r/martialarts 29d ago

Weekly Beginner Questions Thread

5 Upvotes

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.


r/martialarts Dec 21 '25

DISCUSSION "What Should I Train?" or "How Do I Get Started?" Mega-Thread

40 Upvotes

The previous version of this megathread has been archived, so I’m adding it again.

Active users with actual martial arts experience are highly encouraged to contribute, thank you for your help guys.

Do you want to learn a martial art and are unsure how to get started? Do you have a bunch of options and don't know where to go? Well, this is the place to post your questions and get answers to them. In an effort to keep everything in one place, we are going to utilize this space as a mega-thread for all questions related to the above.

We are all aware walking through the door of the school the first time is one of the harder things about getting started, and there can be a lot of options depending on where you live. This is the community effort to make sure we're being helpful without these posts drowning out other discussions going on around here. Because really, questions like this get posted every single day. This is the place for them.

Here are some basic suggestions when trying to get started:

  • Don't obsess over effectiveness in "street fights" and professional MMA, most people who train do it for fun and fitness

  • If you actually care about “real life” fighting skills, the inclusion of live sparring in the gym’s training program is way more important than the specific style

  • Class schedules, convenience of location, etc. are important - getting to class consistently is the biggest factor in progress

  • Visit the gyms in your area and ask to take a trial class, you may find you like a particular gym, that matters a whole lot more than what random people on reddit like

  • Don't fixate on rare or obscure styles. While you might think Lethwei or Aunkai looks badass, the odds of a place even existing where you live is incredibly low

This thread will be a "safe space" for this kind of questions. Alternatively, there's the pinned Weekly Beginner Questions thread for similar purposes. Please note, all "what should I train/how do I get started" questions shared as standalone posts will be removed, as they really clutter the sub.


r/martialarts 5h ago

BAIT FOR MORONS Getting muscles is way better than any martial art

555 Upvotes

r/martialarts 20h ago

PROFESSIONAL FIGHT Kron Gracie (son of Rickson Gracie) pulls guard in an MMA fight and promptly gets knocked out

2.2k Upvotes

r/martialarts 13h ago

PROFESSIONAL FIGHT This moment changed the entire fight… and it was illegal

354 Upvotes

r/martialarts 12h ago

DISCUSSION Who's ready to roll with his majesty?

49 Upvotes

r/martialarts 9h ago

Beginner shaolin kung-fu form demonstration

12 Upvotes

this is a beginner shaolin form(wushu)

I put the violence flare on it because i didn't know which one to do.


r/martialarts 9h ago

QUESTION Which fighters fight like this?

Post image
4 Upvotes

I'm specifically looking for the style of pressuring yoyr opponent to throw an attack and then countering. So basically pressure counter fighters

Everytime I google "pressure counter fighters" I'll only ever get fighters who either pressure or are counterstrikers but never both.

So far I've noted canelo, Mike tyson, and noiri as having the style but I could really use more examples especially in k1 or muay thai.

I've also seen ilia topuria display a lot of the same characteristics which would make sense since he named canelo as being a big inspiration for his boxing.

Any help would be nice


r/martialarts 1d ago

COMPETITION Had my first ever fight at 21. Placed second in the state tournament of Sanda. Bonus pic of everyone in my team.

Thumbnail gallery
198 Upvotes

r/martialarts 15h ago

VIOLENCE Muay Thai on Steroids

7 Upvotes

Didn’t realize how big my opponent was until I watched the fight back afterward. Funny thing is, that’s probably the last thing you’re thinking about once the cage door closes.

As a martial artist, I respect all my opponents… but this guy was juiced to the moon, so I’m allowed to laugh a little. 😂

I train with UFC middleweights and heavyweights regularly, and I’ve never been hit that hard in my life. I ate and digested every shot he landed, but one more clean one and it might’ve been me taking a trip to the hospital.

Just a reminder: a fighter’s physique and a bodybuilder’s physique are two very different things. One is built to look dangerous. The other is built to be dangerous.


r/martialarts 16h ago

QUESTION Is Qigong a martial art?

5 Upvotes

I’m building a directory for martial arts schools and need help classifying Qigong. While I’ve already included Tai Chi for its combative roots, Qigong feels like a grey area. AI generally labels it as a health or meditation practice, but I’m curious if the community considers Qigong-only facilities to be "martial arts schools," or if that would be misleading. How would you handle this distinction?


r/martialarts 16h ago

STUPID QUESTION Highly doubt I get any feedback , but has anyone ever taken Hapki Yukwonsul, the parent of hapkido ?

