Two-Month update on MMA training! - Fight Forum - MMA - UFC - Boxing - K1

imdahman · 11-10-2006, 03:15 PM

Hey all, remember me? Anyways, as the story goes I finally started training 2 months ago at a great and local gym here in my home of Newmarket, Ontario, Canada - this might sound familiar because it is also the home of former UFC Champ Carlos Newton - and his gym

Well, since I've started I've mad an effort to goto every class I can. So that's BJJ on Mondays & Wednesdays, Kickboxing on Tues & Thurs, 'rolling' on Saturday and a rigourous warm-up for classes during the week. The only reason I've missed classes is because of my recurring (and annoying) gout that pops up in my knees - it's happened twice so far caused me to miss a week each time.

Well, to get to it now, things are going great. the head instructor is very knowledgeable and so are the higher belts who help out with instructing now and again. Also, everyone is very helpful in teaching and giving me pointers for certain situations. I'm having a lot of fun - and have dropped a lot of money into equipment, lol... for Xmas I'll be getting some headgear with a shield for sparring...

My BJJ is coming along well and I'm learning to better use my weight to my advantage. My sweeps are pretty darn good with the elevator definitely being my strong point. My submissions are decent and it took me about 6 weeks to get my first submission in rolling (it was a neck crank from scarf position).

That same class I had my first BJJ sparring match (actually against the guy I tapped) and did pretty well. We went the distance and went back and forth and we eventually tied with no points being scored. Everyone said it was a good match and went really back and forth. The guy I fought against was smaller than me, but he also had more experience than me so I was happy with how it turned out.

As for my kickboxing/striking... it's coming along much slower. I'm making the same beginning mistakes that everyone else makes; forgetting to keep my hands up at my face, winding up too much for hooks, footwork, etc.

Anyways, I'm going to keep going and keep working and hopefully my knees will cooperate and my gout won't come back anytime soon (i have medication now). On the weight side, I've lost about 15lbs in the course of this with some slightly better eating and no hardcore dieting (I could never stick to it). Friends and classmates have said that I look as though I've lost weight since I started which is a good thing - I seem to have stopped losing weight lately, but some friends have suggested that it might be me putting on muscle mass, so who knows.

It's all good and I'm really enjoying it! I encourage you all to go out and train!

PS. the gym is also home to the Toronto Dragons of the IFL, but only Woitek trains here, but a couple of the guys are going into pro fights in the coming months with local organizations (Apex in Canada). As for Carlos, he's around now and again, but not that often. Terry Riggs is the head instructor and a very good one. He's very good at showing techniques and whatnot and conveying the information. A great gym for sure

sitnspin · 11-10-2006, 04:51 PM

Good to hear from you, dude. I'm just running out the door right now, but I'm totally going to post more in this thread whenever I get a sec. Congrats on the weight loss and the progress in your technique!!

Nimmy · 11-13-2006, 05:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by imdahman

Hey all, remember me? Anyways, as the story goes I finally started training 2 months ago at a great and local gym here in my home of Newmarket, Ontario, Canada - this might sound familiar because it is also the home of former UFC Champ Carlos Newton - and his gym

Well, since I've started I've mad an effort to goto every class I can. So that's BJJ on Mondays & Wednesdays, Kickboxing on Tues & Thurs, 'rolling' on Saturday and a rigourous warm-up for classes during the week. The only reason I've missed classes is because of my recurring (and annoying) gout that pops up in my knees - it's happened twice so far caused me to miss a week each time.

Well, to get to it now, things are going great. the head instructor is very knowledgeable and so are the higher belts who help out with instructing now and again. Also, everyone is very helpful in teaching and giving me pointers for certain situations. I'm having a lot of fun - and have dropped a lot of money into equipment, lol... for Xmas I'll be getting some headgear with a shield for sparring...

My BJJ is coming along well and I'm learning to better use my weight to my advantage. My sweeps are pretty darn good with the elevator definitely being my strong point. My submissions are decent and it took me about 6 weeks to get my first submission in rolling (it was a neck crank from scarf position).

That same class I had my first BJJ sparring match (actually against the guy I tapped) and did pretty well. We went the distance and went back and forth and we eventually tied with no points being scored. Everyone said it was a good match and went really back and forth. The guy I fought against was smaller than me, but he also had more experience than me so I was happy with how it turned out.

As for my kickboxing/striking... it's coming along much slower. I'm making the same beginning mistakes that everyone else makes; forgetting to keep my hands up at my face, winding up too much for hooks, footwork, etc.

Anyways, I'm going to keep going and keep working and hopefully my knees will cooperate and my gout won't come back anytime soon (i have medication now). On the weight side, I've lost about 15lbs in the course of this with some slightly better eating and no hardcore dieting (I could never stick to it). Friends and classmates have said that I look as though I've lost weight since I started which is a good thing - I seem to have stopped losing weight lately, but some friends have suggested that it might be me putting on muscle mass, so who knows.

It's all good and I'm really enjoying it! I encourage you all to go out and train!

PS. the gym is also home to the Toronto Dragons of the IFL, but only Woitek trains here, but a couple of the guys are going into pro fights in the coming months with local organizations (Apex in Canada). As for Carlos, he's around now and again, but not that often. Terry Riggs is the head instructor and a very good one. He's very good at showing techniques and whatnot and conveying the information. A great gym for sure

well done mate thats great, have you done any form of martial arts beofre MMA?

imdahman · 11-13-2006, 06:22 PM

No, this is my first go at it. I'm enjoying it and I'm going to try my best to keep going as often as possible.

Nimmy · 11-14-2006, 04:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by imdahman

No, this is my first go at it. I'm enjoying it and I'm going to try my best to keep going as often as possible.

excellent man, i was in the same position as you, i had no martial arts experinece and started jiu jitsu and muay thai about 5 months ago. never missed a class. my first submission at BJJ (we incorporate that into our traditional JJ class sometimes) i beat that guy with a head scissors. (feels great doesnt it when u beat someone who is like 6 belts above you).

do u want to fight or just to train?

imdahman · 11-14-2006, 12:16 PM

Honestly I don't think I could fight. It might be just my lack of fitness or it could be heriditary but I don't have great knees and I doubt they'd stand up to 'fight level' training. There's also the fact that I have gout in my knees (a kind of arthritis that hits now and then) that makes me think I couldn't. For right now i'm very happy just training.

who know what'll happen in the future, I might decide that I want to try pro fighting and give it a shot. However, I'm realistic and I know that I'd have a long way to go if I wanted to get to that level. I'd need way better cardio and technique and right now it simply doesn't exist.