Am I Being Too Ambitious?

[AngeloftheNorth]

I have recently stopped boozing, and have started getting fit. Years ago, I reached my 2nd Kyu in Wado Ryu and fancy getting back into karate, just for the sake of it - well i enjoyed it and fancy training again.

However, for fitness and self-defence I want to join a MMAs club, it is supposedly excellent and trains in Sambo, western boxing, some Muay Thai and freestyle wrestling. They also run escrima classes...do you think I´m getting carried away, or do you think it´s reasonable to train five times a week?

Also, are karate, and the rest compatible? Basically, I´m bored and think it will fill up my evenings (I´ve also started learning a foreign language, incidentally)...but I don´t want to burn out.

Thoughts?

[Yohan]

Here's what I recommend - go to the MMA class, attend for long enough to get a good taste of what it's like. Once you've got a taste, pick which martial art you want to devote yourself to, and practice it dilligently. Instead of going to the other class, get yourself a heavy bag and do some technique drills and fitness stuff at the house. That way you'll be getting good at something, rather than getting average at a bunch of different stuff.

The most important thing to recognize about MMA is that it is one art, not bits and peices of other arts chucked haphazardly together.

[Davey Bones]

There's nothing inherently wrong with training five days a week, but maybe you should see what the classes are like before you devote all that time!

[Awakening]

It's not so much how often you train, but how you train. If you trained in five martial arts once a week, you wouldn't benefit as much as training one art five times a week. Set aside some time to check out all the different things available to you, and then choose from them a few that you'd like to excel at.

[Agutrot-]

If it made you stop boozing then yes, it is too ambitious.

[shootodog]

Originally Posted by AngeloftheNorth

I have recently stopped boozing, and have started getting fit. Years ago, I reached my 2nd Kyu in Wado Ryu and fancy getting back into karate, just for the sake of it - well i enjoyed it and fancy training again.

However, for fitness and self-defence I want to join a MMAs club, it is supposedly excellent and trains in Sambo, western boxing, some Muay Thai and freestyle wrestling. They also run escrima classes...do you think I´m getting carried away, or do you think it´s reasonable to train five times a week?

Also, are karate, and the rest compatible? Basically, I´m bored and think it will fill up my evenings (I´ve also started learning a foreign language, incidentally)...but I don´t want to burn out.

Thoughts?

there's an old say that goes: if you've got the time you can do the crime.

in other words, if that what floats your boat, then do it.

i would suggest however to do it with a little moderation. start with 3 days a week first and then add a day every 3 to 6 months.

[Sam]

Just like shootodog has said it may be an idea to start small, just to get your body used to the training, if you're going from little excercise to five times a week intensive martial arts then you could burn yourself out pretty quickly. Learn to walk before you can run.

If you particularly want to stick to karate and train MMA alongside it then by all means give it a go, wado is very versatile in my opinion and its style has never hindered me when trying out various other systems.

(most)Wado ryu lacks in depth ground skills, so to fill that hole personally I'd take some sort of grappling art. You never know you may decide after a while that you prefer one to the other. However with MMA its an all rounder, so by taking that option alone you'll be killing two birds with one stone.

Just start light and work up, don't burn yourself out, get disheartened and send yourself back to square one.

Best of luck!

[prowla]

Five classes a week is a lot.
Would it be better to do a couple, and supplement it with other work (eg. gym, cycling, running, etc.)?

[Hiroji]

If i were you mate, id do something along these lines;

Monday; Karate
Tuesday; Speed dating
Wednesday; MMA
Thursday; body bop class
Friday; rest day & fat fighters
Saturday; MMA
Sunday; Boxing on the Wii

Nah just kidding, just do what the others have said, in particular Skc_wado has some good advice.

Good luck let us know how it goes.

Actually, looking at that again...its not a bad routine!

[Yohan]

Especially the speed dating!

[Awakening]

Originally Posted by Hiroji

Sunday; Boxing on the Wii

I'll second that one! No better way to train

[Tom O'Brien]

AngeloftheNorth,

Take it from an old man. Go for it. Do as much as you can while you are still young enough to do it.

Thanks,
Sensei Tom

[Splush]

It's impossible to be to ambitious! Reach for the heavens in your persuits.

But there is a thing as being foolish - take care of yourself and your body.

[AngeloftheNorth]

Thanks for your help, folks! I think on reflection I may drop the karate, however, and concentrate on MMA, Sambo and Western Boxing - I went down and had a look at it, and it´s fantastic stuff.

Regards,

AotN