Any kickboxers/boxers here?

[switch7]

I recently started k1 style kickboxing and i'm enjoying it. It's still early stages (only been to 2 sessions) but can see myself carrying on with it. The club I have joined is only small but nearly all the guys there are training for competition so it seems like quite a serious club. Last session we practised a few different types of kicks and I had to receive kicks on the pads to the legs and body. After 10 kicks its became pretty painful and the next day I was limping haha. Awesome stuff, great confidence builder.. The only thing that I'm kinda worried about is breaking my nose. I'm really vain about my looks..

Any other fighters here? If so how has it changed your life confidence wise? What affect has it had on your game? Did it ruin your looks?

Cheers

 

[Bible_Belt]

I did mma about ten years ago. It was a lot more popular at the time, especially local amateur events. We would get crowds of over a thousand people, which is a lot for a small town.

K1 is the other kind of kickboxing, as opposed to Muay Thai. The latter has the clinch, and no takedowns. In k1, sweeps and I think even throws are allowed, but points are not awarded. It is pretty cool though to dump someone on their butt while the are standing on one foot trying to kick you. Just kick the ankle they are standing on.

Both k1 and mt shin kick to the thigh. That is the best kick to master and the most realistic to land in a real fight. We would rest a heavy bag on the mat, held by a partner. Then you shin kick and drive through the bag, moving it each time, alternating legs as you move it down the mat. The idea behind power in striking is that you displace space. You strike through the target. Point sparring arts like tqd and karate have a lot of moves that strike with very little power, because they are point sparring. It looks cool, but little slaps dont help in a real fight (unless you hit your opponent's nuts)

Keep your chin to your chest when sparring. Blows glance off your forehead instead of landing on the soft spots of your nose and throat. If you are worried about looks, try to not get your ears mashed up. Some guys are just more prone to cauliflower ear. Fluid has to be drained right away if you get it, or it never looks the same again. Those helmets dont do anything at all to keep you from getting killed, but they might protect your ears. Also, make a habit of covering your skin when you can, to avoid rubbing bare skin with another sweaty guy. You don't want mrsa.

You'll get in great shape, and in all likelihood actually be less likely to get in a bar fight, compared to someone who doesn't train. Good luck with everything. Take it slow, stretch and warm up a lot before training, and learn to relax instead of being tense. That is how to avoid injury and keep at it.

 

[Marek]

It is a great confidence booster to know that you can take a punch. That, and getting into shape, will positively influence your game.

As far as looks go, you are unlikely to suffer permanent damage in any striking art. Once grabbling gets involved, cauliflower ears are a possiblity.

 

[Spaz]

If u r learning how to fight then pick a style that has lots of real life sparing with multiple opponents coming at you.

Real life fighting has basically 4 fields, kickboxing only trains you in 1 field - a stand up, unarmed solo opponent. You'd be in serious trouble if you engage in a fight at say a night club.

 

[ubercat]

Epic aerobic workout. And u would be fine in a one on one punch up. Have a look at my thread in health and fitness where some of the guys helped me out with what are the best basics for self defence. Add those and you would be ok if s*** went down.

Myself i did a bit of Muay Thai. I still use Muay Thai kicks elbows and Clinch techniques. I mix that with kali hand trapping and limb destructions and silat sweeps and throws. I don't bother with ground defence cuz the only time I would be fighting is if I'm surrounded and if you go down then you've got his two mates kicking your head and good luck defending against that. My mates who study Taekwondo refuse to spar with me cuz I always make them look so bad.

If you are in America I would practice concealed carry and draw. In the famous words of Bruce Lee why don't you just zap him with a 45

If you live somewhere where you can't carry guns I d also get some YouTube videos on Kali or escrima basics and play with some stick and knife defence. Having been through karate and Judo training myself their knife defence techniques are a joke. Kali escrima and silat all have realistic stuff.

And of course self defence techniques only have one point which is just to distract the guy while you run away.

Of course if you do live in America the guy might just shoot you in the back.

But statistically you're far more likely to die in a car accident even in America so best to learn to talk and just defuse situations.

 

[switch7]

If u r learning how to fight then pick a style that has lots of real life sparing with multiple opponents coming at you.

Real life fighting has basically 4 fields, kickboxing only trains you in 1 field - a stand up, unarmed solo opponent. You'd be in serious trouble if you engage in a fight at say a night club.

