what should I cross train in

[wondermonkee]

I am very new to martial arts. I have recently (a few months ago) started training Thai Boxing under Brandon Vera who recently fought in UFC 57 and was taught by Lloyd Irvin.

I am learning a lot very quickly and I feel as though I am getting a lot out of it. (my goal is to learn to fight and to abosrb some culture, if I just wanted to get in shape I could do it on my own for WAY cheaper haha)

However my job requires me to move a lot and I will only be here for about a year in total. I dont know where I will go next but I was curious if they do not have a good muay thai instructor what some other good styles that would mix well with muay thai. I know the first thing to pop into everyones heads is "see whats in the area and visit the school" I read the forums thats the answer to everything haha

I just want some general ideas so I have somethings in mind to look for.

I am a big fan of kung fu and CMAs in general. I really want to do something eclectic that incorparates Stricking, Trapping, and ground fighting in one stlye. (i dont know if there are a lot of styles that offer that range)

Everyone on the Forum is usually really helpful and I knew I could get some good answers from people. Look foward to seeing what you have to say.

[shootodog]

Originally Posted by wondermonkee

I am very new to martial arts. I have recently (a few months ago) started training Thai Boxing under Brandon Vera who recently fought in UFC 57 and was taught by Lloyd Irvin.

I am learning a lot very quickly and I feel as though I am getting a lot out of it. (my goal is to learn to fight and to abosrb some culture, if I just wanted to get in shape I could do it on my own for WAY cheaper haha)

However my job requires me to move a lot and I will only be here for about a year in total. I dont know where I will go next but I was curious if they do not have a good muay thai instructor what some other good styles that would mix well with muay thai. I know the first thing to pop into everyones heads is "see whats in the area and visit the school" I read the forums thats the answer to everything haha

I just want some general ideas so I have somethings in mind to look for.

I am a big fan of kung fu and CMAs in general. I really want to do something eclectic that incorparates Stricking, Trapping, and ground fighting in one stlye. (i dont know if there are a lot of styles that offer that range)

Everyone on the Forum is usually really helpful and I knew I could get some good answers from people. Look foward to seeing what you have to say.

you train with the truth? citygym boxing?

brandon vera is the truth: his muay thai is from rob kaman, his bjj is from lloyd irvin.

forget crosstraining! just train!

[AOFNick]

Put some classical stuff in there too. A lot of guys wish they had early on as it is hard to break bad habits and harder to pick up new stuff once you're already set in your ways. Embrace it all, fighting is just one element

[Mjelva]

Find a full blown mma gym. if you're gonna find a gym that mixes striking and grappling, this is where you should go. forget kung fu. it's crap.
Otherwise, you i'd recommend bjj or a similar style if you want to learn grappling, or boxing to improve your hands (which you'd really benefit from, having trained muay thai).

[Wax]

Originally Posted by shootodog

forget crosstraining! just train!

I second that. It's about fighting, not style.

[Combatant]

forget kung fu. it's crap.

ROTFLMAO! Something tells me its going to get a bit toastie in here.

[Guizzy]

Originally Posted by Mjelva

forget kung fu. it's crap.

Soooooooo... How many styles of kung fu have you done/fought against in order to make that sweeping statement?

I am a big fan of kung fu and CMAs in general. I really want to do something eclectic that incorparates Stricking, Trapping, and ground fighting in one stlye. (i dont know if there are a lot of styles that offer that range)

The style I practice, Fujian White Crane Kung Fu, has strikes, trapping and joint manipulation. We do have a few throws, standing locks and the such.

Not much groundwork, though, but I doubt you'll find a style that has ALL ranges. It's also very possible you won't find a White Crane school near you; it's kind of rare.

[wondermonkee]

yeah i enjoy training at city boxing all of the guys there are good. though it is a little crowded.

I dont want this to turn into a debate about what is better kung fu or MMA

I think if a style can stick around for years it has to have merit in what its practioners are doing.

I want to hear from people of all styles not just MMA and not just kung fu.

Thanks for all of your comments so far.

[ap Oweyn]

I'm biased, but FMA (arnis, kali, eskrima) and muay thai always seemed like a good mix to me. FMA provides a lot of the weapons work, footwork, etc. And muay thai provides a lot of good empty hand application and, perhaps most importantly, a good solid training methodology.

If you happen to move to the DC metro area next, I could give you plenty of recommendations. And, as you probably know, Lloyd Irvin himself is out this way. There's some good muay thai instruction in the area (MAP's own Khun Kao and Scott Anderson, for example). And a fair amount of FMA instruction. I train arnis in DC, for example.

Anyway, all of that is worthless in the likely event that you AREN'T moving to the DC area. Sorry. Short answer: I think FMA and muay thai offer a good mix of technical savvy and (with the right teachers) cultural perspective. Perhaps you could even look for kuntao (alt. Kuntaw), which is a Sino-Filipino style. (That's an oversimplification, quite honestly. But it's a starting point.) Then you'd get some perspective on the Chinese AND Filipino styles. Just a thought.


Stuart

[PlumDragon]

Originally Posted by ap Oweyn

I'm biased, but FMA (arnis, kali, eskrima) and muay thai always seemed like a good mix to me. FMA provides a lot of the weapons work, footwork, etc. And muay thai provides a lot of good empty hand application and, perhaps most importantly, a good solid training methodology.

