At our Jiu Jitsu and MMA gym in Melbourne, we often get new people who say they would like to learn MMA. When we go over the schedule of Jiu jitsu, Kickboxing, and Wrestling classes they will often ask, “Can’t I just start with MMA classes?”. For someone who has never trained in martial arts before, this seems like a perfectly reasonable question. They may have watched MMA events like the UFC, One Championship, Bellator MMA etc. and thought, I want to learn how to do that that! To the untrained eye, MMA is a single sport unto itself. And while MMA truly is it’s own thing, it is called mixed martial arts for a good reason! So how does one learn MMA then? Let’s break things down a bit.
MMA is a nuanced sport because athletes can combine martial arts in whichever way they choose. That said, there are advantages and disadvantages to different styles. One athlete may choose to focus on their stand up striking by training mostly in boxing, kickboxing, muay thai etc. This can be great because they can put all their time and energy into becoming a ruthless stand up fighter. They may feel justified in doing this because they reason that they can just keep the fight on the feet and out box or out kickbox their opponent. While being a great stand up fighter is super important for MMA, what happens if the fight does go to the ground? They will likely be in big trouble.
Another athlete may focus mostly on their ground game with submission grappling and ground and pound. They might reason that they will take the fight to the ground and finish their opponent there. But what happens if the opponent uses proper footwork and distance management of a good stand up fighter and keeps the fight on the feet, and out strikes them? This is very problematic as well.
For the stand up fighter to improve their mixed martial arts abilities, they could start focusing on defending takedowns in order to keep the fight on the feet. So they would need to allocate some time to wrestling training. For the grappler, they might need to improve their ability to strike into takedowns, in order to get the fight to the floor. Both fighters would need to work on their wrestling training. So if these fighters simply add some wrestling takedowns, offence and defence, then they’re set right? Well, not necessarily!
Let’s say the grappler successfully gets the fight to the ground, only to find that the other fighter is a better grappler, then what?? And what if the stand up fighter starts getting outboxed? It’s important to understand that just because one style is your strongest, doesn’t mean it will be stronger than the other fighter. If you are a well rounded mixed martial artist, then you can switch between and merge styles as needed, in order to use what is strongest relative to the opponent at any given time in the match. Maybe you are best with your grappling, but your striking is the stronger strategy against an even more elite grappler. Or perhaps you get injured in such a way that you can’t use your footwork properly, then you’ll want to be able to get to the ground and be confident there.
The overall point here is that to really be “doing MMA”, you need to build a foundation in all areas. This is truly what it means to be a mixed martial artist. Many fighters identify with one style because that’s what they started their training in, or they had a coach that favoured that, or they just haven’t spent enough time training in other areas. But the best fighters will be well-rounded, strong in all areas, and able to merge everything together as needed. Even if you don’t plan on competing, if you’re interested in learning MMA in Melbourne, sign up for classes that teach you foundations in wrestling takedowns, boxing and kickboxing, and grappling. Do them all until you are proficient enough to start mixing things together, and let your coach know your goals!
If anyone wants to learn MMA in Melbourne in the areas of, Richmond, Abbotsford, Fitzroy, Northcote, Melbourne CBD, Carlton, Brunswick or anywhere you can commute to Collingwood, then come in for a trial class with us today!
Author: Nara Bisset