Krav Maga or MMA first?

[TJ4]

Guys, I have done a lot of reading and research on Krav Maga and we just got a school where I live, however I was planning on getting involved in MMA fairly soon anyway since I found a very good school in my area. My question is should I go ahead and take the Krav Maga and hold off on the MMA or the opposite? I want to take Krav Maga because I've read good things about it but the MMA school teaches everyghing from Muay Tai to BJJ to Kali. I am looking to obviously be able to defend myself but I also like the sport aspect of it too. Oh, and this would be my first martial arts experience. What would you do if you all had the choice right now because of course I can't take it all at once, I don't have time. Any advice would be appreciated fellas.

TJ

 

[DANABOLIC55]

Do the MMA's first. Krav is cool- but it lacks deep fundamentals that you need from the root arts. They won't tell you this- but KRAV uses a lot of Thai moves. However, you won't learn how to counter clinch like you would in Thai. Krav relies on being very direct and the opponent not being very skilled. You will learn mostly self defense moves that are good for some altercations. Don't get caught up in the whole ISRAELI SELF DEFENSE HYPE. Most Krav instructors are Karate guys who payed over time to get their certification in something that is "battle tested".They aren't ex- paramilitary covert warriors. Most Thai & BJJ guys actually fought their way to get to where they are- they actually did battle.

 

[TJ4]

That's a good point bro. I was thinking about the fundamentals as well because from what I hear Krav is not big on proper form, just as long as you do it and it works. I just didn't know if the actual self defense was any different due to the modernity of Krav but I think I would enjoy the MMA more anyway. We'll see. Thanks for the replies.

 

[TJ4]

Any other thoughts on this?

TJ

 

[Paramedic]

I would chose Krav other MMA, Whats good about Krav is that its roots are from hardcore Israeli Defense Forces Special Ops. This guys see serious battle, and the techniques work in street combat. No katas, nothing fancy, just dirty, get the job done hand-to-hand combat.

 

[TJ4]

I agree with that and that is what makes it so interesting and the reason why I would want to take it, but do you think that it would be better to take as a base just starting out in martial arts in general? Should I get a good base in that and then move on or get the fundamental martial arts down first which may take a little longer until I am really combat effective? Just looking for oppinions and trying to make my head hurt so cheers for the replies guys.

TJ

 

[young guns]

I would chose Krav other MMA, Whats good about Krav is that its roots are from hardcore Israeli Defense Forces Special Ops. This guys see serious battle, and the techniques work in street combat. No katas, nothing fancy, just dirty, get the job done hand-to-hand combat.

you're implying that MMA emphasizes katas and fancy nonpractical moves. and i guess it could, depending on what styles make up the MMA being taught. i can tell you that the MMA classes i am taking are not anything like what you are describing. the foundation of it is muay thai, jui-jitsu and kali, however the instructor was in the military, and was a police officer assigned to street crime reduction and undercover gang activity. so he's had hand-to-hand combat instruction, as well as taught self-defense tactics to police, in addition to having street experience. so what he teaches blends what many consider the best ring-fighting arts (thai, and bjj) with combat ready hand-to-hand (military) as well as stick/knife fighting (kali).

i don't know much about krav maga, but from what i hear it is somewhat of a glorified hand-to-hand combat, which many consider to be a fight-by-numbers style (yes i am also criticizing traditional hand-to-hand taught to our military - which marines refer to as line training). again, i don't know enough about krav maga to say for sure, but this is the impression i have gotten.

 

[DANABOLIC55]

I'll say it again. With Krav alone, you will get in trouble against someone with skill. If you have any training in anything, you can mess up the average joe - it's the one's with skill that you have to watch out for. Just like any step by step art, it looks convincing against a co-operating partner.
Again,the IDF uses guns not hand to hand combat. If your're gonna formulate an opinion on military usage- BJJ & Thai along with Filipino Martial arts are taught to the seals.

 

[young guns]

Again,the IDF uses guns not hand to hand combat. If your're gonna formulate an opinion on military usage- BJJ & Thai along with Filipino Martial arts are taught to the seals.

I was only referring to the hand-to-hand that is taught at basic training and MP training, since this is all i know anything about (my step-bro went through all this).

my MMA instructor teachs bjj, thai, and kali/escrima as i said. i'm not sure what of that he learned in his time in the military, and i have no idea what he was in the military. it's funny you said that about seals, b/c when i called to inquire about the class, the gym owner/head instructor (thai and k-1 fighter) told me the MMA guy is an ex-seal. i never asked him about it, and he hasn't said anything, so it's possible the head instructor had some incorrect info, but i can't see why he'd make that up. it's just interesting since he bases his MMA class on thai, bjj, and filipino stick/knife fighting.

 

[Paramedic]

This is not in all cases, but the problem that I have with schools that are now "Mixed Martial Arts" is that the teachers are often very shady with who they learned and earned there training. I have run into so called teachers that have barely stepped into a dojo and often learned and received rank from "long distance" training. In other words, they watched a video tape, paid a fee and got a "diploma". Many of this MMA schools have popped up for someone to make a quick buck, giving individuals a false sense of security.