I'm trying to figure out how to find a reputable muay thai gym in CT but can't figure out where to start looking. I know some people might think that you can just google it but the thing is there are a lot of con artists that start a gym but have no clue wtf their doing and I'm trying to avoid that, I have found a BJJ gym run by one of the Gracies so thats my alternative.

What's CT?

That's easy. This procedure will help you find a reputable place to train any (at least somewhat common) form of martial arts.

1) Try to find (via Google or otherwise) a worldwide recognized organization dedicated to the martial art you want to train. For Muay Thai that would be the IFMA.

2) Then try to find a national organization that is recognized by the global organization (or even is a daughter organization). For the US and Muay Thai that would be the USMF.

3) Contact the national organization and ask them for reputable gym in your vicinity. The USMF even has a list on their website. According to the list the only address for Connecticut is the Florida Kickboxing Academy.

I looked over the website and the gym is based in Florida. So then I tried the actual site listed above that and apparently theres no recognized gym in CT. I'm going to contact them directly and hope they just missed updating their list. Also the Gracie gym is over an hour away by car and thats too far and same for 10th Planet (Eddie Bravo) gym. So imma hunt down BJJ national organization.

Gracie isn't so bad, except you learn it for the sport and not for real life. :p

What do you have available for boxing/kickboxing/MMA? That's really what you'd be looking for.

Ah, not a Pokemon thread.. never mind ;)

I just googled exactly that

https://www.google.fi/?gws_rd=ssl#q=reputable+muay+thai+gym+in+CT&*

By the way, for what purpose are you trying to find a MA gym? Just wondering since you first say for muay thai, and then mention that BJJ is ok too. Those two are quite different martial arts, one is almost exclusively kicking and boxing, the other is quite much wrestling.

Also are you going to compete? At least here the muay thai schools seem to pretty much expect you to start competing, they are less interested in teaching someone who just wants a workout, or "learn it for self-defense" (not sure if it is different in US). I think it is a pretty similar case for BJJ schools here, they are also quite competitive.

If you want more about learning self-defense, I suggest e.g. some krav maga or defendo school (civilian krav maga more leaning to personal self-defense (e.g. hit and run), and defendo a bit more to guards/policemen, how to control people etc.). At least here most of them train also some sort of MMA (competitive) on the side, which you may optionally attend.

It should be noted that, in my experience, "martial arts for real life" often serves to get you in court or jail more than anything else.

Nuh uh!

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/61/a7/3d/61a73de46f2659a83bee89de5059710f.jpg

I mean that they teach you BJJ by the rules. That means no finger bending, eye poking, etc. - all of the things that are forbidden in a ring match. So you're not learning it for self defense on the street, you're learning it for the art form and physical training.

Not saying that it's ineffective from a skilled practitioner, but you do need to be aware of what you're getting into in my opinion.

Pumped Kitty.

I haven't practiced Krav Maga myself, but from what I see in my circles it seems to be pretty effective for civilian self-defense -- sometimes too effective, see the jail comment! But yeah, the hype is so big that every day another unqualified trainer crops up no doubt. On the other hand, the above reasoning somewhat makes sense to me, competitive Krav Maga sounds like an oxymoron, no?

People also tell me that training sessions don't feel like workouts (say, unlike BJJ), but more like getting the shit beaten out of you :)

If you want to see it for yourself these 2 guys brave the frontier https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bt8w92ilbVM

It's worth the watch. :D

I am unsure if krav maga taught in US is different (I think you at least have some kind of color belt system that European (or at least Finnish) krav maga schools don't have, and it may be you belong to a different international krav maga organizaion), but at least to me the stuff they teach in krav maga here makes sense and is realistic (I have quite long history in several martial arts).

For comparison, I won't claim the same for e.g. Bujinkan budo taijutsu which I've practised too (and in which there is no competitions either). I feel BBT is much harder (but not impossible) to apply to real life situations, it is simply harder to learn.

The reason there are no competitions in e.g. krav maga is rather simple to me. For one thing, in competitive arts you are taught to handle one adversary at a time, e.g. in Brazilian Ju Jutsu you try to get get control choke of that one adversary on the ground, and that's it. You don't have to care about situations like "what if he has a friend standing on the side, is it really a good idea then to just wrestle with one guy?".

Also, self-defense arts like krav maga might teach that unless there is a pressing reason to do so, you should try to run away. Like, a series of hits to the assailant, and then run away. How do you compete with something like that?


Anyway, as you said you are not really looking for self-defense, then maybe krav maga/defendo is not your thing. I think in something like muay thai or BJJ you'll get a better workout overall.