General Chat & Info Board

Donna Brown6 said:Does anyone have experience with MMA or grappling over in the Trešnjevka area? What are the training sessions like, and how's the crowd there?

Honestly, I feel like you’ve got no choice but to just show up and scope it out yourself. 😉

Thanks, hiddensailor14! I’m not entirely sure myself—and honestly, I agree that Josh seems a bit small right now—but I’m really itching to start pointing him toward a specific direction. He’s got such an intense level of hyperactivity, you know? So, my thought is that we should probably start channeling that energy into something productive sooner rather than later.

Hey guys, I need a quick bit of info if anyone knows. I did some karate back in the 90s—can't remember the exact year—and I pretty much scraped my way to a green belt. If I pick it up again now, do I just pick up where I left off with the belt rankings, or am I starting from zero?
(I think the order was white, yellow, orange, green).

northerncrane2 said:Hey guys, I need a quick bit of info if anyone knows. I did some karate back in the 90s—can't remember the exact year—and I pretty much scraped my way to a green belt. If I pick it up again now, do I just pick up where I left off with the belt rankings, or am I starting from zero?
(I think the order was white, yellow, orange, green).

I think you'd be starting from scratch.
Besides, it doesn't really matter whether they recognize your old belt or not. What actually matters is how much of those skills you've actually retained.
If you get back into it quickly, I'm certain any instructor would take your previous knowledge and experience into account.

David Jackson17 said:Thanks, hiddensailor14! I’m not entirely sure myself—and honestly, I agree that Josh seems a bit small right now—but I’m really itching to start pointing him toward a specific direction. He’s got such an intense level of hyperactivity, you know? So, my thought is that we should probably start channeling that energy into something productive sooner rather than later.

There is actually a wonderful little judo preschool program over at the Lika Judo Club, which is incredibly convenient because they incorporate plenty of playtime for the little ones while gently guiding them toward the fundamental basics of martial arts. You can reach the instructor, Mirna Kosovic, at 091 5604596.

Classes are held over at 3 Victims of Fascism Square. Their number is 4614462.

Aside from that, gymnastics is another excellent option, such as the programs offered through the YMCA.

Just got off the phone with this club, and wouldn't you know it—the coach who used to train me back in the day was on the other end. He’s acting like there’s no big deal about the belts, but what’s that supposed to mean to me? I can barely remember half of it, though honestly, more stuck in my head than I care to admit.

Hey fighters.
Looking to pick up a combat sport. Two reasons: staying in shape while building skills 🙂 and learning some basics I can actually use if things get ugly. I need workouts that actually push me. Don't care about competitions.
I'm 24, 80kg, and 6'1".
I've read through plenty of recommendation threads, but nothing really clicked. Obviously, I’ll drop in to watch a session before signing up for anything.
Anything involving more dancing than fighting is out—I've got zero sense of rhythm.🤣

darkcanyon3 said:Hey fighters.
Looking to pick up a combat sport. Two reasons: staying in shape while building skills 🙂 and learning some basics I can actually use if things get ugly. I need workouts that actually push me. Don't care about competitions.
I'm 24, 80kg, and 6'1".
I've read through plenty of recommendation threads, but nothing really clicked. Obviously, I’ll drop in to watch a session before signing up for anything.
Anything involving more dancing than fighting is out—I've got zero sense of rhythm.🤣

Muay Thai, kickboxing, or maybe eventually transitioning to MMA to complete the package.

If you want a true martial art, it just comes down to whether you want to work with weapons or if you're strictly interested in unarmed combat.

Muay Thai is basically just Thai boxing, isn't it?
MMA stands for Mixed Martial Arts. Simple as that.

I don't care about weapons. Just give me hand-to-hand.

darkcanyon3 said:Muay Thai is basically just Thai boxing, isn't it?
MMA stands for Mixed Martial Arts. Simple as that.

I don't care about weapons. Just give me hand-to-hand.

Yeah.
MMA stands for Mixed Martial Arts, which refers to what you see in the UFC or Pride fights.
It’s basically a combination of various sports and skill sets used for both standing strikes and ground fighting.

That said, it might be better to focus on one discipline first, like Muay Thai. You can always pick up grappling later on.

darkcanyon3 said:Muay Thai is basically just Thai boxing, isn't it?
MMA stands for Mixed Martial Arts. Simple as that.

I don't care about weapons. Just give me hand-to-hand.

Just without the "r," in case you decide to Google it—Muay Thai.

Kickboxing at "Forma" Gym in Chicago. Who on earth is Bruno?

