Thursday, July 12, 2012

Training To Be A Mixed Martial Arts Pro

By Rod Bourgoine


The road to becoming a professional mixed martial arts fighter is by no means an easy one. You will have to dedicate yourself each day to improving your skills to a point where you can successfully compete against more seasoned MMA opponents. Consider the following if you want to take your training to the pro level.

The first step you need to take is to find a top MMA gym. Your instructors and trainers should have resumes that include professional competition. You also need to find a gym with instructors that are serious about training and a gym that is focused not just on one fighting style, such as a gym that focuses solely on boxing or just jiu-jitsu.

You will need to be proficient in multiple styles of fighting; otherwise you will be unsuccessful in even lower level pro bouts. The best fighters excel in a range of skills, including boxing, jiu-jitsu, Muay Thai and wrestling. Not only do you need to work on each of these individual skills sets, you also need to be able to take those skills and combine them to create a strong game plan for your fights.

Not only will you need to focus on these multiple fighting styles, you need to spend time strengthening your body as a whole, and a good gym will have conditioning and strength training classes, as well. Professional fighters are known to train six days each week for up to six hours per day. This is the level of commitment you will need to be willing to give in order to turn pro in mixed martial arts.

If you are truly serious about turning pro, choose a gym with a management fight team that will help guide you in the beginning of your pro career. If you choose the right gym, your instructors will know when you are ready to go into battle, so to speak. You need to be able to trust their judgment, which is why the choice of gym is one of the most important decisions you will make.

Obviously you want be headlining any major shows right out of the gate; however, you need to expect to compete in small show MMA. If you are lucky enough to win, your purse will be small, perhaps $500. Most fighters will tell you that the money is not the reason they fight, they love the fight itself. That first moment you are facing a real opponent in a pro bout can be terrifying, but most fighters have shared that it was also one of the best experiences of their lives. If you choose to make MMA your life, be prepared to work hard and be prepared for injuries. They are part of the deal.




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