Why You Should Take Up A Martial Art This Summer

There’s more to martial arts than just getting kicked or thrown onto the ground and you don’t have to be a pro to join a class. Today I am going to talk you through all the benefits of taking up a martial art this summer.

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Fitness

It will help you get in shape or even just lose a few extra pounds. Whether its BJJ, wrestling or Muay Thai, anything is going to make you sweat. Especially in the heat that we have been having recently. And that’s what is going to make you lose weight. In addition, you will also be adding some muscle as well. So you’re not just going to slim down but also going to pack on some muscle as well. Perfect for those poolside photos.

Make Friends

Every class you go to is going to have other people in or there wouldn’t be much point in attending. Having lots of training partner won’t just help you with your chosen discipline. It also means there are more people to talk to. While you may get the odd person in a gym that only wants to hurt people the majority of student will be trying to help you and even getting to know you. So why not see if you can make a new friend or two.

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Protect yourself

One of the main reasons people get into martial arts is to learn how to handle themselves, and you shouldn’t be any different. You might never want to have a fight in your life but it doesn’t hurt to know how to look after yourself. If you ever end up in a situation where no one else is there to help you. Just knowing a few simple moves might be all the difference between you going home or ending up in the hospital in that situation.

A Challenge

Lots of martial arts such as BJJ, Judo and Karate all have rankings and belts that you can earn. And depending on the discipline you choose you might even be able to get your first promotion before the end of summer. Imagine how that would feel when you go back to work or school. Being able to tell everyone you have taken up a martial art and you have already earned your first belt.

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An Eye Opener

If you do decide to go down to a class then you will learn pretty quick that it doesn’t matter how big or strong you are. There will be people half your size tapping the biggest guys in the class. The technique will always overcome strength and don’t get disheartened if you get tapped even if it is by someone a lot smaller than you. Don’t have an ego.

Why Martial Art Is For Everyone

Martial arts are for everyone and it doesn’t matter if you’re a girl, short, overweight or old. Really anyone can start. The majority of gyms have girls training in them nowadays and while there is no problem guys and girls training together it can be difficult for women to train with someone who is so much bigger and stronger than them. So why not get some of your friends together and all go together and see what its like for yourself. And if there is already a girl training there she will love having someone her size to practice on.

Lots of gyms also offer kids classes but even if they don’t everyone in the gym will know to take it easy. So don’t worry about your children getting injured. And the younger they start the better they will be in the future, maybe even the next world champion. You would be surprised to see how many students are over 40 that train. So if you think your past it and you wouldn’t be any good at it think again. There will definitely be someone for you to train with, no matter who you are.

Hopefully, you have read something that’s opened your eyes or made you want to see for yourself. So remember it doesn’t matter how big or strong you are. If you’re old or a girl. Martial Art is for everyone.

Our Guide On How To Become A UFC Champion

Today we are going to talk you through the disciplines you need to become the best fighter on the planet.

Stand up

The obvious place to start is on your feet as that’s how every match starts. Whether it’s Boxing, Kickboxing or Muay Thai, you need to do something. Boxing has always been one of the biggest sports in the world for a reason. But we are talking about MMA now and as I’m sure you have all seen for yourselves, knees and kicks can do so much more than just knock a guy out. Just like in Bellator 158 when Micheal “Venom” Page landed a vicious knee on Evangelista ‘Cyborg’ Santos.
Cyborg Santos broken skull

He actually broke his skull during that fight.

Or when Edson Barboza’s hit Terry Etim with a spinning back kick at UFC 142 in Rio De Janeiro. One of the worst knockouts in UFC history.

Kickboxing and Muay Thai will not just make you a better fighter. Training in them will also help you defend yourself a lot better as you will be able to see moves coming earlier if you are familiar with them. Whether it’s the way the guy drops his arm as he goes for the kick. Or how he goes to his toes before he jumps for that flying knee. Either of these disciplines will benefit you greatly.