I wouldn't engage myself in a fight at a nightclub because I'm not going to ruin everyone else's evening over some dude with a big ego. Multiple opponents, with weapons, yea i'd never engage in that, lol. I take it this is something you are equipped to deal with?

 

[switch7]

Epic aerobic workout. And u would be fine in a one on one punch up. Have a look at my thread in health and fitness where some of the guys helped me out with what are the best basics for self defence. Add those and you would be ok if s*** went down.

Myself i did a bit of Muay Thai. I still use Muay Thai kicks elbows and Clinch techniques. I mix that with kali hand trapping and limb destructions and silat sweeps and throws. I don't bother with ground defence cuz the only time I would be fighting is if I'm surrounded and if you go down then you've got his two mates kicking your head and good luck defending against that. My mates who study Taekwondo refuse to spar with me cuz I always make them look so bad.

If you are in America I would practice concealed carry and draw. In the famous words of Bruce Lee why don't you just zap him with a 45

If you live somewhere where you can't carry guns I d also get some YouTube videos on Kali or escrima basics and play with some stick and knife defence. Having been through karate and Judo training myself their knife defence techniques are a joke. Kali escrima and silat all have realistic stuff.

And of course self defence techniques only have one point which is just to distract the guy while you run away.

Of course if you do live in America the guy might just shoot you in the back.

But statistically you're far more likely to die in a car accident even in America so best to learn to talk and just defuse situations.

Hey thanks for the reply. I didn't really start kickboxing to try and stop being attacked with a weapon, if that happened I would simply hold my hands up and let them take my phone, wallet and whatever else. I wouldn't even go up against someone with a knife if I had a gun in my pocket, its much smarter to just give them what they want and then claim on your insurance.

Like i said to Spaz I don't plan on engaging in bar fights, however I do think it is healthy for a man to throw and take punches in a controlled environment twice a week and I think this would have a positive affect in all other aspects of his life outside of the gym..

 

[Spaz]

I wouldn't engage myself in a fight at a nightclub because I'm not going to ruin everyone else's evening over some dude with a big ego. Multiple opponents, with weapons, yea i'd never engage in that, lol. I take it this is something you are equipped to deal with?

Seems you hv a good head on ur shoulders. Stick with that line of thought.

 

[switch7]

I did mma about ten years ago. It was a lot more popular at the time, especially local amateur events. We would get crowds of over a thousand people, which is a lot for a small town.

K1 is the other kind of kickboxing, as opposed to Muay Thai. The latter has the clinch, and no takedowns. In k1, sweeps and I think even throws are allowed, but points are not awarded. It is pretty cool though to dump someone on their butt while the are standing on one foot trying to kick you. Just kick the ankle they are standing on.

Both k1 and mt shin kick to the thigh. That is the best kick to master and the most realistic to land in a real fight. We would rest a heavy bag on the mat, held by a partner. Then you shin kick and drive through the bag, moving it each time, alternating legs as you move it down the mat. The idea behind power in striking is that you displace space. You strike through the target. Point sparring arts like tqd and karate have a lot of moves that strike with very little power, because they are point sparring. It looks cool, but little slaps dont help in a real fight (unless you hit your opponent's nuts)

Keep your chin to your chest when sparring. Blows glance off your forehead instead of landing on the soft spots of your nose and throat. If you are worried about looks, try to not get your ears mashed up. Some guys are just more prone to cauliflower ear. Fluid has to be drained right away if you get it, or it never looks the same again. Those helmets dont do anything at all to keep you from getting killed, but they might protect your ears. Also, make a habit of covering your skin when you can, to avoid rubbing bare skin with another sweaty guy. You don't want mrsa.

You'll get in great shape, and in all likelihood actually be less likely to get in a bar fight, compared to someone who doesn't train. Good luck with everything. Take it slow, stretch and warm up a lot before training, and learn to relax instead of being tense. That is how to avoid injury and keep at it.

Is it normal to struggle with the hook from your weaker arm? Really feels awkward and kinda painful in my shoulder when trying to connect with this punch. Also whats a good way to strengthen your wrists? Sometimes when i jab from my lead side my wrist gives way...

