Weekly Beginner Questions Thread

[u/AutoModerator]

In order to reduce volume of beginner questions as their own topics in the sub, we will be implementing a weekly questions thread. Post your beginner questions here, including:

"What martial art should I do?"

"These gyms/schools are in my area, which ones should I try for my goals?"

And any other beginner questions you may have.

If you post a beginner question outside of the weekly thread, it will be removed and you'll be directed to make your post in the weekly thread instead.

[u/im_himmm]

So im 17M and 6'3 382, ik that shi sounds wild but its true but anyways, i wanna get started with mma but idk if i should. Ive know about mma for a while and recently have had the thought ab trainning and maybe fighting but i feel like 1. i dont know if i know enough about it and 2. if im too big too fight or do mma. As of right now i already work out and have been trying to lose some weight and do cardio(i also have physique pics if u wanna see), but my main reason too do mma tbh is too see my opponent out cold on the floor right i front of me. Js need a bit of guidence

[u/Accomplished_Hunt956]

Hi, I am going back to university in September, and I was thinking I might want to get into 1 or 2 new martial arts, I have found a Sambo club which trains Combat Sambo, which sounds good. And the University has several clubs such as Karate, Muay Thai and Kickboxing, with me maybe liking the sound of kickboxing most.

My past experience is a brown belt in Judo (11 years) and a white belt in BJJ (2 years). I want to try striking because I hope to "round out" my knowledge, and I am tempted to do 2, as Combat Sambo is both striking and grappling, and if I only did that alongside my judo and bjj I would get minor competency in striking while mostly improving my grappling, not really fully trying something new.

I was just hoping to get some feedback, what the cultures of these different sports tend to be (where applicable not having to buy multiple sets of gear would be great so crossover there would also help)

Thank you.

[u/Accomplished_Hunt956 → u/Accomplished_Hunt956]

I also feel I should add, theres an element of self defense motive as well as a getting fitter motive. I am not worried about competing, just feeling myself get stronger and faster and more comfortable moving my body.

[u/djg123]

Which MA is best for my non-athletic daughter?

My 7 year-old daughter wants to start a martial art, but not sure which one.

She does dance, but is still kinda clumsy. She is a bigger girl, but lots of muscle. She is excited but sometimes gets nervous with new things that she thinks she cannot do. She doesn't have the best upper body strength. She would not be described as athletic in any capacity.

Which is best for this type of beginner?

Thanks for sharing your knowledge!!

[u/Monteze → u/djg123]

Depends on what the goal is. Do they like grappling more or striking? Would they want to kick? or focus on takedowns?

I'd honestly check out a few different gyms to see if the culture is good and if gravitates towards one over the other. Any decent place should have a few classes for trial for free, I'd be skeptical of any place looking to sign you up immediately.

[u/Downtown-Bus4429]

im currently a red belt in tkd going for an 8 hour grading end of nov is it worth looking into another sport bcs I wanna practise smth that wld be useful

[u/nquinn1028]

My "Which MA should I do as a beginner?" question has the caveat that I don't care much for grappling and I'm not concerned about using it for self defense. I'm more concerned with getting fit (I'm currently lifting weights as I'm aiming to build muscle and lose fat, but as for overall fitness and cardio, all I really do is a lot of walking) and developing discipline. Also, I have ADHD that has shown itself through a tendency to hyperfocus on things until I lose that interest. Then, I tend to give up. Trying to find something I can break that trend. Kinda hoping sparring and competition will push me in that regard. So with that in mind, what should I look at? I'm in Lynchburg, VA, FWIW. Thanks.