Quote: (11-30-2016 01:49 PM)Agastya Wrote:
Got a little dilemma about practicing MMA. I've been doing boxing and MMA for the last three months, currently training while studying in the country of Morocco. Training was going fine until the last two weeks, when we began sparring throughout every single practice. I didn't mind the first time, even though I got my ass kicked, but the second and third sessions fucked me up--this is an hour of near continuous MMA sparring without headgear or a mouthguard. While the intensity is supposed to be low, these bouts tend to get pretty serious. Since I'm a newbie, and my gym is full of guys who have been doing martial arts for years, this meant that I left every practice bleeding out of my nose and my mouth and unable to walk properly. Also, when I go to class in the morning, I perform terribly and am unable to really remember anything.
Is this something I'm supposed to be going through, and just get over after I adjust to the training? I am a little sketched out about getting head injuries--I frequently have to fight my coach, and even lighter blows from this guy feel like I'm getting kicked in the head by a horse. And while the conditioning is good, I don't speak their dialect of Arabic, and therefore have a hard time actually learning any new moves. Add to that the fact that everyone has at least three years of experience on me. Fighting vets, do you guys think I should stick this gym out, or should I just take some time off and condition at home? I go back to America pretty soon where I can hopefully find a more appropriate gym.
That shouldn't be a dilemma, 100% stop.
Damage to the brain is absolutely serious, it can mess up your speech, equilibrium, memory, cause serious ilnesses down the road, even mess with your personality - look at cases of people who hit their heads and changed behavior overnight.
You're not a pro, semi-pro or even appear to have the desire to do so.
You don't have to prove anything to these guys.
You already got punched, you know what it feels like, you know you're not made out of sugar. I'm sure you can think of better uses for your brain than punching bag for random Moroccan training partners who have less to lose long-term than you do. To them you're the new live training dummy who they get to practice on.
What would you say to someone who is lifting weights for 3 months but every session they either tweak something, get so exhausted physically they can barely function at work or school, and are so exhausted mentally that they have memory and concentration problems?
All training - martial arts, weightlifting - should improve/add to your life, not subtract.
Save the blows to the head for when it for when it matters, like an organized amateur fight (if you have the desire to compete).
If you're still not convinced, watch clips of what long term damage to the head can do.