Having the right tools

When we think of any job that needs to be done, among the first steps is to get the tools together that will be needed. Think of any household project you've done in the past and you get the sense of the routine, you form a basic, or exact (depending on your nature), checklist of must-haves to complete the task. When we think of it, many times it plays out this way: you have the tools you needed to finish, you improvised with what tools you had in order to finish (ever used a wrench as a hammer?), or you were completely stumped when you didn't have the right set of tools (I'll do it tomorrow when I can borrow my buddy's power drill, etc).


In MMA it's much the same way. Each day you come to training you should be thinking of it as shopping at the hardware store. You think of what tools you want, what tools you've seen people use, what tools you were lacking before, and what tools you use constantly and simply want to upgrade. In any given position or situation you should be able to reach into that toolbox and pull out what you need (or can improvise with if it comes to it). Think it through, in many cases fighters will use the SAME technique over and over again all the way through to the highest levels of competition (find video of George St. Pierre's guard pass and you'll note how he's been using the same "simple" techniques successfully for years). Not to give away too much information, but I'm actually in the same mold as I've been using the same 3/4 guard passes for YEARS now--tailor made to opponents in my weightclass which therefore have mixed results with much larger opponents (for them I keep a few other tricks).

Another thing to factor in is that cluttering your garage is a viable extension of that metaphor. Literally, you can have too much junk. This makes it difficult to find what you need, leaves much technique around getting 'rusty', and let's not forget wasted efforts as you consider all of the tools you picked up that you never used--no matter how cool you thought they were. Keep it simple, keep it orderly, and in that way keep it efficient.

Try to work on that part of preparation and you too will have the ability to reach into your box and pull out a handful of trusty tools.

The fungus among us

Sorry about that...

RING worm. It happens. It's a fact of a fighter's life. However, it's not unavoidable.

The first thing to do is educate yourself. I probably can't do it better then this:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ring_worm

What I can do is give you the breakdown on some tips to help you prevent/treat the fungal infection:

Clean everything, your gear, your SELF. Don't come home after training and lay on your bed, sit on your couch or grapple around with your girlfriend/boyfriend/roommate/dog, etc. If you spread it to someone else, you just gave yourself another source of infection.

Wear clean clothes! Should be part of the first hint but it's one of the most overlooked forms of prevention. Some people will see their training gear as 'stuff that's meant to get dirty' and therefore not seeing anything wrong with it being dirty already. I'm not one to point fingers but in my experience at different camps, with different trainees I have seen everything from blood, to dirt, grease, and yes, food & alcohol-- this on clothing that people put on BEFORE training.

Clean the mats. At our gym the mats/bags/gear/etc is cleaned daily. However, take the initiative to keep things clean. Help out around the gym, you will benefit from it and it's not brown nosing.

TELL people. It's not something you should keep as a dirty little secret. Spreading ringworm is a no-no in training circles. If you have it, your instructors will help you keep training while avoiding transmission. Be considerate, if you have ringworm, don't rip off your shirt and go grapple everyone in sight. True, you might be the shunned member for a limited amount of time, but don't let yourself become THAT guy (even if you're a girl).

Watch your feet! Take your shoes off before entering matted areas. PUT YOUR SHOES ON when leaving the mats. If you're walking around barefoot to your car, think through and realize what you're doing. Keep your shoes and socks clean as well. If you're sticking your barefeet into dirty sneakers, you're not helping anyone. Basically any place that is shoes on, should be shoes on; any place that is shoe off, should be shoes off.

Lotrimin and other ointments are a first line of defense, but read the directions. Some medications require you to use the product twice a day for a month straight... not to doubt anyone's diligence, but their are products that are intended for just 7 days.

Dandroff shampoo is a good option as well. Use it as a kind of secondary shower gel. Use it as an ointment. Just make sure your skin can handle it. A tingle is OK. Burning is not.

A bleach SOLUTION can sometimes be used. It's a bit more of an old school method, but remember that even as hard as those old schoolers are, you should significantly dilute the bleach with water. Don't put bleach directly onto your skin... the chemical burn will be much worse than the ringworm (and can leave scarring).

There's plenty more to it, but this should get you started. it's not a death sentence to your training. If anything else, ask a more experience fighter and I assure you, they'll have ring worm stories for you. Mat Herpes on the other hand...
(that one's nasty, you find it on your own)

Sparring as part of the science

I know, I know... I'm guilty of slacking. I was on vacation and, well, I've been stuck on NHL playoff hockey (everyone has their vices).

