| Evaluate Your Motives | | | | the ring or the gym. |
| There are many different reasons for taking up MMA. | | | | Practice on Your Own |
| What do you want to accomplish with your training? | | | | Someone once said "repetition is the mother of all |
| Are you looking for a new hobby or would you like | | | | skill." This is a fact. Practice as much as you can. |
| to have a career in MMA? Is it just a fun way to get | | | | Shadow box. Do bag work. Do solo drills on the mat. |
| fit or are you looking to get a Black Belt in Jiu Jitsu, | | | | Make friends at the gym. The best way to get good |
| for example? Is it about becoming a skilled martial | | | | is to have a good training partner. Find a new buddy |
| artist and fighter and perhaps trying out your skills in | | | | you can train with. Get together with your training |
| competition some day? Do you plan to be the next | | | | partner and practice as much as you can outside of |
| UFC Champion or is it more about learning to defend | | | | class (before class, after class, weekends, |
| yourself and getting fit at the same time? Would you | | | | whenever.) |
| like to become an instructor or coach? The answers | | | | Invest in Good Equipment |
| to these questions will help you to set short and long | | | | The tools of the trade are: mouthpiece, boxing |
| term goals and choose the gym that's right for you. | | | | gloves, bag gloves, MMA gloves, shin guards, fight |
| Set Goals | | | | shorts, rash guard, head gear, cup, Jiu Jitsu Gi, focus |
| To be successful in MMA, or any endeavor for that | | | | mitts, and Thai pads. By no means do you need all of |
| matter, it's important to set clear goals. Hopefully | | | | this to get started. You might want to start with just |
| your instructor or coach will assist you with this | | | | boxing gloves and a mouthpiece and acquire more |
| process. Having a long term goal will help you set | | | | equipment as you need it and as you can afford it. |
| short term goals. This will help you to stay focused | | | | Wear Safety Equipment |
| and keep you motivated. Remember, it's not a goal | | | | Martial arts is a contact sport. For sparring, even |
| unless it's written down. Write down your short term | | | | when sparring lightly, wear safety equipment. Wear a |
| and long term goals and, more than likely, they will | | | | mouthpiece, a protective cup, shin guards, 16 oz. |
| become a reality. When you accomplish one short | | | | boxing gloves and headgear for Muay Thai sparring, |
| term goal, like winning a competition for example, | | | | especially a mouthpiece. A mouthpiece is about two |
| immediately set another. | | | | dollars but a new tooth is about two thousand dollars. |
| Shop Around | | | | If your ears are sensitive, wear wrestling headgear |
| Before joining a gym, shop around. Find the gym | | | | when grappling. Wrestling knee pads are good for |
| that's the right fit for you. Every gym will let you try | | | | grappling too. |
| out a class before enrolling. Do it. Try classes at | | | | Relax |
| several places before making a decision. Find an | | | | When you train, stay relaxed. You want loose, |
| instructor who really cares about you and your | | | | relaxed muscles. Being tense hurts your performance. |
| progress. Find the best program and the best value, | | | | All the best athletes are relaxed when they move. |
| not necessarily the lowest price. Make sure the times | | | | Breathing is very important too. This may sound |
| conveniently fit your schedule. If you can do a | | | | obvious. The truth is beginners forget to breathe. |
| grappling class and a striking class back to back in | | | | Exhale with every punch, kick, elbow, knee, kick and |
| one night, this is ideal. That way you can get two | | | | defense. The same goes for when you're rolling. |
| classes in each time you go. If the gym and the mat | | | | Warm Up |
| are kept clean, that's a good sign that the place is | | | | Warming up is the best way to prevent injury. |
| well-run. | | | | Warming up at the beginning of a workout is more |
| Choose a Good School/ Gym | | | | important in preventing injuries than stretching. You |
| Finding the right gym for you is key to your success. | | | | need to elevate your body temperature before you |
| If you're an elite athlete in exceptional physical shape | | | | get into the meat of your workout. If you don't |
| who wants to be a pro fighter, look for the gym | | | | have time to warmup, start with slow repetitions of |
| with the most high profile MMA Champions in your | | | | whatever drill or technique you're working on. This |
| area. Look for a coach who's produced a lot of | | | | makes sure your body is ready to perform the |
| champions and focuses on training fighters to | | | | technique at medium or full speed. |
| compete. If you make the cut, they can put you on | | | | Stretch |
| the fast track to going pro. | | | | Stretching is one of the best ways to stay healthy |
| However, if you're like most of us, you'll want to find | | | | and stay young. A pliable, flexible body is a defining |
| a gym that's beginner-friendly. You don't want to be | | | | trait of a youthful body. It also helps your |
| thrown in like fresh meat with a bunch of pro | | | | performance in both striking and grappling. Always |