Don’t just rely on one aspect of your game

You can be the best guy in the world on your feet but if you haven’t got anything else about your game then I wouldn’t advise getting into the octagon. Just like with James Toney when he stepped into the ring at UFC 118 to fight against Randy Couture. Couture whose background is in wrestling, made it look easy. He might not be known for his ground game but he still schooled Toney. And sent out a pretty clear statement that the next Boxer who wants an MMA fight might want to think again.

August 28, 2010; Boston, MA; USA; Randy Couture (black trunks) and James Toney fight at UFC 118 in Boston, MA. Couture won via 1st round choke.

Why You Need Wrestling

Just like Toney, Royce Gracie is another fighter who relied too heavily on one discipline. Known for being one of the best BJJ guys in the world. The legend was caught out and defeated by Matt Hughes at UFC 60. Although former UFC Champion Royce was one of the best on the ground in the world. It doesn’t count for much if you can’t get the other guy down on the floor to tap them out. Hughes demonstrated this perfectly. With a background in wrestling. Hughes stopped Royce getting him down and showed him just why you need to be an all-rounded fighter to make it in this world.

Why Ground Work Is So Important

Although Royce did struggle in that fight he did have a pretty impressive career, with 15 wins and only 2 losses and he was a UFC Champion. Which demonstrates why BJJ is so essential and arguably the most important skill that you should have in your arsenal. Brazilain Jiu-Jitsu seems to be the most overlooked aspect of many fighters game. This may be as it takes so long to achieve your black belt. 10 years for a BJJ black belt as opposed to less than 5 for Judo and Karate belts. No matter what the reason some people decide not to train grappling as much as other aspects it doesn’t really matter. Nearly all fights end up on the ground. And if you don’t know what you are doing, you can’t defend yourself and you won’t last long.

UFC Champion, Royce and GSP

One of the reasons that GSP was so dominant and another UFC Champion. Here he is pictured with Royce just after they had finished training.

Hit The Gym To Be The Next UFC Champion

As I’m sure all of you know, lifting weights make you stronger and although just being strong alone won’t help you at all against a trained fighter, it will work wonders in addition to all of your other training. We have all been in that situation where you have gotten someone into a move and it’s so close but you just haven’t got the strength to finish it off. Lifting will help here. And with your takedowns. And with your punching. And in everything else that you do.

So we have given you some pretty solid advice here today, so no matter if you are a complete beginner or have been training for years. You just want to get in shape or you really do want to become the best fighter in the world, this guide has given you a solid foundation to work off. So what are you waiting for, get out there and start training to become the next UFC Champion!

And just like any fighter you will need the right equipment so why not take a look at some of the gear we like here

5 Real Life MMA Signature Moves Given To Street Fighter Characters!

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If you were born in the eighties or early nineties then read on, as some of the references may be lost to those born either side of those decades!

Meant as a bit of fun, we’ve read up on a few fictional character / real life mma fighter cross over style articles and they always spark up a bit of a debate with MMA, computer game and movie fans alike.

In our article, we’ve picked out five of the most feared signature techniques from the real world of MMA and chosen five fighters from the fictional Street Fighter Computer game series to give them to.

Sagat Blog

1 – Mirko Cro Copai??i??s High Kick

This move would definitely go to Muay Thai master, Sagat. There’s a distinct similarity between the fictional characters ridiculously powerful quads and those of the real life former UFC and Pride legend! Not to mention, that one of Cro Cop’s nicknames is ‘Tiger’… Street Fighter fans will see the link here.

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2 – Anderson Silva’s Muay Thai Clinch

We have attributed the devastating clinch of the Brazilian supremo to, Adon, another Muay Thai champ from the Street Fighter series. Similar to ‘The Spider’, Adon combines, speed, power and accuracy, and the inclusion of a lethal Muay Thai clinch would fit in quite nicely in to his repertoire of moves.

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3 – Wanderlei Silva’s Knees

We thought about giving this one to Sagat, but he already has the Tiger Knee move so we thought we’d spread things around a bit. Making use of M Bison’s strong leg power, coupled with the fact he wears some kind of metallic shin and knee guard, who else is better suited to deliver the feared, cutting knee attacks of the ‘Axe Murderer’!?