But let's get back to it:

Sparring is perhaps one of the most incorrectly used parts of training in all combat sports. When beginners think of training they most often associate it with the chance to impress, maybe even beat more experienced fighters with tenacity, aggression, and toughness... that or proving that they can take punishment and somehow still come up ahead (Hint: Don't rely on the thought that "I can take 5-10 shots, but so long as I get in one good one..."). But let's be honest, you are always one bad round of sparring away from serious injury--some fighters can literally hurt sparring partners far worse then they would be in a match situation. It is truly one of those risk/reward scenarios I talk about in class. Is the risk of injury/KO/and frankly embarrassment worth the reward of the experience you will get?

Rather than whatever other ideas you have about sparring you should look at is as more of a football team scrimmage. What's important to remember is that before any type of scrimmage takes place, the offensive and defensive squads learn their respective playbook. A scrimmage doesn't happen until after a training camp. The scrimmage provides the opportunity to put game plans into action, at relatively close to 100%. The goal is not to injure teammates (NOTE: Your training is affected by who is able/is willing to train with you). The goal is not to compensate for mental errors or outright mental abscence with athleticism and toughness. The goal is to get things right and see how practical certain approaches can be.

In MMA we should take lessons from the above. You never want to go into sparring without an idea of what you want to do. An overall gameplan, or maybe even just a few techniques from your toolbox that you want to try (Another blog on this 'toolbox' concept later) will do you most benefit. You don't train wild, and so you shouldn't spar that way either. Putting unprepared fighters into sparring doesn't actually teach them anything. It's just a way of seeing what they have already. Putting prepared fighters into sparring allows them to learn much about themselves. It also allows coaches to dissect their work-in-progress. Sparring should be part of training and therefore you should always look to it as a way of improving. Train safe. Train under observation (a good experienced eye can help make the most out of sparring sessions as they relate what worked, what needs to be improved). Train smart.

Finishing Moves: Chokes, cranks, smothers, etc..

As some of the most effective submissions in the sport, we often look to chokeholds as a way to finish an opponent. When listening to more experienced fighters, you'll often hear how they look specifically for chokes as opposed to other submissions (hyperextensions, crushes, slices, other joint manipulations, restraints and pain tolerance moves). The most common reason for this is the idea that a tough or determined opponent will often not stop fighting due to a crippling type submission. If you think of it, a good portion of submissions don't actually finish an opponent--though they are based on the principle that the threat of severe damage, the unavoidability of crippling injury, or actual trauma will take the fight out of most people. Exception to this is that the massive/destructive effect of some submissions will put a person into shock. However, there are just those rare few that either through determination (choose not to tap), situation (cannot tap--particularly in a self-defense scenario), or inexperience (don't know when to tap) could possibly fight on. We will talk more on those types of Finishing Moves another day, but as hinted in an early blog, we'll comment a bit on different types of chokes.

In contrast, the benefit of solid choke submissions is that they lead directly to unconsciousness from one form or another.

Air (wind) Chokes- Can include rear-naked choke variations, short trachea choke, five finger choke, certain guillotine applications, and what some people will refer to in a very un-politically correct way, a "rape" choke (hands to the throat, thumbs to the trachea). These chokes work directly against the flow of oxygen and are extremely fast. The opponent will often go limp quite quickly. They can also be extremely dangerous as they do not need to be held as long, therefore leading quicker to longterm damage, and can crush parts of soft-tissue structure in the neck. In many cases these strangles are also hard to apply and, in some competition formats, illegal. Even in MMA formats you are not allowed to blatantly attack the windpipe or place thumbs into the neck to purposely strangle an opponent--note: you are allowed to hold and base off of the neck.

