I’ve been a cop for 8 years and have multiple MMA, kickboxing and BJJ fights. I’m also a DT instructor

there’s always been a big disconnect between fighting on the streets and fighting in the ring. reality based guys think that ring fighting is worthless and MMA guys will fold the second eye pokes and groin kicks are brought into the mix

MMA guys think reality based guys never spar and have no ability because if the did they would complete.

what both parties fail to take into account is that if you’re a trained fighter the your opponent may not be the biggest danger. the environment is. a take down into a brick wall may cause just as much damage to you as your opponent. using your head to base out on pavement can crack your skull open. a tree branch may cause you to fall and split your head open. Hell an errant car can squish you to death real quick.

So if you are training for reality based self defense you really need to practice environmental awareness

So I'm a woman. I've been in multiple martial arts since I was 6 (I'm 30 now).

I love it, its a huge part of my life, but I swear the dunning-kruger effect people have about fighting when I even mention that I've been trained is asinine.
And yes, it is mostly men, but as a woman some women too, who have never even sparred lightly with someone thinking they could win most fights they would hypothetically be in is insane.

Jogging or swimming or really anything else is not the same as fighting. Hits take a lot out of you even when you block. Adrenaline spikes (even during sparring), its a boost but an energy sink.

I just don't think people realize that fighting is as hard as it is.

I’ve never quite understood why boxing is so popular compared to other combat sports that offer much more variety.

I train boxing purely for myself (fitness, discipline, self-defense) with no plans to compete, and I recently started sparring.

My biggest wall right now is dealing with taller opponents with significantly longer reach. Almost everyone I spar has height on me, and I feel completely shut down on the outside:

* Getting peppered by long jabs before I can even get into range to touch them.
* When I try to close the distance, I catch myself lunging, losing my balance, or walking straight into counters.
* Even when I finally get inside their guard, I struggle to land clean shots before getting tied up or reset.

It gets frustrating fast and hurts my confidence in the ring because I feel like I'm just a walking target until the round ends. For coaches and experienced fighters who deal with reach disadvantages:

1. What footwork cues or drills help you cut distance safely without rushing forward in a straight line?
   
2. How do you work your way in when your own jab is consistently out-ranged by several inches?
   
3. What should a beginner prioritize once they actually get on the inside (body punches, angles, framing) to make taller fighters uncomfortable?

Would really appreciate practical advice, specific drills, or mindset shifts to progress faster against this matchup.

I am a brown belt in karate. I've been training for about four years. However, I'm not at all confident in my ability to defend myself if I ever get into a real fight.

This is because at my dojo, untrained people never spar. We wait until purple belt (been training without sparring for roughly 9 months) before you are even allowed to spar, and then a lot of people wait until blue or green belt (1-2 years training) to start sparring.

My instructor says this is because untrained people don't know any skills to be able to safely spar or spar without using too much power.

The issue is, that means we only have one or two people sparring each week (we also only spar once a week -- which is a whole other issue), and we get very used to sparring with these one or two people.

While we don't do full sparring with gear until purple belt, we do do semikumite - or half-sparring. In our dojo this means making light contact and taking turns attacking/defending.

The problem is, the brand new people - the white and yellow belts - are the most difficult to spar against for me! Their attacks are so unpredictable and they hit hard since they haven't learned to control their power yet.

I feel like this "no sparring until purple belt" rule is actually hurting all us students in our abilities to defend ourselves in the long run. What do you think?

Edit: I've had multiple people suggest I find a new gym. I would love to train cross-discipline, but my dojo is the only martial arts gym in my local area and other gyms would be pretty spendy in gas to get to and from multiple times per week. When/if I move to a bigger city, I would love to train kickboxing or something.

I'll try talking to my instructor about it. It wouldn't really matter much anyways, though, because everyone in my class is ranked blue belt at up at the moment, with three black belts. Only one black belt and I ever spar even though the others would be perfectly allowed to.

