New to MA (need help)

[Orcrist]

hi im new here and im new to MA (i did a couple of months of karate when i was a kid). Im quite interested in boxing and muay thai and since my exams got over ive been looking for a place to train. I have a couple of questions that u can hopefully answer.

Ok first im 18 is that a good time to start kick boxing, or am i late?

2nd i wear glasses (as in spectacles), will they be a problem for me while training?(i just want to train as a hobby nothing to serious,at the moment anyway)

finally the center i found offers boxing,kick boxing and thai boxing. i done some research and have some idea of the differences. one of the offers lets me have unlimited classes for all 3. Is it going to have a negative on me (MA learning related OR physically) if i train 3 different types of boxing at the same time?

Thks

Orcrist

[Sohan]

1. You're at a great age to start, even if you wanted to compete. Since you're a hobbyist, you'd be fine even if you were 50.

2. Glasses and kickboxing don't mix. You could get contacts, but they may pop out. Boxers almost always opt for PRK instead of LASIK because there isn't as much chance of being permanently blinded by a punch. Don't know if that's in your budget or not...

3. Kind of overkill to train all three of those arts. Muay Thai will offer you the most weapons, and it's best to stick with one art until you get proficient. Besides, once you do MT you probably won't want to do just boxing or American-style kickboxing anyway.

With respect,

Sohan

[Orcrist]

Hi Sohan thks for replying i have a few questions about what u said.

My eyesight isnt too bad do u think its possible for me box without my glasses.

"there isn't as much chance of being permanently blinded by a punch", Ookay thats a bit worrying. could u explain this a little more.

I did a bit of research and found LASEK and PRK to leave 'the cornea's stability is left virtually unaffected' as opposed to LASIK. but anyway none of this is going to happen in my near future.

I am really interested in MT and most probably will go for that but could u tell me about western kickboxing?

Thks Orcrist.

[glockmeister]

Maybe I can answer that for you as far as western kickboxing. It is usually called American Kickboxing.I used to train in it, it was actually the first fighting style I have ever trained in. UNlike MT, IN American kickboxing elbow and knee strikes are illigal, also there are no kicks allowed beneath the belt so leg kicks are out. In competition, you have to land a minimum of 8 legal kicks that actually make contact or you are penalized points. If I remember correctly in FFKA a successful front foot sweep counted as a kick. Those were the only techniques under the belt that were allowed. Not sure about ISKA.

I enjoyed it quite a bit. It went great with Moo Duk Kwan which I was started studying around the same time period. It's not as hard on your body as MT also. Unforunately for me at the time there were no places that taught MT in my area.

[Orcrist]

thks glockmeister. Would it be ok if i did MT without glasses (i will be doing MT only as a hobby)

[glockmeister]

That depends on you. If you can see well enough to train without them, then go for it.

[Orcrist]

how many times a week should i train ideally? Would 3 classes be enough?

[Orcrist]

The muay thai trainer i found will be gone for 1 month. would it be ok if i took up boxing until he came back.

[Andrew_Patton]

absolutely train the boxing for this month, it'll give you a great base on your hands, positinoing, and use of your hips. it's always good to jump in, muay thai hands are pretty much the same as boxing's just not as refined and utilized less, so go for it.

[Orcrist]

Thks Andrew, but i have found another gym which suits my budget better. They teach muay thai and street fighting together i think. What would they mean when they say street fighting?