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Jumping rope is an awesome exercise for MMA training. Fantastic for conditioning, co-ordination and footwork it’s definitely a very important part of a fighter’s training routine.

I like to challenge myself when I’m jumping rope by busting out a bunch of different tricks and movements throughout my routines. It also keeps things fun for me.

Here’s one technique I think you should try out in your training…

The One Hand Rope Spin 360

MMA/BJJ/Boxing/Kickboxing Training Tip – Take notes

Writing down what you learn at  BJJ, Boxing, Kick boxing or Wrestling practice is a great way to help your remember attacks, defenses and escapes better than ever before. The writing process will bring the techniques you recently learned back into your mind, which is almost as good as practicing them all over again, as you focus on getting every little technical detail out of your freshly punched or squished head and onto the paper.

Here’s a few tips that I’ve used over the years to help me take better notes:

- Pay attention to the even the tiniest of details and keep a record of every technique, concept and strategy you learn in class, from another student, through observation of sparring sessions or during a private lesson with your instructor. Before you know it you’ll have a ton of stuff to practice outside of your regular training schedule.

- Do not…I repeat do not attempt to remember any detail, no matter how memorable it may seem at the time, in your head. If anything is forgotten, your technique will be much less effective and may potentially not even work at all.

I’ll say it one more time because it is so important. When taking notes be sure to include every single detail!

I’ve run into trouble in the past when my technique description was lacking. For instance, I would often write to use one of my hands for some movement within a technique but forgot to specify if it was my left or right hand. At the time I thought I would easily remember something as small as that and a week later I probably did. A month later that vital information was often lost from my mind. I quickly learned that taking ten minutes or more after class or a seminar to write down everything was worth the effort.

- A pen and paper system has always worked well for me. If you can type pretty fast I also suggest entering into a computer program such as Microsoft Word as it may help you keep more organized. Typing your notes into the computer will give your mind another look at the many techniques that you are hoping to put to use in your training in the near future. The more time you spend thinking about martial arts, the faster you will improve.

- The notes you take won’t be of any value to you unless you go back to them often and practice them with a partner. At first I suggest you work on them several times per week, before class, after class or even at home if you have a good spot to practice. I used to meet up with a different training partner –so I wouldn’t burn them out– every morning for two hours and go over six to eight different techniques.

- Once you’ve mastered the technique’s static application –which they say takes at least a thousand repetitions—the notes are not as important as the movement will have become embedded into your subconscious. You’ll start finding yourself pulling the movements off during training and maybe even competition. That’s when you can begin to move onto to practice the many other techniques in your training notebook.

Keep in mind that carrying your notebook with you to martial arts class, and writing notes in the midst of a seminar might not seem like the coolest things to do but don’t worry it’ll all be worth it. The quick gains you’ll make in skill will soon have you submitting anyone who laughs at your methods.

MMA Training Tip – Patience Will Keep Things Fun!

I really don’t believe that becoming the perfect mixed martial artist is ever possible. Well at least not in the average life span that we as human beings can expect. I’ve been training close to thirty years and sometimes there are some days I still feel like a beginner at some things.

In the beginning mixed martial arts can be a little overwhelming for many students. New students are constantly asking me how long it will take them to become good. I always tell them that there is no easy route or quick shortcut to mastery, that they should focus on attending class as often as possible and always do their best to be a good student. If they are expecting to become a professional fighter overnight, they have no clue how much dedication an accomplishment it actually takes to do so. Mind you they could just jump in and fight pro but they better have some good health insurance.

In terms of your own training, be patient. It will take some time but with some dedication and hard work you’re guaranteed to improve. In a few shorts months you will possess the skills and confidence necessary to defend yourself against the average person in the street. That is a very empowering feeling. I call this time stage one and at this is the point where things really become fun.

Like watching your own child grow, you don’t notice the technical changes and growth you are making daily but before you know it you’ve matured into an experience mixed martial artist. So be patient, have fun and remember that the enjoyment isn’t in achieving the goal, it’s in the journey along the way.

After watching a few videos of guys getting knocked  out when their cowardly opponents threw cheap shots while they were touching gloves, I decided to make this video.

Remember to protect yourself at all times once the referee starts the fight but if you do want to touch gloves with your opponent, following the 3 simple tips in this video will keep you from getting knocked unconscious in seconds.

Shadowboxing can be difficult, frustrating and awkward  for new students to perform. It can be very tough for a beginner to fire their  punches in the right places or stay in a strong fighting stance because their lack of experience makes it very difficult for them to properly visualize an opponent in front of them.

Shadowboxing –or shadowfighting which I sometimes call it because of the kicks, take down entries, sprawls that I execute in addition to the punching– is one of the most useful training drills in a fighters –for both beginners and advanced students– workout routine. It promotes technical proficiency, is excellent for conditioning and is an efficient way for a fighter to perfect their attacks before entering the heat of battle that sparring or actual competition is.

One way that I find will help you feel more comfortable shadowboxing is by doing the exercise with a partner. In this article I’ll show you how to do this and I’ll also share a few drill variations for any advanced martial artists that are looking to add more challenge, effectiveness and excitement to their workouts.

