Thinking of becoming a MMA Noob at 37

[Chief Fox]

So tonight I was watching The Ultimate Fighter on Spike TV. My daughter asks me why I like to watch this stuff. I say because it's the ultimate test of skill and competition. Two guys walk into a ring one comes out the winner, one comes out the looser. Then she says, so why don't you do it?

I'm not sure, I guess I'm a little afraid for a few reasons. 1. I'm 37. Not that that really means anything but it's a factor. 2. I have a wife and family to provide for. 3. Not sure if I want to go through what it would take to start MMA now (ie. a lot of beatings)

But I've been thinking about it for a while. Here's the local Judo Jiu Jitsu club: http://www.timberlinejudo.com/

Anyway, just thinking about it right now. Any thoughts? Anyone else thinking along these lines?

[n.mitch]

I was doing total fighting for a while which is similar to mma but with no strikes to the head and if there was no submission after a minute the fighters got stood back up.
I was supposed to go in a comp but it got cancelled because lack of fighters.
I think when u start in a small competition you need to train hard and be fairly fit but not a pro sportsman like ufc or pride.
work hard on your cardio and enter a small comp to see if you like it.
But if you want to go in the big comps or do well at mma you have to sacrafice so much, hard when you have other things in your life.(family,job)
But you should give it a go other wise you will always wonder what if.
Its a lot easier to get into if the club where you trains runs a comp or has fighters that compete.

[GunnedDownAtrocity]

i'm only 25, but my body has taken its share of beatings in other ways that most of you are familiar with. also my priorities have changed and adora takes up most of my time now. if im not helping her with tumbling/cheering, teaching her to play uo, or being forced by guilt into playing some stupid **** like barbie or house im doing one of the billion things that comes with being a new home owner (or just home owner in general as im learning).

i just don't have time to train the way i used to let alone put in the time those guys do.

that said, **** it, i'm jumping in asap. ill only have time to do this as a hobby and im ok with that. im not going to enter the ufc and im going to be mediocore at best, but so what. i'm not giving up on traditional arts, but i think i need to put my time into some sport oriented training. i think everyone should ... even if its only a year or two. it certainly cant hurt.

so why not dude? at 37 your not going to setp into the ring with 22 year old monsters who eat punches for breakfast, but i doubt thats your reason for doing it to begin with. just go enjoy yourself, and if you find out its not for you then politely dip out. if you interest is flighting thats one thing, but if its something your really want you'll regret it if you dont.

[Mr Punch]

I was all for it but have had the same dilemma recently. Been doing some well tought training with guys ten years younger, twenty or more kilos heavier, x times stronger faster and fitter than me, and holding my own in the shooto class, but realized to be able to really train all out with them, I'm going to have to pass the shooto entrance test which involves lost of hard cardio followed by getting the **** kicked out of you with no protection bar nut cup and gum shield.

Wondered if it was worth going through that given my healing rate not being anywhere near as good as it used to be and various hideous injuries to my spine in recent years.

Then I got pneumonia, anaphylaxis, asthma and a return of the bulging disc at once, so now I've lost two months of training, my team-mates have competed in their first tournaments and I don't knwo when I'm going to be back to health. Never had any chronic complaints before and am really determined to knock them on the head, but have come to realise, all it takes is one good injury and something's ****ed for life.

I'm not scared of the fighting or losing or pain or whatever but the thought of having a permanent problem... yes, for the rest of my life is something that's only really jumped out at me since I developed this ****ing asthma.

[Mr Punch]

Oh yeah, my conclusion after all that gloom was meant to be: Go for it!

But plenty of hot baths, massages and don't be afraid to take a week out every now and then to recharge.

[MasterKiller]

I'm about to be 33. I have a hot, hot wife. Two daughters. A mortgage. A professional job. Seven years of kung fy under my sash (har har). And I've been training MMA since March.

I don't know if I plan on stepping into the ring, but my teammates are (and have) so I train like I'm prepping for a fight. Let me repeat that---we train hard. The hardest I've ever trained.

