This is one of the most frequently asked questions I hear from people considering my taking my classes. The short answer is that the purpose of singing up for a class is to gain experience.
Experience level isn't particularly important for four main reasons:
1. Above all else, I am a firm believer that by following the principles of consistency, intensity, and a well thought-out plan, anyone can learn any skill regardless of their initial talent, aptitude, or experience.
2. My classes are small, so I can give individual attention to each student as needed.
3. My approach to teaching the sport of MMA is to focus on the fundamentals and principles of mixed martial arts- something which equally benefits complete beginners and experienced fighters alike. Basics win fights. The techniques are simple, the gameplans are straightforward. Anyone can benefit from MMA training in some way. However, excelling at the sport takes hard work and dedication.
4. Mixed Martial Arts is a very accommodating sport to an individual's personal style, experience, strength, and size. A good MMA coach will teach you how to capitalize on your personal strengths and compensate for your weaknesses. Since the rules are flexible and allow techniques from all combat sports.
Experience level isn't particularly important for four main reasons:
1. Above all else, I am a firm believer that by following the principles of consistency, intensity, and a well thought-out plan, anyone can learn any skill regardless of their initial talent, aptitude, or experience.
2. My classes are small, so I can give individual attention to each student as needed.
3. My approach to teaching the sport of MMA is to focus on the fundamentals and principles of mixed martial arts- something which equally benefits complete beginners and experienced fighters alike. Basics win fights. The techniques are simple, the gameplans are straightforward. Anyone can benefit from MMA training in some way. However, excelling at the sport takes hard work and dedication.
4. Mixed Martial Arts is a very accommodating sport to an individual's personal style, experience, strength, and size. A good MMA coach will teach you how to capitalize on your personal strengths and compensate for your weaknesses. Since the rules are flexible and allow techniques from all combat sports.
I understand that the same approach to teaching will not work for each student. For example, I wouldn't recommend the same gameplan for a wrestler as I would a kickboxer- in the same way that I don't expect the same results from my new students as I do from the professional fighters I've spent years training. And yes, I understand that many of the people I train just do it for fun, fitness, and personal enrichment, not because they want to make a living as a cage fighter- that's no problem.
Likewise, previous martial arts training can often be as much of a disadvantage as it is an advantage when learning to the sport of MMA. While some aspects of training like athleticism and discipline will universally carry over, some habits that worked just fine under one set of rules can become problematic under a new set of rules- like a wrestler's tendency to turn his back toward his opponent to avoid being pinned (resulting in a potential loss from a choke hold), or a boxer's tendency to duck low under a hook (well within range of a knee strike.)
Likewise, previous martial arts training can often be as much of a disadvantage as it is an advantage when learning to the sport of MMA. While some aspects of training like athleticism and discipline will universally carry over, some habits that worked just fine under one set of rules can become problematic under a new set of rules- like a wrestler's tendency to turn his back toward his opponent to avoid being pinned (resulting in a potential loss from a choke hold), or a boxer's tendency to duck low under a hook (well within range of a knee strike.)
A lot of the techniques that are useful in MMA will seem very foreign, even to experienced martial artists. I came from a background as a professional kickboxer into the arena of MMA. While I won my first fight using well placed strikes, after a two subsequent losses to experienced wrestlers, I quickly learned that it is essential to cross train in all other aspects of combat to ensure success in this new sport. That transition wasn't easy for me. It took a lot of patience, a lot of time, and a lot of hard work to retrain many of the instincts I had spent years developing for kickboxing.
MMA can be considered the "Pentathlon of combat sports", because it combines the skills of all five Olympic combat sports (boxing, taekwondo, judo, freestyle wrestling, and Greco Roman wrestling) with the best techniques & strategies from every other martial art on earth. Mixed martial arts is striking, grappling, throws & takedowns, clinch fighting, trapping and submission fighting.
MMA can be considered the "Pentathlon of combat sports", because it combines the skills of all five Olympic combat sports (boxing, taekwondo, judo, freestyle wrestling, and Greco Roman wrestling) with the best techniques & strategies from every other martial art on earth. Mixed martial arts is striking, grappling, throws & takedowns, clinch fighting, trapping and submission fighting.
Olympic athletes spend the bulk of their lives developing just one of those skill sets to an advanced degree. Because of this, some people say that mixed martial artists are jacks of all trades and masters of none. This is not necessarily true.
It's not necessary to be a master of any one style of martial arts to be a successful MMA fighter. What is more important is the ability to learn, follow, and execute a solid game plan. MMA is it's own sport and should be approached as such. In short, don't worry if you've never tried it before. That's why I offer classes, to give you a chance to learn and get better.
A clean slate is never a bad thing for a new student.
It's not necessary to be a master of any one style of martial arts to be a successful MMA fighter. What is more important is the ability to learn, follow, and execute a solid game plan. MMA is it's own sport and should be approached as such. In short, don't worry if you've never tried it before. That's why I offer classes, to give you a chance to learn and get better.
A clean slate is never a bad thing for a new student.