Beginner, please give tips and advice

[Kababayan]

thanks a lot dude


yeah im starting to realise how super important the whole ''keep your hands up'' and ''footwork'' thing is also I really like to move around and switch stances but maybe you are right about working only one side for a while, I'm definitely going to try that

I have a different viewpoint to switching stances than most. I am right-handed but fought southpaw. While I completely understand the purpose of focusing on one side only, I equally trained both sides. Maybe not equally, but at least 70/30. During my fights I would switch stances and fight with my other side and it would completely throw my opponent off. After years of training both sides, I got to a point where I felt equally confident from both sides and switched frequently. That worked for me, but your training is all about what works for you and what your goals are.

 

[Kaspow]

I have a different viewpoint to switching stances than most. I am right-handed but fought southpaw. While I completely understand the purpose of focusing on one side only, I equally trained both sides. Maybe not equally, but at least 70/30. During my fights I would switch stances and fight with my other side and it would completely throw my opponent off. After years of training both sides, I got to a point where I felt equally confident from both sides and switched frequently. That worked for me, but your training is all about what works for you and what your goals are.

I don't know why but I love switching stances it's a lot of fun for me just u know moving around switching things up

 

[Kaspow]

Also a quick question, do you guys think I have any chance at all of going pro? I'm already 20 years old so it could be too late for me but I'm really enjoying martial arts

 

[Buka]

Also a quick question, do you guys think I have any chance at all of going pro? I'm already 20 years old so it could be too late for me but I'm really enjoying martial arts

Your age isn't a factor, finding a good trainer and good gym are the important things.

And, going pro in what, bro?

 

[Kaspow]

Your age isn't a factor, finding a good trainer and good gym are the important things.

And, going pro in what, bro?

Probably mma, ufc and all that

 

[JowGaWolf]

Hey guys so I bought a punching bag and I've been hitting it for about 2 months now and I thought why not post a video and ask for some tips from more experienced fighters. So please give me some constructive criticism, tips and advice.

Start with 3 simple techniques. Learn about the mechanics of those techniques and how the power is drawn for those techniques. Learn and understand how not strike when using these 2 techniques. Be able to identify things like bad structure. Then learn how to use the correct structure. Then train until you are good with those 3 techniques. Once you are good with the first 3, then pick 3 new ones and repeat the process. Remember to always train what you have already learned along with the new things you are learning.

3 simple things to start with.
1. Jab
2. Footwork (first forward then backward movement.)
3. Front heel kick.

It doesn't seem like a lot but there's a lot to learn and explore with these 3 basics.

 

[Kababayan]

Probably mma, ufc and all that

Also a quick question, do you guys think I have any chance at all of going pro? I'm already 20 years old so it could be too late for me but I'm really enjoying martial arts

Age isn't as much a major determining factor, effort is. Just to give you an idea, I was a young fighter. While I was attending high school, I trained 4-6 hours a day. (I was allowed off campus PE). I trained every single day and I would wear out my training partners. But, at my fights I knew I was going to win because I trained harder than any of my opponents. I think that high-level competitors can tell who they need to worry about in a fight. Some people compete because they think it'd be a cool thing to do, or because mom or dad pushed them into a sport. But the competitors who want to be the best, they are just on a different level. They have a different mindset. It's not just wanting to be the best; everything has to be geared toward that goal. Usually at respected MMA gyms there are the beginner and advanced classes, and then there are the competitor classes...the ones for the actual fighters and coaches. Those guys are just a level above everyone else. I guess my point is, if you want to be turn pro, go for it. To be successful, it takes a lot of effort. That all being said, I loved every minute of my training. To be a top fighter, you should love what you do because you will be training your *** off.

That all being said, if you just want to fight in MMA just to say that you did, there are small fight circuits around everywhere. They are usually guys who just want to say that they "stepped in the ring". There is nothing wrong with that. I know a guy who is a Two-time "World" Champion who has 8 fights under his belt. They were local "swing for the fences" type fights, and he is a lumpy guy. Any semi-pro fighter would take him apart. But, he's got two belts hanging on his wall, he can say that he stepped in the ring (cage), and he something to advertise to get students into his dojo.

Also, don't fight for the money. You'll be dissapointed.