You know what comes with hard training, especially when you are 32? Injuries. I have lots of nagging aches and pains. Right now, my index finger and ring finger are swollen (jammed) and I have stiff neck (can openers suck). In the last 4 months, I've had a sore leg (severly bruised shin), back spasms, ringworm, strained wrist, pulled groin, and lots of minor muscle and joint aches. That sucks, but while they've been discomforting, I still go to work, still play with my kids, still mow the lawn. My point is that they haven't interefered with my normal routine that much.

Plus, you'll puke a lot in class. :P

But you know what else comes from training hard? My cardio has skyrocketed. I'm leaner and stronger than I've ever been. And my fighting has taken a dramatic turn for the better. While my forms and weapons work has suffered somewhat, the increased "live" training has opened up my forms for me. I'm seeing applications I never thought of before, and I'm learning how to use the applications in a serious combat setting. I still consider myself a Kung Fu fighter because I use my Kung Fu all the time. But MMA training made my Kung Fu better. And I've picked up a decent ground game, too.

So what does that have to do with the price of tea in China? Nothing, really. Just my personal experience. Don't let the training intensity scare you. For me, the rewards far outweight the aches and pains.

[Mr Punch]

Masterkiller speaks wise words, but like I said, depends on what injuries you get...

I've had countless sprained fingers, bruises, sprains n strains, cuts, broken noses, dislocated toes etc etc in kung fu, aikido, MMA...

but in the last year I've had two injuries (one of them twice) that have led to me having time off work and not being able to function every day normally (ie being able to walk)...

It ain't gonna stop me training hard, but it might stop me going for competition against younger nutcases with something to prove using me as a stepping stone to the pro circuit.

[IronFist]

In good MMA gyms they won't go harder than you want to. There's always some other hardcore guy to train with if someone wants to go all-out.

[Chief Fox]

Hey thanks guys, I'll check out the gym this week. I'll let you know what's up.

[SPJ]

To be fair as in all games;

There should be games for different weights, different age groups and years of training etc.

So 35 to 40 years old should be paired together. similar years of training and physical attributes should be paired.

So that the contestants are tested against each other on the skill levels only.

similar age, similar experiences or years of training, etc etc.

There will soon be over 80 mil people over 80 years old in the US of A.

So some MMA for senior or golden age may still be arranged with some limits tho.

Just a thought.

:D

[joedoe]

Not everyone can be an uber fighter. Just because it is a great contest and a test of skill and strength, it does not mean that everyone is suited to participate.

[Wong Fei Hong]

My 2 cents really are the issue of injuries too, i dont think your ever too old, as long as you watch out and your aware of whats going on.

You dont want to tear a tendon at 20 let alone at 40 and its not hard when your playing full contact and you get took down hard and your knee ends up in a funny position you might not be able to heal for years or even need an operation and ive heard it happen to lots of people.

My other advise is that unless youve played a contact sport or done martial arts toughening before definately not to do full contact straight away. Ive noticed the more years you train the more resilient your body becomes, wether its just running or its bag work, full contact sparring etc, it helps to thicken your muscles, your bones get denser, and your tendons hold your joints in place a lot stronger. This really prevents injuries.
I met a guy who was really talented boxer, very very aggresive, and he did a few kickboxing fights doing ok relying on his boxing, on his 4th fight or so because his legs were so untrained he got a low roundhouse to his shin and it snapped like a cucumber.

[Judge Pen]

but in the last year I've had two injuries (one of them twice) that have led to me having time off work and not being able to function every day normally (ie being able to walk)...


While there may be a increased risk for these types of injuries (or, if you believe one guy I've spoken with, you have a decreased risk) these types of injuries can and often do happen while training TMA. Over the past year I've had two injuries that impaired my ability to walk for an extended period of time (one requiring major surgery) so the risk is there anyway.

You are going to ache anyway, why not do what you want to do?

But, compared to you and MK, I'm a young pup (almost 31).

[David Jamieson]

It is hard to find a reasonably priced club where I am. It's also difficult to train with a group on a consistent basis.

