MMA Question

[LoneRider]

I'm gonna start taking MMA up after my next deployment (I'm in the Navy, soon to be attached to an Army unit and afterward switching my commission into the Army). After I'm assigned to my Army post (late 2009/mid-2010) I'm gonna start looking at MMA schools and training in the area and then competing.

My questions are, when's a good (general, as I understand each person is different) time to start competing after training? And does anyone have any recommendations for schools? (I could wind up stationed anywhere when I join the Army, so any good schools near any Army base will do).

Thanks,

LoneRider

 

[Tez3]

Probably about six months or so, I'd suggest amateur fights first though.
If you want I can PM you the email address of an American Army chap who is a pro MMA fighter and also promotes shows, he's stationed in Germany at the moment but can give you some good advice about MMA, competing and where to train.

 

[D Dempsey]

There are usually BJJ and MMA schools near or on most Army bases so finding a place to train should not be a problem. As for competing the, most posts host regular combatives tournament that start similar to BJJ but become MMA matches for the final rounds. If you can make it through the post level tournaments the Army host a yearly all army combatives championship at Ft. Benning.

 

[jarrod]

i try to encourage my students to wait at least 2 years before competing in mma. during that time i encourage them to compete in judo & jujitsu tournaments from the beginning, then kickboxing or boxing matches after about a year.

grappling helps them get used to the pressure of competition without getting beat up, kickboxing & boxing help them get used to getting hit. also, pro & ammy rules vary from state to state. in my vicinity, there is hardly any difference between an amateur & pro fight, so i tell them to put off fighting mma, but then, for the love of god, get paid if you're going to go in there. that will vary from region to region though.

best of luck,

jf

 

[LoneRider]

Tez3,

Thanks for the contact info, I apperciate it.

D Dempsey,

So I guess just check my post gym to see if it's got any martial arts training? I've google searched MA schools near places I could get stationed, but sometimes my results are slim. I figured a lot of the dojos you refer to don't have websites?

Jarrod,

The competing in Jujitsu tournaments and boxing matches before MMA competitions sounds like a good idea. But wouldn't you say jujitsu can beat up a person? I've got a buddy who studied jujitsu and judo who used to come back to the room with bags of ice around his joints. I would say that constitutes getting 'beat up'. For groundwork and submissions, I'd probably go with Brazilian Jiu Jitsu as my ground style. Any thoughts?

Thanks all for posting...Also I purchased a book called H2H, the Army combatives book, written by Kid Peligro, anyone here ever read it. It seems very MMA-esque, with the obvious difference being it's intended for battlefield combat (like the Marine Corps Martial Arts Program). Did MMA have a hand in creating Army H2H?

 

[Tez3]

Tez3,

Thanks for the contact info, I apperciate it.

D Dempsey,

So I guess just check my post gym to see if it's got any martial arts training? I've google searched MA schools near places I could get stationed, but sometimes my results are slim. I figured a lot of the dojos you refer to don't have websites?

Jarrod,

The competing in Jujitsu tournaments and boxing matches before MMA competitions sounds like a good idea. But wouldn't you say jujitsu can beat up a person? I've got a buddy who studied jujitsu and judo who used to come back to the room with bags of ice around his joints. I would say that constitutes getting 'beat up'. For groundwork and submissions, I'd probably go with Brazilian Jiu Jitsu as my ground style. Any thoughts?

Thanks all for posting...Also I purchased a book called H2H, the Army combatives book, written by Kid Peligro, anyone here ever read it. It seems very MMA-esque, with the obvious difference being it's intended for battlefield combat (like the Marine Corps Martial Arts Program). Did MMA have a hand in creating Army H2H?

Haven't read that book but Kid Peligro has done some very good books on BJJ with the Gracies.

 

[D Dempsey]

Tez3,

Thanks for the contact info, I apperciate it.

D Dempsey,

So I guess just check my post gym to see if it's got any martial arts training? I've google searched MA schools near places I could get stationed, but sometimes my results are slim. I figured a lot of the dojos you refer to don't have websites?