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4 – Bas Rutten’s Liver Shot

Punching power master, Balrog, would be the perfect character to have Rutten’s fearsome Liver Shot added to his arsenal. With power and technique to execute this fight ending technique, we just need to work Balrog’s ground game a bit more now to make a more well rounded fighter!

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5 – Fedor Emelianenkoai??i??s Kimura

With more than just the Russian connection, this move has to go to Zangief. The fictional fighter mixes his predominant wrestling style with Sambo and has similar natural power and size as the ‘Last Emperor’. There would need to be some re-writing in to the background story of Zangief with regards to where he learned the move, although, he may have come up with it himself when wrestling the odd bear in his spare time! If you believe some of the obviously photoshopped memesAi??on the internet then they’d have you believe that this is also a popular past time for the great Fedor himself too!

We’ve covered a fair few disciplines but the list could go on with more comparisons if we had the time. If you liked this article you need to check out the artist’s Bryan Lee’s ‘Ryu vs. Lyoto….’ article on the Fightland blog, you definitely won’t be disappointed.

Getting back to reality, don’t forget that we also cover the most popular martial arts disciplines here at MMA Fightwear, with our extensive range of fight equipment and apparel!

MMA Fightwear Christmas Buying Guide

If you are looking for MMA gift ideas and are in need of some inspiration, then look no further than our officialAi??MMA Fightwear Christmas Buying Guide

MMA Xmas Buyers Guide-1

MMA Nutrition Basics – 5 Benefits of Diet Logs

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Whether you are a professional MMA Fighter looking to cut weight or if you train to maintain high fitness levels and are searching for ways to improve your diet then starting a diet log is a really effective first step.

With a plethora of advice out there regarding nutrition, we won’t be covering well trodden ground in this article, but aim to outline some of the benefits of keeping a journal of what you eat as part of an effective diet and nutrition programme. This article is by no means specific to the field of MMA nutrition and could be applied to help you form the building the blocks of any successful diet.

Before taking further advice and building up a detailed programme to suit your needs, your diet log will provide you with an interesting and useful insight in to your current habits and you may even be surprised by what you see! Check out some of the other benefits below;

1 – ACCOUNTABILITY

It’s obvious that by keeping diet log, you will be more aware of what you are eating. The added benefit of this is that you will think twice before putting away that extra doughnut that’s going spare in the office canteen, knowing that you will have to add it to your list.

2 – SPOTTING GAPS IN YOUR DIET

Seeing things down on paper will help you to spot any deficiencies in your current diet with regards to getting the right balance from the major food and nutrition groups. You might find that you’re easily meeting your 5 a day fruit and veg quota, but are lacking in your dairy intake for example.

3 – DISAGREEABLE FOOD DETECTION

This is something that could prove useful if you notice that after eating certain foods, you feel discomfort, bloated etc… This could be down to portion sizes or a natural intolerance to certain foods that you be best to find a suitable alternative for.

4 – DON’T FORGET ABOUT THE FLUIDS!

It’s common knowledge that the majority of us do not drink enough water, so keeping track of your intake can certainly help with this. If you have not been in the habit of monitoring your nutritional intake, it is easy to discount other fluids and their effect on our diet. In terms of their impact on our recommended daily nutritional allowances, you may be shocked at the sugar and calorie counts of certain soft drinks.

5 – LINKS BETWEEN MOOD AND FOOD

Once you are in the full swing of your newly formed diet, you may start to adopt the food is fuel mind set and flavour may take second place. By keeping a food journal, you may also want to make a note of your mindset as you have eaten certain foods. In addition to craving particular flavours, most notably sugar and salt, your journal may reveal some interesting findings about your habits, in relation to your mindset when you eat certain foods.

Are you eating at certain times of the day to fill a boredom gap, procrastinate on doing things that need to be done etc…? Being aware of the mental aspect of dieting will help you prepare to fight the need to give in and cheat during the early stages of your new diet.

