Finding a place.

He might just want a martial perspective from an unarmed context. I fenced for ages before I did any unarmed stuff. Ive been quite lucky I have found both Boxing and Taijiquan great stuff that I cant get enough of. However I've just started a bit of kickboxing and already I'm very - "nope not feeling this". I'm going to continue for a bit anyway as I've been wrong before(Also inothing to do with my instructor - he's great)

It may be that the OP really hasnt found yet something other than HEMA that personally chimes with him. This isn't a bad thing, but the very fact he has tried so many styles means hes actively looking for that certain something.

 

Yes!

I'm doing it all the time and start hating it - because, yes, you can ask too much.
Thinking some stuff too much through, you won't ever get to a point, where you actually *do* something, but will only be talking and thinking about it.
Less fun most of the time

I honestly don't get it.

The quotes above essentially tell how much you like doing HEMA.
Which is a great thing!
I don't know anything about HEMA, but it can't be wrong to do something you're enjoying so much (let's leave the usual: You can't kill someone, because you like it out of here, please).

Personally, I think doing a MA (or anything for that matter) for fun is one of the best reasons, to it and shouldn't be degraded to: It's only fun, but not serious enough.

So... did you ever ask yourself, if you find all of the excuses you made earlier, because you actually want to continue HEMA - which, again, is fine, since you like it.

As Aaradia said already: Why give it up, when you love it, to do something you don't even particularly like?
Or even give up some time of what you like.


And from a more pragmatic point: In case you really checked out all places around that you can reach and have interest in, there won't be much that *can* be done:
- Go to one of the schools you don't like.
or
- Check out the places you haven't visited yet and see if they surprise you.

When I started MA two years ago, I was like: "Oh, grappling... yeah... mhh..."
Now when we do it, in my head sits a monkey clapping his hands, grinning and doing flips - because I'm looking forward to it, because I enjoy it so much.

 

The reason is, I am a realist. I know that, if my non physical self defense skills fail me, I need to be able to fall back on something. Granted, if mad max happens, ill be set with my rapier and guns and Class 3 Plate. (LOL that would be a joke!)

So I need to do something that will allow me the physical skills for the small but physical side of self defense. I believe it to be small, but likely tied for importance with de escalation skills.

I mean, sure mma, if I can find a well taught school(which I think I found 2 of just now) would serve well, into the C&T&Grappling I want to do, but I don't think covering and bobbing and weaving is what your going to want to do when someone pulls a knife on you, or swings a bat at you..

 

If someone pulls a knife you're in trouble whether you learned an MA or not.
Extremely dangerous situation.

The first time, I used a knife in training, my teacher started with: If someone with a knife wants your money, give it to him with a "here, please", because at the very least both get hurt.

For me(!) I look at it that way: Chances are so tiny, that something will happen to me, where I actually have to defend myself from some Navy Seals (in another forum I use, people seem to think, that that's the very least to attack you; there are no ordinary people, who attack others ) and only a MA will be able to help me, that I prefer to train what I like, even though it might not be the best for "da street".

Better then learning a system that's not for me, for such an unlikely event.

Then again, I don't live in a warzone, so that might not work for everyone

 

Update.

I may have found a place to train. It's about 10 minutes from work so not to bad, and close to the highway, so I can get home quicker..

Its a fitness gym, with affordable rates. I went and talked to the owner, a super nice guy. He plainly stated that running a martial arts only place in our town is hard, that it is hard to just stay in business and keep high standards. So he started a fitness gym, that offers separate martial arts classes.

Now he explained to me that, in our town it is hard to run a martial arts only place, and still make it financially. While maintaining quality. (obviously my town is full of Mcdojo's) So he has a large, fitness only patronage, that in essence pay the bills and allow the martial arts people a place to train.

Now, several things jumped out at me with this place, a place that someone on this forum many months ago(when I asked about tang soo do) recommended to me.

First, and Massively important, is that they have a history of successfully working with morbidly obese people. Which I am. I am working on it, but I need help.

Secondly, great prices and no contracts. The package I am looking at is affordable and includes usage of the gym and classes.(both martial and otherwise)

Third. They have separate weightlifting/conditioning classes three times a week, run by a certified professional.