But if you want to train in mma, that can be done in a lot of ways.

If you want to fight competitively, then you need to get yourself into that action cycle.

If you want to train mma, you can do a lot of the work solo like any of em.
The training is more athletic with a lot of focus on CV and conditioning.
Run a lot, skip a lot, do your bag work religiously and set a schedule.

sparring time is sparring time, this is where you need the club and it's members to get into the application and to get some coaching as well.

some kungfu clubs don't take their fu lightly and train the competitive fighting aspect. But these days, if there is mma training to be had, it's not advertised as kungfu for a variety of reasons.

You're never too old to start anything anew imo. It's about attitude and mental fortitude.

Or as Nike says: JDI

[Chief Fox]

Just to clarify, I'm NOT thinking about jumping in the ring for a match or competition anytime soon or if ever for that matter. I am considering going to a mma gym to see what it's all about. If that eventually leads to hopping in the ring then we'll see what happens then but for now I'm just thinking about the training and sparring.

[MasterKiller]

You thinking about dropping your KF altogether? I know you've had some questions about the volume of material lately.

In my situation, I already had the whole system when I went MMA, so I felt like I wasn't leaving anything behind.

[Mr Punch]

Just to clarify, I'm NOT thinking about jumping in the ring for a match or competition anytime soon or if ever for that matter. I am considering going to a mma gym to see what it's all about. If that eventually leads to hopping in the ring then we'll see what happens then but for now I'm just thinking about the training and sparring.Sweet. Then definitely do it! It can only help yoiu consolidate what you already have (and turn some of it on its head... or a lot depending on what you've been learning!).

[Oso]

go for it. the club looks good and the teachers have surely competed a lot.

I trained jujitsu for a while in 2003 and competed some as well. I was 36.
My shoulder got worse during it but was managable. Broke a toe as well as some other minor stuff. My healing time was fine but my overall recovery rate after training was not what it used to be for sure. Injuries happen if you spar at least somewhat realistically no matter what style you do.

My 'kung fu' skills translated well, i think. So, unless it's an either/or situation because of time, I'd stick with the fu as well if you can. both disciplines should complement each other and you'll discover things about both through the cross training.

good luck

[Chief Fox]

You thinking about dropping your KF altogether? I know you've had some questions about the volume of material lately.

In my situation, I already had the whole system when I went MMA, so I felt like I wasn't leaving anything behind.
Nah, I'd be sticking with my KF school too. If I do this I'l try to split up the training into 3 days a week. Maybe one week I'll go to KF 2 days and MMA 1 day then the next week go to MMA 2 days and KF 1. Something like that. Maybe.

Oso, Ive already got a tweaked shoulder. Just some tendonitis, no tears. Maybe I should just focus on getting my shoulder healthy before I give it a shot. Any thoughts?

The gym I'm considering also has a Judo curriculum and a Jujitsu curriculum so these are options as well.

One of the reasons I'm considering this is because I want to spar more. At my school we spar every class for two or three rounds. But I really want some more.

[MasterKiller]

You might not spar much more than that during an MMA class. But you will DRILL DRILL DRILL DRILL DRILL DRILL DRILL DRILL DRILL DRILL DRILL DRILL.

[bo_hou_chuan]

One of the reasons I'm considering this is because I want to spar more. At my school we spar every class for two or three rounds. But I really want some more.

You might try asking your instructor for more sparring time.

In regard to you being over 35 and wanting to spar, take it easy and fight only people you know have control. Expect most or your injuries to no longer heal completely, as that is the norm. With that in mind I am not saying don't spar, just don't be careless as you getting hurt has more likelihood to impact the rest of your life, than the same injury would to a teen or 20 some year old.

[Oso]

You might not spar much more than that during an MMA class. But you will DRILL DRILL DRILL DRILL DRILL DRILL DRILL DRILL DRILL DRILL DRILL DRILL.

But, it's 100% resistance situational drilling. That's what you mean, right?

top man in this, bottom man in that type of stuff.

