Every mixed martial arts fight begins on the feet so it’s a wonder why more fighters don’t develop devastating striking skills and look to lay their opponent out. Don’t get me wrong, there are plenty of guys out there that have average to above average striking skills, but for all those guys there are twice as many who don’t take the time to get good at the stand up game. Amateur fighters are especially bad at this, because the level of talent isn’t as deep so they don’t see the devastating leg kicks or the fluid combinations.

Female fighters are just as guilty in this area, because if you look at the current pool of fighters you will be hard pressed to name more than a handful who actually have decent striking skills. That said if you are serious and want to be a solid mixed martial artist then develop your stand up. You don’t want to be that guy or girl who is good on the ground, but can’t punch their way out of a paper bag.

By Jillian Bullock
With summer fast upon us, many guys, who are not MMA fighters, definitely want to look like they are. They have no interest in stepping inside a ring or cage, but to emulate the strength, power and shape of a mixed martial artist is ideal for many men. But how does one go about obtaining that finely tuned, chiseled physique many fighters possess?

John Quinlan, wrestler, fitness model, fitness expert, and the 2012 Nutrabolics Image Model and Brand Ambassador, has fitness and nutrition tips to help practically any guy achieve the look of a MMA fighter.

Cross training is a term that gets tossed around a lot in the fitness world.  People try to make it sound more elaborate than it really is and don’t give it enough credit toward taking your game to the next level.  I’ve heard the saying several times, “that if you want to be a fighter then you have to train to fight.”

This is extremely true, but if you want to be a great fighter then you have to train to fight as well as train your body to be ready to from start to finish at a high level of intensity.  The thing is if you are training in the gym all the time at that high level you are putting your self at a higher risk to sustain injuries.  It’s okay to add cross training into your workouts because it gives your muscles a different workout and helps you develop different areas that fighting alone doesn’t work.

Mixed martial arts is an activity that will whip you into shape no matter whether you plan on fighting professionally or just want to learn some striking and grappling and go to class a few days a week.  Numerous men and women have reported losing large amounts of weight and turning their lives around just by training in mixed martial arts.  The great thing about this sport is that with a little knowledge and hard work you can get in shape just like the professional fighters (if that be your wish).  It won’t come easy and will take quite a bit of dedication, but the rewards are worth it whether you are going to make MMA a career or just want to be in the best shape of your life.

If you want to start training like professional fighters then there are loads of exercises that you can do, but none better than those involving weight plates.  Weight plates are a very versatile piece of MMA training equipment that can be used by the beginner as well as the advanced UFC professional fighter.  They will also work with your current fitness level and can be transported anywhere; home, the gym,   a location for an out door workout.   Numerous professional mixed martial artists use weight plates to increase strength and build muscle mass.  Weight plates are the ones used on the bar for squats, bench press, and other exercises (in case you were wondering).

As with many fighting or competitive sport you will only go as far as your brain will allow!

This is heightened when it comes to point based competitions, winning can be influenced by swaying the judges decisions through some swift moving and strategic techniques.

So, From hear on down are some techniques that may be thought of as in the grey area..  not much.. 

Written by: Mike Long

Ask 10 MMA enthusiasts what the best grappling art for MMA is and chances are you’ll hear BJJ 10 times. Ask 100 and you might hear Judo once or twice.

The reason for this is simple. Ever since UFC 1 when Royce Gracie took the world by storm with his compact submission style, BJJ has been known as the end all be all of grappling in the MMA world.

However, in this article I’d like to pose some challenges to this belief, and perhaps give you a new mindset in the process.

Elite athletes are always looking to get a leg up on their competition and one way they do so is with the use of supplements, either performance enhancing or muscle development. Not all supplements are bad or banned by the athletic commissions. Whey protein powder is a pretty common supplement that helps build muscle, makes a great recovery drink, and is legal to use for competition. While it is a great product to use when you are training it is quite easy to get carried away and consume more protein than your body needs or can handle. If you choose to add whey protein powder to your routine then make sure you know both the benefits and pitfalls as well as know just how much your body needs.

Benefits of Whey Protein Powder

The Marines like the skills and abilities that MMA has to offer their soldiers.  However, with the explosion in popularity and increase in numbers involved in MMA style fighting and training so have the injuries.  The Marines realize that they can’t just let the soldiers have a “free reign” to the tournaments and competitions they setup so they are now setting rules and guidelines in place to protect their solders.

Now the soldiers must have a unit commander who will over look the soldiers safety and make there there is no “Tough Man” style tournaments going.   .  The Unit Commander will also make sure each fighter has the proper gear when training and fighting like; mouthpieces, gloves, headgear, and more.  They will also be responsible for knowing where the closest medical facility is and all of this has to be done before signing off on the request.

There is no more controversial subject in Martial Arts than the two words Dim Mak, better known in the Western World as pressure points. Practitioners of this controversial Martial Art attest the capabilities of their methods, which concentrate on attacking chi (life force energy) meridians which make the human body vulnerable to knockout, death, or even (controversially) delayed death.

These meridians also happen to be the same points used in acupuncture therapy, also created centuries ago in ancient China. Due to a lack of documented cases of injury in combat, opposing critics argue that Dim Mak points are a hoax and are ineffective.

Guest Post by: Tom Demers

Mixed Martial Arts, or MMA, has become a popular way to develop a variety of skills necessary to overcome an opponent. At the same time, MMA can be a good source of regular exercise that works the core muscle groups. Strength and agility are required to stay at the top of your game while practicing mixed martial arts moves. While some consider MMA a sport for the young, many older people are finding the moves to be a good way to stay in shape. Some older participants may reap additional rewards from practicing mixed martial arts exercises. Movements related to the sport may even combat some common symptoms of aging.

Understanding Mixed Martial Arts