If you had to do it all over again would you?

[Frost]

If you had to do it all over again would you?

An honest question for all you guys (and girls) who have put a lot of time and effort into the TCMA world, if you had known then what you know now, (by this I mean had the same access to the internet as you do now and the ability to really research styles and teaches then as you do now, not to mention the ability to judge what works via the MMA and vale tudo route then as we can now) would you have changed anything?

I don’t mean drop it all in favour of BJJ lol (although if that’s your answer it is at least honest) but are their things you wish you could have changed or done differently or not done at all?

For example when I first started out there was little one could do to actually research a style or an instructors claim, you had to take it on face value for the most part, this let to me training in at least 1 style that have since been shown to be highly questionable in as far as its stated history, if I had known that then I probably wouldn’t have actually trained those styles.

When I couldn’t make something work in sparring I trusted my sifu (because that’s what we did) when he said it takes more dedication to make these things work, since then I have come to realise it wasn’t just me but everyone who had trouble making those things work and personally rather than the years I spent working on those techniques I would rather have spent the time working the pads, sparring and wrestling

I firmly believed in the importance of sets in aiding ones training, I learned them as best I could, spent years perfecting them and helping teach and break them down, now looking back I would give my right arm to have that time back to actually put it towards something else.

I regret agreeing with the other senior students I trained with who said the early UFC’s were barbaric and didn’t represent how fighting should look, it took me years to realise that pretty or not, that’s how fighting looks and that grappling is a big part of fighting

So if I had to d it all again would I, probably not I don’t regret all my time in TCMA (I still practise and use some of what I was taught) but I don’t miss a lot of it and I think students coming through now have a head start in terms of finding good styles and avoiding a lot of the pitfalls that were around when I started

[CFT]

I wouldn't have followed the same path. I would have started MA training earlier, say late teens (university). Would have done TCMA probably, defintely different school. Would have looked at judo since BJJ wasn't around in the UK then (late 80s).

[sanjuro_ronin]

We are the SUM of our experiences so yes, I would probably have done it the same way.
BUT, If I was to start TODAY, seeing what I am seeing right now, I probably would join a MMA or BJJ/MT gym.
Why?
Because that is what has been proven to be the most effective.
Considering what people are exposed to right now, namely the UFC and the many online video sources such as youtube, google video, daily motion and so forth, it would not be hard to accepted that MMA and such ARE the MA to do.

[David Jamieson]

nope.

everything is as it should be.

Pretty elaborate way to go about putting up another forms bashing thread though. Not even well veiled anymore. lol

[Chief_Suicide]

I wish I had started sooner. I was 35 when I started. I haven't been at it that long either. I would choose the same style I suppose. I want to learn judo or aikido eventually, before I'm too old, but I'm happy with the art I'm learning.

I wrestled when I was younger, so I have that I suppose. It is harder to become more flexible at my age I think. I'm still working at it.

[David Jamieson]

I think what a lot of guys don't realize about mma is that it is becoming systematized itself.

Early ufcs looked weird because you actually had different styles and some of those styles couldn't deal with other styles and then you had the no style guys who would just go out and maul people.

Now, they have been organized into sport and there are pretty much limited styles that are used to express this sport combat.

1.Boxing 2. wrestling 3. Kickboxing or Muay Thai 4. Jujitsu of some form.

These are then trained to complete the package of your typical modern mma fighter.

It's good, but it's only one way of going about martial arts practice.
It's the best way if you want to be a competitive fighter.

If you want to learn a lot more esoteric stuff, you're not gonna find it in taht pursuit and if you are interested as a hobbiest and don't like contact regularly, then mma isn't for you.

It's apples and pears really. Traditionalists who want to compete in competitive fighting do it within certain venues now as well and indeed they change their training patterns to make the focus that fight and that venue.

So, I started out on the other end, boxing, wrestling and fencing. I competed, won some, lost some etc. I still enjoy all those things, although, I don't wrestle much anymore. I moved towards the more esoteric later on in life and have enjoyed Kung Fu practice and discovery. I find it to offer a lot of interesting things to do in a training cycle.

