HOW TO GET INTO MMA?
Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) is one of the fastest-growing sports on the planet; captivating the world’s attention with power, athleticism and raw excitement. Thanks to that attention you, a friend or a family member may now find yourself asking the question, “How do I get started in training MMA?”
In this article we will break down step-by-step how to get into MMA, but also how to progress and accelerate your development. Whether you dream of becoming a top fighter or just want to learn a new skill, you will find all the advice you need in this guide.
Although similar to other striking sports, the process of becoming an MMA fighter is truly unique.
We will break down how to get into MMA by walking through the following 6 step process:
- Understanding the Three Main Areas of Fighting
- Reflect On What You Want To Achieve
- Do your Due Diligence
- Train Smart
- Get The Right Gear
- Get Amateur Experience
- Learn To Self-Promote
But first, it is essential to briefly explain the history of the sport and how certain martial art disciplines emerged as dominant.
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A brief look into the origins of Mixed Martial Arts:
Long gone are the days of the stereotypical bar-room-brawlers competing in MMA. Today, MMA fighters are some of the most disciplined, mild-mannered, hard-working and talented athletes on the planet. When the sport began in the early 1990’s the fighter pool was widely occupied with large, testosterone-fueled brawlers with no formal training in any combat sports. Who would win in a fight between a wrestler and a boxer? A Muay Thai fighter and a karate practitioner? Which martial artist would triumph above all others when placed in a fighting arena with no weight classes and only three rules; No groin strikes, eye gouging or biting. As the sport developed in the mid-1990’s we saw wrestling, boxing/kickboxing and the newly surfacing martial art of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu emerge as the dominant forms of fighting. Never had a man of smaller stature been able to defeat a man much larger and stronger until Royce Gracie came along and won the very first UFC tournament; UFC 1.At only 176 pounds Royce was successful in submitting Kimo, the 240-pound Taekwondo black belt, thus shattering all notions that the bigger fighter would always win. Royce’s success in the UFC launched Brazilian Jiu Jitsu to the forefront of MMA training. Brazilian Jiu Jitsu to this day remains one of the core disciplines of MMA and is a must if you want to become an MMA fighter.
1) Understanding the Three Main Areas of Fighting
If you are someone who is wondering how to get into MMA, getting started in your training can seem overwhelming. There are many martial art disciplines that you can devote your time to learning. However, let’s break down MMA fighting into its three main areas:- Stand-up: Fighting that occurs while both opponents are standing on their feet and trade strikes with hands, feet, elbows and knees.
- Clinch: Although both fighters are still standing, the clinch differs from stand-up training in that the fighters are body-to-body, holding one another fighting for position and leverage rather than delivering strikes necessarily.
- Ground: As you can assume, this refers to all fighting occurring on the ground.
What martial art is relevant in each of the three areas of fighting?
Stand-up fighting disciplines:
- Boxing
- Kickboxing
- Muay Thai
- Karate
- Taekwondo
Clinch Fighting disciplines:
- Muay Thai
- Kickboxing
- Wrestling
- Judo
- Jiu Jitsu
Ground Fighting disciplines:
- Jiu Jitsu
- Wrestling
- Judo
As someone just starting mixed martial arts training, you should spend a large percentage of your time dedicated to Jiu Jitsu and Wrestling. A strong understanding of these will be essential if you want to become an MMA fighter.
Jiu-Jitsu will teach you submissions, body control and defense on the ground. You should devote a large amount of time to this discipline.
Besides, Wrestling is incredibly effective in learning how to control your opponent’s body and how to take opponents to the ground.
It is nearly impossible to survive as a professional MMA fighter unless you are well-rounded in all areas of fighting. However, it’s important to note most professional MMA fighters began training at a young age and are specialized in one of the martial arts listed above.
It is very common to see professional fighters who rooted their foundation with years, even decades, specializing and competing in only one of the above martial arts. It is only after this that they begin to learn the other areas of fighting and become a well-rounded professional MMA fighter.
As the sport continues to develop this trend has begun to change. We now see the next generation of fighters going straight into MMA gyms rather than first competing in High School wrestling or competing in Jiu Jitsu or Kickboxing tournaments.