Blood Chokes- Notable examples include triangle chokes, arm triangles, anaconda chokes, circular choke, Darce chokes, and, again, certain applications of the guillotine. The key to the application of these is to realize that these submissions work most often against the major arties and/or veins in the neck (carotid and jugular). The opponent will physically slow and only later go limp. In that way, also keep in mind that the execution of these chokes requires a bit more time than wind chokes. A veteran will work these submissions into position and hold them patiently. In competition you will sometimes see beginners release a blood choke far too early or try to reset a choke incorrectly. After seeing many lower level fights, I for one can't count the number of times I have seen an arm triangle fail because the fighter applying it released the hold prematurely in order to "see" why it wasn't working. The other constant danger for beginners is to burn themselves out trying to finish via an improperly secured submission so be sure to be cutting off the blood flow on these chokes. As a tip, expect a tap from a wind choke in under 5 seconds and to secure a blood choke for at least 10 before feeling an effect in competition.

BONUS notes:

Cranks- I'll include neck cranks here despite the fact that they are not true "choke" holds. However, they are often a result of a variant on a choke-type submission. To give you an idea just think of the many times you have seen a rearnaked choke, Ezequiel, north-south choke, or a guillotine {Note the versatility of the guillotine} transitioned into a neck crank. The goal here is to attack the skeletal structure of the neck and jaw through a twisting, crushing, or elongating motion. In these cases, the imminent threat of permanent paralysis (or if you've ever felt a jaw crank, the threat of breaking teeth) will factor into how long an opponent will hold out. Be careful using cranks. There is no excuse for using an explosive application to any type of crank in training. To knowingly do so is grounds for expulsion in many gyms.

Smothers/Compressions- Other submissions that I'll put here only because of the similarity to choke holds as the concept behind these techniques is to attack or disturb breathing. Often this is not very technical as it could be as simple as placing your hand over an opponent's face--again, another 'technique' that is illegal in MMA. Stronger, longer, and larger fighters will use smothers and compressions such as a the pec choke, body triangles, and other moves that can be described as crushing an opponent. However, it's not just the big guys that do this. Even as a lighter class fighter, I will admit that my favorite is a smother that can be used as a particular rear-naked choke variation. Knee on belly and other positions that put great pressure on the ribcage and chest can also affect breathing. That said, realize that often the best way to use a smother is actually to just slow an opponent down, to cause discomfort, as a set-up for a transition, as a method of control, and to prevent him from recovering.

Feeling 'It'

It will unfortunately be a fitting topic for today's blog as we talk about the harsh reality of over-training. While most times it is the pro-fighters that run the greatest risk of doing this, it is good for the average student to keep in mind how this obstacle can ambush the best of us. I'm on the verge of over-training and so, I'm taking a couple of weeks off.

For one thing, the truth is that you do feel it coming on. Your body will simply want more in the way of rest, food, and mental downtime. This is part of the recovery process and therefore must carefully be weighed against the need to push forward in training in order to reach the next level--don't take today's topic as an excuse to quit everyday.

Most common effects from over-training are lingering injuries and stress. Therefore a good sign to look for is when small things are bothering you a lot more than they should. A stumped toe can take days to heal if your body is struggling to recoup. A simple armbar technique can utterly frustrate you if your mind cannot focus. In the case of the common student, a day away from the gym along with a bit of a cheat meal and some extra sleep can work wonders. For the active competitor, the idea of soldiering on should be weighed next to the possibility of moving up a light training session or reducing contact for just a day. Fighters should also find outlets for their outlets so to speak. While training can help you blow off steam, after you take it on competitively, you should look for other means of stress relief and distraction--guilty but lazy pleasure (mine being playing old school video games).

The most important thing to know is that over-training works as a progressive and multiplying factor. A small bruise on its own will heal in a couple of days. A small bruise after, say, a broken nose, a sprained ankle, and a minor concussion can leave you feeling crippled. Mental mistakes linger as well. Feeling slow for a drill is not so bad. Feeling slow after having a bad sparring session, botching a technique, and feeling weak can drive some otherwise capable athletes to thoughts of giving up. The goal is to then realize what is happening to you and do what you must in order to keep it in check.

I for one am a big proponent of taking time off between bouts as needed. Some fights will leave you unscathed and you feel great through multiple overlapping training camps, but you must factor in the time you have put into training. There is a reason that people don't train 16 weeks leading up to a fight, the body and mind cannot handle that. So to justify fighting 4 times with 4 weeks training all in a row makes one wonder if this is any different. Remember there's a difference between being able to drag dog through it, and being able to do it well.

That said, allow yourself to train smarter. Maybe work on just technique for a bit. Maybe go for light cardio. Reduce your lifting, etc... It helps keep you in the game longer. It's not a machismo competition if you're barely making it through training.

