is there a serious risk of brain damage from practising judo? - Quora
> http://media.usja.net/2013/02/Concussion-2012.06ML-JL.pdf
> ...


Wow. I had no idea there was that much of a cultural difference in judo training still.


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## Gerry Seymour (Aug 18, 2016)

Blindside said:


> Most schools control contact in practice.  Even "full contact" school rarely practice at full intensity all the time, that just breaks students.  That said, if you want to do BJJ, do BJJ, it is a great art.  And later if you want to learn some striking then go do that.  Lots of gyms offer multiple arts, BJJ and Muay Thai is relatively common so that it can cover several different bases, this will be decided by what is in your area.


This is a good recommendation. If you look a bit, you'll probably find a BJJ school that does more than grappling, which would fit your requirements nicely.


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## Gerry Seymour (Aug 18, 2016)

kempodisciple said:


> Wow. I had no idea there was that much of a cultural difference in judo training still.


The incidence of injury in any throwing art will depend upon how folks train. I know in the past it wasn't too odd for someone in Ueshiba's Aikido to spend an entire class just practicing falls, without much instruction. I remember at least one documented death from this practice (repeated slight head trauma from bad technique on the falls). Like any throwing art, Judo carries risk if the brain is not protected.


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## Gerry Seymour (Aug 18, 2016)

kempodisciple said:


> If you want to compete you will get knocked in the head, and like drop bear said throwing can be just as bad, or worse, than punching the head. Depending on if there is a good BJJ school near you, try that out and then add a striking art if you're still interested in doing that. I would suggest just focusing on one at first, and BJJ has low chances of concussions as far as I know (plus there is more than enough material to keep you busy with just one art).


Falls are not as risky to the head as hits to the head, assuming there is proper training in ukemi waza (techniques for accepting a technique). Good falls transfer much of the impact to arms and distributes force over time, so there's no sudden deceleration at the head. This is even more pronounced with "feather falls", which I've just started getting into.


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## JR 137 (Aug 18, 2016)

In addition to what's been said here...

Don't base MMA on the UFC.  Just because there's a lot of head strikes doesn't mean your local gym will have a lot (or any).  Your feelings on it, while logical, are akin to thinking because there's a ton of dunks in the NBA, you're going to struggle in pick-up because you can't dunk.


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## Buka (Aug 19, 2016)

Welcome to MartialTalk, Danny. Hope you enjoy it.

Probably best to visit all the training places near to you and spend a couple days at each one, watching.
Something will more than likely will catch your interest.

Good luck, enjoy the process, and keep us posted.


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## KangTsai (Aug 19, 2016)

Danyar said:


> Good day folks!
> 
> Quickly about me: 21 years old, 173 cm, 75 kg, been going to the gym with focus on bodybuilding for about a year, decent physique. Cardio level is zero.
> 
> ...


That is a misconception that you'll be punched in the head often. As a beginner, you really, really will not spar that much. Even if you do spar, it's hard to knock someone one without wanting to knock them out, and no serious damage should really occur. UFC fighters and all proper fighters in general go for the head alot, because it ends fights very well. Do MMA if that's what you want. It'll also help strongly with your cardio.


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## KangTsai (Aug 19, 2016)

gpseymour said:


> Falls are not as risky to the head as hits to the head, assuming there is proper training in ukemi waza (techniques for accepting a technique). Good falls transfer much of the impact to arms and distributes force over time, so there's no sudden deceleration at the head. This is even more pronounced with "feather falls", which I've just started getting into.


Breaking falls on takedown drills are likely the first thing instructors teach, as did mine.


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## oftheherd1 (Aug 19, 2016)

Martial arts are fighting arts.  The head is a good place to hit to end a fight.  I don't really see bad advice above, but I would say if you are afraid of being hit in the head, find an art/school that strongly teaches avoiding being hit.  Or, if you can't find a place that emphasizes blocking and other avoidances, practice it on your own within whatever art you end up choosing. 

Standing or ground work?  I have done both, but although the Hapkido I studied had groundwork beyond attaining 1st Dan, that really isn't the focus of what we did.  It was what to do if we found ourselves on the ground more than how to take an opponent there for submission.  But I always thought my Hapkido was easier because I had studied TKD first.  Maybe that was just me.  If you decide to study a ground/grappling art, spend a lot of time on break falls, as mentioned already. 

