I’ve been interested in becoming an MMA fighter…but I have no clue where to start. Do I start with martial art classes or is there somewhere I can go to start training for mma right away?
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{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
First find decent coaches who accept women and know how to train them. I know, I know but yes there is still sexism, and there are idiots out there who will take your money and teach you nothing. So if you can say whether your East Coast or West Coast, I’ll send you some more info.
Outside that I will tell you the exact thing I tell our male fighters.
this may be a little long but necessary
Yes I know your situation is “unique” somehow but
you’re still a beginner start like everyone else
70% of fighters wrestled, you need to get on a wrestling team or find a club that accepts women, see earlier statement.
No you can’t learn to be a champion from DVD’s
Yes you should lift weights
no you probably don’t need super special secret spetnatz ninja training program. 1 arm rows on a bosu ball isn’t going to do anything for you.
That’s like changing your hair color to make your legs
bigger. Don’t get complicated unless you know what you’re doing. 90% of us could improve leaps and bounds with a basic 5×5 program.
You should train at the place with the best
reputation, that has fighters it has produced (from
the ground up I might add), that fits into your budget
and travel arrangements. Just remember you get what
you pay for.
A lot of nice rich gyms try to make you think that
having a bunch of imported talent makes their gym
good. Being a good fighter does not necessarily make
you a good trainer. Turning out good fighters makes
you a good trainer.
Big John McCarthy’s gym in Valencia, they have a smoothie bar inside. It’s around 400/month. You don’t need all that, some of the best fighters in the world are made in areas with a tin roof, a few pads, and some 20yr old bags.
Not knocking Big John, he’s actually a really cool guy but keep perspective. While it’s nice in theory you should be a great fighter with all those resources there. Until they produce some top tier talent they’re just another gym.
Now if you go to Militech camp on the other hand. Geez, they make champs like it’s no one’s business.Props to Delagrotte’s as well.
Cutting weight is a lot more than sitting in a sauna. Just focus on your training and getting your bodyfat down.
So main arts to work on wrestling, BJJ, and Muay Thai.
Most definitely start taking some sort of martial arts course. That should go without saying. But, be prepared for a 5 – 10 year period of time before you enter the ring. Be prepared for 4 – 6 hours per day (minimum), 7 days a week to train. More, if you really want to get good.
If I were to tell you that I used to be a full-contact professional fighter (also female, like you), who won two world titles, an international title and 4 national championship titles. Plus, through all that, I had never lost a match and ended my career with a perfect undefeated record… Would you say that it was because of me or because of the form of martial arts that I studied?
The answer is: it’s both, but it would have been much more because of me. Yes, the style is crucial to many degrees. But, the truth of the matter is it is the fighter. The dedication, the time, the effort, the skill levels, the willingness to get back up when everyone tells you that you can’t do it and to stay down. It is about sacrificing everything else in your life in a single-minded pursuit for perfection. It is accepting the fact that it is NOT the glamorous spectacle the general public thinks they see. It’s about losing boyfriends, husbands, sometimes even walking away from family. It’s about putting most other things in your life on hold.
If you truly desire to be a professional fighter and a world class athlete, the classes are but a small part of the training. Think of running 5 miles a day and 12 miles on Sunday to help build endurance. What is even better than running, if it is available to you, is swimming laps… less impact on your body and it gives you a more full-body workout. Think of spending up to 2 hours a day working on katas (forms). Another 2-3 hours working the heavy bag, speed bags, etc. Then, of course, there is the time spent on application of those techniques, the weight rooms and in class. To top it off, we haven’t even gotten into the sparring yet.
I’m not trying to break you away from your dream here, I’m just trying to let you know what you will be required to do, if you want to not only become a professional fighter, but actually be able to win most all of your fights.
As for which type of martial arts classes to study: I would look around where you live … open the search area wide, even if you have to drive a bit to get there, it is worth it for the right school. Find which schools are available to you. Do some research on those schools and the styles they offer. Ask questions of the students, instructors, etc. Do NOT sign up for one of those schools at that time. Bare in mind, some of those school owners are great salesmen and some of them are really good con artists. Go on the net and learn something about the different styles available to you in those areas. Then when armed with all the info you need, decide on a couple possibilities and go visit those schools. Ask for a free introductory class. If you like the structure of the class and the quality of the instructor(s), then consider joining.
Listen unless you get buff and have alot of energy no one is going to take you serious . Just find a good coach and start from there.
Go to a good school that breaks down the striking from grappling, that also has a mma team, start off with something you like and start from that point and build upon it. Get input from class members and instructor and they will point you to the right direction if you are cut out for this.
IF NOT GO TO A SCHOOL FIND THE BIGGEST FIGHTER AND PUNCH HIM IN THE FACE MAKE SURE YOU KNOCK HIM OUT, THEN THEY WILL TAKE YOU SERIOUSLY.
I will keep my answer simple:
1) If you want to train in MMA for personal use (fitness, self-defense, maybe local competitions), just learn a combination of striking and grappling. First, find an establishment that teaches jiu-jitsu, muay thai, or both. Go to maps.google.com and type your zip code. Once your local map is displayed, type “jiu-jitsu” (or any spelling variation), Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, judo, or shootfighting (pick one). Then google “Muay Thai” or “kickboxing.” Join their academies and learn both (striking and grappling); although most places now offer both BJJ plus Muay Thai to make for a well-rounded student. Maybe even join some competitions.
2) If you want to become a serious MMA fighter, as in competing in promoted or televised events, you’ll have to join gyms with reputations, maybe even travel ot those places like most fighters do (some save their money, drop everything, and go to the school full-time). Places like Shamrock’s “Lions Den”, Gracie Jiu-Jitsu schools, Machado Jiu-jitsu, Randy Couture’s “Legends Gym” etc. The best way to start is go to websites where MMAs are always discussed and find out where mainstream fighters train, like sherdog.com, mmatraining.com, etc.
Lastly, research some female MMA fighters, like Gina Carano (mainly Muay Thai), Julie Kedzie (TKD/BJJ), Amanda Buckner (BJJ), etc., and find out how/where they trained, then you might get a better idea of how to go about in doing it, if it is realistic for you to fight full-time, or train for personal/local use only.
Good luck.
I would suggest first off that you start working out at your local gym. I would place strong emphasise on cardio (most fighters “Gas Out” which is the same as running out of stamina) Secondly i would tone and shape, not this also includes eating a good diet).
Secondly if there is a particular style you think would help talk with other in the MMA circle that would be able to give you basic facts and no myths!
From there you will more than likely train in one or more disciplines and then still train mma.
There is no short road to it, It’s all about conditioning and not just your body but it’s also about your mental as well. You have to condition bones to be used to impacts, muscles to being hit, your heart and lungs and diaphram to not give out 3 minutes in.
Kimbo is not the face of MMA, he is just a bareknuckle brawler and no skill involved just brute strength. Don’t confuse the 2.
first off whats your age height and weight and what sports wrestling have u taken ?
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