Hi y'all,

In 2025 I would like to finally take up martial arts. Will be moving to a large town at last, so I will have access to all kinds of gyms.

I am torn between picking some grappling martial art or a striking one.

Will only be able to attend training at a gym 1-2 times per week (I am currently studying full time as well as working full time), so will have to throw in some training at home here and there, basically repeating drills we did at training.

I feel like striking is way more suited for that, but grappling looks both more fun, as well as a bit better for serf defense, since most people that would attack you here either do no martial arts or kickboxing.

If it has anything to do with anything, I am slow-ish as a person, 6 feet tall, 220 pounds more or less, and been lifting for 5-6 years (would say kinda strong too, 300 pounds bench, 410 pounds squat ect).

Lastly, being close to 30 (no injuries so far), I am kinda scared of injuries, which scares me a bit away from Judo / Wrestling

Any help?

P.s. For anyone that's going to answer "Running is the best self defense tool", I am a grown man. I am not looking to fight anyone I can avoid to. I am talking strictly about a context where either I cannot get away, or my gf is there, and cannot get away safely before I do

There is no martial art where it is illegal for practitioners to spar if they choose to

No one is getting ex-communicated from an entire martial art because they were caught sparring.

Sparring optional ≠ sparring banned

At most, a dojo might ask that you spar somewhere else, because they focus on the study and preservation of that tradition more than competition or self-defence.

And if they're honest about that, and aren't telling people they're UFC-ready when they're not, that's not even a problem. It's good that someone is keeping some pieces of martial arts history alive.

I wasn’t alive during the 70s, 80s, or 90s, but I can’t help feeling nostalgic for that era every time I see an old martial arts gym. There’s something magical about those small-town dojos and studios—places where karate, kung fu, or Kenpo thrived not just as training grounds, but as local cultural landmarks.

Recently, a local Kenpo gym in my town, which had been there for decades, announced it’s closing down. Right across the plaza is another relic of the past: a shuttered Tae Kwon Do studio that’s been empty for years. Seeing them like this, I can’t help but wonder what their glory days were like. Were they packed with students in crisp gis, shouting kihaps in unison? Did they host tournaments with eager spectators and sparring matches full of passion and rivalries?

From the stories I’ve heard from older martial artists, those were the days when it was style vs. style. People trained their discipline with the belief that their art was the most effective, and challenges weren’t uncommon. A Kenpo black belt might walk into a kung fu school and test their mettle, or a karateka might spar against a tae kwon do expert to see whose techniques held up. It sounds like something straight out of Mortal Kombat—a real-life tournament of techniques, each style like a unique character with its own set of moves.

Now, martial arts feels so different. MMA, kickboxing, and jiu-jitsu dominate because they’re “pressure-tested,” and the knowledge is so mainstream and cross-trained that the old mystique of isolated styles is almost gone. There’s a practicality to modern training that’s amazing in its own right, but something about the speculative nature of the past—the idea that maybe kung fu could defeat karate, or that secret techniques existed—just feels so romantic.

When I see these old gyms closing down, I feel like we’re losing a piece of that mystique and the community spirit that came with it. I’ll never know what those gyms were like at their peak, but I like to imagine the echoes of kihaps and sparring matches still reverberating through their walls.

To those who trained back then: What were those days really like? Do the stories live up to the nostalgia?

Iam 15M right now, I know how to use nunchucks, bo-staff and my hands, I am trying to learn the Three-Section staff or sanjiegun. I live in India and there are many people who could teach me nunchucks, but I learnt them from my grandfather and now Iam unable to find anyone who could teach me how to use a three section staff in my city, I have learned basics from YouTube but the videos end at a very beginner level. Can someone put some links to resources or YT videos that can help me advance in learning the sanjiegun.

I’m new to martial arts. I’ve always been an athlete though. I recently watched cobra Kai and I really want to be like those characters(Miguel,hawk,kwon etc.) . What’s closer to the style of the show? I really want to learn those cool flashy kicks and the defending style miyagi-do. In the show they literally say cobra Kai is karate. Just asking though.

I started training a few months ago and I’m probably gonna start to spar soon but every time I put my mouth guard in after about 5 minutes I start getting lockjaw or something. Not sure if it’s because it’s a cheaper everlast guard or if it’s a personal health issue. Please help if anyone knows how to remedy this.

For the people who started martial arts not as a kid, but made a conscious choice to start training, what's the event that made you decide it was time?

Personally, I was always midly interested in martial arts, and in the past few years I started watching UFC, so my enjoyment of combat sports and martial arts kept growing.

