How to Get Into MMA – 10 Tips

Mixed Martial Arts has seen meteoric growth in popularity globally recently.

And this popularity is not just among hardcore martial arts fans but MMA has truly gone mainstream with your everyday sports fans tuning in to the promotions and having discussions around this relatively new combat sport.

Muay Thai along with BJJ have also seen fast paced growth in popularity and are becoming more accessible across the globe with instructors, classes and gyms opening up to cater for the increased demand for these martial arts.

Access to MMA Gyms and Instructors

However while the traditional martial arts such as muay thai and BJJ have become more accessible, MMA gyms and instructors are not nearly as accessible just yet.

This is due to the fact that most MMA gyms, trainers and practitioners have the sole focus of competing and fighting for a living and may not normally take on non-fighters.

For muay thai it has become more accessible for those who are martial artists or want to learn for fitness or even self defense.

The same can be said for BJJ and normal everyday people not interest in competing now train these arts regularly.

Things are steadily changing are MMA gyms are also becoming more and more accessible, however the number of traditional martial arts gyms still far outnumber MMA schools.

So then as someone wanting to get into to MMA how can you go about this?

Here a 10 helpful and important tips to get you on your way.

1. Define your ‘why’.

Fist define your reasons behind wanting to get into MMA.

If you are looking to be a competitive MMA fighter or you want to get into MMA to become a more complete martial artist, or perhaps self defense and fitness then define this first.

Not everyone who seeks to get into MMA necessarily want to fight and compete.

MMA itself offers new challenges for the established martial artist and the chance to broaden your horizons and grow as a martial artist.

In terms of improving fitness, MMA athletes are some of the most well conditioned and disciplined athletes on the planet and if fitness is what you seek MMA can definitely help with that. This also includes weight loss as the training is intense and challenging and can definitely help you get the wight off.

For self defense, MMA also offers realistic self defense with techniques tried and tested in the cage and on the mats.

So its important to define your goals up front and then plan ahead from there.

Perhaps your goals will also change as you take up this journey and that’s perfectly fine also! But at least up front you should have a clear goal on ‘why’ you want to get into MMA.

2. Plan Your Time Wisely

With MMA there is so much to learn and to become proficient in in order to be a well rounded mixed martial artist.

If you are looking to improve your fitness and martial arts skills and are not interested in fighting perhaps 2-3 sessions a week will be enough for you,

But if you are looking to fight competitively a more realistic target to set would be to train 4-6 sessions a week and this does not include your strength and conditioning sessions.

This requires good planning up front and a realistic look at your available time and how much time you need to commit to MMA.

There are 3 main areas that will require time and commitment from you and these are Skills, Strength & Conditioning and Recovery & Nutrition

i) MMA Skills

MMA involves the ‘mixing’ of different martial arts disciplines each of which take years to master in and of themselves.

However as a mixed martial artist the aim is not be a high level expert in each but to become proficient and well rounded and comfortable in transitioning between the different phases of an MMA fight and the martial arts disciplines used within each.

Your skill work will include becoming proficient in stand up striking, clinching, take downs and groundwork.

This means putting in time on your Muay Thai and Boxing; Wrestling and BJJ and honing your MMA specific skills such as striking on the ground.

ii)Strength & Conditioning

In addition to the time spent working on your striking, take downs and ground game sufficient time needs to be set aside for your strength and conditioning.

Strength and conditioning is a huge part of MMA training and should not be neglected. While you will get many benefits in terms of cardio and muscular endurance through your MMA training., you need to be making progress in your strength and endurance consistently.

iii)Recovery and Nutrition

Planning out your recovery time is important in order to be in an optimal state to not only train but to take in new information and learn new skills. So this means getting adequate sleep and relaxation during our down time from training.

Nutrition goes hand in hand with your recovery and having a balanced and healthy nutrition plan will go along way to benefiting your training.

Putting in the time to to go grocery shopping for the right foods and preparing these foods are all aspects that need to be planned for.

3. Do Your Research!

Find out what gyms, academies and instructors are available in your area and whether they are fit to meet your goals.

Some MMA gyms may not be interested in training those who do not intend to compete. For a long time the Jackson-Winklejohn MMA school did not accept non-competitors and focused solely on active MMA fighters who competed. Jackson-Winklejohn MMA is the home gym of UFC fighter Jon Jones.

However today serious MMA gyms who produce high level fighters such as Duke Roufus Academy in Milwaukee (home of Anthony and Sergio Pettis) as well as Ludwig Martial Arts in Colorado also cater for the everyday person seeking to improve as a martial artist’s and get fitter.

So going to back to Tip #1 and defining your ‘why’ it’s important to make your intentions known up front with the gym you want to sign up with.

But first do your research on the available gyms in your area and what they offer and the kind of people they accept in their gym.

As discussed earlier right now its probably a bit easier to access traditional martial arts gyms than MMA gyms.

And if there are no MMA gyms in your area then you need to plan out your training and time commitment accordingly and find out which BJJ, Boxing or Muay Thai schools are in your area.

You will need to have time to put into Boxing/Muay Thai your BJJ/Wrestling and also your MMA specific skills which you will have to research and learn online if there are no MMA specific gyms you can access.

