any fighters? muay thai? boxing? wresting? etc...

I use to fight pro muay thai and did a few pro boxing fights. I also wrestled in school and did some jujitsu. I've never met a vegan fighter in any of those disciplines before and I'm currios how it effects performance. I've only been vegan for a few months, so my experiance is limited. I've never felt better health wise, but I'd like to know how it's effected anyone else over a longer time period... years.

wow, muay thai. thats pretty crazy.

I wrestled in high school and then almost got a job with the WWF (now WWE) back in 2001, but things fell through at the last minute......which led me to bodybuilding instead.

I know a bunch of vegan athletes who do a variety of sports. I there there are some vegan boxers out there in mainstream media, I'll have to check on that.

I have excelled a bunch of sports and sometimes I make it a point to inform someone that they just got "beat by a vegan" but I do it in a nice, positive way.......you know like "man, you just got your ass kicked by someone who doesn't eat meat......how does it feel?" Just kidding, I don't do that (only to my good friends). But I do try to let people know that I'm vegan, especially when I perform well in bodybuilding, basketball, running and other sports I've done well in over the past 10 years.

When I get more names of the fighter types I'll let you know.

Wow, you guys can seriously kick arse and my arse as well. I wish I knew how to do self defense. I have no money and no way to learn. Muay Thai is pretty crazy.

Rob, I like how you tell them they got beat by a vegan. Keep on spreading the word

lol at rubbing it in their face. i was actually thinkin about making a few t-shirts like.. "you just got knocked out by a vegan" and have a meat eater vs vegan animal and human... hard to explain, but on the meat eater side there's a fat dumpy bear and his human counterpart is a beer bellied bald guy. then on the vegan side there's a ripped up muscle headed bull and his human counterpart is a thick/solid vegan body builder. at the botom would say "which would you rather be?"

what do you guys think? more for fun than anything...

I actually think that those would do more damage to us vegans. It will say that it proves their point that we are "uptight and judgemental". However they do the same so Im all for it.

Hi toothless

I did Muay Thai, too, but nowhere near professional. Unfortunately i had to quit after a severe accident and two knee surgeries I miss it.

When i turned vegan, i was prepared to lose all my muscles and thought to myself "well, now that my body building time is over, i can finally do other sports, too, without damaging my muscle gains"

So i started doing Muay Thai and Wing Chun Kung Fu (the traditional way, not the modern self defense quark) three times a week each, in addition to my body building work outs four times a week.

And you know what? I learned that becoming vegan had immensely improved my endurance without doing extra cardio training! Moreover, after a short period of muscle loss, i regained my strength and topped my old personal bests by far

Where was i? Oh yes, Muay Thai

The best martial art for self defense in my opinion. I just love it, but you have to have a good master.

i am training , becuase i love wrestling, but anyways, here in my country the wrestling is not a pupular sport, but my dream is not finished, yeah when i was 7 years old, i liked to be a WWF superstar.

now i have many goals, one is to be an security staff worker

I've been training muay thai for about a 3/4 year so I'm quite far from being pro. I used to train karate , jiu and kundo years ago, but took a long break practicing martial arts. So I'm working on getting some muscles and endurance, this just makes it less painful. And me wimpy girl has to catch up to those huge guys.

I enjoy training in martial arts also, but I've never been much for the sport side of it, it's more about self mastery for me. I've never met another veg martial artist either.

I trained in karate before moving onto freestyle and kickboxing, later kickboxing and muay thai. I have always been interested in experiencing other martial arts and the idea of cross training so I also used to supplement my training by taking classes in other arts along the way, such as capoeira, jui jitsu, boxing, wing chun.

I have recently got back into training after an 18 month break, beginning training in Kenpo and MMA.

The transition to a veg lifestyle only ever improved my performance, although I was never at a pro level. For myself a lot my 'drive' comes from being in greater awareness of my energy system which was strengthend by being a vego...

I train Jeet Kune Do, also Silat and Kali. I train between 3 - 5 hours a week, depending on how rested I am between that and weight lifting.