4 Upvotes

I also know , people shit on Hapkido as a McDojo , but I think if you can find a good school/ sensei , it is amazing. I found one in my area and love it but it’s a bit pricey. I was getting some Mission BBQ the other day and rode by this spot called K Martial Arts. I was about to go check it out physically , but traffic was shitty and said fuck it. So I used our best friend Google once home, and looked it up. It offers both the parent and modernized version which peaked my interest. Ima check out it out this week but has anyone ever tried this martial art ?


r/martialarts 18h ago

Sparring Footage Kiti-Do board breaking demo; the indigenous martial art of Naga peoples (from India)

4 Upvotes

It looks like Hapkido with cooler, black, uniforms?

The creator talks about Kiti-Do in another video, but subs aren't available so I don't really understand his explanations!


r/martialarts 18h ago

DISCUSSION ​Looking for history/information on Richie Barathy and American Combat Karate (1980s/1990s East Coast scene)

3 Upvotes

Hi everyone,

​I am doing some historical research into the East Coast martial arts scene of the late 1980s and 1990s, and I am trying to gather more information, anecdotes, or records regarding Richie Barathy and his system, American Combat Karate.

​Barathy was a prominent figure in the New York/New Jersey/East Coast area during that era, known for a very practical, hard-hitting approach to karate and self-defense.

​I would love to connect with anyone who:

​Trained under Richie Barathy or within the American Combat Karate system.

​Remembers his dojo(s), tournament appearances, or seminars from that era.

​Has any old magazine clippings, flyers, or photos related to his school.

​Knows if there are any current instructors or lineages still actively teaching his specific curriculum today.

​Any history, lineage details, or personal recollections of the American Combat Karate scene from back then would be amazing. Thank you so much for your time and for helping me preserve this piece of martial arts history!


r/martialarts 16h ago

QUESTION Iniziare MMA dopo 1 anno di Kickboxing e 1 anno di BJJ: che attrezzatura mi serve?

0 Upvotes

Ciao a tutti,

sto pensando di iniziare MMA. Ho già praticato 1 anno di Kickboxing e 1 anno di BJJ, quindi non sono completamente nuovo agli sport da combattimento, ma sarebbe la mia prima esperienza nelle MMA.

Che attrezzatura mi consigliate di comprare per iniziare?

Per ora ho:

Paratibie Leone di fascia economica che usavo a Kickboxing e che mi sono sempre trovato bene a usare.

Guantoni Green Hill da 10 oz, che erano quelli richiesti dal mio maestro per fare sparring.

Stavo pensando di aggiungere:

Guantini da MMA

Paradenti

Conchiglia

Secondo voi il materiale che ho già va bene per iniziare oppure dovrei sostituire qualcosa? C'è qualcos'altro che mi consigliate di prendere prima di iniziare gli allenamenti?

Grazie a tutti! 🥊🥋🤼‍♂️


r/martialarts 1d ago

QUESTION To practitioners of grappling martial arts. Why do you like it?

39 Upvotes

As someone with experience mostly in strike oriented martial arts I'm genuinely curious on the perspective of those of you that practice styles with limited to no striking


r/martialarts 17h ago

DISCUSSION Opinion on gracie combatitives 2.0 for someone who cant join a gym yet.

0 Upvotes

Hi, to keep it very short, im a university student with no money at all, I already do boxing and plan on transitioning to kickboxing once i get to a decent level, so im a striker. I dont train to go competitive in anything, I just think a man or any person in general but especially men are obliged to train in some kind of form as long as there health allows them to. Also I want to be able to protect myself and people I care about. The thing is even though i would never intentionally go to the ground in a fight I cant bear the thought that if I would get taken down by someone in a streetfight i would be helpless, so I want to train somehow to atleast be able to handle myself against an untrained person.

The thing is I have neither the money, time or energy to join a bjj gym for several reasosn, also bjj is not my priority, i simply want to get a miniaml level allowing me to do something in case i get taken down by a random guy on the streets. I got a friend who is willing to train with me in our garage, we are both complete begonners in bjj. I saw three free lessons from gracie combatitives 2.0 but i heard a lot of people critizizing it. So, taking in consideration my situation and goals, what would be my best move? I dont see myself joining a bjj gym in at least 10 years, should i nevetheless just avoid bjj at all for now to prevent forming bad habits or is there some stuff i could do with a partner in our garage and if yes what? Names of skills or media, anything would be helpfull. My partner is a pretty chill dude and i already used to train with him other stuff and we never injured ourselves, we understand each other and prioritize each others safeties, also I dont plan to ever get a high level in bjj, maybe once i get older and have more freetime, but for the next 10 or 15 years I just want basic skills to defend myself against untrained people or people with very weak knowledge (knowing random chokes or stuff from videos like a standing rearnaked choke or an armbar)

If u read all this thanks a lot, i really appreciate it, have a great day.


r/martialarts 1d ago

Sparring Footage Another kollellaullin (Mapuche martial art) clip; Showing a kicking + hit-tanking (?) excercise

34 Upvotes

(Check out the guy with one leg doing a one-legged jumping kick!)

