Hattons Gym Manchester

And MMA is not a sport. Oh wait..

 

Hmm.. well two things here (well three if you're patient)

1) Martial Arts academies in China (Kung Fu) often teach 'western style' boxing as some of their first lessons as being one of the easiest techniques to teach the basics of self defense and unarmed combat, ie it's about the quickest way to get someone to level of being able to at least put up a fight in threatening situation.

2) Distance running will build some strength but road work is mainly used for developing stamina (which is vitally important as fighting is one of the most exhausting things you can do), however other types of running like interval sprints etc DO very definitely build leg strength.

3) and finally. To the OP - do you mean the Hatton Gym in Hyde, on Market St? AFAIK it is the only Hatton Gym. Can't give you advice on how good it is but I used to live just round the corner (though they were just knocking down the printworks which it replaced when I moved). I also had a few friends (and nearly ended up) in the bail hostel directly opposite the gym - which I'm assuming is still there, though I've not been back in the better part of 10 years.

Gotta say it looks like quite a flash gym, though you may end up paying a premium for the name value

 

Koba hate to break it to you but kung fu is a fake martial arts, its not practical for street fighting, bruce lee already stated this it doesnt work.

Things that will work in a street fight/self defense or a cage fight, Boxing, Judo, Ju Jitsu, Wrestling, Muay thai, kickboxing this is called MMA.

 

Don't get me wrong, I wasn't ascribing to or recommending Kung Fu (which I also view as if not actually 'fake' more as a fairly randomly chosen mixture of styles). My foundation was in Judo then some Taekwondo and Boxing.

I was merely pointing out that the academies teach many different styles but seem to advocate Boxing as the easiest to teach to obtain quick results and FWIW when the time comes to teach my little boy to fight properly, I'll probably start with boxing.

Myself I tend to like to get to the ground quickly when it's one on one (at least used to... my fighting days are.. hopefully... long behind me), but bringing a guy down and putting a lock or hold on him becomes problematic (as I found out young) when 3 of his mates are kicking f#ck out of your head and back - hence the subsequent progression to the more vertical martial arts.

Furthermore Boxing is a good sport for introducing the inexperienced to the concept of getting hit (especially in the face which is tough for many people).

Many martial arts are barely contact sports at all, and it's quite possible to progress a long way in Judo, Karate or Taekwondo without ever knowing how you'll respond when some f#cker punches you in the face. Boxing is good for that IMO.

EDIT: And no, you didn't 'hate' to break it to me. Your post has exactly the tone of a smug cunt taking pleasure in talking down to an imbecile. TBH I think you were rather enjoying yourself.:good

 

Your posts are getting beyond desperate. :roll:

MMA is a sport, no issue there. But MMA has a far greater variety of techniques that are viable in self defence than boxing. Boxing is purely a sport where you are very limited in what you can do.

It's not difficult to understand.

 

I'm not sure that I should break in to what has very obviously become a personal argument, but as I find myself saying all too often recently on ESB - you're both right.

The fundamentals of boxing are relatively quick and easy to teach, and boxing is particularly good at acclimatising people to violence (especially the shock of getting punched in the face). However throwing / grappling styles are actually generally more functional in self defense overall though they take longer to teach up to the level where they become effective in practical self defense situations.

 

i agree teaching boxing is simplest way to defend yourself against average opponents on the street, but takes years to get great at it, the objective is to not get hit in boxing, not to take punches one clean punch could seriously injur you cause unconciousness and concussions from a decent puncher. So if your hard to hit this becomes very useful.

id also say that a great greco roman wrestler or judo/jiu jitsu black belt woull beat most boxers in a street fight providing they dont connect with there fist first.
E.g james toney vs randy couture
There is no ref in a street fight to break them from holding and grappling like in a boxing match.
But a good puncher will 8/10 end it with one clean punch causing the brain to shake.
Theres other factors as well, i think lenny mcclean said always keep yourself as fit and as strong as possible if your fitter and stronger than the other guy your always on top of him. Muscles can get tired quickly in a street fight.