Jarrod,

The competing in Jujitsu tournaments and boxing matches before MMA competitions sounds like a good idea. But wouldn't you say jujitsu can beat up a person? I've got a buddy who studied jujitsu and judo who used to come back to the room with bags of ice around his joints. I would say that constitutes getting 'beat up'. For groundwork and submissions, I'd probably go with Brazilian Jiu Jitsu as my ground style. Any thoughts?

Thanks all for posting...Also I purchased a book called H2H, the Army combatives book, written by Kid Peligro, anyone here ever read it. It seems very MMA-esque, with the obvious difference being it's intended for battlefield combat (like the Marine Corps Martial Arts Program). Did MMA have a hand in creating Army H2H?

Lonerider,
Google is probably your best resource. Other than that it honestly depends on the Post. If it is FORSCOM you can probably expect to see a lot of combatives on post, but some posts do not have any.
The two main places I was refering to were the main school at Fort Benning and team ROC at Ft Bragg. The school at Ft. Bragg is actually run by Greg Thompson, who wrote the book H2H with Kid Peligro.
As to the book H2H, it is essentially the Army combatives manual. Granted it is a lot better in it's descriptions and includes a some extra stuff, but that is pretty much the whole of the program.

 

[jarrod]

any contact sport will get you beat up to some degree, & jujitsu is no exception. but it's a little different from mma. bjj is certainly a proven ground style for mma, but not the only one. make sure that you choose a bjja school that is tailored for mma (american top team comes to mind) since some specialize in self-defense or sport jujitsu.

jf

 

[LoneRider]

Jarrod,

I tend to find a lot of BJJ schools seen online and in person are MMA oriented, so I'm guessing I should be good to go.

Tez3,

I've read a couple BJJ books, which I intend to take downrange with a Muay Thai book so I can at least get my musculature accustomed to various movements (maybe even engage in sparring with fellow servicemen if time permits), and Kid Peligro was a co-author on at least one such guide.

D Dempsey,

You weren't prior military or aren't still active by any chance are you?

 

[Tez3]

You need a nice posting to the UK then I can help get you started with your MMA career lol! Next best is a posting to Germany so you can come across and fight here.

'Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu' by Renzo and Royler Gracie with Kid Peligro and John Danaher plus 'Mastering Jui-Jitsu' by Renzo Gracie and John Danaher are both good books.

 

[LoneRider]

You need a nice posting to the UK then I can help get you started with your MMA career lol! Next best is a posting to Germany so you can come across and fight here.

'Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu' by Renzo and Royler Gracie with Kid Peligro and John Danaher plus 'Mastering Jui-Jitsu' by Renzo Gracie and John Danaher are both good books.

I hope I could get a UK posting. If I do get sent to Germany I probably might try for a pass in the UK after training with your Germany based friend.

I have the Renzo and Royler Gracie book and that's gonna be in a plastic bag in my rucksack once I've deployed downrange.

 

[Tez3]

I hope I could get a UK posting. If I do get sent to Germany I probably might try for a pass in the UK after training with your Germany based friend.

I have the Renzo and Royler Gracie book and that's gonna be in a plastic bag in my rucksack once I've deployed downrange.

If you come to the UK I'd get loads of plastic bags and waterproof clothes! We are flooded out at the moment, hasn't stopped bloody raining all 'summer'! good job MMA is an indoor sport rofl!

 

[LoneRider]

Tez3,

Thanks for the tip. I figure for my striking game on MMA I'll use my years' old training in Western Boxing complimented with the quick thinking responsiveness honed by Wing Chun training coupled Muay Thai as another addition. I'll say this about the Wing Chun fighters I have trained with, they are quick and effective responders.

For groundwork I probably intend to take up Brazilian Ju Jitsu, though I very likely will be a sprawl and brawl type fighter, relying on groundwork only when neccessary. I figure I'm much more inclined to be a striker than I am to be a grappler.