I've signed up to my local MMA class.

The timetables are: Mon: Thai-Boxing Tues: BJJ Weds: MMA Thurs: Kyokushin Karate Fri: MMA

And other different classes depending on times during that day. Is there anyone currently training or has been for a little less than a year, that could give me some tips for beginners?

Also I dont want to be wasting tuition, since I've previously had classes on Wing-Chun Kung Fu, but they stopped days on the classes and upped the pay, a few ex-classmates who went told me the guy (master) was a foney, plus one of his assistants got the living days beat out of him right outside the gym. This club seems pretty legit with a few well-known WW fighters like ''Marius Zaromski'' who trained there.

I've got a babyface (not chiseled), and wondering what types of things I should look out for because an instructor told me I will be SPARRING as soon as I get in, straight away. I don't want to go in looking like a numb nuts and the group have that ''Baby, fish, prettyboy, not another one'' look on there face.

I have a few tatts and piercings, so hopefully I'll blend in with the right people as soon as.

Any tips would help most definetly, thanks man.

If it is a quality school, you should not get picked on for being new. Beating up on a new guy is not any accomplishment. No one that I train with will behave that way. Sparring is not about inflicting pain, even when experienced fighters do it. Just wear a mouthpiece, keep your hands up, and try to learn one small thing at a time. Being good at fighting is mostly about the about of time that one spends on the mat training before the fight. Just keep showing up to train.

HeyPachuco! said:

plus one of his assistants got the living days beat out of him right outside the gym.

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That doesn't necessarily mean anything. No matter how tough you are, there's always someone out there that can whoop you. Even Mike Tyson in his prime got his ass beat by Buster Douglas.

Are you training just for your own personal defense or are you looking to fight professionally?

HeyPachuco! said:

I have a few tatts and piercings, so hopefully I'll blend in with the right people as soon as.

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I'm not sure what this means. I think I know but it doesn't look good so I won't type it out. But seriously...

Anyway, I think it's great you're doing some kind of hard combat sports. I basically grew up in boxing gyms and still get out to them once in awhile. Never MMA because for a part-timer like myself it would mean too many injuries (a full-time boxer gets injured worse neuro-wise than an MMA guy BTW).

Act open and interested. You will have it harder at first because you're new and you need to make your bones. And the adjustment will be harder. But I assume you know that going in. Taking your lumps and coming back says alot to the gym and you will be respected for that.

I'm surprised they spar so early though. Every boxing gym I've been to likes the fundamentals down before they start sparring.

Cr1msonKing said:

Yeah I read that too, and I thought . Then I laughed in the inside.

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Now we know who's buying Affliction wear.

Bible_Belt - Thanks for the input. Was curious to know how guys would react in there, seen as I've gone to Kickboxing and Wing Chun classes before and most of the guys there where douchbags and would deliberatly hoax the new guys and these where chumps compared to some of the people I've seen in this MMA Gym.

speakeasy - I'm soley dedicating it on my own self-defence right now, but with the right time and training, if I'm up to the level and I'm deemed to start going into that side of professionalism, I would definetly take that route.


fuzzx - I'm not really into the (energy) side of Martial Arts at the moment or protecting any attacker that attacks me aswell as myself. I really just want to learn more of the full contact combat (striking, knees, kicks, punches, submission holds and takedowns).

fairshake - I've seen a few of the guys that go there already and alot of them are tatted. Thats what I meant with ''hopefully'' I can fit in somewhere based on those characteristics. Instead of the ''noobie'' moniker. I doubt saying I've taken Kick Boxing or Wing Chun before won't help.

But I'm willing to learn and take time with this. Its something I've wanted to do for a while now, just didn't have the money and time before. The lesson on Thursday, I should be sparring immediately, its going to be supervised, so I'll go in and see what my cons and pros are.

Cr1msonKing: What I sent to fairshake.

With the explosion in popularity of mma, there has unfortunately also been the creation of the "mma douchebag" type of guy who acts obnoxiously and seems to think he can beat everybody up because he's wearing an Affliction shirt and Tapout hat. Hardly any of these guys ever get to an mma gym to train, but some of them do. A few of them even manage to compete, but that is rare.

However, the guys who are actually skilled at mma will act the opposite way. The more a fighter talks, typically the less he has to back it up with. Keep that in mind, and don't worry about impressing anyone. That is only going to come with time as your skills develop.