Agreed, the FMA's will give you a pretty well rounded system that would keep you busy for a LONG time depending on the specific style/lineage one you choose; some are more scaled down than others; dumog will also address the ground range.

Originally Posted by ap Oweyn

If you happen to move to the DC metro area next, I could give you plenty of recommendations. And, as you probably know, Lloyd Irvin himself is out this way. There's some good muay thai instruction in the area (MAP's own Khun Kao and Scott Anderson, for example). And a fair amount of FMA instruction. I train arnis in DC, for example.

George Wood is also out in DC, a CMA internalist.

[Moosey]

Originally Posted by Mjelva

Find a full blown mma gym. if you're gonna find a gym that mixes striking and grappling, this is where you should go. forget kung fu. it's crap.

You are someone from Bullshido who's just joined MAP - I claim my five pounds.

Originally Posted by wondermonkee

I am a big fan of kung fu and CMAs in general. I really want to do something eclectic that incorparates Stricking, Trapping, and ground fighting in one stlye. (i dont know if there are a lot of styles that offer that range)

If you want to be like the UFCers then your best bet is to stick with MMA and train the way you'll be fighting. If there isn't any MMA available then you could do worse than trying boxing or wrestling - they seem to form a good base for competitive fighting - particularly wrestling.

There's nothing wrong with learning CMA but the style is just a little different from the "cage fighting" style and may be counter-productive if that's your aim.

If I misconstrued you and you're not bothered about cage fighting then.... (get ready).... see what's available in the area and pick the school that looks best!

[Bil Gee]

Originally Posted by wondermonkee

I am learning a lot very quickly and I feel as though I am getting a lot out of it. (my goal is to learn to fight and to abosrb some culture, if I just wanted to get in shape I could do it on my own for WAY cheaper haha)

Assuming you mean fight to learn to defend yourself. You'll get that with most martial arts, but if you want the culture as well, should be looking at non sports based traditional martial arts.

The are a number of styles of Chinese Martial Arts that incorporate grappling and striking, and a number of Japanese Martial Arts schools that offer training in a variety of systems that incorporate everything that you've mentioned.

Pretty much any system will keep you reasonably fit. The regimes for devloping stamina at clubs within just one style can vary enormously. It's all down to how hard the instructor wants to push his students. The only way to find out is to go to a class and see if you're pushed hard enough.

[Yohan]

forget kung fu. it's crap.

Come off it. The ignorance and bias in this post can't be described in words. You don't know the first thing about kung fu, have never trained in a style worth it's salt or at a school worth it's salt. Come on down to H'ville and we'll give you a good lesson. You will be saying something different afterwords . . .

Most of the kung fu's are excellent styles. Finding a good school with good training methods and serious practitioners and teachers are harder though. The southern style are great (IMO) as they teach quickly applicable techniques and principles. Most are natural height systems, and are powerful, dynamic and deep. If you find a fujian white crane school, or a southern mantis school (chow gar, jook lum, iron ox), you should be golden as they are very close-knit styles and the fakers are weeded out quickly. I would also recommend hung gar, choy lai fut. They will all teach you neat stuff, but they are opposed to muay thai's methods of fighting. They don't agree very will.

From the way it sounds, you should stick at the school you are at. If you really want to crosstrain, I would recommend training in something different from Muay Thai that incorporates different ranges. A wrestling style would be an excellent compliment to Muay Thai: judo, shui jiao (sp?), BJJ, sambo would all be great choices.

Ninjitsu would also be something cool. I know some people who have had excellent results from training in Ninjitsu. FMA and silat both seem to be excellent arts to check out as well.

[wondermonkee]

Cage fighting is not really a goal of mine. I have enjoyed learning from them because they are very serious about application of what they teach and know how to get a body in good condition.

I plan on staying at this school as long as I can but I dont really get to choose when I leave because of work. It will probably be this time next year.

FMA's sound interesting. So does Hapkido. As do a few southern chinese styles.

I know it will really boil down to my location I am just looking for some good pointers so I can have some styles in mind.

[shootodog]

Originally Posted by ap Oweyn

I'm biased, but FMA (arnis, kali, eskrima) and muay thai always seemed like a good mix to me. FMA provides a lot of the weapons work, footwork, etc. And muay thai provides a lot of good empty hand application and, perhaps most importantly, a good solid training methodology.

If you happen to move to the DC metro area next, I could give you plenty of recommendations. And, as you probably know, Lloyd Irvin himself is out this way. There's some good muay thai instruction in the area (MAP's own Khun Kao and Scott Anderson, for example). And a fair amount of FMA instruction. I train arnis in DC, for example.

Anyway, all of that is worthless in the likely event that you AREN'T moving to the DC area. Sorry. Short answer: I think FMA and muay thai offer a good mix of technical savvy and (with the right teachers) cultural perspective. Perhaps you could even look for kuntao (alt. Kuntaw), which is a Sino-Filipino style. (That's an oversimplification, quite honestly. But it's a starting point.) Then you'd get some perspective on the Chinese AND Filipino styles. Just a thought.


Stuart

oh yeah, fma!

sorry stu, got carried away by the fact that he's training with the pride of the philippines in mma: THE TRUTH!

FMA is the way to go.