NOTES:

Watch what you take: It's very common to take pain relievers to help you through a particular injury. However, what's also very common is for this to have a masking effect as you won't feel new injuries as they appear. Try to reduce pain relievers as much as you can. Avoid pain killers. Professionals have to battle through injury but don't make it dangerous.

I can hack it: Yes. If you're human, you will have the mind over matter trick on your side. But it's not a testament to your toughness to train with serious and debilitating injury. The reality is that you're not special and while it can be commendable, it can also be remarkably stupid. Training with a bad injury can literally affect the rest of your life.

Sick?: Over-training, at its worst, feels like a nasty case of the flu. That's right, you can literally give yourself aching pain over your entire body, dizziness, fever, nausea, asthma, joint damage, and other long lasting side-effects. Frankly, your body will quit on you. There is nothing you can do at that point. Don't let it happen.

Quick TIps

Sorry for the delay as I have a fight coming up along with a few of my teammates in Moultrie GA on April 5th (it's an hour drive north of Tallahassee--let me know if you need tickets {$20} 941-539-3383).

ANYWAY quick tips:

Not to give blanket instruction but avoid energy products for the purpose of training. Proper diet(EAT before training, even if you're trying to lose weight) and rest should give you enough energy. While there are some supplements that do help with energy realize that most 'energizing' products are meant for a quick fix and most often meant to get you through a few hours of driving or sitting at a desk, not heavy training.

Get plenty of rest. This will help with the above. If you have ever trained on little sleep you will know how it effects your recovery from the previous day's work and your performance during even very light training. Aim for about 8 hours of RESTFUL sleep each night. If that's impossible, try a nap--20 minutes will do unbelievable things.

Water. About 1 gal a day for most people (slight + or - for your size). It helps with digestion, hunger control(start every meal with a tall glass of water if you find yourself overeating at meals), prevents cramping, helps carry nutrients to where it's needed, helps with recovery, etc, etc, etc. Try to drink plenty before, during, and after workouts. One helpful note on that would be to try drinking most of your water well before you go to bed. If not, you'll find trips to the bathroom cutting into that restful sleep you need.

MMA Greater than the sum of its parts

Upon its creation the sport had the interesting problem that all new things have, what to call it. When it come down to it a few names were rejected in favor for Mixed Martial Arts for a reason--previous examples were No Holds Bar fighting, extreme fighting, ultimate fighting (feeding off of the "ultimate" name being tossed around a lot during the early 90s but now copyrighted by the UFC) and cage fighting (in the end, not all matches occur in a cage). MMA became a de facto moniker where it became necessary to refer to it within a mainstream and politically correct context. The history and story surrounding the name MMA would likely take a few thousands words to describe. However, let's skip all of that to take a lesson out of the name 'Mixed Martial Arts' by allowing the title to give us a useful way of looking at the sport.

One way to appreciate and to train for the game is to break down MMA into a few basic parts: Striking, Wrestling, Grappling, and Conditioning.

Striking- for the most part lifted from boxing, kickboxing, and Muay Thai kickboxing. Basically, hitting for the purpose of stopping an opponent. (note the goal is full contact and LEGAL techniques as opposed to those found in some other martial arts)

Wrestling- most techniques taken from folk wrestling, freestyle wrestling, greco roman wrestling and judo. The act of taking an opponent down, keeping them down, keeping them underneath you. Add to that the ability to counter these actions.

Grappling- with greatest influence coming from Brazilian Juijitsu and submission wrestling. The main difference between wrestling and grappling is that grappling does not always focus on staying on top, but instead on applying techniques that finish an opponent. These include chokes, strangulations, joint manipulation, and bone breaking. The difference between chokes and strangles will be a future lesson.

Conditioning- the x-factor so to speak in MMA. Cardio, power, strenth, diet, personal care (such as recovery and injury treatment) Perhaps more recently this area of the sport has received the most attention as successful camps with long histories have only just recently been adding strength and conditioning coaches that might have only a theoretical understanding of actual combat.


Overall, MMA is an expansive sport. Part of its great appeal is that this is so. However, there are two things to keep in mind when appreciating and training within the sport. One is to break it down in its part. Two is to be able to put it together.

*I rarely purposely input my personal decisions in this blog but in my humble opinion the second is the most important.