Glad to see other MA types here.

I did assorted stuff in past years, but am a Bjj/MMA guy now. I also do a lot of weights (always have), and was concerned also about losing size/strength.

Im only a modified vegan to best explain it, so I still get protien from cheese, milk, yogurt, eggs,- But I still dropped from 215 to 200- can't get it back yet.

I was hopin the magic formula is around the corner.....

You know I dont think you can say you are any type of vegan still eating cheese and other animal products, that really goes against the definition.

Ya, I know. That's why I stated Modified Vegan, and expressed that I had no other idea how to appropriately define such in the post that proceeded yours. I really don't know the various definitions verbatim.

I realize the entire animal industry presents it's own problems however. I tried going fully vegan, and could barely get up most days. It was a disaster for me. I couldn't function. I realize man was intended to eat meat, but my choice for changing was love of animals purely...no other reason. i'm still trying to achieve some compromise I can tolerate.

If I had the ability to run my own farmstead etc...I suppose my problem would be eliminated as I'd treat the animals in a caring manner.

Vegan ...vegitarian..Morman. I really don't give a shit definition wise. I wont kill an animal, therefore I wont eat one. Really much more a moral or ethical reason than pure alleged health benifits, but to each their own. I don't know what thats defined as....

I haven't practiced in years, but I used to do Kyokushinkai Karate (full contact, unlike shotokan and other popular systems that use protective gear and point based sparring), Kempo (my kung-fu stinks, but I was good at the karate apects of it), and a little Krav Maga. I've always wondered about muai-thai or kickboxing. I will get back to martial arts in a year when I graduate and dont have night classes at the university that eat up my time after work. I'd love to try Brazilian jiu-jitsu or other grappling type art, since I know very little about that.

Point fighting in tkd, some boxing, kick-boxing. I love all aspects of martial arts (forms, training, weapons), but sparring was always my favorite and the guys in my training center had a great variety of backgrounds. Nothing like getting punched in the nose by a muay-thai guy and fighting through the stars.

I'm doing pro-wrestling at the moment.

I'm taking Brazilian Jiu Jitsu classes and last night I had to use a dummy that was made of leather for my class Has anyone heard of any jiu jitsu dummies that are vegan (lying flat with both arms raised up) ?

Hey,

I'm doing muay thay but I'm looking to get into K1max since í think i could my veganphysique would do quite well in k1...

Anyone here into K1 or K1max?

I train in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Ive been training for about 6 months. Before that i trained in Wing Chun Kung Fu for 2 1/2 years. I have dreams of going pro in mma fighting. For me that would be great.

When i started training Brazilian Jiu Jitsu I was a "meat eater." But for the past 2months ive been vegan. And im not sure if its just a placebo effect. But im pretty sure i have more energy and I feel great. I think my Jiu Jitsu has actual improved because of my veg diet.

Anyways im glad i went vegan. There was never a better choice in my life.

I've been vegan for 6 years now and have been training for about the same length of time. I started off in Tae Kwon Do my freshman year of college, then I got into ju-jitsu. We did striking, takedowns, ground fighting and self-defense. Since graduating I've done some bjj and muay thai, but I've been sidelined a bit lately with a torn labrum in my right hip. I'm going to be starting up again soon though.

Sensei David Meyer, a BJJ blackbelt is also vegan. He did a few seminars for us about 3 years ago and after class he gave all the students a mini-lecture on nutrition and advocated a vegan diet. I went up to him after the seminar and told him how cool it was to see tough vegans. It's reassuring and empowering to see strong athletes who don't harp on and on about the necessity of eating meat for building strong bodies, and who instead advocate veganism. When I told him this his response to these guys who hype up meat was, "Bullshit! I'll break their arm." He said it in a joking tone but it was funny because it's true.

Here's a website with some info on Sensei Meyer http://www.customflix.com/204643

anyone heard of Ridgley Abele? 8th degree black belt and winner of USKA World Championship in 1983 and 1985. he is a vegan, i heard about him when i was reading Diet for a New America.

As noted by the other thread, I do capoeira.

