WHAT TO EXPECT FROM YOUR FIRST MMA CLASS? BASIC ASPECTS OF MMA TRAINING FOR BEGINNERS
Posted on May 05 2019
by Pavel Zaremba
Not so long-ago MMA was considered a barbaric sport and it wasn’t that popular amongst the regular masses. Everything’s changed drastically, though, and nowadays after 25 years since the first UFC tournament MMA is on top of the food chain in the world of combat sports. There are thousands of gyms and teams across the globe with some legendary ones like “American Top Team”, “Jackson & Wink MMA Academy”, “Tristar Gym”, “AKA” and many others.
So, you’ve decided to become a part of this brutal world of combat sports and many beginners wonder what to expect from their first MMA class. Some people who are relatively new to this sport often feel scared and think they’ll get injured in their first sparring session, but in actual fact, it’s far from the truth. When speaking of doing MMA, there are a couple of key factors to keep in mind.
First of all, you should have a serious conversation with your inner self and determine the purpose of your training. If you simply want to learn how to protect yourself and your loved ones, stay fit or just do it for fun, that’s totally fine. But if you desire to become a professional fighter, the amount of time, hard work and practice you put in on the mat or in the cage should be multiplied by a 100.
The next thing you should really point out before going on a first training session is your overall fitness level. MMA is all about the cardio and there were numerous examples when one fighter who had better conditioning overwhelmed the other more experienced and technical athlete, who simply didn’t have as big of a gas tank as his opponent. If you aren’t even remotely fit, go ahead and inform your coach before starting training. You wouldn’t want passing out in front of everyone from all the strain put on your body in the first class, that’d just demotivate you from training completely.
Also, most people have that awful fear of getting hit in the face and there’s nothing shocking about that. But trust me, as time passes and your skills develop, you’ll stop flinching from punches so often and eventually simply get used to it. Though, a well-placed liver shot will still drop you for sure, so keep your guard tight at all times.
Finally, one of the most crucial skills you have to consider and acquire is learning to spar lightly. Outside of a training camp, no pro fighter would bite down on a mouthpiece and swing for the fences, because getting knocked out in a regular training session won’t help your longevity in the sport. Besides, if you piss off a seasoned fighter by landing hard with your punches, he might as well teach you some manners and show you the immeasurable gap in your skill levels. If you want to go hard with someone, that’s okay, as long as your sparring partner is fine with that. Try to work with more experienced fighters than you, because despite losing often and getting frustrated, you learn from those losses and build upon them.
There are tons of things to consider before starting training and these are some of the essentials. Whether your goal is to stay fit and have fun or to become the next GOAT of MMA, you’ll have to acquire basic skills before starting your epic journey from a beginner to a true nightmare inside the cage. Good luck!