Thanks guys.
My standup is just awkward-looking...ok, maybe genuinely awkward, I agree. Other than the leg kicks that I can land without being in punching range, I just give up on striking from standing. I really, really hate getting punched in the face, so I just cover up all the time. It's far from optimal, but oh well. My striking on the ground is pretty good.
mma ... makes you a better man for it. Eliminates much of your everyday bullsh1t fear.
What are your experiences with this. How has mma fighting helped you in everyday life?
Obviously part of it is physical. I am in better shape than when I was a high school wrestler, even though I am now twice as old. Fighting does not make you big, but it does make you cut. One of our guys has been at Marine Corp boot camp for the past three months, and he was in horrible shape compared to when he left. He ended up losing in the first round, said he felt a lot worse physically than when he left for boot camp.
Mentally...well if I ever get into a street fight I am just going to skip straight to the knees to the crotch part. Those hurt
My cornerman also cornered several of our other guys. He said that no matter what color anyone's eyes were, all he saw were giant black pupils. It's something about the body's fight-or-flight response. In our modern world, we don't have to deal with situations very often where all of our survival mechanisms kick in. Sometimes, when they do, people act erratically and do things that surprise even themselves. It is good to begin learning to have a handle on how I react in a crisis. That is something that is hard to practice.
Another mental note, the longer you train in a fighting sport, the more you will find yourself having less and less sympathy for anyone else. My trainer has been doing combat sports for 30 years, and he is one unsympathetic s.o.b. - I find that the more I do this, the less I sympathize with most peoples' problems. When I hear people complain these days, I am often thinking, "suck it up, you fvcking pvssy."