Fighter Diary

This is a Diary of my experiences training at a Mixed Martial Arts School. I dabbled in wrestling back in middle school, but when a broken hand followed by a broken arm put me out for the season, I switched to chess and never looked back. In college I tried MMA for 2 weeks but couldn't commit to it while working and going to school. Luckily I no longer have school, or a job, and have decided to give MMA everything I have for as long as I can afford it, physically and financially.

Week One:
The gym I have chosen offers Muay Thai kick boxing, Gracie Jiu-Jitsu, Conditioning, Mixed Martial Arts, and three self defense classes focusing on defense against attackers with a gun, knife, stick, or baseball bat . I am going to as many classes as my body will let me since my membership includes as many classes as I can take.
The first week was brutal. I used to be a body builder crossed with a power lifter and I can honestly say I have never been this sore. I started class on a Tuesday and had an hour of Mixed Martial Arts, which puts together every kind of attack that is legal in the United States, and hour of conditioning in the morning. In the evening it was an hour of Muay Thai and an hour of Jiu-Jitsu. The rest of the week was basically the same, with between 2 and 4 hours of training everyday except Sunday.
This is definitely harder than college. There are so many moves to learn, and so much training for my body, I've never had to put the two together at such a fast pace. From learning how to wear my clothes, to how to go from being strangled into breaking someones arm, my brain is like a sponge. At home I am constantly seeing punch and knee combinations, submission attacks, and footwork drills in my mind.
Half way through the week I could feel my body crashing, and along with it my ability to maintain my form. Its really tough to learn when you are cut up and exhausted. But I know I have to push myself.
This week the more experienced guys are laughing at me. When I get thrown in to spar with them I don't really know much so I resort to the street fighting and brute strength tactics I've used my whole life. They keep telling me to take it easy and I am trying to change my attitude. I know in a couple of months there will be other new guys and I'll remember what it was like to know nothing about my body and how to use it as a controlled weapon.
Hopefully next week I'll start to adapt and my body will hang in there longer so my mind can learn more. Its been a draining, but enlightening week. If I can change my attitude away from brute force, I will really be able to learn something here and change my body in a way I never pictured.