| fighters who need a sparring partner. You need to | | | | stretch after your workouts. In fact try to stretch |
| learn both striking and grappling from a beginning level. | | | | before and during your workouts too. For example, if |
| It is very important to become skilled and continually | | | | your instructor is demonstrating a technique, it's a |
| train in both. Do not neglect either aspect of the | | | | great time to stretch while you watch the |
| game. | | | | demonstration. |
| Look for a program with BEGINNING classes in both | | | | If you neglect stretching, your body will have all kinds |
| Muay Thai and Jiu Jitsu. It is also important in MMA to | | | | of problems in the immediate future and especially as |
| learn boxing and wrestling. Boxing is incorporated into | | | | you age. If, on the other hand, you learn to stretch |
| a lot of Muay Thai programs and wrestling is | | | | your body you'll avoid spinal and all other sorts of |
| incorporated into a lot of No Gi Jiu Jitsu programs. If | | | | physical problems. When you feel a certain back pain, |
| they have separate wrestling, boxing and Gi Jiu Jitsu | | | | for example, you'll know what stretches help to |
| classes, that's even better (provided you have the | | | | alleviate the pain. Get a foam roller too and learn to |
| time to do all of them.) If they have beginning MMA | | | | roll out knots in your muscles on your own. Getting |
| classes too, that's great. | | | | body work done like massages is a great investment |
| Be Consistent | | | | too. If you learn to listen to the messages your body |
| All these different class choices can become really | | | | sends you and take care of the problem yourself, |
| confusing. As stated earlier, it's best for the beginner | | | | you'll be able to train until they "put the nails in the |
| to learn Muay Thai and No Gi Jiu Jitsu. Do each two | | | | coffin." |
| or three times every single week over the long term. | | | | Go Slow |
| A common mistake is to start training five or six | | | | A common mistake beginners make is to go full |
| days per week right out of the gates. This is difficult | | | | speed and full power when learning a technique. |
| to keep up over the long term. For most people, this | | | | Going slow is a great way to learn the technique and |
| will lead to burnout and other responsibilities may fall | | | | burn it into your muscle memory. As a beginner you |
| by the wayside. | | | | want to get slow correct reps focusing on the details |
| Make It a Lifestyle | | | | of the move first. As you get it down, pick up the |
| Make training part of your life two to three times per | | | | speed and power. Getting incorrect reps is |
| week every single week at the same times. For | | | | counterproductive. It's harder to correct your |
| example, you could choose Monday and Wednesday | | | | technique after doing something incorrectly than it is |
| nights and Saturday mornings. Make it a routine | | | | to do it properly in the first place. |
| every Monday and Wednesday night and never miss | | | | Train Safely, Train Smart |
| it. Make it a priority. Never schedule anything else on | | | | Martial Arts is about building the body up, not tearing |
| those nights. Make Saturday more of an optional day. | | | | it down. If you train safely and train smart, you'll |
| If something else comes up on Saturday, no big deal. | | | | avoid injury to yourself and your training partners. |
| Maybe you can make up that session on another | | | | When you get injured, you can't train the next day. |
| day, maybe not, but at least you got your two days | | | | It's counterproductive. If you hurt your training |
| in. | | | | partner, you don't have anyone to train with the |
| After doing this for a period of about three months, | | | | next day. There's no need to spar 100% all the time. |
| it will become habitual. That's what you want. | | | | You get almost the same benefits from sparring |
| Remember, the hard part is getting to the gym. | | | | lightly. |
| Once your in the door, it's easy. If it's your night to | | | | When you spar lightly, you can try out new |
| train and you feel tired from working all day, don't | | | | techniques as opposed to just trying to survive. |
| succumb to that urge to go home and sit on the | | | | Remember, the other members at your gym/school |
| couch. Drag yourself there and you'll be glad you did. | | | | are your friends, your comrades and your |
| Keep it Healthy | | | | teammates. A little bit of competition can be healthy |
| Martial arts is a healthy lifestyle. If you make it your | | | | but don't get too competitive with your teammates. |
| lifestyle, you'll benefit for the rest of your days. It's a | | | | Help each other out. Don't be worried about tapping |
| mindset you'll carry with you in and out of the gym. | | | | out. If you get caught in a submission, tap out right |
| Martial arts can help build confidence and give you a | | | | away unless you really know how to defend the |
| direction in life. Eat healthy. No drugs. No smoking. No | | | | move. It's not worth getting hurt over. Learn from |
| steroids. No drinking in excess. No fighting outside of | | | | the experience. |