so why do you guys train...!?

With all the crazy hatred geared towards TMA in the MMA community, why do you guys continue to train? Not that im assuiming your training to fight or anything, i'm curious as to why you continue doing it. I currently train TKD and love it, I have my reasons... so im wondering yours

After a decade of muay thai and grappling I returned to my TMA roots and stick with karate, TKD, and a little judo from time to time.

I went back to TMA for a variety of reasons, but the two biggest were 1) TMA is just a lot more fun to do; and, 2) a good TMA school is filled with pretty normal people with jobs and families while even the best MMA schools I trained at were filled with thugs, wannabe tough guys, and criminals.

I got really lucky in my first time out into martial arts and got a school run by a former recon marine, a current LEO, LEO trainer, and former pro fighter. Everything we did was geared towards really fighting, either in a ring or in an alley.

While we do forms and some other stuff (we modified the forms to take otu the worthless crap), most of what I did to get ready for my MMA fights I did at that school. I did cross train, especially in grappling, but the instructor encouraged that from the first day I came in the front door.

I think part of what made the school so much fun was that it always had a family atmosphere. We were all brothers and sisters, and we trained hard. We fought, we bled and we laughed about it afterwards.

Did judo for 7 years and a little bit of Kali (Doce Pares) Kyokushin and boxing but judo kocked me out for good- had a discectomy last year. I feel the competition bug still in me but nothing extremely hard on the body. Was thinking about startinig kali again (PTK) but decided to do karate (Shotokan). Really different training style and I think it's better for me than my actual physical therapy sessions. Lots of fun doing it and much more demanding that I thought.

had a discectomy last year.

Duuuuuuude!

That sucks. I was able to avoid the discectomy, but sciatica still crops up every once in a while. I miss Shiro, but my spine doesn't.

I'm glad you found another art to train in, though.

Thanks, Willybone. The surgery was necessary because the drop-foot was bad. I wondered why I couldn't balance on my left leg, lift my toes, etc. during practice.

Karate is my new therapy.

Hi Willy, khd, I'm still struggling along in judo with my bum shoulders!!! injuries suck big-time :(

At Oishi, right?

If I'm remembering correctly, I've got video of us practicing at the East Coast Open.

^^^ yup! Since I started Judo, I've spent more time sidelined with injuries than on the mat!

I currently train TKD for the following reasons:

  1. It is convenient (classes are in the right place and time, so I can get there)
  2. I can take my son along (he's only 5, and it is brilliant to train alongside him)
  3. I get a cardio workout, some competitive sparring, and it pushes me back to learning new things(not necessarily better, but new)
  4. I don't get injured (reason I am not training judo at present)
  5. I can take a week off travelling with work, come back and not get torn apart on the mats

What don't I like? The forms, and the fact that I can probably kick everyone in the classes ass if I had to (but then I'm a superheavyweight with K-1 and grappling background, and there are plenty of 'soccer moms' in the class)

But work and family have pushed training well back on the priority list, so this, plus some informal MMA grappling is all I can manage at present, and something is better than nothing.

something is better than nothing.

I couldn't agree more.

The one anti-TMA attitude I find more maddening than anything else is the idea that learning a TMA is worse than doing nothing for self-defense. Some people think that either a fetal ball is better than TKD, or that every person starts out as a grappling natural and TMAs unlearn that bad-assery.

I got in a argument the other day with a friend whose trains for mma, and he basically said that tkd wasnt even striking...that you couldnt even afford it that title.

So, i know exactly what you mean. THat was kind of the inspiration for this thread... despite all that bs we get from the outside community why do you still train.

heres a quote from the kyokushin thread:

"'Who cares if X or Y uses KK in the UFC. 99,99% of the martial artists have no desire to ever fight in the UFC so it's not really all that relevant.'

Exactly. Not everybody wants to get into the ring or cage."

This is the kind of ting I was hoping people would talk about. WHy do you train, for what reasons, if not for sparring/fighting purposes (not implying those should be the reasons)?

I often wonder the reasons for people training knockdown karate, when i look at some of the kyokushin forums it is almost as if talking to UG guys who do mma. I can not see the difference btw most anymore.

"2) a good TMA school is filled with pretty normal people with jobs and families while even the best MMA schools I trained at were filled with thugs, wannabe tough guys, and criminals."

That's odd. My MT/MMA gym is full of normal folks and pretty much everyone there is cool as hell. Then again, I could be an asshole, so maybe I've never noticed.

I used to train at Kirik's gym when I was in college and it was the same environment. Great atmosphere and great people.

I've met douchebags from every art and really cool people from every art.

I do TMA because I find it's a good counterbalance to the beating MT puts on me. I'm a fucking mess. Taiji and bagua really help my back and knees.

Yomamma, no green name coz I ain't a pro fighter. I have been trained for the last 3 to 4 years by a pro fighter from the K1 circuit, and I've been the grappling training partner for a pro fighter on the Cage Rage roster for the last year or so.

I've also competed in sanshou, judo and savate, and done some boxing as well. None of this has been at anything other than the lowest amateur level, but it's a whole lot more contact and experience than anyone in the tkd class has.

I'm not trying to promote myself on that basis - but I've gone from training in gyms where I am outclassed by pro and serious amateur fighters to a class where I feel my experience, plus my physical size, means I'm the best fighter there. Which I dislike, because it doesn't push me.

MMA guys can be like the Jehova's Witness sometimes.

Well, so can TMA guys. I find the TMA guys worse in that respect, since a lot of them have never tested what they are learning for real. Getting punched in the face a lot tends to keep your ego in check in my experience.

Although there are plenty of shortsighted MMA folks too, no doubt about it.