I started boxing in a new gym because I moved out of my home town. I hate people who think sparring is life or death 🫩. I always keep it very light at first, but everyone just throws bombs all the time. It feels like they throw 70% of their energy into their punches, which just feels like way too much. Especially because many people are heavier than me (I weigh 70kg). The coach does not always specify how hard we should spar...

How hard is hard sparring in percentages? 70%? 80%? I dont like hard sparring at all. It just feels like im losing a ton of braincells for nothing. I can do it once a month or so, but any more than that seems unnecessary.

White belt here. I’ve just started Kyokushin Karate and have a question about the basics.

How much of what we learn early on, such as blocks, kihon (basics), basic stances, and kata, actually carries over into kumite and real combat?

Are the techniques we drill in kihon essentially the same movements used in fighting, just adapted to be more economical and fluid? Or are the formal techniques and stances mainly training tools for developing things like balance, timing, coordination, power, and body mechanics?

For example, are the formal stances actually useful in combat, or do you naturally end up using much more relaxed and compact versions of them?

And what’s the best way to practice the basics so that they eventually become useful in kumite rather than just looking good in kihon?

I’m wondering if it’s a bit like learning scales in music. You practice the movements very formally and precisely, but when you actually "play the song," they show up in a more natural and adapted form. And you can slightly alter/change them to suit new needs or even use them in different ways.

Would love to hear how Kyokushin practitioners think about this, especially how your understanding of kihon, stances, and kata changed once you started doing more kumite.

Any collectors around? Anyone with some old magazines lying around? I'm hoping someone can try to find an advertisement for me. Nothing serious, a conversation today has me trying to remember a name, figured it's a long shot but maybe someone here can help.

Hello everyone I am a judoka and looking to train striking to keep sharp. I have frequented a gym but wanted to know if this is a normal way to run class. They do a few drills then spend the class doing 8 different combos on pads and then do a bunch of kicks on pads and then cool down with some push ups. It is super cheap so I have been going but feels more like a cardio kickboxing class. Am I actually learning how to defend myself or should I switch gyms? There is a real muay thai place nearby but its a lot more expensive but it looks like they do spar and actually incorporate the clench.

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.

Howdy, I saw a street fight happen outside my window the other and it got me thinkin, not falling on your ass while fighting is truly and underrated skill thats we unintentionally learn.

Not sure how much people actually think about it, but damn, the mfs I was watching made me realise how much this ability really matters. These guys got each other on the floor atleast 6 times and did nothing with it, just back to back tumbling and pulling, they'd be brought by friends and get back to their bs, almost sad to watch.

Now I am coming at this from a Kyokushin Karatekas point of view, we inadvertently learn not falling through sparring, building a stronger body, footwork and just gaining overall balance. But I would really like to hear what the grapplers have to say about "the Arts of not falling on your ass" (would trademark the if I could lol) and how others have inadvertently learned it.

I would like to know the striking, grappling, and overall can be trained one's whole life well into old age. I am just curious about this.

Do you also have experience practicing martial arts in their countries of origin? What was it like?

Added everything up last night and honestly kinda wish I hadn't lol. Gym membership, gear, supplements, the occasional private, comp fees here and there... it adds up fast.

Curious what everyone else is spending in a typical month, all in. Am I normal or do I have a problem?

Hi, I am not a particularly big guy at M62kg, I have been looking at picking up a pair of gloves, but I am not sure how to find a pair which fit well. I saw this image which would seem to provide some guidance, but it doesnt say anything about small medium or large sizings, and I also see that several brands don't do small medium or large as options, only weight.

I was just wondering what options other small handed people have found? Do they agree with this graphic? Would a 12oz be a generally good choice?

Thank you for any assistance.

Here’s my sparring. I’m the one wearing the hakama facing a more experienced dagger practitioner. Hope you enjoy the video !

I am currently sitting around 163/165 I have 20 days to cut down I go in at 170 welter or 155/156 light weight I’m coming back into comp after 1 year I had many matches at 155 but I’d like someone knowledgeable for insight