MMA Shorts

Most mixed martial arts shorts are of a similar cut to board shorts, popularly used by surfers. MMA shorts are usually made with synthetic materials that won’t soak up moisture like cotton or linen. Good MMA shorts will be made with strong materials and cover the greater portion of the hips and thighs. Look for MMA shorts with official sponsors of your favorite MMA organizations and fighters by getting official MMA fighter shorts.

MMA Jujitsu Gi

The gi uniform first originated in Japan, and is currently worn by many martial arts practitioners, such as karate students and judokas. When jujitsu was brought to the Gracie family, they assumed the judo gi as their clothing of choice for sweaty and aggressive training sessions. Currently, jujitsu gi’s are still used by many MMA practitioners in their daily training, as it provides important coverage to their skin on abrasive surfaces including training mats and their opponent’s body. Look for brazilian jujitsu gi’s that are constructed from thick and heavy cotton fabric. Jujitsu gi’s must be sewn with strong threads so they are not torn in training or competition.

MMA Rash Guards

Rash guards are useful to wear during sweaty training sessions that involve abrasive contact to the skin. In other words, they are perfect for jujitsu, submission wrestling, and all forms of ground fighting.

Rash guards are typically made with synthetic fabrics. Nylon is excellent for repelling water, and is commonly used in the construction of rash guards. Unlike the heavy cotton gi’s worn by traditional jujitsu artists, rash guards will not hold sweat, and the wearer will not feel soaked or uncomfortably heavy during vigorous training. Rash guards are designed to hug the body, and are worn skintight. The benefits of wearing a rash guard is that it protects the skin from cuts and infections, and unlike loose clothing, cannot be grabbed by a competitor or become entangled during a match. Rash guards come in short or long sleeved fits, and can come emblazoned with official MMA sponsor logos and fighter’s designs. You can think of a rash guard as a second skin that will help protect you during regular training. They are an important piece of MMA equipment that many fighters would not train without.

Cardio Exercises for MMA

Jogging is another popular activity for fighters. Jogging is highly effective at improving cardio, but many people discover that they are prone to getting painful shin splints from regular running. If you have naturally large or tight calve muscles, you may be more at risk for developing this problem.

Cycling has similar benefits to jogging, but removes the hard impact felt by runners on their joints. This is why many shin split suffers choose to ride a bike in place of jogging.

Elliptical jogging machines have lately become a popular hybrid of cycling and jogging machines. These machines conduct a motion that produces zero impact, yet delivers arm resistance and greater leg strides than what is offered by treadmills. Because of their versatility, elliptical machines have become an important piece of MMA equipment for trainers and fighters.

Strength Training

Any serious mixed martial arts fighter will train for strength as part of their regular workout routine. Typically, many fighters start at a weight gym, and lift weights according to their goals. Some will choose less repetitions and more weight as a means to bulk up and produce more explosive power, while others will do the opposite to cultivate better stamina. Unique to MMA, many fighters insist on using non-orthodox strength techniques to acquire abilities specifically for MMA fighting. These may include lifting heavy objects like tractor tires and sledge hammers. Fighters may also use elastic bands to provide resistance while doing bag work, or squeezing basketballs to simulate choke holds. With MMA, the options are open for fighters to find what works best for them. As the sport matures, new training methods are being discovered all the time.

Gym Essentials and Equipment

A proper MMA gym should have all the equipment you will need to condition the body and learn fighting skills suited for mixed martial arts. Such equipment should include essentials like padding flooring, a ring or cage, mirrored walls and a variety of heavy bags.

Heavy bags, which are sometimes known as punching bags, are very important for learning how to strike. Unlike in boxing, the training bag should be long enough to reach the floor so that low kicks can be delivered at thigh level. A gym’s heavy bags should also be in good condition so that the force of the strike is absorbed and returned in a comfortable manner.

Hand mitts are another item you should expect to find at any decent MMA gym. Hand mitts are used by a trainer to absorbed punches. Although punching bags can also be used for this purpose, hand mitts better simulate the target zones of the opponent during a fight, and allow the instructor to direct punches with much greater accuracy. Usually, a coach will call out punch combinations while moving the hand mits to the corresponding target zones. This trains the fighter to coordinate a sequence of strikes in rapid succession. With frequent training, a fighter’s response time, accuracy, balance and power will all benefit from this style of training.

The most popular techniques that produce submissions are joint locks and choke holds. Joint locks are usually credited with the jujitsu or Brazilian jujitsu style of fighting. These moves are performed by applying leverage to an opponents joints in the opposite direction that the joint is meant bend. If enough force is applied, an opponent’s joint can become broken or displaced resulting in extreme pain. Broken bones can also result from a successful joint lock that goes too far.

Jujitsu Chokes

Chokes to the neck are also another way that a fighter can get his opponent to submit. Chokes cut off either the circulation to the head, or the air supply to the lungs. Chokes can be performed by the attacker’s arms or legs, and are a frequent cause for fights to end. Because of jujitsu’s dominance in MMA, submission defense has been an essential skill for all fighters to master. Submission defense involves removing an opponent’s choke or joint lock before the pressure of the submission forces one to tap. By simulating high-risk situations where an attacker is already in a position to perform a fight-ending submission, MMA fighters can learn the precise body movements to escape such situations.