Fourth, each of the martial arts available are taught only by their respective teachers. No one person does it all approach I have been exposed to earlier.
They offer WTF/KKW Taekwondo, kickboxing, boxing and nogi JuiJitsu.

The owner was a nationally ranked TKD competitor, so he naturally is teaching the TKD. TO my massive surprise he teaches Traditional TKd. With the step sparring and self defense and all that. Which surprises me given his extensive competitive background. He also teaches the Kick boxing class. Per his admission he has trained in Mauy thai for a long time as well. I get the impression he is a lot like KwonKicker. When I asked about forms, he said he teaches the palqwe and teaguk hyungs.

His TKD rank is only 2nd dan, but honestly I am ok with it. As I would be a fool to turn down training with someone who competed nationally.

The boxing coach has multiple golden gloves. I didn't catch his name, but ill find out.

He told me the name of the nogi coach, Steve something, but I didn't catch his last name. I'll try and find out next time I am there.

So ya, sure its no perfect but its got a heck of a lot going for it. What really sold me was, the conditioning class's and specific experience with guys like me. The fact that he was a high quality TKD competitor and has a good boxing coach on staff also won me over.

I got a good feeling from this place. Nice clean facility, lots of weights and equipment. Decent mat space, and has been around since the great recession and survived. So I am going to give it a go. I have nothing to loose.

Sure he may not be a 5th don TKD, but that's fine with me. As honestly its about the kicks and other benefits of training with a competitive TKD'er that matter more to me. If I pick some useful things up from the step sparing and self defense then that's ok as well.

The single most important reason I am going is my health. I have a feeling, that with there nutritional councilor and extensive conditioning program, I will finally be able to get off this plateau and find a better diet. I am slowly learning that keto is not something I can do anymore, as I get insane for carbs by the weekend..

I am really excited to be getting back into kick boxing and boxing again. I am apprehensive about the NoGi JJ as I suck at grappling. When I did it at my last mma gym, I hated the random nature of the learning process and how lost I felt. Doing armbars one day to kneebars from back mount the next were hard to follow for a newb like me. I barely had time to learn the positional escapes and even less time to really drill the submissions.

Edit. They spar, Olympic in the Taekwondo class, but with mauy thai rules in the kickboxing class. So If I will get to practice the Taekwondo in more open rules as well. So that is win win.

 

Cool.

Can you/will you continue with your HEMA?

 

Yeah but not as much as before. I will have to drop to one day a week on that and do it on Sundays. However that is ok, we go for 3 hours on sundays anyways.

I had to decide my most important priority, and that was my health, so this place won out over more hema.

 

Sounds like it'll be fun and functional AND a great workout. Congrats.

 

Yep. All the coach's even look like people at the top of their game. No obese coaches here. (I have had that, not inspiring to a obese guy trying to loose weight.)

They even compete regularly at kickboxing matches. Infact there is one coming up in a month.

 

Well done man. Now get training!

 

Both in the same place !?!

Are you utterly daff??!!??

N-n-not perfect??

I would say with great confidence that you've managed to find the Holy Grail of (non-pro) training facilities, my friend.

Do you know how long some of us have searched for such a place?

I'm both happy for you and very, very envious.

 

Well I included the not perfect part, because I assumed their would be some concern that he was only a 2nd Don in TKD and not higher. He is going for his third degree. I am ok with it because it would be foolish to ignore his extensive competitive experience.

So I included that, to acknowledge a potential sticking point. However, Even if it is just straight sport TKD, ill still be getting all the kicks, all the foot work, all the good stuff. ON top of Competitive kickboxing and boxing and Nogi.

However it is not just the martial arts that sold me. It was the fact they have experience with people like me, and my issues. They have pictures hanging up of people they have helped. Even their first student came and she dropped 130lbs!

Now the issue I face is one of Pacing. I would be tempted to jump in head first and hit all 3 conditionings plus all the martial arts. Which would leave me massively sore and burnt out. So I plan on tapering into the martial arts, by focusing on the conditioning/weightlifting for the first month or so. Then when I am having less DOMS, and am more acclimated ease into the martial arts.

 

- Find yourself a sparring partner.
- Meet with him 4 times a week, 2 hours per session.
- Put on gloves and try to kill each other in that 2 hours.
- Try this for the next 8 months.

