r/martialarts

I'm turning 44 and I've been training martial arts for over 25 years, always as a hobbyist. There were times when I basically lived for training, and martial arts became a huge part of my identity.

My physical prime was probably 7–8 years ago, when I trained Muay Thai, BJJ and self-defense at the same time. I was in the best shape of my life.

Over the last couple of years, things have changed. I still love martial arts, but the window in which I enjoy training has become narrower, especially with sparring.

I still love light, controlled sparring with experienced partners. But I'm increasingly unwilling to spar with young, inexperienced guys who go too hard or overly competitive guys. I have an old knee with several surgeries behind it, and getting injured because someone can't control their power just isn't worth it anymore.

The strange thing is that I don't really feel old. I'm still fit, lift weights, hit the heavy bag and can spar. What has changed is my willingness to take unnecessary risks and my motivation to train constantly.

I used to train 3–4 times a week and hated missing sessions. Today, two or three martial arts sessions a month can be enough for me, and sometimes I don't train for several weeks without really missing it.

That's actually harder for me to accept than getting physically older. After 25 years, being a martial artist is part of my identity. There's still this little voice saying: "The old you would have trained. Are you becoming soft?"

But maybe being a martial artist in your 40s means accepting that you don't have to train like you're 22. I'd rather have two good sessions a month and still enjoy doing this at 50 or 60 than force myself to train just to prove something. Currently I'm training unregularly in my long-term self-defense school where there are more people my age and also occasionally in a kickboxing sparring class for hobbyists.

For the older veterans here: How did you deal with this transition? Did you struggle with separating your identity as a martial artist from how often and how hard you train?

I watched that Chicago cubs fans fighting in the stands. And I’ve noticed a lot of men just swing their whole arm for a punch. Look like a girl about to pull another girls hair but instead landing a punch. It’s like there arms fully extend for a hug. It’s weird to describe it in words. Noodle arms just winding and wailing, to land a sideway punch. Like they’re not squared up to fight. The guy was obviously getting jumped in the video but still, so odd to see so many street fights like that.

I’m not a fighter, which is why I’m perplexed. But wouldn’t it be more effective to keep your arm at a short extension for a punch. Like in boxing. Boxers don’t wind and wail their entire arm for a punch. Am I wrong?

Someone during my Muay Thai sparring class last night was acting wildly chaotic. For reference, I’ve done MT for only a year but ITF taekwondo for several, and the guy definitley had less experience in martial arts than I did. Anyway, he just started randomly throwing all these haymakers for pretty much the entire round, grunting loudly while he was moving, and fighting very aggressively, almost like he was really trying to knock me out.

Once I settled in, I counterpunched him pretty hard in the face several times and kept side kicking him to keep distance and try to convince him to chill out. Throughout the round though he just getting more and more riled up, trying to even bear hug me and push me into the wall at one point with what felt like frustration and seemingly anger from him.

I remember a couple very experienced guys right before class (both super nice dudes that have given me plenty of pointers and advice whenever I sparred them) telling him to shut up when he kept yapping, I’m not sure what he was yapping about because I was just focusing on some stretching before class began but sort of sounded like it was trash talk or acting tough? The whole experience was pretty weird. Also, right before he sparred me he had sparred my usual training partner and i’m pretty sure I overheard this dude giving unsolicited fighting advice to him after he injured his knee from a low kick which forced him to sit out remainder of class (I wasn’t there to see if it was dirty hit or not).

I’ve sparred him only once before months ago and I remember him being pretty aggressive back then too but I teeped him in the chest (I don’t even think it was very hard) and then he just ran out of the gym in the middle of the round. My coach told me a couple days later that the dude apparently threw up in the restroom. I felt bad but my coach kind of laughed about it, said I didn’t do anything wrong and that some beginners just maybe get too excited and gas out sometimes.

Anyone else ever had this type of guy at your gym and what did you do about it?

Ive been training in MMA and Jujitsu for a year and half now. Ive been training at the same gym for all that time. In a few days I move for college. Ive been told that it's impossible to do both but I came on here to ask how I can do both mma and college.

Been doing BJJ and Muay Thai for a few years now, and about 2 years ago I started wearing barefoot/minimalist shoes (zero drop, wide toe box) for daily life and lifting. I wasn't even thinking about martial arts when I made the switch, but I've noticed a real difference in my balance and foot/ankle stability on the mats since then.

I know that most martial arts (outside boxing and wrestling) have you training barefoot anyway, so it seems like a pretty natural crossover to wear barefoot shoes the rest of the time instead of undoing all that foot strength in a pair of cushioned sneakers. I know GSP has talked about training his feet specifically because they're the first point of contact with the ground, which stuck with me.

I’m curious on how many other martial artists also use barefoot/minimalist shoes, and I have a few questions for anyone who's into this:

1. Do you wear barefoot/minimalist shoes regularly, in or outside of training?
2. If yes, what got you into it, and did you notice any actual difference in your game?
3. If no, is it just not on your radar, or is there something that's kept you away from them (price, look, break-in period, etc.)?

I’m genuinely curious how common this is in the community, as the minimalist shoe space is pretty niche.

So I’m a White/yellow belt and my coach won’t let me compete until I’m a green belt even though there are white and yellow belt divisions

*im a judoka

I have run into a dead end in a lineage research project and could use some help, on the off chance that someone knows.  I am looking for who was the chief instructor at the Westfield MA Villari Kempo/United Studios of Self-Defense school.  The school is now closed, so if anyone happens to know who taught there in the 1980s, I would be very grateful.

I have most of my experience in Judo where typically if your right handed its right hand lead right foot lead, I plan on picking up more striking, but with the little bit of shadow boxing training I have done I have found similar experiences with both orthodox and southpaw stances. I did see somewhere that if strong ambidexterously then switch hit is an option by using both stances, but that adds complexity to the early learning stages.

With my strength being grappling and looking at developing a Sambo/MMA skillset should I focus on my strengths with Judo and learn southpaw to have my right lead hand, should I learn orthodox as someone who is slightly more right dominant (though mostly ambidexterous). Or just learn a bit of both, see if one stands out and if neither are weaker train switch hit?

Any advice would be great!

The first ever grappling style I tried was judo for about half a year. Then after that I went to an mma gym where we would practice bjj (Brazilian jujitsu) and wrestling for grappling. I am now in Japanese jujitsu. One thing I’ve always struggled with is how to break someone’s balance. For anyone who has grappling experience do you guys have any tips?

in my case, i had to quit wrestling after a few lessons because my ribs kept getting hurt from takedowns. i could handle judo in the past but they also used softer mats

Is it because I need to work on my basics? Is it because he trusts me to help teach the basics?? I’m not sure if this is a good thing or a bad thing lol

The amount of times you see "X" martial art is better than "Y" is such an ancient topic. This questions existence started since the first form of combat had to compete against another.

Application is the only missing context in most cases. If a kick boxer had to follow taekwondo point rules, the result changes. If it's Boxing vs MMA but without ground combat, the result changes. Even no rules Muay Thai vs BJJ, results can vary without a detailed background on each fighter.

It always comes down to technical proficiency, skill and weight class. But the conversation will always come up, "What is the best martial art?"

I have 2 favorite martial arts, that's all I need to know about this topic.