MMA Mouth Guard

When ground fighting, even during jujitsu-only rolling sessions, it is common for fighter’s to be accidentally hit by their opponent’s limbs or head when struggling for positions. It is therefore recommended that practitioners wear a mouth guard while grappling, as hits to the jaw are a frequent cause of damage to one’s teeth. In addition, wearing a mouth guard while training, teaches an MMA fighter to control their breath, and simulates the same condition they will be in during an actual competition. Make sure to add a high quality mouth guard to your list of necessary MMA equipment.

Kneeing in The Clinch

Skilled fighters may be able to knee their opponent from the clinch position. When neither opponent has their arms free, knees can be delivered to the outside and inside of an opponent’s thigh, but a fighter must be careful not to strike the groin region. This why it is especially important for every fighter to wear standard MMA equipment, like a groin cup. If a fighter has control over their opponent’s upper body, knees can be delivered to their stomach, kidney and solar plexus region. Furthermore, if a fighter can control an opponent’s head, they may be able to delivery a devastating knee to the face. Such techniques are often seen in Muay Thai.

Clinches are usually terminated when one or both fighters fall to the ground, or the clinch is naturally broken by either fighter, or a referee separates the fighters, usually for lack of action.
Learning how to strike from the clinch has become an essential skill for MMA fighters to learn, as it is a newer skill that many fighters do not have much experience using.

Typically, a fighter who wishes to take the fight to the ground will go for a single or double leg takedown. These techniques involve lowering the body to where the shoulders are level to an opponent’s hips. Next, the attacker drives forward, as they grab the opponents legs behind the knees. If performed right, the attacker will disrupt the opponent’s balance, sending the competitor to the ground on his back.

In addition to Greco-roman wrestling, Judo has also appeared in MMA as a useful style for controlling and bringing fighters to the ground. Because many MMA fighters spend considerable time in the clinch position, Judo hip throws and leg trips can be utilized to catch an opponent off guard, and send them flying to the ground. One caveat with Judo, however, is that traditionally, Judo is performed whilst wearing a gi. Due to the enforced standardization of MMA equipment in most competitive events, such as the UFC, gi’s, or other types of uniforms are not allowed in MMA. For a mixed martial artist to effectively use Judo, they must alter their training so that their techniques can be performed without grabbing an opponents clothing.

Strikes can be kicks with the foot and shin, punches that are similar to boxing, knees borrowed from Muay Thai and karate, and elbows. Fighters who are most proficient in striking will naturally want to keep the fight in a stand-up position. Often, these fighters will find themselves threatened by their opponent’s takedown attempts. It is therefore in their best interest then to defend from these attacks and keep the fight on their feet. For this reason, many strikers train to knee their opponent as their competitor rapidly closes the distance for a tackle. Timing for this move is especially important, and sometimes it is better to sprawl, or kick the legs back whilst grabbing an opponent’s upper body, rather than trying to imflict damage to an opponent right away.

Unique to mixed martial arts, striking while either opponent, or both, are on the ground is also an essential strategy of winning a fight. When both fighters are working from the ground, they will find themselves within range of short-ranged punches and elbows. This style of fighting, in combination with grappling, most notably wrestling, is commonly known as ‘ground and pound’ and was popularized by MMA veteran Mark Coleman.

Lately, the importance of striking from the clinch has been an area of focus, as fighters not proficient in this technique have found themselves in great trouble when placed in this situation. The techniques used in the clinch are borrowed from Muay Thai kick boxing, and usually involve one fighter wrapping his hands behind an opponents head, and pushing their head down while delivering a knee to the face. As you can imagine, this technique can quickly end a fight if not defended properly. Due to strikes to the head, and accidental strikes to the groin, it is imperative that all fighter’s wear proper MMA equipment like groin protectors and mouth guards.

The UFC would have early success as a spectacle, but few viewers in the States took the fighting as anything more than shock entertainment. As the UFC hit hard times in the US, Japan’s Pride organization began to acquire fighters from around the world, and many of them came from the UFC to seek bigger paychecks. The fighting styles in Pride were varied and advanced. Where the grappler often did well in the UFC, the striker - kick boxers with takedown and submission defense - made a significant comeback in the world of MMA during Pride’s reign as the top promotion in the world. Strikers proved that they could KO a ground fighter with the right timing and strategy, before a grappler had the chance to close the distance. With this shift in the overall MMA game, there would be a new balance in the style of fighting that would populate the Pride ring

After the demise of Pride, the UFC began its rise once more, gaining great momentum from their Ultimate Fighter reality TV show on the Spike TV network. Mixed martial arts is now recognized as a legit sport. Competitors must fight under unified sanctioned rules and wear standard MMA equipment, such as mouth guards and clothing. However, because of mixed martial art’s violent nature, the sport has been slow to catch on in some locations.

Mixed martial arts, or the sport of unarmed combat, had its first start in the original Geek Olympic games, back in 648 BC. Competitors of this sport were expected to fight to the death if a submission was not given by either opponent. This style of combat, known as Pankration, had few rules and no MMA equipment like gloves or groin cups. Later, in the 1800’s, no-holds-barred fights become popular as wrestlers and boxers often faced off to prove which of their styles was superior. In the early part of the 1900’s, Eastern martial arts were becoming recognized by the West for their intricate training regimes and often complex theories of combat. Matches between many different styles took place in this budding age of global cultural exchange. Nearing modern times, Brazilian Vale Tudo, which bares a close resemblance to modern MMA, started to popularize among Brazil’s tough street culture. At the same time in Japan, professional wrestlers took up Shooto to prove that their ’show’ skills were real enough to obtain victory in real fighting ‘shoot’ matches.