Crosstraining Muay thai help me choose between 2 gyms

**RurikGreenwulf** · Posted On: 4/24/2012 1:34pm

Hi everbody, as my english is quite bad I will try to express myselft in a simple way to make my ideas clear

I do Kyokushin, I have a little over a year doing it and I wont leave it what I want to do is add some MMA striking or Muay thai to help me improve in my striking and clinching.

My objective in doing that is to:

1st and most important have good and complete striking if **** hits the fan and I have no other option but to defend myself and others.
Also have a good base when sparring against other styles (karate, TKD, etc)

2nd Be in good shape

Competition for me will be under knockdown rules mostly but in some future I want to try under either MMA or Muay Thai.

Having explained that I'm torn between 2 gyms, comparing them (pricing is almost the same in both so this no factor in deciding)
Both the gyms train for MMA and compete in it and Muay Thai.

First Gym is the oldest one, The only BJJ black belt of my country is the owner and head coach he host seminars given by the Sukata brothers and is a black belt under Mario Sukata. This gym offers classes all days of the week (except sunday) but in one hour modules of a single art wich are Muay Thai, Sambo and BJJ also one weekly class of judo, MMA sparring and sub grappling.

This gym has a very good record in competition having won MMA, Muay thai and grappling competitions (in a sub grappling tourny the man who sparred against my cousin won by submission vs a Gracie combatives instructor). The place is very proffessional and serious about their training but is also farther (not that far but still around 20 min in the bus) than the other gym.

Now the second gym is quite new and offers only Muay Thai and MMA classes 3 days a week in the morning or the evening. The classes last longer nearly 2 hours I believe. But only has one instructor for MMA and one for Muay Thai (the classes are separate) the instructor claims a boxing background, winning championships in Kickboxing and some subgrappling he has massive cauliflower ears and scars. If I had to make a rating about this gym the atmosphere I will givi it at least a 9 without thinking it everybody was friendly helped you with the techniques.

The training in the second gym in the class I took part was a circuit of striking against a partner holding shields and hitting you back when you left your head open, then clinching vs other partner who tries to take you down while you knee him and then ground and pound traninning. Some focus mitten practice, some combos then a lot of abs and stuff it was real fun.

The problem with this gym is that the first gym claims they are non legit and shows a picture of the Muay Thai instructor showing a lead leg lowkick and dropping his hand doing it (not in sparring but showing a how to do) in their facebook.

So what do you bullies think?

**RurikGreenwulf** · Posted On: 4/24/2012 1:36pm

Damn walls of text and indecision

**gregaquaman** · Posted On: 4/24/2012 2:21pm

We have a Kyokushin guy with us who is doing boxing and MMA eventually he will fight. I will let you know how he gets on.

Atmosphere is important unless you are looking for a fight carreer. It is a hobby at the end of the day.

Otherwise look for the better grappling. In theory you should allready be able to punch and kick. Especially as you are not going to drop the krotty classes.

(As a side note good kickboxers can drop what ever they want and still get away with it. That guy may or may not be good but still)

**RurikGreenwulf** · Posted On: 4/24/2012 3:07pm

Originally Posted by gregaquaman

We have a Kyokushin guy with us who is doing boxing and MMA eventually he will fight. I will let you know how he gets on.

Atmosphere is important unless you are looking for a fight carreer. It is a hobby at the end of the day.

Otherwise look for the better grappling. In theory you should allready be able to punch and kick. Especially as you are not going to drop the krotty classes.

(As a side note good kickboxers can drop what ever they want and still get away with it. That guy may or may not be good but still)

Thanks for the advice, yeah tell how he fares. Do I have any reason to fear of bad training in a gym that sends fighters to compete and sparrs?

**RurikGreenwulf** · Posted On: 4/24/2012 6:47pm

Also I forgot to mention the first gym has a lot of people easily above 100 maybe even 150 while the second one has the instructor very close and only a few maybe less than 20 students

But the first gym claims to be extremely safe having only one black eye in the entire year (even after the beating they gave to my cousin) while in the second one I saw somebody with the face swollen

**gregaquaman** · Posted On: 4/24/2012 10:22pm

Originally Posted by RurikGreenwulf

Thanks for the advice, yeah tell how he fares. Do I have any reason to fear of bad training in a gym that sends fighters to compete and sparrs?

Not if they are winning fights.

I had regular black eyes there at one stage

**RurikGreenwulf** · Posted On: 4/25/2012 2:18pm

Originally Posted by gregaquaman

Not if they are winning fights.

I had regular black eyes there at one stage

So I guess I have to wait to see how they do,
Damn I'm really torn between the two the first one and his classes now to have won a lot of fights but having a lot of people, or the second one the underdog with a lot less people and one instructor for MMA who is there explaining everything step by step

COME ON PEOPLE OF BULLSHIDO SOME ADVICE

**Bander** · Posted On: 4/25/2012 6:55pm

I would chose gym 1 - more class options/days for training and legit grappling instruction.

**robdaze151** · Posted On: 4/25/2012 8:44pm

i wouldnt measure someone's level of grappling prowess off of a match he won against a gracie combative instructor.
but thats just me though

since you said you want to work on striking and clinching i suggest you go with whoever has the better muay thai. it will fill in the gaps your karate leaves, giving you a less incomplete standup.

**RurikGreenwulf** · Posted On: 4/25/2012 9:40pm

Originally Posted by robdaze151

i wouldnt measure someone's level of grappling prowess off of a match he won against a gracie combative instructor.
but thats just me though

since you said you want to work on striking and clinching i suggest you go with whoever has the better muay thai. it will fill in the gaps your karate leaves, giving you a less incomplete standup.

My problem is that I cant truly know who has the better Muay Thai and striking, I would think that the first the biggest and oldest academy that also has ties to the brazilian Chute box, but the second academy is smaller and the instructor is closer then he has a boxing and kickboxing record besides the grappling but says he is mostly a striker.
I'm then torn between the first gym Sambo and Muay Thai and the second one MMA classes (MMA is compacted into a single long class with striking circuits, clinching, submissions and acconditioning)