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Intro to Shanghai MMA

Three schools to hone the killing arts - By Willow Neilson, Jan 12, 10

The sport of mixed martial arts (MMA) is growing in popularity and practice worldwide. It is not surprising that China, a country famed for its contributions to the martial arts, is also beginning to see a marked increase in demand for training spaces and MMA events, nationwide.

Here in Shanghai, the popularity of foreign martial arts is growing, as evidenced by the expansion of two existing schools -- Oz Body Fit Muay Thai, the Shanghai Brazilian Jiu Jitsu academy -- as well as with the newly opened Sai Rui MMA fitness club. All three schools are highly active, already hosting fight events, demonstrations, and special training opportunities. Below is a little introduction and contact information on these three schools in Shanghai and what they’re doing.

Some Basics

But first a few basics: MMA makes use of both “striking” and “grappling” arts.

Muay Thai, Karate, Kung Fu, boxing and kickboxing are seen as "striking" arts, and used for "stand up" exchanges, meaning fighters attack one another from standing positions with punches, kicks, knees and elbows.

Jiu Jitsu, Judo and wrestling are seen as "grappling" arts, wherein opponents grab each other for throws or locks, with the objective being to take the opponent to the ground and pin them or "submit" them, meaning to put them in a joint lock or choke until they demonstrate defeat by “tapping out” -- the universal signal of saying "you got me, this is starting to hurt, please stop."

Out of these striking and grappling arts, thai kickboxing, or Muay Thai and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu have become staples in the arsenal of fighters in mixed martial arts leagues such as Art of War (China), The Ultimate Fighting Competition (USA), Dream and Pride (Japan). Both martial arts have highly effective training techniques that compliment one another to form a well-rounded fighting style.

Here are three schools in Shanghai that offer classes and traning programs in Muy Thai and/or Brazillian Jui Jitsu.

Schools in Shanghai

Oz Body Fit Muay Thai

Tomer Oz, of Oz Body Fit Muay Thai, opened the first dedicated Muay Thai gym in Shanghai, and due to the increase in enrolment, he’s had to knock down a neighbouring wall to expand the gym. He's now got a punching bag room and standard boxing ring.

Tomer's gym provides the opportunity for a new student to train in Muay Thai up to six times a week, with beginner, advanced and mixed level classes. Students learn kicks, punches, knees, and elbow strikes by kicking thick Thai pads (padded rectangular pads that are strapped to the arm, held by a partner). Those looking for a strong cardio workout would find Tomer's gym ideal. After a thorough stretching session, the cardio conditioning begins with various exercises that are designed to work muscles to assist the motions used in the martial art, and at the same time as getting the heart pumping. Students are then shown how to combine strikes, drilling these combinations on the Thai pads.

For those not interested in "fighting", sparring is optional and held every Wednesday night after usual class times. The majority of the regular classes are designed to hone your skills whereas the sparring class is where you can apply those skills in a "fight". Thai fighters and western boxers have developed a lot of safety gear, such as shin pads, head guards and thickly padded boxing gloves that minimize much of the damage that the strike can cause. Nobody wants an injury and no teacher wants an injured student (if they can’t train they don’t pay), so sparring can be very light depending on the boundaries the two people and their trainer set for themselves.

I, personally, have enjoyed training at Tomer Oz's gym for nearly two years now. The training there has always pushed me to improve and the results of regular training have been very satisfying. There is a nice group of people who train at the gym, a fairly balanced mix of men and women, and a complete lack of testosterone-fuelled aggressive people -- all the aggression gets taken out on the pads and bags, poor things.

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Shanghai Brazilian Jiu Jitsu

The Shanghai Brazilian Jiu Jitsu school, as it's name implies, focuses primarily upon the style of Jiu Jitsu as developed by Brazilian martial artists such as the Gracie brothers, a team of brothers whose innovations on martial art proved highly effective against all other martial arts opponents in the earlier eras of the UFC.

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, or BJJ as the name implies (very important to make sure there is two Js so people don't misunderstand your intentions) focuses on "take downs" (where one uses moves to take an opponent to the ground) and using leverage to attain dominant positions leading to "submissions" where one threatens their opponent with a broken joint, passing out from asphyxiation or a torn muscle.

Shanghai BJJ has recently moved to a much larger venue within the second Bridge 8 complex on Jumen Lu, boasting the largest training space in Shanghai. We went to their first day of training in the new venue, and it was evident how popular this martial art has become in Shanghai. There was a small army of martial arts students, both men and women, wrestling on the new padded mats (ah that new mat smell).

