[shakra]

hi everyone,

I'm a long-tern traveller, I usually stay at least 3 months in a place.
I'd like to dedicate myself to one martial art and stick to it.

But I need to pick one that is widely available in most cities around the world, which one do you advice ?

I'd like to do muay thai but it seems uncommon in latin america

[Dulceácido]

Mixed Martial Arts... The most popular thing there is right now.

[Ringo]

Muay Thai is not uncommon in Latin America, but obviously it depends on the size of the cities you are planning to hit up. In Brazil you can find it in any major city.

Based on my experience travelling to about 20 countries, I would say the most popular are:

#1: Boxing
#2: Muay Thai/Kickboxing
#3: BJJ

Whether or not the instruction you'll receive is high quality or not, that's a whole different story.

[Dulceácido]

OP, some good points here:

(06-03-2018 04:22 AM)Ringo Wrote:  

Muay Thai is not uncommon in Latin America, but obviously it depends on the size of the cities you are planning to hit up. In Brazil you can find it in any major city.

Based on my experience travelling to about 20 countries, I would say the most popular are:

#1: Boxing
#2: Muay Thai/Kickboxing
#3: BJJ

Whether or not the instruction you'll receive is high quality or not, that's a whole different story.

I was gonna specify BJJ, but didn't want to seem biased. It's hard to travel without finding a place with a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu gym these days. Should be easy to do. And, as far as combat sports, it changed my whole life. You don't have to be "big" or any of that shit. It's such an incredible thing.

You take a dude to the ground, then you've eliminated 90% of your problem of getting knocked out in one or two hits. He can't use any explosive movements. Get on him. Stay on him. Put all your weight on him--even if you're a small guy--doesn't matter, control his arms, don't let him post up and swing on you or drop knees or elbows. Then just "go to work."
But then you have to have a few things to make the violence stop or "finish him" if you'd rather say... A well-placed choke--it's over--period, an arm bar, leg lock... Choke someone until death (or unconsciousness) and the fight is over. Same thing goes for breaking someone's arm or leg (or any associated joint, for that matter)--at least it willl give you time to escape if you're fighting The Terminator who just will not stop.

That's what I'd do if I was on "vacation" and was looking for gyms, but Ringo brings up an incredible point that I overlooked:

BOXING: international sport.. Almost every town will have a boxing gym.

I'm a grappler/wrestler/Jiu-jitsu guy---the worst ass whooping I've ever had was from a boxer. I couldn't grab him. Couldn't take him down. I have 2 permanent scars on my face from him. He just kept moving and punching me in the face, like it was his job... I kept thinking, "I'll just shoot and take his legs, then I got him!"
Every time I got near him, he hit me 4 or 5 times in the head... Pfft. Got my ass kicked. He had the fastest hands I've ever been on the receiving end of.

You could find either of these gyms in almost any large city...

EDIT: I should say we were fighting in a parking garage and not a gym. We were really fighting. Not sparring. We both went to jail.

[Saweeep]

It's gotta be boxing.

BJJ is a good shout but you could easily fall into the "our bjj system is not your bjj system...go train with those newbs until you know our syllabus" problem as the sport becomes more and more commercialised.

The same thing is beginning to happen in Muay Thai but the lack of belts (in most places) prevents this a little. The issue with Muay Thai is that 99% of what is taught as Muay Thai across the world is just bollocks based on whatever martial art the coach did first.

Boxing is boxing, wherever you are.