But I finally decided to start training when I had to deal with this crazy flatmate of mine, we were 4 people in that house and this guy kept getting his stuff stolen and used without his permission, I never did any of that stuff, but who knows through what kind of logic, he decided I was the culprit, and he pretty much started threatening to beat me up. This guy was taller, leaner and stronger than me, I would have gotten my shit kicked in if we ever got into a fight. This guy could go crazy pretty much at any time whenever he found something of his was used, so I started developing anxiety, the randomness of it was the worst part. I moved out of that apartment because fuck that situation, but I decided that I never wanted to feel like that again, I also started training with weights and I've been going steady, and I'm really happy about that

So just for context I started fighting around age 23. I had a few amateurs kickboxing and two MMA. How a child at 25 was inactive all the way till 29 i was off and on like training gear and there sparring mostly , I was out of shape, overweight, but I’m currently back training I went from 204 down to 178 when I was fighting I was fighting at featherweight and lightweight 145-155
In about 4 months I’ll be 30. Do you guys think it’s a little too late for me to start either a pro kickboxing career or a pro MMA career

So I have been doing karate for almost 5 years, but recently(mostly today) I realised that I have no future in it. I train karate mostly for fitness reasons and I don't really like phisical fighting (also I am bad at defending myself during them), but they are a big part of karate.. so it's unavoidable. And for some time I have been nervous before every karate class, because of the fights and pain that come with them. I feel like a loser for thinking about this and because I realised it during one of the fights. I feel like everyone will be dissapointed in me.. But I am not dropping out of sports completely. I wanna switch to swimming because I always liked it.

Please share your opinions on this guys. Tips will be appreciated :)

(Also sorry for any mistakes, English is not my first language)

BJJ gym. I’m. 6’2 205’lbs so I am typically the go to guy to match up with whatever heavy weight Sasquatch shows up.

My luck, our gym has a Paul Bunion. He’s like 6’7 250 ish, very skilled and freaky strong . I am always paired up with him which he loves because since I am “close” in size and he doesn’t have to lay off like with smaller guys .

The worst part. He’s a good dude and training partner. I want to beat him so bad.!!!! Just once!!! What kind of game works against a friggin grizzly bear!?!? 😡

Probably been asked before, but I haven't seen it.

If you could be locked in a cage with any celebrity, from any era (facing them all at their fittest) in any rule set, who would you go for, and under what rules? Throw in the reason why to make it more interesting. I'm going with Tom Hardy.

I have a trip planned to visit a friend in the Philippines next year for a couple of months. I'll be in the Manila area and am looking at schools to visit while there. Recommended in an older post, these ones interest me, but open to other suggestions:

- http://www.ptkhangkilan.com/
- https://rapidorealismokali.weebly.com/
- Kalis ilustrisimo (still need to find location of group)

I've mostly studied Inosanto blend and a couple years of SSBD. What styles would be the most enriching to get immersed in while I'm there?

Also, I know very little little about these systems. Mostly familiar with the names, but not sure where half of the stuff I know comes from. What are the main differences between Pekiti Tirsia, Rapido Realismo, and Ilustrisimo?

Hi lads,

Thought I would leave this here. We are a small sports show aiming to provide exclusive coverage of some of Ireland's top talents. We got the chance to talk to current IBF and IBO Super Featherweight champ Anto Cacace recently. Anto talks about his career candidly and about future opponents. Anyone who is into their boxing will find this worth giving a listen. Hope you all enjoy.

Cheers,

https://open.spotify.com/episode/3gXWNQKpHtLFItKWLqK9jT

Hi guys, I've been wondering about this for a while and I need your help to answer it: I've been wondering for a while whether I should do MMA instead of boxing because I've seen that everyone says that MMA is the best combat sport for self-defense and that it's the strongest in general fights. But the problem is that I'm good at boxing which I find very effective but which apparently is useless against an MMA fighter and is not very effective in this sport where almost all blows are allowed. The problem is that I also already had experience in Muay Thai (1 year) and I saw that it was not for me because I could not get close to people bigger than me and I had a lot of trouble blocking kicks, knee strikes and elbow strikes, plus I could not get closer to bigger people because they could use all these tools that kept me at a distance. I'm afraid that if I do mma I'll be at a disadvantage because of that and because everyone is taller than me (I'm 5'6") and I don't have the best body type for someone small (I have relatively a lot of strength and power and I have a mix of muscle and fat mass despite my small size. I typically have the same body type as Mike Tyson but with a little more fat mass and I only weigh 62 kilos) In addition, my goal is to learn bjj or wrestling because I'm not very good at strangling and grappling. I need your help to know which of the two would be favorable if I had to choose only one and specialize in it because my goal is to open a training camp for pro fighters and I plan to put the most luck on my side for that. And what's more, I don't have an MMA club near my home that I know of, but I do have an boxing club and a kickboxing club and a judo club nearby.

i am about to start mma i do 5 years of kickboxing and i want to start mma and i want to learn first a grappling martial art and i find gyms that are jiu jutsu gi, jiu jitsu no-gi and grappling i know the difference between no gi and gi jiu jitsu but i dont know the difference between no gi and grappling

if someone can tell me what is the best between that three for mma and the defference between no gi and grappling or if they are the same just with different name

Sorry for my bad english everyone

It's a very common and long argument between boxers and wrestlers. In a nutshell, it's something like that:

Wrestler: "Boxing is good for punching, but all what wrestler need is getting close and grab the boxer, then take him down and it's over. Boxers can't grapple and can't do anything on the ground."