WHAT TO RECORD IN THE DIARY

Keeping a record of your habits for two weeks should be sufficient enough time to give you a good background and insight in to your current diet.

We recommend recording;

ai??? What you have eaten

ai??? Where & When

ai??? Portion Size

ai??? Calories

ai??? Fluid Intake

ai??? Mindset (Optional)

For more detailed advice around building a tailored diet we would advise seeking out professional advice, making sure to avoid ‘tips’ from companies that may being trying to sell you a product at the end of it!

Articles that explain the bare basic facts about why you should eat certain foods and their impact on our bodies, such as thisAi??MMA MEAL PLANNINGAi??article on the Body Building.com website are good examples of the kind of impartial stats and facts that you should be looking out for.

6 Signs That You Are Addicted To MMA

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If you think that you may be addicted to your training regime or a slightly over obsessive fan, then there should be a few things on our list below that you can relate to:

1- Training Withdrawal

We all have those times when unavoidable things get in the way of your training and it’s common for your mind to start playing tricks on you about the effect that the missed sessions are having.

Your ‘training withdrawal’ symptoms may include feeling that your technique is getting rusty, your condition is declining and you don’t feel as strong etcai??i??

These thoughts are usually quite fickle and after few sessions back though you’ll probably feel on top of the world again and wonder what all the fuss was about!

2 – Training Video Overload!

Basically your YouTube search history is an endless list of training, technique and highlight videos and their viewing has all but replaced everything that you used to watch on TV.

Your email inbox will also be clogged full of annoying updates from all of those training video channels that you have subscribed too as well!

3 – Budget Priorities: Biils, Food and Training!

Along side your utility bills and food shopping, your outgoings per month on training sessions takes a pretty high priority as an essential, non negotiable part of your budget.

If you find yourself strapped for cash and allocate parts of your budget away from things you no longer see as “essential” then it may be time to put things in perspective.

4 – Instant Gift Ideas

Your standard, stock answer to the question, “what do you want for your birthday this year?” was normally met with “I’m not really bothered, anything really or I don’t really need anything”.

Not anymore. You’ll now have a tidy little list of gear and clothing upgrades that you’ve been putting the pennies away for, and when the birthday or Christmas question comes up. You’ll have it right to hand to mention that there’s an expensive pair of new MMA Gloves that you’ve had your eye on for a little while nowai??i?? hint, hint.

We don’t need to remind you where to direct that generous person to either do we? 😉 Just in case you do here’s the link; MMA Fightwear!

5 – Walkout Song Wish List

While out on a jog with your playlist on shuffle, one of those songs comes on that gives you a little kick and burst of energy. You start to think that it would make a great walk out song and you make a mental note to add this to your list when you get home.

This habit can kick in at anytime where music is involved, including when you’re driving with the radio on or when you here a particular soundtrack to a film.Ai?? If you find yourself pulling over with the hazard lights on or put the film on pause to make a note, then you need to accept the fact that you have a problem!

6 – Name Geek

You can pronounce Stipe Miocic and spell Nogueira without checking if it’s correct first.

Team Hayabusa UFC Night Congratulations!

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As Official European Hayabusa Distributor we want to give a big congratulations to the Team Hayabusa sponsored from last weekends UFC Fight Nights in Stockholm and Halifax (Canada).

The event in Sweden saw victories for Jerome-Max “Blessed” Holloway, Dennis Siver and Krzysztof Jotko. The victorious fighters could all be seen battling it out wearing the Hayabusa Metaru Performance Shorts. Check out the Hayabusa Facebook pageAi??for some of the highlight pictures from the night

The Halifax event was an even bigger night in terms of Team Hayabusa victories, with five out of eight Hayabusa sponsored fighters winning. Congratulations go out to; Elias Theodorou, Nordine Taleb, Mitch Gagnon, Paul Felder and Olivier Aubin-Mercier.

Fighters proudly represented Hayabusa wearing the Haburi Compression Shorts and Metaru Fight Shorts.