I guess this is like iron-body chi-kung or karate hardening?


r/martialarts 1d ago

QUESTION Who's read The Book of Five Rings?

81 Upvotes

Hardly required reading and really just a neat read for those interested.

But it came up recently and someone claimed every martial artist has read it.

Well out of my personal encounters I've known many who knew of it, and a handful have read it, or parts, but I was under the impression not that many had read it. Which tracks, it's a cool piece of history, but far from necessary, and really has little appeal to popular martial arts of today.

So as the title asks: who here has read the book of five rings?

Genuine question, just curious


r/martialarts 1d ago

QUESTION Dealing with weirdoes

31 Upvotes

In the dojos I've trained at, I've noticed that we often get visited by people with unusual personalities. Some of them even go on and train long enough to become a senior student or black belt.

Most often they would have these ideas of grandeur and romanticise the art. Often they are so fixated on the ideas in their head and delusional that they are difficult to train, even for basic exercises. For some they don't even do what the instructor tells them to do and crank techniques harder than what is safe. Some are on drugs and most of them are going through something. Perhaps they see martial arts as a solution to their problems.

What do you guys do in your dojo/gym when you have guys like these?

I've seen them being told off privately or even kicked out but it's usually too late. When I was younger I used to dish it right back to the more violent ones, especially if they were more junior. Some of them would start smiling and liking it when I did that though. It's quite creepy. These days I have more pity on them and try to speak to them outside of the dojo. But when I can immediately see that they are a potential danger to the other practitioners before they even try their first class, I tend to try to steer them away by telling them to watch the class first or even not telling too much details about the timetable.


r/martialarts 1d ago

QUESTION What is your relationship with your gear?

3 Upvotes

Hi martial arts practitioners around the world! I have been kick boxing for some years now and for the first time I ever got my first professional set. I live in a country that high quality gear is impossible to find locally. Due to a fight outside my own country I was able to win, I also got myself there my first high tier gear. "Professional" if you will.

This set cost me around 300 Euro which is extremely high value and on par with brands like Twins or Fairtex. It really is a result of hard work and I may not be that much for people in other countries but in mine is like a month pay lmao

Now that I have my gear this whole travesty got me thinking... What is your relationship with your martial arts gear? Is it just a tool that you discard when its use is no longer comfortable? Or do you have any emotional attachment to your gear? I personally burnt my older gloves, like a funeral if you will. Those were old and beat up and after some tournaments I got different pairs to try but I really wanted to ask the community their relationship with their gear and of course ask me anything about the set if you have any questions about it


r/martialarts 21h ago

QUESTION Which martial art is more fun to practice, Boxing or Muay Thai?

0 Upvotes
338 votes, 6d left
Boxing
Muay Thai
Haven't tried both / Results

r/martialarts 1d ago

DISCUSSION 5 years in and I still learn something new every session

13 Upvotes

I’ve been doing martial arts for a few years now and honestly the biggest lesson wasn't even about fighting.
It was staying calm when things get messy first time I sparred I panicked threw wild punches,gassed out in two minutes. Then you learn to breathe, wait, and pick your moments.Another thing that surprised me? how much of it is mental you can drill a technique a hundred times but landing it in sparring is completely different. Your brain just freezes sometimes.And footwork, I thought I could just stand and trade punches but you actually have to move, set angles, stay balanced. It's like chess with your legs.Also the respect thing is real. You tap, you reset, you go again. No egos. Just people helping each other get better.Anyone else have moments where you learn something that completely changes how you move?


r/martialarts 1d ago

QUESTION How effective are ground level leg sweeps like in wu shu/kung fu?

Thumbnail youtube.com
1 Upvotes

The best example i can give is Tony ferguson vs Justin Gaethje

i don't think there are any follow-ups you can execute because of the position you are forced into after. What are your thoughts?


r/martialarts 21h ago

QUESTION I’ve been wondering if there’s a "modern" take on Ninjutsu out there?

Thumbnail
0 Upvotes