The Shanghai BJJ School is very structured in their teaching approach. They have a syllabus that rotates every three months to ensure that every new student learns the basic positions and techniques of BJJ. Monday through Saturday these classes are repeated, as repetition is key to absorbing techniques, but also it's for if you missed out on a class. The schedule each day begins with an hour of beginner’s class followed by the open class, and then "open mat" which is the time people can spar -- or "roll" as they call it -- and practice applying techniques with a partner.

The other advantage of the "open mat” system is that you can work out on the punching bags or do your own strength and conditioning workout outside of the main mat area. The venue is so large that it accommodates many people practicing different things at once. This being said, most people at the school are very serious about practicing BJJ predominantly.

The school also teaches classes besides Jiu Jitsu. Twice weekly there is MMA striking which is a combination of Thai boxing, western boxing and Chinese San Da .The school has also begun self-defense classes, focusing on the Gracie Combatives syllabus that was designed for the US Army, and also kettle bell fitness classes, a type of weight that is used with a series of movements to strengthen and tone the whole body.

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Sai Rui MMA Fitness Club

Oz Body Fit Muay Thai and Shanghai BJJ are two very good schools that specialize in their chosen disciplines primarily. If you're looking for an evenly divided amount of time learning both grappling and striking techniques, check out the newly-opened Sai Rui MMA Fitness Club. Classes are evenly divided between grappling and striking techniques with the trainers -- both experienced MMA fighters -- having a diverse background of experience in both Jiu Jitsu and Muay Thai, as well as Karate, Hapkido, Tae Kwondo, Judo, and American kickboxing.

This school really mixes up the mixed martial arts, combining techniques from the teachers' diverse training backgrounds. There is an emphasis on keeping students mindful of protecting themselves against strikes while grappling, and of protecting against takedowns whilst striking. Their school has a full sized replica of the Ultimate Fighting Championship octagon cage with plenty of other spaces such as a bag room and matted areas to train in.

Sai Rui MMA Fitness Club is very new and is slowly building their base of teachers and students. They’ve also got a separate space to the main gym where Chinese Kung Fu, yoga, pilates, and aerobics will be taught. The availability of classes besides martial arts makes this school ideal for those with partners who want to exercise, and are looking for more complete fitness training opportunities. The martial arts teachers will also be running fitness classes using kettle bells and pilates balls for building strength and cardio.

One of the big pluses of Sai Rui is that the trainers have diverse martial arts backgrounds. The school gets its name from the abbreviation of the two founders’ Chinese names, Sai and Rui. The former has a black belt in Karate, Hapkido, a blue belt in BJJ and Judo, and also boasts experience as a MMA fighter. The later is a black belt in Tae Kwondo and holds intermediate ranks in Shotokan Karate, Budoshin Jiu Jitsu, Capoeira, and Kobudo, whilst also competing in American kickboxing and MMA fights.

Shanghai BJJ and Oz Body Fit are great for exploring a specific area of martial arts, and Sai Rui is great for their emphasis on developing general skills in all areas of martial arts.

Activities in the Larger MMA Community

Regardless of your level, all schools have very high quality training in their chosen areas. All of the teachers at these martial arts schools are experienced practitioners, fighting in professional fights internationally as well as competing successfully in specific grappling competitions, and they are all active in promoting MMA in China. Sai Rui school has organized two MMA events in Shanghai already, Oz body fit plans to hold demonstration fights in their newly expanded gym, and Shanghai BJJ regularly take their students to BJJ competitions around Asia.

One of the great things about training in Shanghai is that all of the people I have trained with have been very fun to work with. There are a surprising number of people that are really taking these sports seriously, training regularly, but at the same time having fun. I have been lucky to have never found myself at the hands of anyone that made me fear for my safety through their reckless approach to training and there is a good balance of focus and light heartedness.

Whether you are looking to feel more secure in your ability to protect yourself, are looking for a more interactive and fun way of working out than going to a conventional gym, want to live out your Kung Fu movie fantasies, or are in training to avenge the death of your loved ones, there are a wealth of highly effective training opportunities available that will make you strong and fit, while developing your skills in martial arts.

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Pictures with this article were taken from the respective schools' webpages. The very first one is from Tomer Oz. For more info on any of the schools check out their webpages -- membership fees, schedules, news blogs, and more.

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