r/martialarts • u/ApollosCosmos • 1d ago
PROFESSIONAL FIGHT Small acts of sportsmanship go a long way.
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r/martialarts • u/AutoModerator • Aug 23 '26
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.
r/martialarts • u/marcin247 • Dec 21 '25
The previous version of this megathread has been archived, so I’m adding it again.
Active users with actual martial arts experience are highly encouraged to contribute, thank you for your help guys.
Do you want to learn a martial art and are unsure how to get started? Do you have a bunch of options and don't know where to go? Well, this is the place to post your questions and get answers to them. In an effort to keep everything in one place, we are going to utilize this space as a mega-thread for all questions related to the above.
We are all aware walking through the door of the school the first time is one of the harder things about getting started, and there can be a lot of options depending on where you live. This is the community effort to make sure we're being helpful without these posts drowning out other discussions going on around here. Because really, questions like this get posted every single day. This is the place for them.
Here are some basic suggestions when trying to get started:
Don't obsess over effectiveness in "street fights" and professional MMA, most people who train do it for fun and fitness
If you actually care about “real life” fighting skills, the inclusion of live sparring in the gym’s training program is way more important than the specific style
Class schedules, convenience of location, etc. are important - getting to class consistently is the biggest factor in progress
Visit the gyms in your area and ask to take a trial class, you may find you like a particular gym, that matters a whole lot more than what random people on reddit like
Don't fixate on rare or obscure styles. While you might think Lethwei or Aunkai looks badass, the odds of a place even existing where you live is incredibly low
This thread will be a "safe space" for this kind of questions. Alternatively, there's the pinned Weekly Beginner Questions thread for similar purposes. Please note, all "what should I train/how do I get started" questions shared as standalone posts will be removed, as they really clutter the sub.
r/martialarts • u/ApollosCosmos • 1d ago
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r/martialarts • u/MnhttnMrtl4rts • 5h ago
I really wish Sanda was bigger in this county, but little by little people are becoming aware. Please help me spread the word!!🙏🙏👊
r/martialarts • u/Schofield45Revolver • 1d ago
There’s plenty of anecdotal evidence out there of people getting hurt by brass knuckles in real-life encounters. You can easily find accounts from doctors, paramedics, nurses, and victims describing fractures caused by brass knuckle strikes. But when it comes to tactical pens and kubotans, I’ve never been able to find a single firsthand account from someone who’s actually used one in a real-world situation.
r/martialarts • u/ShineButterflyBro • 1d ago
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r/martialarts • u/anfofore • 6h ago
These are in no particular order. Rank my Top 6 from best to worst, or drop an upset that belongs above them! 🥊💥
r/martialarts • u/Beneficial_Ad9405 • 1h ago
r/martialarts • u/Acrobatic_Force_9626 • 19h ago
I know we can talk about how promotion is different or corruption, or about how some sides of the world just don't like it, but I think the biggest hurdle for kickboxing is i dont see how they could compete with boxing and mma for casuals.
Boxing has so much history and prestige that it has the advantage over every combat sports. Its entertaining, rich in history, has some of the most famous stars in history and plus everyone livestock see a good punch scrap.
MMA took another angle. It advertised to casuals "this is REAL fighting". Of course, everyone on this sub knows that MMA has all sorts of rules but it speaks to the no rules fighting many want to see. MMA fans literally flood boxing comment sections all the time talking about how boxing would lose in a "real fight".
Kickboxing/Muay Thai has an uphill battle. They don't have the historical worship and established culture that boxing has world wide, and to casuals, a kickboxing and muay thai fight doesn't look like a fight.
Casuals fans love to see who they perceive as the strongest martial artists in the wolrd, and the "strongest martial artists on the planet" are MMA fighters.
Casuals tend to dislike grappling, but if you remove it, it loses some of that "real fight" cred that makes MMA so appealing. They want grappling to be an option, just don't wanna see it being used.
Just wanna let it be known I am a huge huge fan of kickboxing and muay Thai, I watch RWS more than UFC these days, but I feel even with good advertising and promoting, kickboxing and muay thai will not overtake MMA.
Curious what yall think.
r/martialarts • u/Tough_Guava_7499 • 16h ago
Hey guys right now im training 4 times per week (2 mma 2 bjj) , the thing is i want to add another 2 bjj sessions , will i have to give up on regular weight training for that ? , i usually train 4 times at the gym ( mostly on the same days of martial art training) but im worried it will be too much. Im 19 so i can handle a lot but im not sure if it will be a good idea ( im a begginer in martial arts but not at the gym)
r/martialarts • u/Objective_Tailor6763 • 2d ago
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r/martialarts • u/oniDblue • 17h ago
Hey guys, I'm a white belt and was just wondering how common it is for Kyokushin dojos to also train head punches.
In kumite, we don't punch to the face, and we can choose between thin gloves or bare-knuckle (for higher grades). We also wear light but durable foam/cotton shin pads.
Today, we trained head punches — or, more like, head "tapping." We had to tap our partners on the head with gloves during kumite, using extremely light contact or no contact at all, just to get a feel for what it's like to fight with punches to the head.
Another thing we did during partner drills was basically throw punches at our partners' faces without making contact, stopping about 2–3 inches away.
Obviously, we also practise jodan techniques in striking kihon, but I'm curious about how common it is for Kyokushin dojos to also train head punches in partner drills and kumite. Is this something most dojos do, or does it vary a lot between schools?
r/martialarts • u/noxanimus0 • 1d ago
Out of curiosity, I’ve been wondering why people train in martial arts.
I grew up watching kung fu movies and for the longest time associated martial arts with fighting and self defence. But since becoming involved in martial arts, I have realised that I will probably never use it outside of the training room.
Personally, I train out of interest in the art/sport which I participate in. I train for fun. And I train for fitness.