It's all good, but I wouldn't give one more cred than the other. the goals are different. The objectives are different, the teachings are different and the focus is different.

[TenTigers]

Like I stated in another thread, if I had known which direction my life would've taken, I would've started in judo at a young age, then boxing, HS wrestling and weight training, THEN Hung Kuen and SPM.
But, would I go into MMA? Nope. Would I train more realistically with an emphasis on conditioning? Yep.
MMA is fine, but there is zero longevity, and your skills diminish rapidly when you are past your "prime," which is about late twenties/early thirties.
In TCMA, you are in your prime at mid fifties, and just get more refined after that.

[sanjuro_ronin]

MMA is fine, but there is zero longevity, and your skills diminish rapidly when you are past your "prime," which is about late twenties/early thirties.
In TCMA, you are in your prime at mid fifties, and just get more refined after that.

I don't know about that, the jury is still out.
I think that ANY competitive MA will make youy pay the price in terms of longevity and MMA is no different, perhaps it is safer in the concussive aspect, but the joints and spine tend to pay a far greater toll.
That said if one doesn't compete or doesn't do it for too long I don't think that it makes for any more wear and tear than any other MA.

[SPJ]

I started out with tan tui and shuai jiao.

they both can be started when you are young.

tan tui is good for structure/posture and moving in balance.

there are many throws in the forms.

shuai jiao technique wise may be learned early on, no hard body conditioning when you are young or till older.

they are good.

all the other style, ba ji, mantis, tai chi, ba gua comes later when you are in high school and college.

I would remain the same if start over again.

[goju]

i would have avoided the few months of shaolin do i did lol

[B-Rad]

Like goju I might have avoided a scam teacher, and probably would have paid more attention to my diet and done some kind of sport fighting (probably san shou) when I was healthy. Would have done lots more strength training. And I would have been smarter about school and finances which would have dramatically influenced my training in a positive way I think ;-)

[MasterKiller]

In TCMA, you are in your prime at mid fifties, and just get more refined after that.

Being at your prime in what...exactly? Forms performance? Certainly not fighting ability because, as we all know, the older you get, the more those skills diminish REGARDLESS of style.

I have some students who give me fits because they are younger, stronger, and faster, but I'd bet a few $ that you wouldn't fare much better against them, either .

[Iron_Eagle_76]

The only regret I honestly have is not competing more in full contact when I was younger and in my prime. I've had my fights, but at 34, my better days are definitely behind me. Such is life.

[Frost]

Like I stated in another thread, if I had known which direction my life would've taken, I would've started in judo at a young age, then boxing, HS wrestling and weight training, THEN Hung Kuen and SPM.
But, would I go into MMA? Nope. Would I train more realistically with an emphasis on conditioning? Yep.
MMA is fine, but there is zero longevity, and your skills diminish rapidly when you are past your "prime," which is about late twenties/early thirties.
In TCMA, you are in your prime at mid fifties, and just get more refined after that.

really so rickson wasn’t beating guys well into his 40's and tooling guys at grappling well into his 50's, Dan gable wasn't throwing guys around on the mats well into his 50's and outworking and out conditioning his wrestlers and couture wasn't fighting MMA well past his 40th birthday? Not to mention George foreman winning a world title in his old age.......none of that happened did it

The fact is reflexes conditioning and strength diminish past 30, and no one has the magic pill to stop the ageing process no matter what tcma guys try to sell you

And if TCMA guys just come into their prime when they are 50 where’s the evidence of them cleaning up in full contact comps or on the streets..........

[Frost]

Being at your prime in what...exactly? Forms performance? Certainly not fighting ability because, as we all know, the older you get, the more those skills diminish REGARDLESS of style.

I have some students who give me fits because they are younger, stronger, and faster, but I'd bet a few $ that you wouldn't fare much better against them, either .

you forget he's just coming into his prime....but as we all know real TCMA guys have nothing to prove so dont post clips........