my first class

[hapki_18]

on wednesday, i'm about to go to my first lesson of muay thai. i went to take a look at the gym and everything looks freaking awesome. the instructors are walter "sleeper" michalowski for the muay thai classes.
i talked to his wife and learned that his gym has been producing many fighters that won compt.

once inside, june didn't even offer me a contract..i asked for a price and she said she wouldn't let me sign a contract unless i'm sure that i want to do it.
the best part is that it also has a bjj curriculum, and all that for only $75 with unlimited classes and $12 a class for the bjj.

man, i'm so excited

[toothpaste100]

That sounds sweet, especially the no contracts part.

[nicolo]

He's nicknamed "Sleeper" for a reason. You're in good hands with Walt. Enjoy your class.


P.S. His wife is now JUNE CASTRO! Wow.

[Kenpo Kicker]

nice price :) . That should make you become a well rounded fighter.

[neryo_tkd]

on wednesday, i'm about to go to my first lesson of muay thai. i went to take a look at the gym and everything looks freaking awesome. the instructors are walter "sleeper" michalowski for the muay thai classes.
i talked to his wife and learned that his gym has been producing many fighters that won compt.

once inside, june didn't even offer me a contract..i asked for a price and she said she wouldn't let me sign a contract unless i'm sure that i want to do it.
the best part is that it also has a bjj curriculum, and all that for only $75 with unlimited classes and $12 a class for the bjj.

man, i'm so excited


go for it. i hope that your enthusiasm will stay for a long time because mine has. enjoy your classes!!!

[hapki_18]

do you guys think that it will benefit my hapkido training, or just plain bad for it. i was hoping to use hapkido's throws, sweeps and locks with muay thai strikes and kicks. also with some bjj

[nicolo]

do you guys think that it will benefit my hapkido training, or just plain bad for it. i was hoping to use hapkido's throws, sweeps and locks with muay thai strikes and kicks. also with some bjj

Hey sure why not, sounds like a plan. Why would it be bad? You might even make certain parallels between them and condense your techniques even more. So not only will you have a great muay Thai stand-up clinch/close-range arsenal, but you'll have the techniques of Hapkido/aikijutsu/BJJ as well. From start to finish. Strikes, lock up, elbows/knees and takedown and finish off. Kick like a mule, throw like Seagal, choke like a python. It's a good flow. Catchy.

[Kenpo Kicker]

I think it would be a plus actually. More throws give you some options.

[hapki_18]

update:

just came back less than an hour ago. i went to the wrong intermediate, instead of beginning class. they weren't doing lots of beginner stuff, so he sent somebody to help me get up to speed. the guy was cool the whole time, me doing the kicks wrong, jabbing wrong and off balance. walter was all up in me though for doing the all of the above wrong. the whole time, we were just doing some basic combination: punch, hook, low kicks.

we end the class by doing several hundreds situps, pushups, and stretchign.
all in all, i really enjoyed it and will be joining the gym full time.

[redbull]

do you guys think that it will benefit my hapkido training, or just plain bad for it. i was hoping to use hapkido's throws, sweeps and locks with muay thai strikes and kicks. also with some bjj


Does the hapkido u do cover the kicking/punching range alot? if so u will find that hapkido kicks and punches are very different from MT. In MT the objective is to hit as hard as u possibly can, like for example Mt does not use front kicks all that much they throw most of their kicks from the rear leg and if a MT fighter wants to kick u with the front leg they usually do what is called a switch kick which is they switch stances then kick (they bring the front leg to the back then kick.) When i was doing hapkido this was considered a bad kick because u are telegraphing it, however u do get alot more power from it. Also in MT u dont hit with u'r instep they like to kick with their shins. All in all, i think u will get very confused at first but as u continue to practise u will take what u think works from both arts and like say yeah yeah to the rest but not really do it.

[nicolo]

.... like for example Mt does not use front kicks all that much they throw most of their kicks from the rear leg and if a MT fighter wants to kick u with the front leg they usually do what is called a switch kick which is they switch stances then kick (they bring the front leg to the back then kick.) When i was doing hapkido this was considered a bad kick because u are telegraphing it, however u do get alot more power from it. Also in MT u dont hit with u'r instep they like to kick with their shins. All in all, i think u will get very confused at first but as u continue to practise u will take what u think works from both arts and like say yeah yeah to the rest but not really do it.