Here we go!

1) Stand facing one another in your fighting stances with a decent amount of distance between each of you. Ideally you and your partner should be able to punch, knee and kick with no chance of connecting with any part of the others body. This is very important! A collision of fists or legs could cause serious injury to one or both of you so be sure to  maintain around an eight foot separation between you both at all times.

2) Set the timer –usually for 2,3,4 or 5 minutes depending on your skill and endurance levels- and start the round. At first remain in place and work your techniques from one spot on the floor using your partner’s position to help you visualize your targets. Avoid the urge to move forward as you strike and make sure your partner does the same. Simply run through the variety of techniques you know well or any new ones that you have been working on. Repeat the drill for a minimum of three rounds using the same duration for each and give yourself a 30 seconds to 1 minute rest between each round.

3) Once your comfortable with #2, do the exact same drill except add some footwork this time. Each of you should move from left to right or vice versa as you fire off punches, kicks and knee strikes. Continue to avoid moving forward because that will only put you in danger of colliding with your partner’s fist, foot or knee.  As your partner moves around be sure to maintain a solid fighting stance that’s angled as if you were actually fighting against them.

4) Alright, so now you’ve gotten comfortable with the drill both while standing still and with some footwork added in. Next, incorporate some defensive techniques in reaction to your partner’s attacks. If they jab, pick it. If they low kick, check it and so on. Remember that it’s never a real block because your partner should still be standing more than 8 feet away from you. It’s really just you timing your shadow fighting defensive move with their shadow fighting offensive attack. Be sure to throw a follow up combination after your defensive maneuver so that your chances of doing so in actual sparring will be much greater over time as you continue to practice this drill.

5) Lastly, lets make this drill a little more MMA styled. Anytime you or your partner touches the ground with you back knee –and holds it there– the other person must perform a sprawl motion as if someone had just shot in for a take down on them. If it’s you that dropped the knee, wait until your partners sprawl is complete before standing up again to resume your shadow fighting. Be sure that you have your partner sprawl regularly throughout the rounds, often at times when they are in the midst of an striking combination so that they can hone their reaction skills in a very realistic way.

Okay, so now you have it, the partner shadow boxing drill. It’s up to you to get in the gym and put it into action. I wouldn’t do it all the time because it’s still very important to develop your solo shadow boxing ability but it’s a great way to change things up whenever you feel like it.  Be sure to share to share the drill with others you think might benefit and enjoy it.

Have fun and good luck!

Sparring Tips For Beginners

When I was reading one of the many mixed martial arts forums today I came across a question regarding striking sparring. The person asking was completely new to sparring and like many beginners found his first rounds versus a moving, striking opponent extremely challenging.

Off the top of my head I quickly came up with a few things that I thought might help him in his quest to get hit less while doing more hitting himself inside the ring.

I’ll share them, and a few more, to help you make your sparring experience more enjoyable and…less painful. Here we go!:

1. Throw your punches with speed, relaxation and technique, never try for power.

2. You don’t have to always see the opening for a specific punch. Just throw you combo sharply and quick and often the opening comes in the middle of your combo.

3. After your done punching, move away to either side. Your even better to stand your ground than backing straight up.

4. When you think you’re jabbing a lot, jab twice as much.

5. If you get into trouble, place both gloves on your temples, covering your face and jaw with the forearms and move, move, move.

6. When blocking strikes try not to tense your arms. Simply raise your arms up to protect yourself. This is easier said then done.

7. Keep you chin down at all times.

8. Mix up your attacks, try to be as unpredictable as you can with your combinations.

9. Pace yourself.  Use your defensive and offensive techniques instead of just attacking the entire time.

10. Focus on keeping yourself in a good balanced  stance before attacking, while attacking, and after your attack. This is very important!

11. Never give up. Taking a bit of a beating in the beginning is all part of the learning process. Stick with it and you will slowly become more like a hammer instead of the nail.

Bonus Tip:

Forum poster Zedlepln on mma.tv reminded me of this important one that beginners often forget to do.

Breathe!

Never hold your breath during your sparring round. Some fighters exhale hard with ever punch they throw. Instead I simply breathe regularly –with my mouth closed- making short but not overly strong exhalations through my nose when I throw each punch. The more well conditioned you are, the better you will be able to control your breath.

These should be a good start.

Let me know how it goes…

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MMA Training Tip: Don’t be the Ungrateful One

This is problem that is becoming more common all the time, not only in the world of mixed martial arts but in society in general. It’s about taking and never giving back to those that help you. The way to correct this is very simple. When someone gives you something valuable, show them thanks and be grateful.  This simple gesture of appreciation and kindness can help build strong relationships.

Many martial arts instructors have invested a huge percentage of their lives, sacrificing their time and often their physical health, in the pursuit of becoming the best they can be in their perspective arts. I can guarantee that if you ask them a little about their background, you’ll be amazed at many of the things, both positive and negative, that they have gone through to achieve their successes.

Some students are training everywhere and with anyone that will teach them something, often jumping to another martial arts school without a thought if they hear something good about it. They are taking a lot and rarely giving back to those that help them.