Good luck in finding what you like.


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## Kickboxer101 (Aug 19, 2016)

If you want to learn stand up fighting you will get hit. Sometimes it'll be accidental sometimes it'll be intentional during sparing but 100% you will get hit at least once in stand up fighting even if it's not full force you will get hit no point sugar coating but as a beginner people will go easy with contact and as you get more advanced your pain threshold will get higher so when you do get hit it won't be as bad.


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## Danyar (Aug 19, 2016)

Thanks a lot for the replies, I feel very welcomed in this forum  I will begin with BJJ, found a gym near me that not only reaches BJJ but also sport jiu-jitsu so I might also give that a shot. Have you guys heard about sport jiu-jitsu? 

Just a side question, so apparently head protection is used during sparring in some of the standing martial arts where punches and kicks are involved. Just wondering if this head protection protects a lot? Because if it removed almost all the shock, like a bicycle helmet, then sparring or even competing shouldnt be too dangerous. Im just going to train martial arts for sports (gym is my main focus) but it would still be cool if I could compete without too much of a risk. Any opinions about this? 

Thanks again folks!

Edit: about getting hit in the head, its not the pain or fear that Im worried about, its solely (spelling?) the long term chronic consequences of repeated blows to the head.. thats what I want to avoid. But at the same time, I want to learn some standing fighting.


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## Tez3 (Aug 19, 2016)

As someone said don't judge MMA by the UFC, there are plenty of amateur rules competitions where there is no strikes to the head at all and semi pro ones where the strikes to the head are standing only.


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## Steve (Aug 19, 2016)

sounds like you got all kinds of good advice.  Can I ask what city you're in or near?  Maybe we can vouch for some good schools.


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## kuniggety (Aug 20, 2016)

Danyar said:


> I will begin with BJJ, found a gym near me that not only reaches BJJ but also sport jiu-jitsu so I might also give that a shot. Have you guys heard about sport jiu-jitsu?
> .



When people talk about "sport jiu-jitsu", then they're talking about competition rules. This can vary quite a bit between schools because others focus on the self defense aspect, especially in the beginning.


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## Danyar (Aug 20, 2016)

A thought struck me. Since I want BJJ combined with some striking art, why not just go for MMA? Wont I get the whole package in one? 

Edit: I live in Riga, Latvia.


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## Monkey Turned Wolf (Aug 20, 2016)

Danyar said:


> A thought struck me. Since I want BJJ combined with some striking art, why not just go for MMA? Wont I get the whole package in one?
> 
> Edit: I live in Riga, Latvia.


Yes, but depending on the place the BJJ may be a lower quality, and there are a lot of 'MMA' gyms that are not high quality in either striking or grappling. It's not always true, but I would definitely choose a place that focuses on BJJ and may have a striking class, then a place that teaches 'MMA'.


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## the42cop (Sep 8, 2016)

I would absolutely look into a local Brazilian jiu-jitsu gym. Most have MMA and kickboxing classes as well, though not all. You're better off focusing on basic ground work and adding some kickboxing. Once you start feeling a little comfortable with the basics you can look at starting to blend them both. Though it can be a bit overwhelming at first worrying about being kicked in the head AND trying to defend a takedown lol. A lot of places offer up to a week of free classes, so shop around first. Just remember when you first start BJJ... being fit or strong or even naturally tough means NOTHING when you're grappling with people who are TRAINED. You will get absolutely slaughtered every single day... And that's totally okay as long as you stow the ego and try to just keep showing up every day and keep improving. You're competing with YOU only. It is a great stress relief and the best workout I have ever found. I'm convinced you can take an Olympic athlete in just about any regular non grappling sport and after 5 minutes of sparring they will be ready to throw up. Have fun and good luck!


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## drop bear (Sep 9, 2016)

Danyar said:


> A thought struck me. Since I want BJJ combined with some striking art, why not just go for MMA? Wont I get the whole package in one?
> 
> Edit: I live in Riga, Latvia.



There are a lot of quality standing ground arts. 
Sanda. 
Sambo.
Kudo. 
Shootboxing. 
And so on.


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