Monthly Archives: January 2014

Pro MMA Products – A Buyers’ Guide

Pro MMA Gloves 10ozBag Gloves

The primary purpose of Bag Gloves are to protect your knuckles and wrists against the impact of hitting bags and pads during training. The PRO MMA Advanced Pro Series 10oz Bag Gloves are designed to perform exactly for this purpose.

The 10oz weight enables you to train with a glove that is not too heavy (to allow fast bag and pad work), yet padded enough to protect your hands and wrists.

A further benefit of the 10oz weight of our bag gloves is that, especially during heavy bag sessions, you will get a better feel for how your hand forms when you hit the bag, more so than say if you were wearing a 14oz bag glove. This allows you to correct your striking during training sessions, and even if you feel you need more protection you can also wear a pair of our 100% cotton Hand Wraps or Gel Hand Wraps beneath the glove.

Sparring Gloves

PRO MMA have opted for a 16oz weight Sparring Glove for their range, although there are variations in the weights of Sparring Gloves on the market, the 16oz is a widely accepted as a standard weight for sparring.

The heavier weighted 16oz Sparring Glove gives you and your sparring partner increased protection during training and has the further benefit of helping to strengthen and condition your upper body.

Pro MMA GlovesMMA Gloves

When buying MMA Gloves, the first thing you will notice is their smaller size in comparison to any gloves you have bought for boxing and or other similar contact sports. MMA Gloves tend to weigh 4oz, as do the PRO MMA Advanced Pro Series 4oz MMA Gloves, and due to their size and construction they give you the dual benefit of being suitable for both striking and grappling.

The Advanced Pro Series MMA Glove with its fingerless construction and padding protecting the back of the hand and knuckles allow unrestricted movement for your hands to enable a full range of grips when clinching and grappling.

MMA Sparring Gloves

MMA Sparring Gloves, heavier than the standard 4oz MMA Gloves, are designed with two main goals in mind, to keep the hands as free as possible for grappling and ground work and to provide extra padding for protection during sparring.

The PRO MMA Advanced Pro Series 7oz Sparring Gloves are perfectly constructed for the main dual purpose of MMA Sparring Gloves.

The heavier 7oz construction means that these gloves have more padding and protection than their 4oz counterparts but have finger rings to keep your hands as free as possible during grappling work.

Pro MMA Hand WrapsHand Wraps

As you can see, PRO MMA offer two kinds of Hand Wrap, the Gel Hand Wrap and a traditional cotton Hand Wrapai??i?? what are the benefits of either kind? Ultimately the primary purpose of any hand wrap is to guard the hand/wrist against breaks and fractures.

The traditional hand wraps, when tied correctly, provide excellent protection for bones and tendons in your hands and support for your wrists, helping to prevent injuries. Gel Hand Wraps also serve to protect your hands and wrists in the same way as the traditional hand wraps, but provide extra protection for the knuckles and are time saving in terms of their application.

Thai Pads

The Advanced Pro Series Curved Thai Pads pre-curved design enables the shock of impact to be dispersed more evenly around the area of the pad itself. The curved pads are thicker than standard flat Pro Sized Thai Pads allowing them to withstand more powerful strikes.

Just as important as the striking surface and pad thicknesses are the straps and handles for holding the pads, we understand that the art to correctly holding a pad is equally as important as how it is hit. The Dual Velcro Enclosure system used on these pads ensures the maximum level of support possible.

Kick Shields

Kick shields are excellent tools to aid in developing power and need to be light enough so not be too much of a burden on your training partner, yet thick enough to withstand full force impact striking. The PRO MMA Advanced Pro Series Kick Shield fits the bill in this respect, designed from a high density shock absorbing foam and has three durable riveted handles at the rear for superb gripping and control.

Pro MMA Focus MittsFocus Mitts

Much smaller than the other kinds of pads we have so far discussed, Focus Mitts are designed to help improve speed and accuracy of striking as well to practice and perfect combinations. Again as with the other forms of pads, you are looking for that perfect combination of the right weight and padding to give the best performance during training.

PRO MMA Advanced Pro Series Focus Mitts are light in weight with a thick padding, and offer extra wrist support and protection.

Shin Guards

Shin Guards come in many forms and styles, however their primary purpose is pretty obvious, designed to protect and reduce injury for the systems that involve practising kicking. Shin Guards, also known as Shin Insteps amongst other names, as far as PRO MMA are concerned their offering is grouped in to two categories; MMA Shin Guards and Thai Shin Guards.