Sorry my response is so long-winded. I could talk the fight game forever. Short answer: Yes, you have the ability to be a pro. To be a successful pro, expect to work your *** off.

 

[Kaspow]

Age isn't as much a major determining factor, effort is. Just to give you an idea, I was a young fighter. While I was attending high school, I trained 4-6 hours a day. (I was allowed off campus PE). I trained every single day and I would wear out my training partners. But, at my fights I knew I was going to win because I trained harder than any of my opponents. I think that high-level competitors can tell who they need to worry about in a fight. Some people compete because they think it'd be a cool thing to do, or because mom or dad pushed them into a sport. But the competitors who want to be the best, they are just on a different level. They have a different mindset. It's not just wanting to be the best; everything has to be geared toward that goal. Usually at respected MMA gyms there are the beginner and advanced classes, and then there are the competitor classes...the ones for the actual fighters and coaches. Those guys are just a level above everyone else. I guess my point is, if you want to be turn pro, go for it. To be successful, it takes a lot of effort. That all being said, I loved every minute of my training. To be a top fighter, you should love what you do because you will be training your *** off.

That all being said, if you just want to fight in MMA just to say that you did, there are small fight circuits around everywhere. They are usually guys who just want to say that they "stepped in the ring". There is nothing wrong with that. I know a guy who is a Two-time "World" Champion who has 8 fights under his belt. They were local "swing for the fences" type fights, and he is a lumpy guy. Any semi-pro fighter would take him apart. But, he's got two belts hanging on his wall, he can say that he stepped in the ring (cage), and he something to advertise to get students into his dojo.

Also, don't fight for the money. You'll be dissapointed.

Sorry my response is so long-winded. I could talk the fight game forever. Short answer: Yes, you have the ability to be a pro. To be a successful pro, expect to work your *** off.

for me it's not about fame or money, i just love fighting and I always thought it was super cool as a kid
it's more about like challenging myself, I wanna see how far I can go if that makes any sense
I never really committed to any goals in my life but I think fighting might be my thing
For me it's also about vitality I gotta stay in good shape, sleep well and eat good healthy foods to feel better mentally because i used to drink and smoke and it made me feel terrible both physically and mentally. right now im trying to eat as healthy as possible and i drink lots of green tea plus ginger and all that, i started meditating too and i see a huge difference in how i feel especially mentally i just feel so much more relaxed and confident with my current lifestyle. i still have a looooooooong way to go but right now i think im going in the right direction and people here are super nice and helpful, once i save some money i'll definitely sign up for classes and train real hard everyday.

 

[FriedRice]

That kick is a lot better imo - still needs work, especially on the return, but a big improvement. Also a bit more of a fluid motion - but that'll come with practice.

When you retract, try:

Come back to the chamber position, standing foot back to facing forward and your knee raised - it'll improve the balance and stop that twist of the standing knee. Also, you're then placed for another kick if you want.

Or, land with the kicking foot forward and drop into a punch - you don't need to bring the standing foot all the way back for that.


Personally, I'm not a big fan of swinging the arm down when you kick - many recommend doing it for power generation but I find no difference whatsoever. It can get your arm into a nice position for a shovel punch or a wide hook, but that's just not me (I prefer to keep it in front of my body and follow with a backfist or similar instead).

Oh, and keeping your hands up - yes, you should - until you're confident you can slip or otherwise react to incoming punches at least

Probably everything listed above is not meant for kicking at full power to hurt and/or KO someone ....and mostly done by tippy tappy sparring people who usually get wrecked by Muay Thai.

 

[Kaspow]

Update:

lots of kicks today and a little bit of boxing near the end
trying to keep my hands up but its difficult when i'm tired tbh lol
footwork still bad but work in progress, i'll be getting a skipping rope i hear it helps with footwork
i didn't get much sleep and i was feeling tired but i hit the bag anyway

 

[_Simon_]

Yeah I've seen a massive improvement in every subsequent video, really awesome to see mate . Great to see you taking on board advice, and by the way there's been some really solid advice in this thread.

Just in your last vid with your front kick, make sure you lift your knee up first and then drive the ball of your foot forwards into the bag. The front kick had to thrust forward, so yeah I could see at times you were swinging it up a bit to much (like a football kick).

