The title says it all.  You punch a guy after the final horn, you should get fired.  What doesn’t Paul Daley get about that?

After the embarrassing and stupid actions Daley performed following his loss to Josh Koscheck at UFC 113, the UFC rightfully released him, and President Dana White said he would never fight for the UFC again.  With the UFC’s purchase of Strikeforce, Daley has now become a Zuffa fighter.  A fighter in which White promised to allow to finish his contract before anything will happen. 

It happens to the best. Whether it’s the championship grappling match for six-year old kids or for the UFC Heavyweight Championship of the world; someone is going to walk away as the loser. What is yet to be seen is how that moment affects that person. Losing is an important part of our growth as athletes. How we react to it, says a lot about how far we will go.

“The ref cost me the match.” “He poked me in the eye.” “Outside circumstances were affecting me during the bout.” All these are excuses that fighters can use to deflect the pain of losing. While it’s easy to point the finger somewhere else that behavior will only make things worse over time. As an athlete, it’s imperative that you first look within yourself to find the answer to key questions. “What didn’t you do correctly?” “Did you stick to the game plan?” “Are you training correctly?” “Can you eat better and treat your body right during training?” We should all look within for the answers to the questions because when it comes down to it, only we can determine how far we do or do not go during our time competing.

This week we have focused on the aspect of discipline and how it affects you as a martial artist. Today, I will look at how to regain the fire when it escapes you, as it will from time to time. Regaining the mental determination to continue pushing forward is very important to helping you reach your goals.

The first thing that you must do is regain your mental determination. Getting yourself together mentally is important because that “mental toughness” factor is what will continue to push you through the hard moments. Look over the factors that have caused you to decide to change your training regimen or make you want to elevate your training. Thinking about those circumstances can help reignite the fire that caused you to start the metamorphosis in the first place.

This week’s motivational focus is centered on the importance of discipline. The ability to have self control will affect you greatly throughout life, not just your training. However, when you are an athlete that has specific desires in mind the practice of self control will help you reach the mountain top.

On Sunday we looked at exactly why discipline is important for your life. It helps you stay on track for something great and keeps you pushing forward when you have the desire to quit. Today, I’m going to look at how you can help build the discipline you need because everyone is not born with the ability. Two steps can be a great boost to your ability to act as a highly disciplined athlete which will lead to success down the road.

When you have set any type of goal for yourself certain characteristics must become part of your routine in order to reach that goal. Discipline is one of the cornerstones that are needed to help you reach any aspiration that you may have. Without it, you may find that you will become easily swayed and discouraged from reaching whatever it may be that you have in mind.

Discipline plays an important role in the development of your abilities and attitude as a martial artist. Without discipline, you will find yourself stifled in your training and unable to progress as you believe that you should. Discipline can be broken down into the ideal of how well do you control yourself? Whenever you lack discipline or self control, negative results often follow.

With Jon Jones absolute destruction of Mauricio Rua at UFC 128 on March 19, a match between former number one contender Rashad Evans for the new light heavyweight champion is on the radar.  Following the fights, MMA fighting’s Ariel Helwani interviewed Evans, and throughout Evans looked like he was anxious and eager. 

The one time Evans smiled was when he was asked after watching the fight, was he thinking about how to fight him.  Evans replied, “I know how to fight him.  I trained with him.”

Parents Guide to Buying Martial Arts Equipment for Their Child

It can be daunting to buy martial arts equipment for kids entering the sport. There are so many options, how do you know what equipment is the right equipment to buy? The MMA Zone can help. The MMA Zone created this guide to walk you through the process of buying martial arts equipment.

Key points to know when buying Martial Arts Equipment:

The Perfect MMA Fighter

The ownership of a title is the goal of every MMA Fighter when they step into the cage. Competing for the love of the sport is one thing, but everyone wants to be on the top; to be known as the best. To reach that goal, each fighter must travel a path to the top. The fight to reach the number one contender’s slot is often as hard as winning the championship.

“I feel that every title contender should have to take a similar path before being considered the man or woman to challenge for the title. Without some sort of standard, promotions can find themselves in a place of trouble when they have multiple individuals who can claim to be the top contender for the title.”

The demands of life can quickly pull you away from your time in the gym. This is especially true for individuals who are working hard to become mixed martial artists, but have to manage an outside career to make their ends meet. In order to be successful during your quest, you must find the best way to create that work-life balance that makes it possible for you to continue your training towards your goals.

You must prioritize your life. This always sounds a lot simpler than it really is. To help in this process, break down your week and categorize each hour in the way it will be used. Each week contains 168 hours and to prioritize you must take those hours for exactly as they are. If you are required to work 40 hours a week, then your potential time is cut down to 128 hours immediately. Next, subtract 56 hours for sleeping; that’s if you are getting the recommended 8 hours of sleep a night. That gives you 72 potential training hours. Take that time and break it down into where exactly you need it. With this information, you will be able to plot out your training week to be as effective as it can possibly be.

Jiu Jitsu Gi or not to Jiu Jitsu Gi? Is the question..

A simple action like removing a Jiu Jitsu Gi can change the game easily. When it comes to Brazilian Jiu Jitsu the act of taking off the gi completely changes the aspect of training in the martial art. No gi competitions are a major aspect in the grappling arts today. When signing up for any competition you may see the option of participating with or without the Jiu Jitsu Gi. Both realms of the martial art are important for bringing your game full circle.

When you first begin your training, many academies will require you to begin your training in the traditional Jiu Jitsu Gi. It is during this time that you will learn the foundations of BJJ and the submission wrestling game. After you have gained substantial experience, you have the option of venturing into the no gi aspect of the martial arts. Other academies also allow you to begin training without the gi earlier in your instruction. The question of which is better often arises, but in my opinion shouldn’t even be asked.