I wrestled on scholarship at a Div I college in the early nineties. Since I have had so much free time on reserve over the last 4 years I started taking Brazillian Jiu Jitsu. I was initially humbled very quickly. I knew the BJJ guys would be good at what they did, but I thought my wrestling background would mitigate the jiu jitsu. I was wrong.

I've worked really hard and am finally somewhat functional in BJJ matches. I still direct the fight towards my strenghts: takedowns, clinching, etc., but I am able to take advantage of any jiu jitsu mistakes my opponent makes. Some success in blue belt tournaments has led to some conversation about taking my game to the next level, which would be MMA.

On one hand, I am lucky enough to have the best job in aviation at UPS. Risking my health would be ridiculous and what would I gain from winning an MMA match? On the other hand, I am now 35, love to compete, and it's either now or never right?

Are any pilots out there competing in MMA?

 

I LOVE MMA - watching! I would even like to take more martial arts and such, but back in 01-02 timeframe even all of us old (or is it seasoned) Major and LtCols had to get our Marine Marital Arts Tan Belt. Well after a few weeks I think it was of getting thrown around on the parade ground and such - it was evident that my body wasn't ready for that type of punishment! Now I know that BBJ and MMA would be in a different environment but using the principles of ORM - I don't see the gains (of a hobby) outweighing the risks of your CAREER. Enjoy the MMA gyms and the sparing and even the Blue Belt tourneys and have some fun!

USMCFLYR

 

I like watching MMA, never fought anyone besides my brother when I was a kid though. Always thought it would be interesting, but I never had the skill set, was only an avg wrestler in High School, so I'd basically be the bait for practicing fighters!!!

 

I've been training BJJ for a couple years and have a handful of friends/training partners who fight MMA professionally. I've thought about trying MMA, but i've realized that blunt force trauma probably isn't the best thing in our profession. Jiu jits is fine because you pop an arm or an ankle, you're out from work for a couple weeks or a month. You get knocked out, or punched in the head repeatedly, not too good. I'm sure it would be a huge pain in the ass if the FAA every saw a concussion on your medical.

 

Hey All,

I've been doing a mixture of BJJ, Judo, Aikido, Karate, Hapkido, and Kempo for about 8 years now. I absolutely love doing it and it seems to be the only way I can get the excersice I need. I never could get interested in any other workout plan. I'm about to get my red belt now and I just started instructing at the school I go to. Like the others here, while a MMA tournament would be fun, it just isn't worth the risk. If you are a previous wrestler and you still want to fight but want to be able to fly safely in a few years you might want to try Judo. It is Jiu-Jitsu without the breaks. It seems to be pretty safe, other than the time I dislocated my shoulderblade and tore my rotator cuff. That was my own fault though, I didn't set up the throw correctly. You learn something new everyday ya know lol. The best part about judo is that even with previous injuries you can still be a master. My old instructor at college was 55 years old and walked with a cane. Put him on the mat and he could make you wish you had never been born. A great website is Official Judo Information Site at JudoInfo.com. If you desire a more strike based form I would try to find a reasonable karate school that does about 50/50 karate and BJJ. Some schools get so rediculously high on their horse that it is easy to get discouraged. If you are in the DFW area I could suggest a few. Hope this helps.

 

I've been training in karate for over 6 years and I trained in BJJ for over a year. I was never a big athelete in high school and I'm a couple of decades older than most of my classmates, so I'm not really MMA material! However, I'm a big UFC fan (it's just about the only thing that I watch on tv). I wasn't able to train this summer to do the fact that I was out of town training to fly a "shiny new jet." However, now that I'm furloughed I can make up for some lost time, and my karate instructor wants me to test for black belt next spring.

 

Lil J, did you ever compete? Old thread, but I figured I'd ask. I trained BJJ for a couple years when I was flying the line, but long term mil leave necessitated a move and I had to leave my academy. However, a Ribeiro black belt opened a school right by my new house in Feb and I've been back on the mats 3/week since after a 3+ year layoff. Didn't realize how much I missed it.

I boxed at USAFA for a bit, so I'm 100% positive I'm not down with getting punched in the head at our age (we're the same age). No MMA for me, or even no-gi for that matter. Straight gi BJJ for me and loving every minute on the mat.

 

I thought this was a 737 thread - the Boeing Business Jet or the Multi-Mission Maritime Aircraft. Oh well. Carry on.