 

[Bible_Belt]

That would be a lead hook. Hooks are close range punches. I was taught to end up palm down. The better you are, the tighter your hooks are. (Like Mike Tyson in his prime, for example) The power in any punch comes from your hip movement and weight transfer. The arm has very little to do with it. I have seen roided up muscle guys get into a bar fight, and they hit like girls.

Your lead hand punching straight is always a jab. A straight punch from the back hand is always a cross. So unless you switch stances while fighting, you can only jab with one hand, your lead hand. As far as your wrists go, wraps or tape might help. My trainer always had us do wrist stretches as part of warm ups. The stretches are basically the four wrist locks, the four ways your wrist will bend: up, down, roll in, and roll out. Hold each one for ten seconds like any other stretch.

 

[ubercat]

I did get jumped by 2 drugged up guys once. They opened the conversation with a punch so we didn't get into their motives. A father was just killed in a car jacking for a getaway car. My neighbours were sitting in their car cleaning it. Some methhead picked a fight with the guy. I grabbed a stick and scared the guy off.

Sounds like you r smart and reasonable. Not everyone is like that.

 

[Spaz]

I did get jumped by 2 drugged up guys once. They opened the conversation with a punch so we didn't get into their motives. A father was just killed in a car jacking for a getaway car. My neighbours were sitting in their car cleaning it. Some methhead picked a fight with the guy. I grabbed a stick and scared the guy off.

Sounds like you r smart and reasonable. Not everyone is like that.

An experienced non-ring fighter knows that an open fight is chaos with perhaps unknown number of opponents entering it later on.

Only resort to the offensive when it's life threatening situation - like a terrorist threatening you with death, by then it's your only choice left, don't leave it up to fate, be decisive and crush. Otherwise let them take, one can always easily replace that.

 

[ubercat]

The Filipinos have a nice way of training the lead hook. Hang up a stick. Treat it like a right cross and practice weaving under it and coming up with a lead hook.

 

[PeasantPlayer]

Was thinking of taking up boxing at a friend's gym. They are well known in Chicago and are known to crush mma fighters. I worry about my looks to, but there is no grappling or choke holds in boxing or kickboxing so I'm content with those two

 

[Bible_Belt]

Lol. I am sure they crush mma fighters at boxing. Both of them are just different arts, kickboxing as well. Striking distance is different for each, as well as stance, which is largely dictated by the moves that must be defended against. In a no rules fight, stance must be modified even further, to cover your center line and avoid getting kicked in the balls. Bottom line is that all martial arts have their strengths and weaknesses. Nothing with rules is going to be 100% real, but anyone who is well trained will still likely prevail over an untrained person in a no rules street fight.

 

[AttackFormation]

Lol. I am sure they crush mma fighters at boxing. Both of them are just different arts, kickboxing as well. Striking distance is different for each, as well as stance, which is largely dictated by the moves that must be defended against. In a no rules fight, stance must be modified even further, to cover your center line and avoid getting kicked in the balls. Bottom line is that all martial arts have their strengths and weaknesses. Nothing with rules is going to be 100% real, but anyone who is well trained will still likely prevail over an untrained person in a no rules street fight.

The lesson I took home about self defense from my 3 years doing mma is that the most effective self defense is not practiced by doing a martial art, and that self defense is much simpler than martial arts are.

Pretend to be scared and clueless so they take the disadvantage of being the attacker, back away half-heartedly to get them to attack, switch direction and poke their eyes when they attack, finish off with a headbutt. You can add a kick to the crotch and/or knee if needed. These moves are all simple and natural. He can be a steroided up kickboxer with 15 years of experience, being poked in the eyes will immobilize and cripple him as anyone else. The reason why martial arts would give anyone an advantage in real life imo is not the skill in itself, but that they won't be overcome by fear and shock and the untrained Joe probably thinks martial arts is self defense so he will start trying to beat the martial artist at their own game throwing a haymaker instead of actually doing self defense.

What I'm trying to convey to the OP here is don't start doing martial arts for your ego. In fact I would say don't bother at all, and just take some self defense courses instead. I know what it feels like to want to do martial arts because I started mma for self defense and ego. But now I can tell you martial arts are not worth the lifestyle costs in time, energy, pain and injury or long term health and the chronic stress caused by thinking about the time and energy and worrying about the pain, injuries and long term health when you spar, just to feed an ego.

 

[evan12]

The lesson I took home about self defense from my 3 years doing mma is that the most effective self defense is not practiced by doing a martial art, and that self defense is much simpler than martial arts are.

