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Gonna be starting MMA soon...

4K views 13 replies 13 participants last post by  cholodeamor 
#1 ·
I am going to start going to MMA classes soon. I'm nervous but scared at the same time. Some guy I talked to said that everyone there is bigger than me. I am 17 years old, 5'7" and 130 pounds. I'm tiny haha, but I can hold my own. I grapple and box with my friends sometimes and they are all 145+ pounds and taller than me and I sometimes win and sometimes come close to winning. I'm just afraid that it will be innefective because I won't have anyone my size to partner up with and stuff. Ugh... I hate being small lol...
 
#2 ·
I wouldnt worry if i were you. There are actually pro MMA fighters your size and even some that are shorter or lighter than you in some organizations, such as WEC (owned by the same people who own UFC but WEC focuses on the lighter weight classes).

Don't worry about rolling with people larger than you, it's about learning not about dominating. But if you gain some size some day (you're only 17) or if you just eventually progress to the point where you can hang with most people who are a bit bigger than you .. then you should be even better off when you are put against people your size.

Just my 2 cents

Good luck, and have fun
 
#3 ·
I wouldnt worry about it if I were you. I've been training for coming up on 6 years in MMA and I have never had an issue. I am 6'0 180 now but was much less when I started. As JohnDough said there are pro mixed martial art fighters that are your size, some even smaller. Size is a factor but depending on what your training in it isnt. Even if you do get taken down by someone bigger and you end up on your back there is so many ways you can move around and submissions you can do from your back.(Ex Triangle Choke, Arm-bar, ect.) Don't ever let your size determine how good of a figher you think someone is or how good you think you are. Just relax and you'll get better each day, and learn more each day. Goodluck man
 
#5 ·
Dont worry man, If you are going to a half decent gym they will have people to roll with you. And a good gym wont have a huge ego.
Ecpecially if its your first time at the gym they will probly be really nice to you.
Ive never had a bad first day at any of the gyms ive trained at.
 
#6 ·
i dont have too many people where i train the same size that i am ( 5'9" 120-25 16yo) but im really flexible and use that to my advantage
 
#8 ·
So you'll fight people bigger than you.

I'm about the same size you are, and I have been the smallest guy in most martial arts classes I've trained in. So what?

You get stronger. You get faster. You get better. You have to. You're game has to evolve faster, because you're pushed harder as a result of the size disadvantage.

That's fine.

Push through it. It'll make you tougher and it'll make you better.

Don't sweat rolling with bigger people and getting your ass kicked (and you will get your ass kicked, everybody does when they start out). If there are people your size, great.

Personally, I look for bigger guys when I'm training, and I look for guys who are better than me. And I train with those guys because I know I learn more getting beat badly and seeing what I need to work on, and forcing myself to push through the pain and the weight discrepancy.

Trust me, being the little guy is great.

Being the biggest guy sucks, because you show up every day and you can coast on your strength, and then, at the match, you've gotta fight someone your own size (unless your Hong Man Choi, but that's another issue). Those guys can do great things, but (in my opinion) it's harder to progress your game as a big guy than as a little guy, because it's a necessity when you're small.
 
#9 ·
Dont worry about sparring with guys bigger than you in bjj or mma. Just man up take the punishment and push yourself to the limit. Im not a very physically strong guy but size does not matter. Especially in bjj in which everything is about leverage. Theres a guy in my class thats about 20 pounds heavier than him yet I can still submit him because of technique except I have problems with guys with exceptionally good grip strength (with purple belt level bjj) (when im not sweaty i only do nogi now). Just because youre smaller than your training partners does not mean anything. ITS NOT ABOUT THE SIZE OF THE DOG IN THE FIGHT ITS ABOUT THE SIZE OF THE FIGHT IN THE DOG
 
#10 ·
It's good to be smaller. Basically what everyone else said is right. When fight day comes around and your used to fighting people bigger and stronger than you, you will be prepared definetly. Good luck!
 
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