There are times when this approach is absolutely necessary. In the case when a fighter is training at a martial arts school that focuses solely on ground work or just on striking or wrestling,  there’s no doubt that he will need to branch out to complete his MMA skill set.

In other cases, however, I feel that selfishness will ultimately harm a fighter’s progression in the sport. Most instructors will not teach you passionately if you don’t earn their trust, respect and friendship.  This fact will hugely impact your development under them. Without the proper reciprocation of appreciation between you and your instructor you will always be one strike away from having to look for a new place to train.

Whether you train at one or multiple martial arts school, be sure to give as much as you receive and put in the time to develop relationships with your instructor(s). When your career is over and done with, you’ll have a great friend that you can reminisce about old times with. After a career in MMA, believe me you’ll have some great stories to tell.

In the end I believe it’s the journey and the great relationships that we build along the way that mean the most…

Here are other articles in the mindset series:

MMA Mindset #1 (The I Already Know That Type)

MMA Mindset #2 (The Rough Guy)

MMA Mindset #3 (The Lazy Guy)

MMA Training Tip – Leave your ego at the door

Ideally you’re reading this before you’ve begun your training. If your quest to become a skilled mixed martial artist is already underway and you are currently enrolled in classes at a quality MMA school you have an idea of what I mean when I say “leave your ego at the door!”

It’s safe for me to say that you’ve been flipped, choked, punched in the nose once or twice and have had your joints hyper extended to the point of submission by people that are a mere fraction of your size! Your ego has been attacked without mercy!

Many beginning students have difficulty dealing with the humbling experiences that I just mentioned. In my many years of experience I’ve also found that the bigger, stronger type students usually have the most trouble in doing so. I’ve seen so many muscle bound guys mentally and physically deflate when they face the abrupt realization that the type of muscle they have spent years building seems to be more of a hindrance than a weapon inside the ring/cage or on the mats.

If this has been your experience so far, don’t panic! It happens to everyone and I literally mean everyone. Realize that you were beaten by solid mixed martial arts technique not by the person who just smacked you around the ring or wiped the mats with you. The good thing is that with some practice, technical proficiency will slowly transform from an adversary into an ally. You have my promise that if you can persevere and push through this challenging time the reward will be great.

Resume your training or begin – if you haven’t yet started– your training without the pressure of feeling you have to do well right away. The amount of fun you’ll have while training will increase multiple times over and soon you will be the one humbling the newest group of students to step on the mats.

One of the best quotes I’ve come across that accurately describes the progression of mixed martial arts training is “You must first be the nail before you can be the hammer.” Keep this in mind and you will one day find out how much fun it is to be the hammer!

Here are some other mindset tips that will help you maximize your training:

MMA Mindset #1 (The I Already Know That Type)

MMA Mindset #2 (The Rough Guy)

MMA Mindset #3 (The Lazy Guy)

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Look for future live streams from my home and workplace at Joslin’s Mixed Martial Arts. Content will include live group classes, private lessons, live special events, a weekly MMA show and anything else that will help provide MMA technique, info and entertainment for those in search of it.

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Deciding to compete in an upcoming event is one of the best ways to add variety and motivation to your training regiment. It will excite you to train more frequently, more intensely, and often more intelligently. There’s nothing more motivating than knowing that you will soon have a highly skilled martial artist trying to throw, sweep, lock, and choke you out while your friends and family watch and cheer from the sidelines. Obviously when competition day arrives you’ll want to be at your best.

As you prepare for tournament action you’ll build a strong momentum in training where your movements are executed much faster and with greater effectiveness than normal. At this point, training is  more fun than ever before due to the sharpness of your physical and technical weapons.

Another benefit to competing regularly is that your rate of growth as a mixed martial artist will skyrocket. It’s been said that the intense training one does to prepare for competition is worth three times that of normal training time. Whether you come home with a gold medal for your efforts, it doesn’t really matter – although I do admit it feel good to do so!— because you will be a better mixed martial artist due to the preparation and valuable experience the competition has given you. In some cases a loss at that competition will help you to improve even more because you will often sit back and analyze your approach and game plan to discover any weaknesses.

As a mixed martial artist I suggest you aim to compete in striking competition, grappling competitions and wrestling events whenever possible. Talk with your instructor to see if he/she feels you’re ready to take that step. I competed in over a hundred martial arts tournaments before fighting my first professional mixed martial arts fight. Now you don’t need to compete as much as I did before fighting pro but I’m very glad I had an extensive competitive background because it gave me extreme confidence in Mixed Martial Arts.

If you’re a little nervous to get out there and compete, go to a few events and check them out as a spectator. Sometimes it’s not what your had first conceived. I’ve had a few students that were sickly afraid of competing and after watching a few events they eventually jumped into one and over time become some of my most accomplished competitors.

Over the years I’ve met many great people, at tournaments and martial arts events, many of which I now consider personal friends. There is something special, that non-competitors will never experience, about battling it out on the mats, in the ring, or in the cage with another human being. Get out there and see for yourself!

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