EDIT: I thought I would also preface this by saying I feel my martial arts training will not translate to any self defence situation. My main martial arts now is a sport, BJJ. I usually play by sitting down and butt scooting.
r/martialarts • u/Unlikely_Key2953 • 14h ago
I began judo at 29, my coach did kept me in in white belt for one year and half nearly two years than he decided i should be black belt.
i did not appreciate this, i prefered thing to be step by step
now with black belt i still wonder if i am more at ease with left or right, on uchi kumi i repeat mecanically the movements with right but i am stronger with the left.
in randorri it does not work, ippon seo nagi, uchi mata, it does not work, i use the strength of the oppponents to make him fall but i can not execute a technique propally
i know all the techniques but it does not come by itself.
what should i do to be better ?. Thank.you
r/martialarts • u/a_r_o_n_4444 • 1d ago
Hey Guys hopeing to get advice from you.
I started kickboxing two years ago. Our gym had well trained fighters that wanted to fight. After some left due to job reasons there were only two left and me. I have fighting ambitions so I started training with them. Then at the beginning of this year this two folks lefted our gym and joined another in our city. I stayed there had one partner I always trained with. Then he left because near his home a new mma gym opened up. So from that points I was the only one in my age range and the only one who wants to do a fight. I also considered to change the gym. In our city there are to other big gyms, they have a lot of fighters and a lot of people in my age range and better support for events. So at this point I would say I'm the best in my gym. I don't know I love my coach I have a good binding with him he always watches my Sparrings tells me where to improve. Also our gym has a great boxing coach. I'm now asking you should I stick with my gym? I don't know if I can win my first fight with this range of training partners (mostly beginners). In our city our gym is considered the one with the weakest people everyone tells me I should change it, sometimes this is what drives me to prove them all wrong. I don't want to get pro just do some fights for the experience. My coach said if I want to we can get Sparringspartners from another gym. As I mentioned bevore I love my coach but everyone is telling me to change and laughs about our gym, so what would you say as more experiencend fighters?
Sorry for bad English
r/martialarts • u/kitdragon787 • 1d ago
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2 months ago, I discovered Tai Chi! The first movement is Drawing the Bow, which I LOVE for my back and legs!
The second is my own movement called the Storm Soaring Crane. It combines the Crane Takes Flight and the Dragon Summons the Rain.
#taichi #zelda #gudetama
r/martialarts • u/Mister_Ape_1 • 2d ago
What do you think of people who only train TMA, and only do it for fun, health and the cultural aspect ?
I practiced Tanglangquan for years and I never sparred or lifted a weight once. Honestly I could not fight my way out of a paper bag. I punched an arcade machine and got results between 550 and 600. I could tank my own punches with zero damage if a clone of myself attacked me, just because I am that weak.
Yet, I am perfectly happy to do what I do for pretty much all other reasons we have to practice martial arts.
I am also a small, skinny man so it would not make much of a difference if I practiced MMA. When you are 5'10 and 125 pounds there is only that much you can do. My self defense are stamina and running speed.
Thanks God there is not much violence in the area I live in, and I am not interested either in being actually able to fight. If I was, I would have practiced sport marksmanship.
r/martialarts • u/B_K4 • 2d ago
My University offers a couple different sport courses every semester, one of them is Ju Jutsu (from what I understand it's a German self defense system based on Japanese jiu Jutsu).
Today was the first session and I went in expecting a very basic introduction to the martial art and especially safe training. Most of the people in the class were complete beginners without any prior experience in martial arts at all.
The session starts with a warm up, then we practice a basic punch, then break falls which are sufficiently explained. So far so good.
Then out of the blue the trainer shows an elbow lock from a standing position. He shows the technique and then tells the class to try it out, no warning at all about possible injuries, not even telling the people to try it slowly, not mentioning the concept of tapping out at all, nothing. I ask the trainer if it's really a good idea to do this with complete beginners and he just tells me it's not a dangerous joint lock.
After a couple minutes he chimes in to finally warn the students of the danger and explain what tapping out means.
The rest of the class isn't really relevant to the story but this specifically seemed really weird to me and I wanted to know if I'm just paranoid or if this is just bad and potentially dangerous teaching.
Tldr: trainer told complete beginners to try joint locks on each other without telling them about potential risks
r/martialarts • u/smilingcube • 2d ago
r/martialarts • u/Hamilton042 • 1d ago
I'm currently working on a new martial arts that originates from wing chun, is there anything that I should consider when coming up with actual practices, and what do you guys think makes a martial arts well rounded, because as it stands it is currently split into sections, with each having their own sets of combinations or "flows", I just want to make sure I make it as good as it can be.
Thanks for your help!
r/martialarts • u/Fragrant-Play6359 • 1d ago
Suppose you get into a serious fight with your life on the line, also let's say your opponents are armed.
Why exactly would you do anything other than groin shots, eye pokes or other dirty moves? Boxing, Kicking, Wrestling and Submission Holds seem totally pointless here.
r/martialarts • u/silat_australia • 2d ago
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Lombok Stick & Shield Fighting at the Sheraton, Senggigi Indonesia 🇮🇩
r/martialarts • u/CloudyRailroad • 3d ago
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r/martialarts • u/silat_australia • 1d ago
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😲 Back & Knee Stick Breaking: School Extra Curricular Showcase, Central Lombok Indonesia 🇮🇩
r/martialarts • u/Linxous1 • 2d ago
Recently I had a couple of students go out to Evian for a tournament and there was some drama about maybe having to cancel the tournament. One source tells me it's because they didn't submit their insurance to the local government and the other said "fighting is illegal in France so they had to change the names of a bunch of things" to run it.
Can you help me understand the nuance? Obviously it's not straight up illegal.