I went to my old mma club and there been some changes.

The owner left. The trainers became private trainers. The size reduced by about 60%. The ring stayed. Where the cage was is gone but the space is still usable. Replaced with bags and its roped off.


I deleted any fight related facebook friends so i didn't hear updates about
ticket sales, wins and losses. Fight hype.

I stopped going to fight gyms even for fitness.

I didn't do anything all year, a month swimming and some yoga then i bailed on that gym cause i found myself barbell training again.


I got my surgery, then i had another waiting game. " don't train until healed" I made it.

Today i did some squats with 110 pounds, Ran 1.75 miles and it felt good. But the gym. I went to the fight gym and seen it go from a standard quality, bright gym. People in the fitness area, people on the bags, in the ring all working. To just a ring really. Darker and just different.

It dawned on me. I have to test myself again. Do i want to trade blows. Do i want to be wrapping my hand, biting the mouth piece risk getting rocked or will i learn its something i thought i wanted.


It will be a tough lesson to learn.

I want to evolve. So i wanted to get something to make me interested in training something to make me think more. I got a polar training watch with the chest strap. Im compelled to see what it takes to lower my heart rate. I believe i seen it as low as 61 and i know i seen it at 63. I thought it was strange how just yawning or changing the position I'm sitting or laying down makes it go up.

New monitoring and I'll buy new gear to welcome myself back to training. Match sweat suits for winter training, Maybe a combat pad set so i look sharp would be a feel good upgrade compared to the things Ive pieced together and maybe a double sided mouth piece.

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"Within the first 30seconds I rebroke my nose and started gushing blood." Reggae Junkie Jew.

I often go through the same thought process. Do I want to train competitively still? I lost my first MMA bout, which was a huge blow to my ego. However, my goals were never to try and go far with the competition aspect, just get some experience so that I could make a better teacher later. Someone who walked the walk, at least for a little while. Also, due to my career, and my desires to teach law enforcement and military down the road, I knew that I would eventually need to switch gears, and train what is effective for self-defense. There's obviously a big divide between sport martial arts, and realistic self-defense. So, lately I've been thinking about what I want to do from here. I think I'll probably fight one or two more times, do some more grappling tournaments, and then switch gears. But, I get your conundrum. It's a decision only you can make though. Do some soul searching and take your time. Make the right choice so you won't regret it later.

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"Fall down seven times, stand up eight." ~ Chinese proverb

what brand of self defense will you switch to

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"Within the first 30seconds I rebroke my nose and started gushing blood." Reggae Junkie Jew.

Probably Krav Maga, and I'll continue my studies of BJJ. There's a great video of Rener Gracie talking about the division between traditional Gracie Jiu-Jitsu, with its original purpose, and what has evolved into sport Jiu-Jitsu. As a matter of fact, here's the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=pl ... SS7IYSs7WY

I agree with everything Rener had to say in that video, and the concern is legitimate, as the art continues to evolve through competition. However, we shouldn't lose sight of the original intentions of the art's creation, which is self-defense and preservation. So with that being said, Krav Maga and BJJ will be my focus once I finish competing for the experience. Krav, because it is a system that is constantly battle tested in Israel, and the style is a combination of system that I've already trained in, so I feel like I will absorb the material relatively quick. And of course, I'll bring my own experiences as an L.E.O. and defensive tactics instructor to the table as well.

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"Fall down seven times, stand up eight." ~ Chinese proverb

which styles are krav made from

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"Within the first 30seconds I rebroke my nose and started gushing blood." Reggae Junkie Jew.

Several sources list Karate, boxing, muay thai, jiu-jitsu, wrestling, and other grappling techniques as the sources for Krav's techniques. There are some techniques (i.e.: bursting, and simultaneous blocking and hitting) that are extremely similar to some found within wing chun, which I trained in for a long time. With the addition of boxing, muay thai, and jiu-jitsu -- three other systems I've trained extensively in, I think I would pick up on the techniques quickly. What I like about Krav is the aggression, the approach of basing the techniques off of natural human instincts and flinch responses, and how similar those responses are no matter what the stimuli.

Also, Krav was developed for law enforcement and military in Israel. Obviously, these techniques are constantly battle tested, as Israel lives in what is perhaps the most dangerous section of the world.

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"Fall down seven times, stand up eight." ~ Chinese proverb

I liked what you said about Krav. I also was attracted to the idea that the instinct was considered as the foundation for the combinations. I didn't love the interface of the learning experience. There are only two schools and both owned by the same woman. That is here locally.

I don't recall who did an arm wrap entanglement on my arms but someone did.

Its hard to choose between mma and krav because of the mma marketing and fight culture which isn't going to accept krav tactics in the octagon.

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"Within the first 30seconds I rebroke my nose and started gushing blood." Reggae Junkie Jew.

The hard choice lies in what you want to accomplish with the skills you learn. Are you in it for self-defense application or for competition? That makes a big difference in what you should choose to study.

MMA is effective for self-defense, but it is limited by the rules and regulations of the sport, which makes it less effective than something like Krav - being specifically designed for realistic encounters with no rules, and a fight potentially to the death. Yes, you become a better fighter, more confident, in better shape, and more mentally prepared to scrap if you train MMA, but I think you get the point.

And this comes from a guy who trains almost exclusively in MMA at this point in time, so I'm definitely not hating on mixed martial arts. I have a deeply rooted passion for it, as a matter of fact.

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"Fall down seven times, stand up eight." ~ Chinese proverb

I"ll need something in order to beat the mma fighter in the street. EVERYONE seems to have trained already. EVERYONE seems to have purple belt or brown belt in bjj.

I need to learn the skills to close the gap.

Enter striking.

Still. If i get out of shape cause training got stale my application of what i learned doesn't really exist anymore. So the basic nervous systems adrenaline will be all i have to rely on. In that case i don't think kick boxing and mma is a good response to be engaging. I hope krav would be.

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"Within the first 30seconds I rebroke my nose and started gushing blood." Reggae Junkie Jew.

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“It is time that we admitted that faith is nothing more than the license religious people give one another to keep believing when reasons fail.”
― Sam Harris, Letter to a Christian Nation