[craigepo]

When I was a kid, my folks sent me to a traditional karate school. A few years later, my first day in a Thai boxing gym saw me get my ass stomped. I learned more in my first month at the Thai gym than I had in years with the traditional stuff.

To learn to fight, a person has to actually fight. Somebody can tell you to keep your hands up, but the best teacher is fighting some quick bastard with a good jab who sends you home with a bloody nose. Want to learn how to check a leg kick? Get dropped from leg kicks and you will figure it out in a hurry, or else learn how to deal with deep thigh bruises on a daily basis. Traditional martial arts usually don't have enough contact to teach people what they need to know.

Your situation is pretty tough, not having a good place to train nearby. Like WD said, a good MMA school is hard to beat, the problem being they are not ubiquitous.

If there was a good school within 30 miles, she would get a lot more out of going there on Saturday than she will being taught junk 3 nights a week close to home. In the old days, there was always an old Golden Glove or military boxer in every small town who could teach the kids. Those days are gone.

Maybe if she is at least getting good workouts in, you can let her know that she is just in phase 1, getting the athletic parts down. Phase 2 can come later when a good teacher becomes available.