MMA, or mixed martial arts, is a hybrid combat sport that first came to prominence when the Ultimate Fighting Championships brought the concept of martial artists from different styles fighting against each other. From its origins, where fighters from wildly different styles fought each other, such as wrestlers against boxers, modern mixed martial artists are now more well rounded, needing to be competent in the three phases of a fight: striking, wrestling and ground fighting.
Striking
All MMA bouts start standing up, where strikers ply their trade. This is where boxers and kickboxers are at their best, throwing punches, elbows, kicks and knees to hurt their opponent, looking to knock them out. You can train striking by practicing strikes on punching mitts held by your partner or on a punch bag, or by practicing drills with a partner. You can also practice sparring, wearing heavily padded gloves to practice timing, distance and to get used to being hit.
Wrestling
Wrestling is the phase of the fight where fighters try to throw or tackle each other to the ground, or attempt to keep the fight standing if they want to continue striking. A takedown can be initiated by shooting in from a distance, or from a position where both fighters are standing and holding each other, known as the clinch. Wrestling takedowns, throws and trips, as well as techniques from judo are all applicable here. These can be trained by drilling with a partner, then by live sparring.
Grappling
Grappling refers to the portion of a fight when one or both fighters is on the ground. In this phase, both fighters can look to control the other from the top or the bottom, while looking for a submission in the shape of a joint lock or choke that can win the fight outright, or a sweep or a pin to secure position to strike or control the opponent. Grappling systems, such as Brazilian Jiu Jitsu or submission wrestling, are most common and emphasize drilling techniques with a partner as well as live sparring, known as rolling.
MMA
In MMA, it is not how well you perform each individual aspect of the fight, but how well you put it all together. This is why you need to drill and spar with MMA rules in mind. As Bruce Lee once said, "the best fighter is not a boxer, karate or judo man. The best fighter is someone who can adapt on any style. He kicks too good for a boxer, throws too good for a karate man and punches too good for a judo man." Being a great boxer is pointless if you cannot defend a wrestler's takedowns, nor is there any point having an excellent grappling game if you keep getting punched in the face while you look for your submissions.
References
- Ultimate Fighting Championship
- Sherdog Training
- "Mixed Martial Arts: The Book of Knowledge"; BJ Penn; 2007
- "Wrestling for Fighting"; Randy Couture; 2007
- "Mastering Jiu Jitsu"; Renzo Gracie; 2003
- "Jeet Kune Do", Bruce Lee, 1997
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