Thai Shin Guards, like the Advanced Pro Series Thai Shin Guards are typically of a heavier construction and build than MMA Shin Guards, and are designed to give more complete protection to the shin, instep and foot. Velcro straps are now the norm for both the Thai and MMA variety, allowing quick release and fastening of the shin guard. The more durable construction and all round protection of the Thai Shin Guards mean that this variety are the choice for those of you who practice Kick Boxing and Muay Thai as opposed to MMA.

MMA Shin Guards are lighter in weight, with slightly more emphasis on freedom of movement during ground work for MMA practitioners. As with MMA Shin Guards in general, the Advanced Pro Series MMA Shin Guards will provide you with some protection, being constructed with a shock absorbing foam padding. They also have a full neoprene backing allowing for an extremely secure fit during grappling and ground work.

MMA Myths Dispelled!

MYTH:
MMA IS MORE DANGEROUS THAN OTHER CONTACT SPORTS

FACT:
As with any sport, if you take the time to learn the correct technique and practice it correctly, MMA is as safe as many other contact sports, if not safer.

ai???Ai??The increased popularity and exposure of the sport to the masses over recent years has seen an improvement in training standards, resulting in safer and more professional environments in which to train and compete.

ai??? It’s mass appeal has seen aspects of it combined with and provide a basis for general fitness sessions at various gyms and clubs.

ai??? In comparison to the more mainstream acceptable sport of boxing, the majority of MMA fights actually take place on the ground in the form of grappling and wrestling.

ai???Ai??This means that, compared to boxing, where fighters can sustain continuous blows to the head and body for anything up to 15 rounds, MMA fighters only spend a fraction of that time trading head and body shots during the significantly shorter 3 – 5 round bouts.

ai??? Also contrary to popular belief, with over 30 definitions of foul play, MMA has a comprehensive list of rules and regulations. Check out the Rules and Regulations page of the Official UFC website to see a full breakdown of the rules enforced by the world’s most famous and respected MMA events promotion company.

ai??? In addition to rules, regulations and correct technique, making sure that you use good quality equipment is a must for ensuring your safety as well as comfort when training or competing.

ai??? From correctly weighted MMA Gloves with supportive wrist enclosures, to well padded Head Guards and Shin Guards, the right equipment could be the difference between sustaining or preventing a performance inhibiting injury.

Spider Jiu Jitsu Gi Review

With the mid to premium price gi markets really taking off over the last few years, the lower end (or first gi market) has always been filled with bad quality products, inaccurate sizing and lack of design choice.

A new company, Spider Jiu Jitsu, has released a gi at an incredible price, which could really help restore that balance.

Firstly, we looked at the pearl weave jacket and the stitching is perfect on our sample gi; not a single missed or loose stitch. Ai??Added to that, the reinforced areas are in all the right places and the strong but soft, non-itchy, ripstop material taping on the sleeves and jacket skirt make for a great long lasting jacket.

The ripstop trousers continue the trend of Spider Jiu Jitsu’s quality with perfect stitching and a nice addition of pearl weave knee pads. This added weight felt a bit odd to start with, but when rolling and drilling it really helped the knees hold up to the week’s hard training.

The fit of the gi is slightly bigger than our 6″ 2′ reviewer has become accustomed to, with the more tailored fit better suiting his body type. However, many people prefer a more traditionally cut jacket, and if you are always struggling to find a more generous fit then this gi is really for you.

The gi performed perfectly while rolling. It stayed together well and our reviewer hardly noticed it all, which is always what you want when training. It never felt too hot, even with the heavier weight cotton used. The trouser material is a great weighted ripstop; light but heavy enough not to be easily gripped by your partner.

The drawstring is made from reinforced canvas, which could be the only negative we can draw from the review. After a few cold washes the drawstring became a bit stiff, which means it’s harder to tie tightly. Not the end of the world.

All in all, this gi rises up well above its budget price point to be able to compete with the more premium priced gis and is perfect for a grappler on a budget or as first gi that will last years.

See our Spider Jiu Jitsu brand page for our full range of Spider Jiu Jitsu Gi’s and Belts available to buy today!

459-MAM-Hayabusa-Re-Stock2

We’re bringing in 2014 with a full re-stock of your favourite Hayabusa equipment ranges!

We’ve taken a full re-stock of the;

ai??? Hayabusa Kanpeki Elite 2.0 Series

ai??? Hayabusa Tokushu Series

ai??? Hayabusa Ikusa Series

We’ll have more stock updates from Hayabusa coming soon, so stay tuned to our Blog and Facebook pages or sign up for our email Newsletter on our Homepage to be the first to be in the know about our latest offers and updates!