Boxer: "Yeah, good luck to get close to a boxer, who's trained to avoid the approaching opponent by using footwork and jabs. Also, uppercut into an exposed wrestler, who isn't even trying to block the punch, is a great answer for an attempted takedown. And since it's a hypothetical street fighting situation, boxer can easily do a "rabbit punch" into the backside of a head, which is banned in all striking-oriented martial arts due to its dangerous effect and high risk of a brain damage."

Who's right and who's wrong? Or there's an "in-between" truth?

And, the most important question - how boxer could counter a wrestling techniques without any cross-training? Like, if wrestler are doing a leg takedown (single or double)? Is there any techniques that coul be useful against a wrestler/grappler for a boxer?

I've been training MMA for two years now and I want to get braces for my teeth, obviously I can't spar striking anymore nor submission grappling (some chokes if I defend and get them over the chin might effect the braces) therefore I was thinking of just doing wrestling, ofc I will keep the striking bag work and ground work drills, but I want something to do with my teammates and I think it's wrestling

Any advice?

I stardet boxing first day i had heavy sparring. first day i didn't feel any headache, but the day after i feel foggy i don't really have pain just feeling foggy my head after sparring. I also didn't expect first day guys would spar me full force.

I have never done muay thai before in my life, but I have wrestled and done judo. In principle (brain health) I am very hesitant to do heavy sparring, but I like hitting the pads, working with the bag and boxing as training. Maybe I like very light sparring, with securing the head.

If you ask why I am so cautious, a relative of mine was paralysed due to brain damage in a kick boxing match.

My friend and I are planning to go to Thailand for a month in January-February

While he was travelling / living, I thought I would go to this gym for 2-3 weeks, but I had to think twice because of the bullying video they recently posted. I thought it was a good place because of the pro names trained there, but I read that newbies and non-professionals were getting bullied.

Do you think I should go here? Are the beginners really getting bullied? Where are the convenient (not expensive) but high quality gyms in Thailand, with good living standards (in the gym or in the city), a lot beginner friendly?

https://preview.redd.it/yw0ab7ylt14e1.png?width=900&format=png&auto=webp&s=05011366d3a4fec9d63672863003f51933e5c363

Ok, so this is a question for anyone: have you fallen, thrown, dropped, or simply fallen onto hard ground? One of the things that seems to me is severely under estimated in some martial arts circles, and public view at large, is how devastating being thrown and hitting the ground can be, even with padding.

So it brings a question to mind: has anyone here taken a bad fall, whichever way it happens it's fine to share if wanted. Just want to hear people's experiences with gravity and it's cruel unyielding presence.

I myself have had some nasty falls, thankfully for me I have had lots and lots of training in falling thanks to my Japanese Jujutsu, saved me from far worse injury. But I'd like to hear from others

So i am looking for advise on knee braces for Jujitsu. It needs to have the anti back flex.

Opinions welcome

I've been practing Shotokan karate for about 4 years now mainly train for dicipline, fitness and self-defense. I've recently decided to start training on Kendo because of some similarity to Karate and also to be able to use melee weapons in self-defense. As I believe that in a street fight the most likely scenerio is your going to fight with either your fists or an improvised weapon.

I just want to know your guys opinion if both of these martial arts will complement eachother and be effective in a self-defense scenerio

Ive been trying and watching many tutorials but I still can’t do one. The problem is I do the technique but I can’t land it. Please help me

I’m asking this question since in the last one it wasn’t really answered as the comments were filled about debating about bodybuilders and avoiding the question. So truly I’m asking what is the ideal body type for combat/fighting?

-I saw this movie: The Raid Redemption and saw how this gangster named Mad Dog fought this SWAT Officer Sergeant named Jaka which was an Indonesian film which revolved heavily around hand to hand combat martial arts since in Asia they don’t have much access to guns like America does. Mad Dog was a skilled combatant of short height, lean but compact build while Jaka was at least above averagely skilled in hand to hand combat, tall, muscular but wasn’t as skilled as Mad Dog. In the end Mad Dog won, but Jaka came really close to winning as he was using his strength, size, speed and mass to overpower Mad Dog. But Mad Dog kept the fight close to neutralize Jaka’s tactics and thus beat Jaka. Most of these combatants in the film were below 5’10 and also in being and seeing some fights myself, shorter guys tend to have an ironic advantage against taller guys. Now we all know the body types that are disqualified since we’re just talking about physicality.

Skinny body type- Too small, little force created, weaker & less durable

Fat body type- Too big, too slow, fatigued easier, more durable but still too many cons

Bodybuilder body type- Great for lifting heavy objects but not great for endurance, or stamina, too much muscle tends to lead people to be too stiff unless they actually start training in martial arts, great for grappling if they know what they’re doing but a lean muscular Wrestler still beats them 9/10.

I was thinking a Man around the height range of 5’10-6’2 is great height for combat, not too tall and not too short. And a lean and/or muscular physique.

But tell me what you guys think, that’s why I’m asking to get different educated and non-educated opinions and beliefs.