I had gone through this training myself. It was the best time that I ever had in my MA training. I strongly recommand it.

 

If you try to do everything, you may end with nothing. If you can use "single leg" to take down everybody on this planet, anybody wants to learn it will have to come to you. You will be a "single leg" master. IMO, it's better to master few things than to know everything.

If you are good with "single leg", it's OK if you are not too good with 'flying knee" or "flying side kick".

 

Sounds like a winning plan!

Ja, it'd only take one BJJ blue-belt to wipe my **** all over the mats and it was but a lowly young GG champion just entering the pros who was the boxing instructor who ran the boxing class at our old MMA gym in the Midwest into the ground conditioning-wise. Even had a contracted UFC youngin' who'd leave the gym utterly exhausted and a bit emotional after those hellish sessions ( I warn't sparring with them at the time ).

To whom much is given, much is required, lol. So be careful what you expect from your trainers

One can never be "fit enough" to go through the rigours of a vigorous, worthwhile MA programme like it was a breeze and if you wait till that day arrives ... it won't. Nothing truly prepares you for a MA except training in that art.

But at the same time, its very wise to draw up a 'pre-conditiong' plan of limited duration and with specific fitness/conditioning goals in mind before you enter into training MA styles that are known to be conditionally demanding and it sounds like you are going to do just that very thing -

 

Belltoller. I wholly agree, this is going to be a butt stomping no matter what. I fully expect to leave knackered.(did I get the Brit slang right?) It is just, I am very much out of shape, and not even half as much conditioned as I was just a few years ago when I was active at my old MMA gym.(before it closed)

I know that specificly I will have to just do the martial arts to get better at them. I just need to get my cardio and musculature in a better place before I jump into the martial arts. I would think that after a month or so of just conditioning/weight lifting, my body will be better able to recover from it. Thus giving me more latitude to add in the martial arts.

I fully expect the MA their to be more on the aerobic side of life, as boxing was last time I did it. So I fully expect the kick boxing and grappling to be more aerobic.

I just have to be able to function the next day, for work and for the other class's.

Monday is conditioning/weight lifting. Then kick boxing then TKD. Tuesday is Boxing. Wedness day is Conditioning/weight training then grappling. Thursday is TKD(at 4:45 so I likely wont get off work in time to make it) and boxing at 6:30. Friday is Conditioning then kick boxing.

Now Saturday is Grappling in the morning then TKD in the evening.

 

:dunno:

Sadly, I can very much relate to that.

Cardio - but be aware, for the cardio conditioning to be noticably helpful, you'll have to train at it as hard as you would your MA. I.E., an hour doing wind-sprints up flights of stadium stairs is going to take you to the edge of your life as much as an hour of Muay Thai conditioning - the question is - are you able to consistently push yourself up those flights of stairs each time, demanding more stairs at a faster pace than before, as much as a MT coach will be able to consistently pull the last shreds out of you?

I couldn't. Thought I could but ... its actually tougher to do that than go to hell-class for the hour.

Anything less and you won't notice any effect/help at all. Beginning serious sport training from a dilapidated state is not going to be any fun at all but that's where we are.

I suppose what I'm saying is that regardless of the training regime you enter into - you must have someone over you who will be able to do that - you should get a personal trainer for the conditioning/lifting period.

It importantly crucial as you say that you are seriously obese - there are life/death health considerations and you need someone trained to look out for you.

I've an enlarged heart with a leaking valve. I wouldn't of known about it unless one of the trainers from my previous boxing school told me to go have myself checked.

And I'm not seriously overweight by any real means.

You need a good trainer looking after you regardless of the track you choose.

Your schedule is ... ambitious to say the least. Very much so.

Have you asked anyone there what they think of it?

Personally, I'd think boxing + conditioning/lifting would be more than enough to start until you 1) know how your body/system is going to react to heavy training again 2) You've a chance to see how hard some of the other classes ( KB/Grappling, etc) are run. Some of these guys run brutal classes and there's very little left for anything else, much less a second or third MA!

Have a good butcher's before you sign on to more than one French Foreign Legion unit at the same time, lol.

Anyroads, good luck with it. Let me know how it goes - good, bad and ugly.