Cross Training---Belts and Ranks

**BOXMAN** · Posted On: 5/27/2008 3:06pm

For young people starting to train MMA are they training traditionally in the various arts? Understanding there are no ranks in MT, are they training in traditional Judo or BJJ settings or are they training only what is needed to better their game? Are these people not at all concerned with belt/rank and simply training for the next fight? I'm asking this with the understanding, although not fully, that BJJ and Judo practioners earn belts differently than other TMA.

A young person I know is starting to box. He is boxing because this is what he wants but thinks it will lead him to MT then ground arts in the future.

**MMAMickey** · Posted On: 5/27/2008 3:19pm

this is a bit of a weird question tbh its doesn't really have a point to it

if you're learning something just to better your MMA game you are obviously going to be more concerned with just taking what you want rather than progressing in the grades

i tried learning judo but in the end i ditched it and learned to grapple at a shoot wrestling class geared exclusively towards MMA.

aside from that boxing and muay thai are generally accepted as badass striking styles so why bother going traditional?

**tigerjoe** · Posted On: 6/12/2008 2:45am

Belts are still given to allow you to receive the next level of knowledge and advanced training in many schools.

**M.C.** · Posted On: 6/12/2008 5:57am

Since I am one of those people going a round and stealing technique from different systems :laughing7 I for myself never bothered with belts. I never had any problems with that until lately (competitions and seminars in some of those arts have belt divisions).
Besides from that I am just honest with everybody and tell them what I am looking for, respect them, their art and their rules and you will have no problems.
It is important to know what you are looking for and have one/two arts as a solid basis you keep on training while you change the other arts after one or two years. And you have to have a good understanding of how stuff works in order to fit it in your skill set, maybe add a little thing here and change a little there. Most MAs are water with gold in it, you have to get in the river for quite some time to filter out the nuggets and you might miss some and there is no way to you will be as good in the art as those who train them for a long time but this is not your goal, you try to be as versatile as possible.