And also try not to leaning your head in forwards too much when punching, it compromises your posture but also dips your head to to get hit if you were facing someone . But really great work with everything else, good stuff.

for me it's not about fame or money, i just love fighting and I always thought it was super cool as a kid
it's more about like challenging myself, I wanna see how far I can go if that makes any sense
I never really committed to any goals in my life but I think fighting might be my thing
For me it's also about vitality I gotta stay in good shape, sleep well and eat good healthy foods to feel better mentally because i used to drink and smoke and it made me feel terrible both physically and mentally. right now im trying to eat as healthy as possible and i drink lots of green tea plus ginger and all that, i started meditating too and i see a huge difference in how i feel especially mentally i just feel so much more relaxed and confident with my current lifestyle. i still have a looooooooong way to go but right now i think im going in the right direction and people here are super nice and helpful, once i save some money i'll definitely sign up for classes and train real hard everyday.

Wow, that's fantastic bro, sounds like things are really shifting in your life, and in a really positive, inspiring direction. Keep it up .

And absolutely I'd find a good trainer too. Who knows, you may even find yourself interested in more traditional martial arts ;D, but wherever your heart guides you, go with that!

Ps. Ah and with the hands/arms getting tired that's totally normal, just keep at it and it gets easier to keep them up

 

[Kaspow]

Yeah I've seen a massive improvement in every subsequent video, really awesome to see mate . Great to see you taking on board advice, and by the way there's been some really solid advice in this thread.

Just in your last vid with your front kick, make sure you lift your knee up first and then drive the ball of your foot forwards into the bag. The front kick had to thrust forward, so yeah I could see at times you were swinging it up a bit to much (like a football kick).

And also try not to leaning your head in forwards too much when punching, it compromises your posture but also dips your head to to get hit if you were facing someone . But really great work with everything else, good stuff.



Wow, that's fantastic bro, sounds like things are really shifting in your life, and in a really positive, inspiring direction. Keep it up .

And absolutely I'd find a good trainer too. Who knows, you may even find yourself interested in more traditional martial arts ;D, but wherever your heart guides you, go with that!

Ps. Ah and with the hands/arms getting tired that's totally normal, just keep at it and it gets easier to keep them up

Thanks a lot brother, good motivation right here
I'll keep the head and front kick advice in mind for sure

 

[Kaspow]

I'm 5'9 tall and my current weight is 11.7 stone / 74kg / 164 pounds
I feel like this is my natural weight but what i could do is go down to 11.0 stone / 70 kg / 155 pounds
I'd probably gain more speed with my punches and kicks and be lighter on my feet
What do you guys think? I was a skinny guy most of my life so I must be more of a natural lightweight right?

 

[now disabled]

for me it's not about fame or money, i just love fighting and I always thought it was super cool as a kid
it's more about like challenging myself, I wanna see how far I can go if that makes any sense
I never really committed to any goals in my life but I think fighting might be my thing
For me it's also about vitality I gotta stay in good shape, sleep well and eat good healthy foods to feel better mentally because i used to drink and smoke and it made me feel terrible both physically and mentally. right now im trying to eat as healthy as possible and i drink lots of green tea plus ginger and all that, i started meditating too and i see a huge difference in how i feel especially mentally i just feel so much more relaxed and confident with my current lifestyle. i still have a looooooooong way to go but right now i think im going in the right direction and people here are super nice and helpful, once i save some money i'll definitely sign up for classes and train real hard everyday.

When you say you love fighting what o you mean by that?

I'm not being nasty at all but to get into anything professionally it a very different mindset imo,

Yes you are showing enthusiasm and the will to start but as @Buka said the first thing is to get yourself into a gym. take that advice.

 

[Kaspow]

When you say you love fighting what o you mean by that?

I'm not being nasty at all but to get into anything professionally it a very different mindset imo,

Yes you are showing enthusiasm and the will to start but as @Buka said the first thing is to get yourself into a gym. take that advice.

when I say I love fighting I mean it bro, when I was winning street fights the feeling after was amazing
i always liked action movies even as a kid and the fight scenes always seemed so cool to me
I enjoy training my mind and body and improving and progressing
there is no huge philosophy behind the words ''i love fighting'' it's just means what it says dude, if you live your life doing something you enjoy then that was a good life you had

 

[Monkey Turned Wolf]

when I say I love fighting I mean it bro, when I was winning street fights the feeling after was amazing
i always liked action movies even as a kid and the fight scenes always seemed so cool to me
I enjoy training my mind and body and improving and progressing
there is no huge philosophy behind the words ''i love fighting'' it's just means what it says dude, if you live your life doing something you enjoy then that was a good life you had

You loved it when you won street fights...are you prepared to lose? Will you be ready when someone comes along who is better than you, that either is teaching your or training alongside you?