Overall, I've practiced capoeira, kendo, TKD, aikido and hap ki do. All of them serioussly, but none of those to any real degree of proficiency. (I have a bad habit of quitting into the second year)

As noted by the other thread, I do capoeira.

 

Overall, I've practiced capoeira, kendo, TKD, aikido and hap ki do. All of them serioussly, but none of those to any real degree of proficiency. (I have a bad habit of quitting into the second year)

Can you give us some comparative insights? Similarities, differences, advantages, disadvantages.. fitness levels, learning curve for new people etc ?

As noted by the other thread, I do capoeira.

 

Overall, I've practiced capoeira, kendo, TKD, aikido and hap ki do. All of them seriously, but none of those to any real degree of proficiency. (I have a bad habit of quitting into the second year)

 

Can you give us some comparative insights? Similarities, differences, advantages, disadvantages.. fitness levels, learning curve for new people etc ?

The two taht stand out the most for me are Aikido and capoeira

Aikido is the gentle art. More gentle than judo, juijitsu, but still packs a punch. There are few strikes of any kind (in some forms of Aikido there are none at all) and mostly focus on proper movement rather than strength. The whole point is to move from your center of energy so that you expend as little of your own energy as possible. If your energy is strong enough, you can throw without touching a person. (You're not throwing them through the air like telekenises, but you can make them fall. I once saw a demo where my sensei, George Simcox, R.I.P., drop an attacker by bowing at him). Strength is almost a detrement in training becuase if you get used to throwing without leverage, center, or ki if and when you lose that strength you've also lost your aboility to perform the art. It's "maturation" time is far longer than other martial arts and you can expect to gain [black belt] rank at a good school in about 10 to 15 years of study. It's a great compliment to many other martial arts out there.

Capoeira is a very interesting sport with a very rich history, and requires the most physical training of all the martial arts I've done. In play there is no contact and is very jovial. There is a great sense of community and the people are very freindly and inclusive. It's often said that capoeira isn't good for self defense but I'll attest that the claim is a load of hogwash. I've seen my maestre get into a fight and knock a guy out (at a party that went sour.) Also, in the 1970 gangs trained in capoeira so heavily that police members had a hard time against them trying to fight back against such well trained combatants. The police eventually had to start training themselves in capoeira to be able to fight back. This martial art is very romanticized for it's flips and acrobatics, which is what necesitates the heavy training. Expect to sweat and expect strong glutes. Train your upper body particularly your whole back, abs, sides, triceps and shoulders. You'll get proficient quickly, and will love playing, but getting higher in the ranks may take some time. Keep playing in the roda (sparring) and you'll do fine.

Kendo is very fun and is a sport/ competition art. About the only self defense you'll get out of it is learning to hit people quickly with a stick and a general combat sense (you won't blank out in the fight.) Heavy cardio if done right. A lot of emphasis on proper form. Lighting fast when done right.

Tae kwon Do has two versions. The McDojo version (one at every strip mall) and hardcore sport version. If the people practicing have floppy limbs, lose balance easily, look out of shape or breath while doing it, chances are you're in the McDojo (you'd you like fries with your blackbelt?) The harcore version trains you hard. Lot's of emphasis on form and are anything but sloppy. They bounce while sparring and when they kick you can tell they mean it. I used to practice with a Korean grandmaster and afterward some crazy Jamaican guys. (Jamaicans and Morrocans are intense in their martial arts.) You'll learn fast in this sport with a good instructor. 5 years to a black belt on average. Good for self defense after ALOT of practice. Many stunt actors and Wuxia actors are TKD trained.

I did Hap Ki Do before TKD. It's alot like aikido with short range kicks thrown in. Where it differs from aikido is that it's anything but gentle on the opponent. You'll see kicks, breaks, pins, strikes, holds, take downs throws and the like. It's been a while since I've done this so I've forgotten much of it.

In general, stretch ALOT for any martial art, learn to fall, and beware of white belts, their inexperience makes them more dangerous than black belts.

I hope this helped. Let me know if you have any other questions.