A note on finishing

One of the rare skills in any combat sport is the ability to finish. Not just finishing strong, but literally finishing the fight. For the sake of this blog we'll take a very, very small look at finishing via strikes.

For most, the idea of being a strong finisher is tied to a fighter's ability to be aggressive. This might be the single most important factor, but wanting to KO or TKO an opponent doesn't always lead to that. In fact, most times a fighter's over-aggression can lead to many problems among them: tiring out, being open to counter-striking, deviating from a game plan, loss of control, not getting off first, frustration, injury, etc.

Instead, what may be more accurate would be that one of the keys to being a finisher is to be able to mix aggression with know-how. Among the many different components of ending a fight are the concepts of power, speed, and accuracy. While most see damage as a result of power, what is often overlooked is the ability to hurt an opponent with a rapid succession of strikes and with the well-timed placement of a single strike. Beyond that is the idea of mixing all three. An example of how this is NOT done: rocking an opponent with a single shot and then throwing nothing but wild, hard punches that are easily evaded(or lead to being tied up or taken down), working too much on combinations and not following up with heavier shots (in a headhunter's sport such as MMA we often see where a more technical striker outpoints an opponent but gets caught in the end because they did not finish), not throwing any strikes at all in hopes of waiting for a perfect opportunity (no offense is no offense).

So if we take lessons from the previous examples: if you stun an opponent, work on connecting a follow-up strike that in actuality won't require as much force as the initial blow to finish; if you're landing in combinations that open up an opponent's defense or put them off balance look for the opportunity to land a more powerful shot; be active with either of the previous approaches to encourage an opponent to open the door for you.

Last and perhaps most of all: Don't try to knock people out. Don't try to knock people out. Work hard and be assertive. Don't try to knock people out. Finishing is an incredibly rare gift. By some accounts finishing in a natural born talent. Some champion strikers with great and successful careers don't ever develop the ability to KO people. Some low-lever fighters with lackluster skill and losing records will in contrast, or perhaps in compliment, go there entire careers with the other gift of a granite chin. Let's not also forget that finishing via strikes is a very one-dimensional approach when you consider the wide range of options in MMA. Don't be greedy and instead find your own strengths. KO power is another topic altogether (to be discussed in the future) but don't try to knock people out.

Weight training for MMA

Realize that weight training is a little like dieting. In the sense that you'll hear many different and sometimes totally conflicting things. What you have to keep in mind is the goal of your workout routine: not to be chiseled and not to only be strong. I would suggest looking up any type of Circuit training, Super sets, and any exercise routine that focuses on muscular endurance and explosion (as opposed to traditional pyramid exercises that focus more on one-shot strength). The goal being to increase power but keep your flexibility and endurance. We have all seen the effects of too much weight lifting--requires too much energy to keep an over-muscular body in motion, reduces mobility, requires too much time in the weight gym, wears away at your joints and connective tissue.

In the end, some fighters don't even lift weights and instead stick to calisthenics and plyometrics. In other cases, some fighters choose to reduce their weight lifting in order to go to a lighter weight class with their natural strength. That said, here are a few words to start you off:

Basically keep the reps higher, the pace high, and the weight relatively lower (aim for 10-15 reps). Go from one muscle group to the other with very littler rest (less than a minute) until you complete your entire body or the groups you mean to hit that day (circuits). Or do different exercises that stick to one muscle group but hit it different ways, i.e. grouping different type of chest exercises together in a row (super sets). There is room for olympic and power lifting exercises in a fighter's routine, but be sure that you have someone help you with proper technique--incorrect technique can lead to some of the worst injuries in all of sports. In all cases, you're going to need to start slow and work up to it. Strength and conditioning exercises are meant to burn you out, and they WILL. Until your body is capable of recovering from those exercises they will put you at risk of overtraining. One last tip: stop maxing out. It serves no purpose in our sport. It takes time for you to recover before and after in order to truly max out.

You'll be in fighting shape soon enough

A note on gear

A quick memo as this came up quite often when members were shopping for gear after the last equipment blog--particularly gloves, shinguards, and headgear (there's much more to be said on the subject but this is a start):

Competition gear-- tends to provide bare minimum yet regulation protection for both the wearer and the opponent. Fit, feel, and look are all factored in. However, price and durability are not the priority in competition. For everyday use, one might want to save their money and go to something below.