[MasterKiller]

But, it's 100% resistance situational drilling. That's what you mean, right?

top man in this, bottom man in that type of stuff.
Right.

When doing drills like that (top man/bottom man), we progress up to 100%. First it's slower for precision purposes, and bottom doesn't resist so much. But after a few minutes it gets more and more intense. Also, we'll start out drilling one technique, but eventually that will evolve into a more free flowing situation.

For example, last week we drilled this for 90 minutes: Bottom man on his hands and knees, Top man on his knees. Bottom man goes for single-leg takedown (from knees) while Top man tries to sprawl, grab Bottom's oppostite ankle, and cross-face to avoid the takedown. At first, it was just a takedown/counter drill and we'd stop either after the sprawl was successful or after Top was taken down. Eventually, the drill didn't stop there, and we were going for full reversals and submission after the inital beginning position.

Striking is hardly ever 100%. If you are hitting focus mitts, then sure it's 100%. If we are drilling something like avoiding a roundhouse and moving in for a single-leg, we don't throw the roundhouse 100% for obvious reasons.

When we spar stand-up, most of the time it's san shou rules with 16 oz gloves and headgear. So, contact can be hard, but I still wouldn't say it was more than 80% most of the time.

When we spar in 4 oz gloves/no headgear, the striking is even less. Maybe 60-70%.

When we roll, we usually start standing. So, throws and takedowns are practiced at pretty much 100%, and once it hits the ground the wrestling is 100%.

Either way, full on sparring/rolling is usually only 4 or 5 three to five minute rounds. The rest of the time it's situational drilling and conditioning.

[Oso]

good training.

you can't go 100% all the time. you get broke up and stay broke up that way.

[GunnedDownAtrocity]

good training.

you can't go 100% all the time. you get broke up and stay broke up that way.

but what about fight club :(

did the cinema lie to me again?

[warriormonk]

my only reply to you wanting to do mma is to make sure that you develop a very good ground game. Other than that the strikes you know will be enough to get you by for now. Oh yea also work lots of clinch work and take downs.

[Mr Punch]

my only reply to you wanting to do mma is to make sure that you develop a very good ground game. Other than that the strikes you know will be enough to get you by for now. Oh yea also work lots of clinch work and take downs.LMAO!

LOL!

Deep breath.

Maybe, just mayyyyyyybeeee, they're a couple of the reasons why he wants to do MMA?!

[SevenStar]

I'm about to be 33. I have a hot, hot wife. Two daughters. A mortgage. A professional job. Seven years of kung fy under my sash (har har). And I've been training MMA since March.

I don't know if I plan on stepping into the ring, but my teammates are (and have) so I train like I'm prepping for a fight. Let me repeat that---we train hard. The hardest I've ever trained.

You know what comes with hard training, especially when you are 32? Injuries. I have lots of nagging aches and pains. Right now, my index finger and ring finger are swollen (jammed) and I have stiff neck (can openers suck). In the last 4 months, I've had a sore leg (severly bruised shin), back spasms, ringworm, strained wrist, pulled groin, and lots of minor muscle and joint aches. That sucks, but while they've been discomforting, I still go to work, still play with my kids, still mow the lawn. My point is that they haven't interefered with my normal routine that much.

Plus, you'll puke a lot in class. :P

But you know what else comes from training hard? My cardio has skyrocketed. I'm leaner and stronger than I've ever been. And my fighting has taken a dramatic turn for the better. While my forms and weapons work has suffered somewhat, the increased "live" training has opened up my forms for me. I'm seeing applications I never thought of before, and I'm learning how to use the applications in a serious combat setting. I still consider myself a Kung Fu fighter because I use my Kung Fu all the time. But MMA training made my Kung Fu better. And I've picked up a decent ground game, too.

So what does that have to do with the price of tea in China? Nothing, really. Just my personal experience. Don't let the training intensity scare you. For me, the rewards far outweight the aches and pains.

pretty mush what he said, except I have two sons, am much younger, and have had some fights. Great post.