This one's for the guys

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****ladies who have done martial arts in the past may answer as well*****

Okay so before I ask, this is what my athletiv/fitness level is(to the best of my genral knowledge):

Cardio - good, not great

muscle strength endurance can lift/press anywhere from 10-60lbs depending on if I'm doing machines/free weights and if machiunes wheter it's alternating or all in on reps(ie. on alternation leg extension can lift 25lbs w/left leg and 30lbs w/right, leg press 65lbs, etc)

Now that thst'd out of the way, I've been interested for a while now about getting a membership at my local Ultimate Figthing gym and no I'm not interested in getting into the actual competitive side of it just learning the different martial arts for fitness sake. Is this a good idea?

Honestly, with a lot of martial art styles, it isn't the strength, but the technique that matters. I'm not all that strong, but I still managed to send my boyfriend (who is 6 inches taller than me and about 30 pounds heavier) to the ground using a Judo throw from my martial arts class.

If you want to go for it, do so!

A mixed martial arts club is the way to go for you (club that offers a range or styles, a style that is MMA based or MMA taught concurrently). There isn't a requirement to go to a certain club to participate in UFC. Since you are not interested in that anyway, you can focus on the other aspecs. People who go to these camps are interested in cage fighting or other competitions, the fitness is based around that, though from contacts they do a lot of work with them before. Also you may be shelling out money that is doubtful worth it at this stage.

I have studied various styles of martial arts over the years.

There are a few different style schools out there, you really have to determine what you want to do.

The first type are the places like Nick Cerios or Fred Villaris - and there are lots of spin offs - they generally avoid using traditional terminology - they say Instructor instead of Master, or Classroom instead of Dojo. They are not very rigid in their teaching - for example, my punches, kicks and take-downs were a lot more aggressive and precise than another student of the same brown belt rank. That said, in fairness, all 'studios' can be different - I went to one studio that was MUCH more strict. If you do not care about these points, the really good part about these type of schools is that they are a little more FUN, laid back, and can change up what they do based on what you need/what to do.

Then there are really strict places - one I studied at you had to learn the Japanese words for each strike, movement, etc. Your movements have to be crazy precise before you get any rank.

You can also find various cardio-kick , kick boxing type places - or tradition schools that have these programs that you can take without signing up for the normal martial arts. If you want a fun workout, this is a good choice.

There are all kinds of styles, Karate is very linear, hard, tight. Kempo/Kenpo is similar, but a little more loose and rounded in it's strikes. Judo is kind of like wrestling, Tae Kwon Do is known for lots of kicking. Most of the Kung Fu styles are very intricate and teach weapons. (please dont flame me for generalizing these)

As I understand it, a UFC style school would probably teach whatever techniques they believe are the best to win in the ring/cage. Back when it started, it was mostly traditional striking styles, then along came Gracie and kicked all their butts. His style is Jiu-Jitsu and mostly on the ground - ground fighting. Some people love this. I dont. Maybe he would kick my butt too.

Bottom line, try at least 2-3 places - ask if you can try a class - or at least watch a couple. See if you like it. See if you like the people - instructors. See which has the best schedule that fits yours.

He's passed away sadly


Ok then I won't.

Last edited by 0_equals_true on 24 Mar 2010, 5:13 pm, edited 1 time in total.

@ OP: I am confused.
I was similarly strong as you in the 1970s and people used to beat me up.
I wouldn't even think of wanting to Fight then.
Since then I am naturally (without effort) stronger now. I still avoid fights.

Self-defense Martial Arts training is a good idea. It was good for me.

One of the points of martial arts is self defence. However there is no substitute for experience, the is no crash course that is viable. Fighting/self defence is about reactions, not set combinations. Those situations almost never come up the same.

I like to lift and carry around people more than my own weight (for mutual fun),
but I'd rather not fight unless I have to. I'd recommend to someone
who can't lift even half their own weight to move somewhere that weapons
are legal for self-defense. People that are stronger than my natural strength
can probably throw people at walls in a REAL fight. If someone is not living
in danger, then martial arts training has confidence and motor coordination skills and
other benefits to offer. Just don't live next to a prison that is frequently escaped
from. This is what I left out of my last post to not come off like trying to discourage
or frighten, but that is it... In a real fight, you might as well play American Football
or Rugby as THE BALL, if you are thinking about extreme fighting as a sport without
even muscle strength enough for a child to deal with a playground bully. IMO

Someone disprove this post and I'll gladly retract it.

V,

Yes, I would agree with the concept of toughness or fortitude being a HUGE factor.

I think strength is not very important if your fighting skills are truly better than your opponent. Whereas strength (and intelligence) are very important if the opponent is a skilled fighter.

Simply being tough - for example, being able to take a punch (like a rugby player might be able to) is definitely huge though. But if you take two rugby players that are equal size and strength, thats where 'self defense' or fighting training sway the balance in my opinion. (or even if one person is weaker, it can help equalize for that person)

@ValMikeSmith I didn't really catch the drift of what you are saying it is too ambigious for me to comment on.

The idea is to be better than you would otherwise be, not some fanciful notion that you can take on anyone an win. Bruce Lee wasn't huge, but took advantage of his athleticism. You take advantage of what you have.

Ruby player can be huge. However there have been some really good small player over the years.

I can see now quite a few reasons for misunderstandings here.
1.I missed the part where the OP says they want to learn, not compete.
2.METRIC SYSTEMS. The OP posted strength limits that corresponded to
my own when I was THE WIMP when my age was single digit, and
I was concerned about the idea of such a person practicing what I
interpreted as a Hard (Extreme-ly Ultimate-ly) Mortally Dangerous
Violent Sport. A pound is less than half a kilogram. The numbers are very low.
I think others in this forum seem to miss that point too. In 1978, most 8
year old boys in my class had more strength than that.
3.Again, interpreting extreme/ultimate as it is used here is implied to me
no holds barred, almost "to the death" fighting. David vs. Goliath.
As an 8 year old wimp, I could hardly tolerate the idea of being looked at
by someone who could knock my head off to the moon, and seemed
suicidal (or absolutely unrealistic) to get in the ring and fight them.

Here, apparently and hopefully, words have different meanings all around
the world. As imagined it, a small child wanted to kick some professional
serious killer buts after maybe seeing them get knocked out with black eyes and
bloody faces on television. That idea is exciting to the stereotypical member
of "redneck culture". Stereotypical redneck culture may be similar to autism
stereotypes, but stereotypically enjoy rough and violent play to mortally
dangerous extremes. Such recklessness can be seen on youtube as
many careless stunts which they are lucky to have survived.

Did anyone notice that the OP is female?

Yes