Training gear-- Come in a variety of choices, but basically training gear is more concerned with durability. Higher end training will still focus on fit and feel, but the idea is to have a reliable piece of equipment that one can work time and time again at the gym. Lower end training gear is essentially the bare minimum in all areas and most often not all the durable. "Soft" gear--usually gloves-- are more trailered for comfort and protection but often don't last as long as "bag" gear which is meant to TAKE punishment over time. "Soft" gear can come in many forms, such as gels, and while they do give you great protection, do not last as long and can be much more expensive.

Sparring gear-- Basically a mix of the above but with more priority of safety for you and your training partners. This equipment will be made for repeated use and maximum protection. Most often they provide far more protection than is needed in an actual match scenario but they are worthy of a place in your gym bag as they can prevent a lot of injuries--dishing it out or being on the receiving end. Remember, the idea is for you to be durable as well.

Note: Price is not always the best indicator of a brand's quality but more expensive gear is just that often because of the reputation associated with the product. Just remember that having two pairs of 'junk' gloves are not as worth having a single reliable pair. Save your money, but don't be stingy. The savings or extra expense should be factored in over time; this is over the life of the gear and over the life of your training career. Another thing: I hate to say it because they are useful and they, well, are cool, but save attire for last. A great looking pair of fight trunks will not do you much good when they're in the dirty laundry and you're still having to hit the bag with dirty old club gloves and no wraps.

Training with the right attitude

Last week we covered a few basics on the equipment to take to the gym with you but let’s not forget probably the most important thing: The RIGHT ATTITUDE. Don't ever come into the gym with the goal of hurting anyone. That is a dangerous mentality and can lead to the downfall of many a member and even an entire gym. It's not always to protect the other guy either. Realize that your partners will respond to you. If you hold a choke too long, push the pace too much, or fail to apply a submission respectfully, then you can possibly be looking to receive the same treatment in return. In fact, an overaggressive trainee will often come to the realization that more experienced member is rarely, if ever, going at 100%. The simple rule, if you had to rely on 100% to get the upper hand and your partner is holding back, then you are failing at your end of training. People that get into that habit will spoil themselves and find that their strength and aggression will not get them out of every situation.

Most often a cause of the above is coming to the gym with the mentality of winning at any cost: avoiding drills that make you look bad, avoiding partners that have an advantage over you, shorting rounds so you don't get tired (rare but true, some gyms may even see cheating and dirty tactics). Training should always be about improving, not winning. We train most effectively when we are willing to try new things. You will discover your strengths and make progress on your weaknesses. It will help you round out your game. If you know you’re a great striker, try to improve your wrestling and grappling work; don’t work only your striking with people you know cannot outstrike you. If you’re ‘better’ (that being a subjective decision) than your partner, try seeing if you can get out of bad positions. Be willing to get away from your strengths and train to survive bad situations. Work on being more technical, try new techniques, etc. If you’re still not being taken to your limits, then try training against fresh partners when you are tired. Always be willing to lose in training—and in that way learn what it takes to make it through. Some fighters make the mistake of sticking to their strengths and leveraging situations to use their entire gym as sparring dummies, tearing through their teammates without ever learning a thing. While having a Plan A tactic is preferable in an actual match, you must always prepare for the worst. Train to improve and in that way train to win.

Wed Feb 6 MMA Safety 101

When you walk through the door at any training facility you'll be required to sign a waiver to acknowledge you accept responsibility for your safety. That covers the gym. Now let's work on covering you.

Any sport is dangerous. In fact, studies point to fishing as being the most dangerous sport there is--boating related incidences likely push that stat. However, let's be realistic, any sport that involves contact will demand your attention to safety. Even startups are aware of this. One of the first questions that new members will ask is simply, "What should I bring?"

MMA is at its essence a poor man's sport. All that your REALLY need are shorts and t-shirt. However, we encourage potential MMAists to gather up basic equipment. Mouthpiece to protect your teeth and jaw--also a useful tool to help you breathe when fighting chokes. An athletic cup--for obvious reasons. Beyond that I would look at some common sense equipment to help you along the way: Handwraps--at less than $10 a pair, if used properly can potentially save you thousands spent on treatment of hand injuries. A roll of tape--with an experienced trainer you can learn how to add support to ankles, wrists, fingers, toes, etc.(also see below for other uses of tape). As you build your toolbox, look to add your own gear: boxing gloves, mma gloves, head gear, shin pads, etc. Just like the technical aspect of the sport, the more tools you have the more things you can do.