 

[pdg]

I'm 5'9 tall and my current weight is 11.7 stone / 74kg / 164 pounds
I feel like this is my natural weight but what i could do is go down to 11.0 stone / 70 kg / 155 pounds
I'd probably gain more speed with my punches and kicks and be lighter on my feet
What do you guys think? I was a skinny guy most of my life so I must be more of a natural lightweight right?

I wouldn't worry about weight, dropping 4kg isn't going to be noticeable especially from a speed perspective.

 

[Kaspow]

You loved it when you won street fights...are you prepared to lose? Will you be ready when someone comes along who is better than you, that either is teaching your or training alongside you?

i have no ego I'm a pretty chill guy so if I lose it only means the guy was better and he deserved the win
If I'm being taught by someone stronger or training alongside someone stronger it's a win situation for me
i can learn from them, ask them questions, get inspired and try to become better than them
i had my *** kicked before it wasn't a big deal to me and when you get your *** kicked in gym that's good because you're challenging yourself in a fight against better fighters
it's all part of progress my man

 

[now disabled]

when I say I love fighting I mean it bro, when I was winning street fights the feeling after was amazing
i always liked action movies even as a kid and the fight scenes always seemed so cool to me
I enjoy training my mind and body and improving and progressing
there is no huge philosophy behind the words ''i love fighting'' it's just means what it says dude, if you live your life doing something you enjoy then that was a good life you had

I kinda thought that was what you were gonna say

There is a massive difference between scrapping in the street and fighting pro or even semipro and a big big big change in mindset, I would point out to you that if you possibly tell a pro trainer that you like fighting and the street thing he may well turn away as yougo scrapping and well no gym gonna want to touch you as well things do have a tendency to catch up that way and bite ya firmly in the *** !!!

First of as said join a gym ....second don't go scrapping no more walk away and avoid it...it may give you a buzz young man but you wanna even think about fighting pro then that has gotta change big time and that is part of the discipline of being a pro fighter. Third your wanting to punch and kick etc ...great all part o the mma ufc thing but what happens like right now you might a guy who is not a kicker but a grappler and he gets inside your kicks (and trust me they will) and takes you to ground ? what ya gonna do then? (not being cheeky at all or nasty), As kempo said probably more politely than I will ....what ya gonna do when you meet a trained fighter ora teacher that is trying to teach you? as they will see your gaps very quickly (no matter how much you love fighting) can you take a hit not just a punch or a kick in the street but from a trained fighter? That is all part of the fight game not just giving it out but taking it to and not on the street (that a diff arena)

If and when you find a gym my advice is train first then see if you can handle the training as it not all the high end fancy stuff. See if you can and do have a ground game as in UFC and MMA your gonna need one lol and be humble at first. It may take awhile to find the right gym and the right people to teach you. Also get yourself a back up plan young man as evenif you make the pro's that will not last forever and you ain't gonna make millions and if you don't make it then you gotta have something to fall back on even if you do make it if you train and learn well maybe in time you could train or teach .... sorry if I'm blunt I am not being nasty in any way and I'm not trying to put you off at all

 

[now disabled]

i have no ego I'm a pretty chill guy so if I lose it only means the guy was better and he deserved the win
If I'm being taught by someone stronger or training alongside someone stronger it's a win situation for me
i can learn from them, ask them questions, get inspired and try to become better than them
i had my *** kicked before it wasn't a big deal to me and when you get your *** kicked in gym that's good because you're challenging yourself in a fight against better fighters
it's all part of progress my man

Lad it gonna be a long haul before you get in a ring with good fighters that you are and have to accept and training is not all beating *** or getting your *** beat that the street fighter in ya and yo gonna have to lose that attitude fast, The good trainers imo are looking for not just skill but dedication and a willingness to learn and be taught and there are a whole shedload of skills you do not have and that your gonna have to learn from the bottom up ....no short cuts I'm afraid