Vince ([info]justiceleague7) wrote,
@ 2009-06-02 00:33:00
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Current location:The Folks
Current mood: contemplative
Current music:Madonna - Hung up

Vincent's Gambit
A buddy of mine did me a favor I didn't expect; though some might not call it a favor. I'm not sure of it myself. I find myself at odds with this latest decision and the Imperial Council(my closest advisors) is uncertain of it as well. Seems I have been presented with a worth wild, fantastic, but somewhat risky opportunity. My buddy made a call and got me a meeting at a self defense academy. I went there, had the meeting and was invited to participate in the training. Afterwards, I was invited to come study and train there and learn...MMA = Mixed Martial Arts. For those of u who don't know..MMA is the fastest growing sport today.....THE ART OF CAGE FIGHTING. Hence the UFC = Ultimate Fighting Championship. I'm very excited but their is a sense of uncertainty if I should go ahead with this due to the potential risks. This is no joke; this is real fighting, the gloves worn in an MMA fight are not like boxing gloves at all. Min padding. Their is a possibility of getting hurt really bad. I've seen it happen many times before on tv. Still, I feel stirred to proceed. I have till sat to decide. In other news, my dance class has started up again and I've already learned new choreography. This could turn into a very touchy balancing act. Though if I got hurt in dance class, it would be no different than getting hurt training MMA. No decision just yet, but I would like some input on what I should do. Opportunities like this don't come around all the time; also, people don't get anywhere cause they choose not to risk anything. Without risk, their can be no chance of reward or greatness. Their is a local MMA group called the XCC = Xtreme Cage Combat here in MI. XCClive.com if u like to check out the site. Though I have to say honestly; in the back of my head, I'm already thinking about working on my boxing skills. And I've already started learning some jujitsu and submission moves this past sat. I also feel the same connection with MMA as I do with dancing.

Still, the question remains...Is this what I really want?


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[info]and_one_dave
2009-06-02 02:32 pm UTC (link)
Vince, I've been in and out of martial arts for over 20 years. I've trained "MMA" also. By this I mean that I learned Muay Thai for standup fighting and Jui-Jitsu for ground skills. I've watched the "MMA" scene grow from obscurity in the early 90's to the worldwide sport it is today. I even participated in some early MMA events that were basically fights staged at a persons house out in the sticks or at a dojo after hours. At this time MMA events were not yet sanctioned and legal. How things have changed in 15 years.

My advice would be to ask yourself what you want out of training. The one bad side effect of many of todays "MMA" practitioners is that training has been reduced to fighting and nothing more. The martial arts aspects of humility, dedication, and respect have in my opinion have been lowered overall since the explosion of MMA. For some training in MMA means to learn how to kick someones butt. It's not everybody but overall this type of attitude has increased in the past 20 years in the martial arts world.

So, ask yourself what you want out of training and go from there. If you know ahead of time what your goals are, you won't be disappointed and get burnt out after a month of training. In my experience and humble opinion, you would be best served to train at a place that has been around for awhile and doesn't focus only on the cage fighting aspect. I prefer to train at a place that offers separate stand up fighting and ground fighting classes such as boxing, Muay Thai and Jui-Jitsu rather than combining them into one class and calling it MMA.

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Surprised
[info]justiceleague7
2009-06-05 05:28 am UTC (link)
WOW!!
I had no idea u did any MMA. Its been such a while since we saw each other last. Thanks for the advice; I'll think it over in that way as well. Yeah, I already have a couple of things I want out of it. And I believe I can get them too. I'll keep at it. After MMA exploded out, did u ever think I going pro? Sounds like u have all the tools to be a champion. What was your wt class? Feather, middle, light, etc.? I'll let u know. Been to CC lately?

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Re: Surprised
[info]and_one_dave
2009-06-05 07:30 pm UTC (link)
I competed back when MMA was just getting started and when the competitions were not even legal in MI. My first two fights were unsanctioned and had no weight classes. I fought those with backgrounds in Tae Kwon Do and Karate.I had very little grappling skills back then. This was nearly 10 years ago. Then I had one more fight several years ago at 150 pounds (lightweight). If I had been able to train more back in my 20's who knows how far I could have gone. It was also more difficult to find places that trained for MMA type of competition back in the day. Now there are places all over that teach the combat arts in a way that prepares a person for MMA type of fighting.

I plan on going back to train this summer but my expectations are realistic. Most pro-fighters retire in their 30's and I am nearly 37. There is little to no chance to build up enough background fights required to turn pro at my age. I might have enough in me for one more small competition somewhere down the road but that all depends on available time to train and staying injury free (which gets harder and harder to do).

I haven't been to CC in a few weeks.

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Re: Surprised
[info]justiceleague7
2009-06-05 10:56 pm UTC (link)
I see. Thats really cool. And u are right; lots of fighters do retire around that age. Though their have been a few exceptions. Randy "The Natural" Coutore is one(1) of them. Became the heavyweight champ at age 43 I believe before Brock Lesnir knocked him off. I'm not saying I'll turn pro; I'm just going to go with the flow for now and see where it takes me. I am just curious enough to stay in wonderland and see just how deep the rabbit hole goes..hehe. I have not been to cc since my birthday last month. We should try to get there, chat, and dance a bit in the near future. I'm getting ready for Necto tonight, class tomorrow and sun morning, and then Pridefest in Ferndale sun. Its going to be an active weekend for me. Looking forward to it.

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