Just curious as i'm on the lookout for something new. (Again) I could train kickboxing at the gym ive just started taking my son to, and they also teach a couple other styles too, Practical arnis, MMA, and karate (no interest in this thougth i'm afraid) I know quite a few boxers who have crossed over to MMA but i'm not sure its for me really. Having trouble finding something that suits me though, do you think this could be down to how long i was a boxer for? Ive boxed for a long time, could it be that i'm stuck in my ways kind of thing and not open to changing styles etc? cheers lads Sam
Yeah the kickboxing was my first thought, especially as the club my boy's training at also runs a family class so it could be a nice touch to train my my lad too. As for judo, from the 4 classes me and my lad attended when we were trying different styles, i must admit i quite liked it, as you say, very different from what i'm used to. So could be worth attending a few more. cheers mate.
I'm not sure mate to be honest. Ive tried it a few times with lads i used to box with who have made the switch and enjoyed the conditioning etc but not so much the grappling/groundwork, so this could be why but as i say i'm not sure. If it was simply because i dont have a ground game its the kind of thing that would usually serve to challenge me rather than put me off. A few of the lads have suggested giving it a try for a few months and see what i think as they have said they think i would enjoy it and could see me competing in a year or 2 if i give it a shot. At 36 i'm not so sure though.
Well sometimes I find that boxers that like the inside stand up game take to the ground work fairly soon. The big thing is getting over the feeling of knowing very little and starting over again. The fish out of water feeling again but it soon passes. A good number of the boxers that hate the inside game seem to have a harder time adapting to the ground game.
I think boxers can turn their hand to most styles with success if they put the time in and genuinely enjoy the training. Good hands, fitness, toughness and sound body mechanics are a massive asset in pretty much any style. Overal I'd probably say MMA, simply because good boxers become even more dangerous with little 4oz gloves.
I do Muay Thai, which I have found the be an extremely good cross over. I still Box on a weekly basis as usual, but I have decided to return to Muay Thai which I did years before starting Boxing. MMA, Kyokushin Karate, San Shou, Sambo, BJJ, Savate etc. would also make good cross over arts. Anything full contact that utilizes the hands as a primary weapon would probably be your best bet.
Some of it may be down to getting out of your comfort zone. For a boxer (this coming from myself a long time boxer and boxing fan) the ground game can be the most unintuitive to pick up. It's such a different environment and the learning curve seems quite steep at the start. I'd say give the MMA a try and really try to get your head around what it is in the grappling side that makes it uncomfortable. You have boxing as a strength... so try to work on your weakness... perhaps it's time to give your ground game a deeper look. That being said... Judo would work very well to complement boxing. I think you're going to find most Karate very stiff by comparison to boxing and some of the habits will drive you nuts and seem pointless... eg. not bringing your punches back to a high guard etc. Just food for thought.
I think your boxing background would serve you very well in arnis. The connection between the two has always been pretty strong. And you see boxing cropping up in the backgrounds of quite a few accomplished Filipino martial arts figures. Lucky Lucaylucay, Ciriaco "Cacoy" Canete, "Flash" Elorde... I've heard that Manny "The Pacman" Pacquiaio also does some FMA, but I'm not able to confirm that. (Read: Can't be bothered.)
I'm an inside fighter as a boxer, and your right, i think its the fish out of water thing for me. I hate being pulled to the ground and then feeling helpless or frustrated when i cant escape or do anything constructive. It just feels wrong being on the ground.
Yeah cheers mate, thinking of giving it a try. Nothing to lose right. And yeah them little gloves....Just feels like ive just got my hands wrapped.
Thanks for the advice mate, much appreciated. Your right, its being out of my comfort zone that does it. The few times ive sparred with mates who do MMA, its the getting pulled down and locked up that i cant cope with. If i cant move and punch i get frustrated with it all. But as you say, it takes time to learn new skills.... i originally started looking for something new to become more complete as a fighter, and definately feel i could benefit from developing a ground game so may give it a try for a couple months and see how it goes. No, karate ive got no interest in whatsoever. I did it for a year or 2 when i was younger and never took to it (i was boxing mad at that point though so this may account for the lack of interest) Cheers Sam