Other essentials: Trim your nails--will protect your partners from scratches and also help you prevent your nails from catching (Personal note: I once had to lose a toenail from it snagging on the mats at another gym. It was painful. It is still not back). Keep your cuts/scrapes clean and covered. Shower often, especially immediately after training--some people actually eat before showering without realizing just how unsanitary it sounds.

Another important tip: As you accumulate your share of bumps and bruises you might run into the problem that many members have, pre-existing injuries. The majority of time this will involve injuries acquired from other sports. However, anyone with a problem should be advised that trainer partners and instructors are unaware of injuries until you share the information. If you know you have bad knees, wear a brace, don't wait for it to be re-aggravated. If your hands are hurt, then wrap them. Realize that when you wear a brace in training it is a sign to your partners that you have something bothering you. For example: simply wearing a knee brace will often ensure that your partners don't wrench a heel hook. In situations where you don't have a proper brace a simple piece of tape will suffice: If your ankle is hurt, at least have some sort of marker to let your partner know that they should take it easier on that particular area.

Of course when going into competition you might not want to give these same markers, but realize that training is about improvement and if you're out with an injury, well, you can't train.

Mon Jan 28 Choosing a weight class for beginners

Some of the most common questions circulated, and not always answered, in the gym revolved around the concept of weight classes. First and foremost, I would like to emphasize that weight class decisions are competition issues. Really, this is the only time you MUST make a limit. As a beginning student, or one that is in it for the exercise and fun, one should not make a problem out of this whole matter. The best thing to do is to eat right, exercise regularly, and train hard. As you progress you'll find it's natural to watch what you eat-- in particular to reduce your fatty/oily foods before heading to the gym. This alone will get you to lean up over time.

As for actually making a weight, I would only suggest to try to "weigh what you will feel best." Forget goal weights in terms of weight classes and focus on what you find is a healthy weight for you. After all, weight classes formats change even from one event to another. Remember that as your body builds muscle and you learn to hydrate properly, you may even weigh MORE than before, so don't see a higher number as necessarily a bad thing. Use common sense in your diet and that will often be enough.

Many complications will come from forcing your weight down. It's unfortunately routine to see athletes torturing themselves through a workout just to fool the scale. Most common is the misuse of sauna suits and skipping of meals--which in the end is weight that will come right back when you eat and drink. Just remember your training will suffer by not being in condition to train.

ONLY after training properly for a good deal of time should the issue resurface as to what weight one should compete in. Competition and amateur level fighters will slowly find what weight works best for them and begin understanding the process of weight classification. With proper experience there, professionals are really the only fighters that should take the risk of "making weight."

Fri Jan 18 Making the most of training

Greetings!

It’s with a great deal of enthusiasm that I officially start the Tallahassee Mixed Martial Arts instructor's blog. Dedicated to helping fans and students of MMA, this blog is based on the simple fact that finding answers to our questions are as much a part of training as technique and sparring. During the week, our TMMA members will directly help my work here as they ask for help with their training. In advance, I would like to thank my friends/former instructors, training partners, colleagues, and students for their part. Therefore, without further ado, we start with a common question that members have when beginning with us:

“What do I need to get the most out of class time?”

While the easy answer is “Just show up,” we cannot get away from the fact that being aware during training is as important as physical attendance. Put another way, a day of mindlessly going through lesson is not much better than staying at home. Granted there’s always something to learn at the gym, you can effectively maximize your day in class by thinking through what you’re doing. When learning mat drills, try to envision how the movements are used within the overall game; when learning techniques, imagine how you would set them up and use them in an actual situation; when covering conditioning think of how important it is to be in superior shape; etc...

At the end of the day, you should be able to review all that you’ve learned whether it is a new submission or a better idea of how hard you can push yourself during a round. Another tip is to focus on retaining two or three things a day. If you try to memorize everything, you’ll forget it all. Instead, put everything in context and come away every time with a handful of tools that you feel work best for you. Improve each time you train, that is truly the secret to making the most of it.

--Dan

Welcome!

Welcome to the TMMA blog. In the followings weeks, look out for exclusive commentary from instructor Dane Funes.