Not exactly, MT roundhouse kicks can be fired from the lead leg without switching. You can simply stand with for example your left leg forward, raise your hips and twist your left hip forward and over and violently fire out a left roundhouse with surprising effect. Leg kicks from the lead leg are surprisingly painful as well. These kicks can be pulled off without switching, by merely twisting the hips. The power comes from the hips. Switching constantly may be considered bad stance-wise, but you do get the added benefit of creating more space for firing a harder kick and I've seen some skilled boxers switch so fast it looks like a blur.

I'm guessing you're referring the MT lead leg roundhouse as the "front" kick. There is a MT push kick or teep that can be fired from the lead leg. It resembles a front snapping kick but is actually a jabbing kick used to punch into your opponent. Likewise, the push kick can also be fired from the rear leg as well.

[hapki_18]

however u do get alot more power from it. Also in MT u dont hit with u'r instep they like to kick with their shins. All in all, i think u will get very confused at first but as u continue to practise u will take what u think works from both arts and like say yeah yeah to the rest but not really do it.

yeah, it was sorta confusing. i didn't know know how to do a hook, my jabs sucked, and the only good thing going for me was my cross. also in hapkido, we first chamber the leg and then snap it. yesterday, i was taught, in one motion to bring my leg up and thrust it in a downward motion.

[Flashing Dagger]

Hapki 18,
I've heard and read good things about Walter Michalowski. Your lucky to have found such a good teacher.

[Hapkido]

kicking with your shins! holy crap thats gotta hurt! how do u keep it from being so painful? i mean, when i think about kicking with the shins it seems like every time u land a hit it would feel like getting kicked in the shins by a younger brother. :eek: :cry:

[nicolo]

kicking with your shins! holy crap thats gotta hurt! how do u keep it from being so painful? i mean, when i think about kicking with the shins it seems like every time u land a hit it would feel like getting kicked in the shins by a younger brother. :eek: :cry:

Condition it...kick the heavy bags, let them heal a bit and kick again and again and again.

[redbull]

Not exactly, MT roundhouse kicks can be fired from the lead leg without switching. You can simply stand with for example your left leg forward, raise your hips and twist your left hip forward and over and violently fire out a left roundhouse with surprising effect. Leg kicks from the lead leg are surprisingly painful as well. These kicks can be pulled off without switching, by merely twisting the hips. The power comes from the hips. Switching constantly may be considered bad stance-wise, but you do get the added benefit of creating more space for firing a harder kick and I've seen some skilled boxers switch so fast it looks like a blur.

I'm guessing you're referring the MT lead leg roundhouse as the "front" kick. There is a MT push kick or teep that can be fired from the lead leg. It resembles a front snapping kick but is actually a jabbing kick used to punch into your opponent. Likewise, the push kick can also be fired from the rear leg as well.


I know that u can throw a powerfull kick with the front leg, it is done all the time in other styles such as hapkido, karate, kickboxing, etc. but the preffered method in MT seems to be the switch kick wich is alot more powerfull that a front leg kick once u get the hang of it. However, in most other styles the switch is consider bad form because it telegraphes your kick to u'r oponent. So is up to the individual if they can afford a little telegraphing for a lot more power. I personally do them both ways.

Sorry bad english, when is say front kick i mean any kick with the front leg wheather is the front kick or round kick or whatever. i should've worded it better as i can see where the confusion lies.

[Hapkido]

Condition it...kick the heavy bags, let them heal a bit and kick again and again and again.
my god....maybe ill stick to grappling then :D

[nicolo]

grappling?! C'mon...it's just a big 'ol bag filled with stuff.
Pain is weakness leaving the body.

[Hapkido]

lmao, i have no come back for that :D
i think my teacher might actually do thai boxing, he advertises kick boxing classes and i saw 2 blackbelts practicing before my hapkido class. he said he was working on his kicking and there was alot of leg transitions before he kicked so i think it might of been. ill ask later :D