Ok, so you have lost your competition. The embarrassment and disappointment have set in and you are having a hard time getting over the defeat. You must stop these emotions in their track before they begin to hamper your growth as a competitor. A lost on your record isn’t something that you should avoid when it happens. Go straight through it and use it as the foundation as you rebuild. That is the focus of today’s MMA training piece.

You must rebuild when you have suffered a defeat of any kind. Visualize it as the destruction of whatever you have build and now you must start over from stage one. Take the time to review everything that you can and find exactly where you can improve and what you did wrong.

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.

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.

As you develop as a mixed martial artist your goals should include increasing your athletic ability in a number of ways. For example, you can use various exercises to increase your overall endurance and stretching programs to increase your flexibility. It is important that you work to develop all areas of your body to become the most complete athlete that you can be.

Many individuals do not know the difference between strength and power. Strength is your muscles ability to move the large amounts of weight during the lifts. Power is the combination of that strength and the speed at which your body is able to complete the motions. When training you must work in a series of exercises that will help you balance the development of strength and speed. Without it, you will be hampering your physical growth as a fighter.

Throughout the years, athletics have continued to become more and more competitive. Each day, athletes look for new ways to gain an advantage over their challengers and place themselves in a position to win. One of the ways people look to develop faster is with the use of supplementation.

Supplements come in many different forms, such as protein shakes and pills. The purpose of these products is to work with your training program and diet to improve the way you recover, develop, and perform. A simple Google search will reveal that a number of manufactures and products are available for anyone to purchase. However, before you do so, you must be certain that you know exactly what it is that you are taking. Not doing so can lead to negative results that can hamper not only your training and career, but your health as well.

With seven days in the week, mixed martial artists have the potential to train very often. To do so, they must create a solid schedule that allows them to hit all the aspects of the game, while dealing with other business issues that arise for professional fighters. How would you go about doing so?

First, establish what are your priorites. Where do you need the most work? If your standup game is lacking and you are fighting an opponent who is planning on keeping the fight on the feet, then you must be ready for that strategy. If you are dealing with a grappling specialist, then you must apply the same thought process to that area of your abilities. Play to your strengths while developing your weaknesses so they are not glaring holes during a fight.

A long time staple in any workout plan; the pushup is an exercise that every individual should employ on a daily basis. This exercise can help you make significant strides in developing your upper body. The pushup attacks the muscles in your arms, chest, and shoulders. You can also use variations of the exercise to work other areas of your body.

The pushup looks very basic in practice, however many individuals miss key information when completing the exercise. To begin, place your hands shoulder width apart and your feet straight back, legs extended. Your head should be looking in up, eyes straight ahead. Push your body away from the ground, fully extending your arms. Slowly, lower yourself back down to the ground and repeat the process. This is the proper way to complete the standard pushup.

Explosive strength is a vital trait for any mixed martial arts fighter. The ability to suddenly attack or move your opponent can change the complexion of the battle. Plyometric strength training is one way to help develop your explosive power.

This training method involves a number of quick movements and lifting motions. These motions impact a number of different muscles that help build your strength, agility and speed. Each of these attributes can help a fighter gain the upper hand over his opponent. Plyometric exercises should be practiced with the mentality that every single motion during the exercise must be done to completion to gain the most from the workout.

Many different types of plyometric exercises are available to add to your workout. For example, if you are trying to develop your leg strength for kicking, you can use box jumps which develop the major muscle groups in your lower body. The power clean is an example of an exercise that works your entire body; developing strength and stamina.

In this week’s edition of Technique of the Week, I’m going to look at the corner stone of a professional boxer’s arsenal: the jab. In my opinion the lead jab is the most important punch in professional fighting. When used correctly, you can use the punch to gain ground on your opposition while keeping them in a constant state of defense. The jab can also be used to disrupt an attacking opponent, throwing them off their game.

The jab isn’t an overtly powerful punch, although one that is properly timed can cause a great amount of damage over the course of a fight. It’s key to understand that when throwing the jab, you do not disturb the positioning of your body. The punch does not require a round up motion such as the hook, nor do you have to change levels if you are throwing a body blow. You must keep your body in the correct position to throw the jab and return to a defensive stance.