MMA specific skills which are not really taught at traditional martial arts include striking on the ground, fighting against the cage and executing submissions, grappling and even striking with MMA gloves. 

4. Plan Your Budget ($)

Learning MMA will require you to commit some funds. Make sure you know this upfront and are prepared to fork out some cash in order o improve your skills and learn.

Monthly fees at MMA gyms and other martial arts schools will all add up over time and you need to be prepared for this additional cost.

An average cost of an MMA gym can be anywhere from $50 to $200 a month for classes alone. In addition to this you need to training gear which can include gloves, shin guards, compression gear, rash guards, a gi, head gear and a gum guard.

At a minimum I would recommend budgeting about $1200 for your first year of training as per the Table below for average cost of fees and training gear.

Gym fees	$1000 per year
Gloves	$50
Shin Guard	$50
Gum guard	$15
Hand wraps	$5
Gi	$70
Rash guard	$40
TOTAL	$1230

5. Keep a Training Journal and Set Goals

Have goals for yourself and keep a record of these in a training journal.

Keeping a training journal is useful in not only planning out your time but also in keeping you on track for each particular goal you wish to achieve.

Its also very encouraging when after a period of time you look back at your journal and see how much work you have put in and how far you have come in terms of improving your skills and strength and conditioning.

I would recommend keeping a separate journal for your strength and conditioning and for your skills work.

Example of shorter terms goals would be:

1. Competing in an amateur boxing or muay thai match
2. Completing 15 pull ups with good form
3. Winning a Blue Belt BJJ tournament

6. Don’t Try and Do Everything at Once

MMA requires become proficient in different skills and martial arts aspects in order to become well rounded as a mixed martial artist.

A lot of people try to do get good at everything right from the outset.

This wont work. You need to recognize that individually the martial arts that make up MMA take years to master.

If you do try to do too many things at once chances are you will get overwhelmed and also over trained. This will lead to frustration and burnout which will be detrimental to you achieving your long term goals.

If for a period of time you need to focus more on your grappling and take downs then your striking will have to be put on the back burner for a while.

This is especially so if you want to compete in a specific tournament such as BJJ or amateur muay thai or boxing in order to get the combat experience and to sharpen your skills.

In this case you will have to focus on specific skills for a while or a period of weeks or months. Just know that your other skills may not improve as quickly during this time but the aim is to not regress but at least maintain those skills during these times.

The same is true for strength and conditioning. If your fitness is under par right now you may have to dedicate more time to getting your strength and conditioning on point before you dedicate more time to improving your skills and getting the necessary rest and recovery to do so.

This is linked with you time management and shorter term goals you set for your self which all add up to your long term goals.

7. Steel Your Will and Mindset and Be Prepared for Setbacks

Injuries are a common part of training any martial art or combat sport. Be prepared for this!

Injuries can set you back weeks as you recover but don’t give up and be sure to adjust your goals and timelines for achieving those goals.

In addition to injuries its important to have a strong resilient mindset in sparring. Whether this be rolling in BJJ or sparring in boxing/muay thai and MMA.

Some days you are the hammer and others you are the nail. There are some days where you will be able to effectively showcase your skills against our training partners and other days you will be crushed.

You cant always be the hammer so be prepared to be the nail as well. Its all part of the learning process. If you want to give up after getting outclassed in sparring then you wont get far in this game.

Setbacks and feeling ‘defeated’ and like you are not making good progress is guaranteed to happen so be prepared for this.

Steel your will and your mindset and keeping pushing forward just a little bit and a little more each session.

8. Keep an Open Mind

Don’t be dismissive of any fighting style of technique.

These days high level MMA fighters such as Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson and Anthony Pettis use aspects of Karate and Tae Kwan Do in their MMA style which is very effective.

This is despite these styles often getting a bad wrap for being unsuitable for real fighting.

Keep an open mind when it comes to techniques as well as training methods. Approach each session as a white belt and be ready to learn.

This way your instructor will be more willing and open to teaching and helping you improve.

If you have been training another martial art for years, still be prepared to listen and learn when it comes to MMA.

9. Be Prepared to Sacrifice

Know that there are things you will have to sacrifice so be prepared for this.

Going out with friends and hanging out late when you have a training session the next morning wont help you in the long run.

You need to sacrifice. This means giving up bad habits such as smoking, excessive drinking and eating bad food all the time.

But also this could mean sacrificing time with your family and friends in order to be able to rest and recovered to make your next training session.

At the same time we all need to have balance in our lives and as each individual is different its important you find this balance for yourself.

Treat yourself to your favorite foods and social time with family and friends but prepared to focus and keep your goals in mind for your next training session.

But be prepared to sacrifice some things in order to improve as a mixed martial artist.

10. Focus on Consistency and Small Gains Over the Long Term

Consistency trumps intensity every time. You may have heard this saying before and in MMA and martial arts training or strength and conditioning this is very true.

If you just improve by %1 every sessions or even every week this is enough to keep you on the right track.

Over the course of a few months or a year you will be well pleased with the progress you have made and all the new skills you have learnt and mastered.

Play the long game and focus on the end goal – whatever this may be for you.