Pretend to be scared and clueless so they take the disadvantage of being the attacker, back away half-heartedly to get them to attack, switch direction and poke their eyes when they attack, finish off with a headbutt. You can add a kick to the crotch and/or knee if needed. These moves are all simple and natural. He can be a steroided up kickboxer with 15 years of experience, being poked in the eyes will immobilize and cripple him as anyone else. The reason why martial arts would give anyone an advantage in real life imo is not the skill in itself, but that they won't be overcome by fear and shock and the untrained Joe probably thinks martial arts is self defense so he will start trying to beat the martial artist at their own game throwing a haymaker instead of actually doing self defense.

What I'm trying to convey to the OP here is don't start doing martial arts for your ego. In fact I would say don't bother at all, and just take some self defense courses instead. I know what it feels like to want to do martial arts because I started mma for self defense and ego. But now I can tell you martial arts are not worth the lifestyle costs in time, energy, pain and injury or long term health and the chronic stress caused by thinking about the time and energy and worrying about the pain, injuries and long term health when you spar, just to feed an ego.

Krav Magga in my opinion is the only practical self defense system that doesn't require years to learn it, it is not sport and it does contain eye poking when suitable.
I am planning to take Krav Magga classes but there are few places offering it and they are expensive.

 

[Bible_Belt]

I am planning to take Krav Magga classes but there are few places offering it and they are expensive.

The catch 22 of KM not being a sport is that there is no way to know who is good at it. I could move to a small town, fake a Russian accent and declare myself a KM expert offering lessons. No one is going to ask to see my medals or ask me where I placed at nationals or worlds. I actually know a guy who runs that con, except it isnt KM. He is from the Middle east and invented some made up bullsh!t martial art, of which of course he is grand pooba red belt. He also, conveniently enough, will never spar with students or visitors to his gym. He feeds insecure guys compliments to keep them paying for lessons, which is just a harmless con job, but unfortunately he also sometimes enters his guys in mma and other competitions, and they always get annihilated.

Im sure legit KM is great if you can find it. There are really no new moves, though. The original no rules fighters were Japan's samurai warriors, and their art is japanese jiu jitsu, but that is nearly impossible to find, too, because no one wants to train getting kicked in the nuts. My own trainer has multiple belts that involved tolerating brutal strikes to the face and nuts, then having to do one's karate forms. He was the first white guy in north america to have at least one of his belts. Hell, he might still be the only one. No one wants to sign up for that.

 

[Poonstra]

Any other fighters here?

I've been Thai boxing for 16 years now.

If so how has it changed your life confidence wise?

It helped enormously. If you been doing it for a while you get good at sizing up people. Walking into a room and knowing you can own 95% of the men there does something with you. You'll also become able to identify the 5% that will own you in a glance, so you can avoid them.

Did it ruin your looks?

No, my nose is still straight. I just have some bruises now and then.
And to be honest, the times I've seen blood or serious injuries during practice in all these years can be counted on one hand

 

[evan12]

The catch 22 of KM not being a sport is that there is no way to know who is good at it. I could move to a small town, fake a Russian accent and declare myself a KM expert offering lessons. No one is going to ask to see my medals or ask me where I placed at nationals or worlds. I actually know a guy who runs that con, except it isnt KM. He is from the Middle east and invented some made up bullsh!t martial art, of which of course he is grand pooba red belt. He also, conveniently enough, will never spar with students or visitors to his gym. He feeds insecure guys compliments to keep them paying for lessons, which is just a harmless con job, but unfortunately he also sometimes enters his guys in mma and other competitions, and they always get annihilated.

Im sure legit KM is great if you can find it. There are really no new moves, though. The original no rules fighters were Japan's samurai warriors, and their art is japanese jiu jitsu, but that is nearly impossible to find, too, because no one wants to train getting kicked in the nuts. My own trainer has multiple belts that involved tolerating brutal strikes to the face and nuts, then having to do one's karate forms. He was the first white guy in north america to have at least one of his belts. Hell, he might still be the only one. No one wants to sign up for that.

I agree with that, most KM gyms trainers I met are ex solders or ex special forces trainers and you have no way to know how good they are. however I like it because I want something can be learned quickly I cant dedicate my life to learn some skills that most likely will never use it in real life, mostly just for boosting condifnace.