Of course, our support goes out to the Team Hayabusa fighters who were unable to secure wins and we wish them the best of luck for the next time!

An Insight In To The Professional MMA Fighter

At MMA Fightwear, we always like to have a read of other MMA related blogs and news sites to keep ourselves updated with what is being discussed in the sport.

Recently we came across a really interesting article on the yourmma.tv website called Professional Rules, Not Professional Athlete, written by Jay Furness.

The author of the article, a professional MMA fighter himself, discusses his views on the distinction between “pro fighter” and “pro athlete”.

If you are interested in to getting a snap shot insight in to the life of a UK based professional MMA fighter, then we reckon that this article is worth taking a few minutes out to have a read of.

The author goes in to detail about the struggles and balancing act of holding down a full time job as well as fitting in a busy training regime. He also touches on the rarity of being fortunate enough to be fully supported by an income from fighting “full time” with references to those who have broken through and fight in well funded organisations like the UFC and Bellator.

If you’reAi?? interested in MMA but do not train yourself, or do not train to compete, then the end of the article where the author lists his weekly training regime will be an eye opener and is sure to give you a new found respect for the hard work and dedication it takes to be a professional mma fighter!

MMA Fightwear’s Tips on Training Smart

We all know that exercise is good for us and that when it comes to improving in any martial arts discipline that practice, practice, practice is a great mantra to help progress your technique.

However, there’s a balance to be drawn between the desire to stay in shape, improve your skill level and but not over training your body.

Fighters are a competitive breed and the subject of over training can sometimes lead to concerns about appearing weak or not pushing yourself hard enough, but the key here is to learn about training smart as well as hard.

Whether you are training on your own or with a club, there are few pointers that can help you train more efficiently and reduce the chance of fatigue and injury. We’ve put together a list of six points as that you can research further in more detail to help you get the knowledge to train smarter.

1 – Create a schedule

Having a detailed weekly schedule of what kind of training you are set to do on particular days as well as your goals for the kind of training you are undertaking is a great way of helping you sticking to a pre-thought out plan.

Pre-planning your routines will help you to even out the different kinds of training that you will take part in during the week to make sure that you get a good all round work out.

 

2 – Having high quality training partners

Making sure that your training partners are technically sound and in shape means that they are more likely to push you harder and improve your game and are less likely to fatigue so easily and make mistakes or be unpredictable. We all know that unpredictability and mistakes are the friends of injuries, so the more you can do to eliminate this the better.

 

3 – Staying hydrated

The fact that dehydration leads to muscle fatigue and can have a negative impact on your performance are good enough reasons to make sure you’re drinking enough water.

Whilst the majority of your require fluid intake should be in the hours leading up to exercising, it is still important to take in water during and after exercising. How much depends on the intensity of your exercise and for how long you are working yourself for.

 

4 – Eating right

For those who have a regular and full training regime, for the most part, food is fuel. Eating right is essential to help you perform at your peak and to aid in effective recovery.

If you are serious about your training we advise that you work with your coach or personal trainer to identify your own specific goals and needs so that a personal diet and nutrition plan can be drawn up for you.

 

5 – Recovery time

It’s also essential to factor in some recovery time in to your weekly plan, to give your body a chance to rest and recuperate. If you’re training most days of the week, we advise that you schedule in a full day of R & R to enable you train at your best.

 

6 – Getting enough sleep

The importance of sleep can not be overestimated, not only does it give your mind and body some much needed downtime at the end of the day, it also helps to make sure that you’re concentration and focus level are at their best when you’re awake. As we mentioned above a tired mind that lacks concentration can lead to injury, which could have been prevented if only you got a good 8 hours rest in the night before!

We hope our list gives you some food for thought and helps you to devise a smarter plan, don’t forget that having top quality equipment and apparel is also a sure fire way to make sure that you’re giving yourself the best chance to perform at your peak!

MMA Fightwear Boxing Glove Size Guide Infographic

Boxing Glove Weight Guide InfoG

 

If you are still unsure about what kind of boxing glove is right for you we adviseAi??you consult your trainer / coach.