Re: Martial Arts - Have you trained or not?
Cool thread Anchor. I'm interested to see the results of the poll too.
I started "rolling" brazillian jiu-jitsu a awhile ago. I earned my blue belt under 10th planet no gi jiu-jitsu within about 10 months, but unfortunately had to leave that gym after moving. I've been bouncing around a few mixed martial arts gyms for awhile now but I'm hoping to return to 10th planet soon to demonstrate for my purple belt.
I've learned a few different disciplines on the periphery; boxing, muay thai, vale tudo, but the striking martial arts never interested me as much as grappling and jiu-jitsu. Even though I'm a fairly big guy, I always liked the idea of a defensive martial art that can negate size, and most street fights aren't exactly boxing matches with the kingsbury rules! If you're in a street fight with a jiu-jitsu player and have no grappling or submission experience, you'll likey be asleep in a very short time.
That said, most of the people I've met in mma gyms, the serious guys, are the very least provocable. They're the absolute last ones to engage in any "street" physical confrontation and even then it's as minimal as possible. There is indeed a spiritual aspect involved that I've personally benefited from. Respect is huge, not just for people but for the art.
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