To summarize the above, the most essential martial arts in Stand-Up, Clinch and Ground fighting for beginners to learn are:
- Boxing/Kickboxing
- Muay Thai
- Jiu Jitsu
- Wrestling
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2) Reflect on what you want to achieve
So what comes next? Reflect: Take some time to reflect on your reasons for wanting to become an MMA fighter. Your personal goals to begin training will determine the gym you choose and type of training you will undergo. Maybe you are incredibly passionate and want to pursue MMA to become a professional fighter. Maybe you love watching the sport and you want to take up training simply to get in shape and work out regularly. Whatever your reason may be, it’s important to sort this out first so that you can have that discussion with your coach or instructors. If you want to compete and turn pro, your instructors, coaches and teammates will treat you differently than if you’re somebody who just wants to learn Jiu Jitsu and get a good sweat in.3) Do your Due Diligence
Once you have decided on your end-goal in beginning your training in MMA, get online and research your local gyms. Each gym will have different martial arts classes at different times. Some may offer a Muay Thai class at 6 am while another at 8 pm. Most gyms will post their current class schedule with time slots online. Take a look and see which gym and its classes best fit your schedule. Find out if they focus more on one particular martial art. Ask around, speak with the head coach and find out what the foundation of the gym is. Many gyms will be opened by an ex-professional fighter who specialized in one martial art (let’s say kickboxing or Jiu Jitsu). The gym may tend to put a heavy emphasis on one martial art in particular. If you love Jiu Jitsu and the owner of the gym is a Jiu Jitsu black belt who used to compete, this will make a great fit for you. However, if your someone looking to become very well-rounded you will want to find a gym that offers a well-rounded class schedule with experienced coaches for each martial art. Drop in on classes! Before shelling out the $200-$400 per month on a membership, drop in on each class offered. Most reputable gyms will allow you a 1-2 week period where you can try it out free of charge. Make sure you try out all classes they offer; Jiu Jitsu, Muay Thai, Kickboxing etc. You want to get a feel for how they teach each martial art and how good the instructors are. You don’t want to only try the Jiu Jitsu class, sign up for a year only to find out the guy/gal who teaches the Muay Thai class never shows up or isn’t experienced enough to teach! Get to know your classmates and their skill levels. If the instructors are world-class, but you don’t have competitive classmates to train and spar with, this will be a huge setback in your training to become an MMA fighter.4) Train Smart
5) Get The Right Gear
Unlike other sports you can actually get started in MMA with no gear, just shorts and a t-shirt. But that means you’re probably going to be using some dirty old gloves, and shin guards that are lying around the gym and have been worn by 100 other random dudes.
So if you’ve been to a few training sessions and decided that MMA is the sport for you, then it’s right to get some of your own gear. Getting kitted out doesn’t have to break the bank, there’s a bunch of great brands that offer cheap training gear likes gloves, shin guards, head guards, and hand wraps.
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6) Get Amateur Experience
It is important to never take a fight until you and your coaches agree that you are ready. Mixed Martial Arts is an incredible sport that promotes a hard work and a healthy lifestyle, however, the consequences when competing can be dire.
Never rush into competing. You should speak with your coaches and have a timeline while frequently checking in on your abilities and how you are progressing.
Once you are ready to take your first fight, competing at the amateur level in your local circuit will be the next step. If your goal is to eventually turn pro, take your time. It’s important to get as much amateur experience as possible.
Once you turn pro, you cannot compete again as an amateur. It is not uncommon to see MMA amateur records of 2-2 or 3-0 turning pro. Where an amateur boxer may have 100-200 fights. MMA is not like other professional sports, it doesn’t have the same depth in breeding grounds.
Take your time while climbing up the ranks. You want as much experience as you can get before turning pro to protect both your safety and professional record.
7) Learn to Self-Promote
Being a professional MMA fighter is unique in that showmanship and self-promotion are vital to your career AND pay grade. Your worth as a professional fighter (and in turn your pay) is only as much as the number of butts you can put in seats.
Set up social media platforms to share your life and story with as many people and fans as you can. Leverage social media to call out other fighters and ‘talk’ your way into higher profile fights.
It isn’t so important to get the fans to like or love you. People will tune in just as much for fighters they hate as for fighters they love. Whether they love you or hate you, the important thing is that they care enough to tune in to either see you win or see you lose.
Conclusions
So you’ve read through the information and are no longer wondering how to get into MMA. You’re ready to take the first step and get the ball rolling! Just remember the 6 steps listed above:
- Understanding the three main areas of Fighting
- Reflect
- Do your Due Diligence
- Train Smart
- Get Amateur Experience
- Self-Promote
Becoming an MMA fighter takes hard work and a lifetime of dedication. If you love the sport, if you love to compete and you’re ready to begin, there’s no better time than right now to get involved in the world’s fastest growing and most electrifying sport!
marios stephanou
23 Oct 2018i’m thirsty for kicking some ass
Ntai
28 Nov 2018Um ready…
Carli
1 Dec 2018This was very informative, thank you.
joey
17 Dec 2018thank you for all of the help