MMA Stuff

This Wednesday, March 10th at 9:00pm EST there will be a twitterchat with being faciliated by The Mastermind behind Straight To The Bar, Scott. For individuals with Twitter, just add the hash tag #sbgym to your tag to participate. We will be discussing things such as:

• Bodyweight exercises for warming up prior to combat, and prior to training

• Bodyweight technique work for combat training

• Bodyweight exercises for strength-training, with combat in mind

• Ideas for progressing with bodyweight exercises (increase reps, decrease time etc)

• Various equipment which helps add variety to bodyweight training (TRX, VFFs etc)

More Info

Hope to see you there!

I spent over 2 years at the same MMA gym that I started at. This school transitioned me from an out of shape, normal kid into a fighter. This school laid the foundation for my MMA training. It’s been 6 months but I’ve switched MMA schools to begin a new chapter in MMA.

Why did I switch MMA schools?

• I barely saw the main instructor
• No advanced MMA classes
• No sense of “team”
• No mentoring

I had a sour experience after my first fight. I had two training partners that helped me prepare for my first fight, but I feel like an instructor should of been there for me everyday. So I made the switch to a new gym. I see the main instructor everyday, learning many new things and improving every time I train. If you are no longer progressing with your skill, it’s time to move on.

I wasn’t sure if I wanted to post a review of this book because, once reading it there are no need for MMA Training blogs. I was excited when I heard about this book and I was lucky enough to get a copy from the publisher. The publishers probably sent me a copy because I’m so good looking.

Got Fight? is a really in depth and entertaining book that gets you in the mind of one of the toughest fighters in mixed martial arts. The book covers Forrest’s journey to becoming a professional fighter, useful tips for upcoming fighters, random advice, and a great illustration at the end of some technique. In my honest opinion, this book is so great. I remember just cracking up reading some of the stories shared by Forrest Griffin. All I can say is, he’s out of his mind and the man. You will love this, I promise.

Got Fight?: The 50 Zen Principles of Hand-to-Face Combat

Sweeping is an easy way to score points in a MMA fight or in a grappling match. A personal preference for myself is sweeps starting from the closed guard. Believe it or not, a high percentage sweep for me is the basic scissor sweep. If done at the correct time and speed, it is devastating.

Here are 3 sweeps from guard. I’ve actually tried the elevator sweep the first time earlier tonight rolling, it’s a great sweep. Still getting the details down, but I suggest you try these out. Incorporate these sweeps in your game.

Scissor Sweep

Elevator Sweep

Mayflower Sweep

Background
When I first saw The Rotater I was instantly interested. The Rotater is a simple tool that helps with shoulder flexibility and increase your range of motion. This great tool was invented by Scott Kay, a mechanic. Scott wanted an easy physical therapy tool to help him recover from a messy Motocross accident that destroyed his shoulder. So, The Rotater was born.

Benefits For MMA Training
Personally after a hard training session, the next day my shoulders are extremely sore. Just think about everything our shoulders have to endure, submissions that isolate the shoulders, grabbing, pulling, throwing, and punching. Shoulder flexibility is important when it comes to Jiu Jitsu. The extra bit of flexibility may give you that extra split second to escape that Americana. One of my favorite things about this great tool is it’s small and you can use it anywhere.

Application of The Rotater
So when do you actually use The Rotater? Before you train, after you train? While you’re eating cereal? Well I reached out to Kira aka The Fight Geek who is a Muay Thai expert. He’s been using The Rotater for quite a while now and shared his experience with The Rotater with Muay Thai fighters. Kira states

In Thailand the dudes train two, three hour sessions a day, six days a week … my friends over there found it particularly useful to use after the first session … it made the second session for the day noticeably easier.

Unfortunately I didn’t have The Rotater available during my fight training, when I was doing two-a-days but I’m glad I have it now. Kira has found a great way to use The Rotater after many trials.

Anyway, after screwing around with it for a while we basically use it in the following way …

1. Passive stretch and hold all the main positions.
2. Stretch, hold and then add joint rotation (once again do this from all the main positions).
3. Stretch, hold and then add spinal twist (try with all the main positions).

These movements not only loosen up the shoulder, they give you an ‘early warning sign’ for potential problems BEFORE they happen.

I would suggest you invest in The Rotater. Big thanks to Chris (Scott’s business partner) for letting me try out The Rotater.

Follow Kira (TheFightGeek) on Twitter
Check Out Kira’s Training Blog
Follow The Rotater
Purchase The Rotater