Does anyone here train MMA/boxing/judo?

[tmacattack33]

I was thinking of getting into one (or more) of these as a way to get into shape at the same time as learning something useful and fun.

Regular weight training mixed with a few days of jogging around my neighborhood is getting boring.

I am shying away from boxing as I don't want to risk my mental health from repeated blows to the head. Same with mma I suppose. My career is very mentally intensive and I don't want to risk harming my mental state at all.


So I'm leaning towards signing up for a local judo class...and then maybe just getting a heavy bag and speed bag at home to have fun with at home and maybe increase punching power with that.

Good idea? Or am i overstating mma's risk to my mental health? Or underrating the risks of judo?

[UK2K]

My brother is a big dude, and fought MMA for several years.

He stopped when he got his jaw broken by some Brazilian dude.

Medical bills were a bitch.

[PistonsFan#21]

Trained boxing for 4-5 years on and off. Great sport and im most likely biased when i say this but its probably the best sport you could take up if you wanted to get in shape (as well as learn great stand up technique for self defense).

Since it sounds like you are looking to just get in shape and are not planning on actually competing at an amateur level then you shouldnt worry too much about mental health problems caused by repeated blows to the head. Most people you will train with are there for the same reason you are and its not to try and knock people out cold (except for a few knuckleheads that you gonna find in any fighting sport club)

Even if you do end up doing some sparring the coaches will match you up against someone your size and experience level. And fighters that are way more advanced than you won't go as hard on you (based on my experience). Gloves for sparring are also bigger than the one used in sanctioned fights and you get a headgear too.

EDIT: At my boxing gym i would say there was about 30% of the people i trained with that were looking to actually make an amateur career. The other 70% were mostly there to learn technique and get a good cardio workout. Lots of pushups, ab workouts, drills on the hand pads, shadowboxing, heavybag, skipping rope, etc. And then whoever was interested could step in the ring for some sparring supervised by one of the trainers. No one was actually forced to get in there

[hateraid]

I've done martial arts since I was 10. I've done both Judo and Boxing.

First off, Judo is very intensive and you're prone to those cauliflower ears just like in wrestling. The clinching and headlocking is where that comes from. So don't think that you're not at risk having some sort of long term condition. Grant it, it's much rare than in wrestling. Take into account get slammed into the matt can cause whiplash. Injury is much greater than stand-up.
Unlike Judo, boxing does not require a sparring partner. The conditioning is the best of ANY combat sport. Hitting bags builds biceps like no other. Speed bags build great arms and shoulders. You work on footwork, cardio, punching power, agility, evasion....
I took Kenpo for a few years and competed. Much more combat oriented than traditional karate. Much more effective in a one on one combat situation.
The thing I don't like about the modern MMA gyms is that the instructors are more interested in milking the trend and collecting your cash. The discipline is secondary and they train savages. Not all gyms are like that, but in my experience this is more common. Meatheads are attracted to this sort of thing and they exploit it as opposed to contain it.
Just do your research, there are pros and cons to all. I loved Kenpo. I'm looking at going back to training myself.

[NBAplayoffs2001]

Friend did MMA training one summer with a friend. He was in great shape when he came back fall term but was bruised up all over his chest. He said he got into great shape with all the working out but he won't do it again. He recommended only doing it if you were really motivated. He wasn't training to fight in the MMA but one of his friends was an amateur MMA fighter who needed a partner to workout with.

Boxing, my best friend and his older brother used to do kickboxing. They mentioned that being at least 6' and having long limbs are important (both are). Both have done a few tournaments. Something they do when they are back home, go back to their kickboxing gym to spar etc.

Judo, my school had a club. Friend is 6'3'' and was part of it. He's at least 200 pounds and I saw one of his sparing mates literally flip him over like it's nothing. :eek: He participated in tournaments and often came back from tournament weekends with some soreness/bruises on his torso, shoulders, etc.

I do want to eventually take boxing lessons but I would not want to train for a real fight or anything. There are some legitimate high end boxing gyms in NYC that I've always wanted to check out for a lesson or two even if it is pricey.