So, I was looking into the kickboxing classes over at the "Forma" gym—you know, the one on Hebron Avenue here in Chicago—and I decided to give them a quick ring. I just wanted to see who was actually running the show, specifically the instructor. The answer I got? Just "Bruno."
That’s it. Just Bruno. So I start digging—asking if this guy is actually qualified, if he’s got a competitive background, if he’s ever stepped foot in a ring. Their response? "We don't know."
I mean, come on. I asked them if they could at least give me a last name so I could do a little digging online—standard procedure, right?—to see if the guy actually has a track record.
And they tell me: "We don't even know his last name."
Does anyone out there actually know who this Bruno character is? And more importantly, is the kickboxing program at "Forma" gym actually worth the time, or am I better off looking elsewhere?

nimblemarlin6 said:Kickboxing at "Forma" Gym in Chicago. Who on earth is Bruno?

So, I was looking into the kickboxing classes over at the "Forma" gym—you know, the one on Hebron Avenue here in Chicago—and I decided to give them a quick ring. I just wanted to see who was actually running the show, specifically the instructor. The answer I got? Just "Bruno."
That’s it. Just Bruno. So I start digging—asking if this guy is actually qualified, if he’s got a competitive background, if he’s ever stepped foot in a ring. Their response? "We don't know."
I mean, come on. I asked them if they could at least give me a last name so I could do a little digging online—standard procedure, right?—to see if the guy actually has a track record.
And they tell me: "We don't even know his last name."
Does anyone out there actually know who this Bruno character is? And more importantly, is the kickboxing program at "Forma" gym actually worth the time, or am I better off looking elsewhere?

That’s just recreational kickboxing—totally fine if you’re just looking for a solid gym supplement... but if you actually want to get serious about training, I’d say keep hunting...

Donna Brown6 said:Does anyone have experience with MMA or grappling over in the Trešnjevka area? What are the training sessions like, and how's the crowd there?

Since nobody else is jumping in here, I guess I will. I won't talk about the quality of the training since I actually run some of them—that's biased—but I can give you the real rundown on the club atmosphere without sounding like a walking advertisement.
Most of our guys just train for fun, mostly focusing on grappling. We do have a handful of competitors in both grappling and amateur MMA. As far as pro MMA goes, we've had a few fighters—the most well-known being Emil Poljak, who’s prepping for a fight right now.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XEFSERRBuEU
We’re one of those rare clubs—maybe the only one around—that works with kids too:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ffpctdbawtU
That said, we’ve got plenty of beginners in their 20s with zero experience, plus the recreational crowd who just move at whatever pace they feel like.
We actually just moved into a new facility over by the old arena—here’s a shot from a session when Yvel stopped by to visit us:http://www.profightstore.com/content...details&ID=103

Basically, everyone is chill and friendly, both inside the gym and out. We hang out and travel together quite a bit—the club even provides five refs for open sparring sessions, and we organize the "Chicago Open" grappling tournaments... blah, blah, blah—don't want to be that guy spamming the board!🙂

Look, I’m not interested in kids. And as for the tournaments? I don't do them for the glory. I just need to sharpen my ground game a bit, so that's why I'm here.

Ethan Hayes6 said:Since nobody else is jumping in here, I guess I will. I won't talk about the quality of the training since I actually run some of them—that's biased—but I can give you the real rundown on the club atmosphere without sounding like a walking advertisement.
Most of our guys just train for fun, mostly focusing on grappling. We do have a handful of competitors in both grappling and amateur MMA. As far as pro MMA goes, we've had a few fighters—the most well-known being Emil Poljak, who’s prepping for a fight right now.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XEFSERRBuEU
We’re one of those rare clubs—maybe the only one around—that works with kids too:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ffpctdbawtU
That said, we’ve got plenty of beginners in their 20s with zero experience, plus the recreational crowd who just move at whatever pace they feel like.
We actually just moved into a new facility over by the old arena—here’s a shot from a session when Yvel stopped by to visit us:http://www.profightstore.com/content...details&ID=103

Basically, everyone is chill and friendly, both inside the gym and out. We hang out and travel together quite a bit—the club even provides five refs for open sparring sessions, and we organize the "Chicago Open" grappling tournaments... blah, blah, blah—don't want to be that guy spamming the board!🙂

Spammer stopper. 😛

Anyone know what the vibe is like at the Prince Karate Club in downtown LA? How are the sessions and the instructors? Also, what’s the monthly membership looking like?

Eric Jackson43 said:When you're testing for a black belt, it's basically two fighters going at it with glass until someone dies—only one walks out of that ring to claim the belt.

Hahaha, 😁 yeah—exactly like that old Kung Fu trope where you have to climb the "Pyramid of Death" just to become a master. You know the drill: five guys with sticks on the first floor, four swordsmen on the second, twin sisters swinging razor blades on chains on the third—and then on the fourth floor, there's this armored grandmaster who knows every move in the book. Honestly, that whole setup has been child's play since *Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles* first showed up...

Anyway, my point was that besides *Kickboxer*, there are actually a few other solid films that capture the Muay Thai vibe well—things like *Ong-Bak* and *The Protector*.

Hey everyone, I have a quick question that’s a bit off-topic, but does anyone happen to know where I can pick up some kickboxing gear? Thanks!

Does anyone know when they’re actually going to put that in the UFK Tresnjevka? I really wouldn't want to miss out on it...