What You Wish You Coach had told you?

Colm_OReilly

Hi Guys,

I'm trying to do up a better intro to MMA for new guys in my place, and I wanted to see what you wish you'd known earlier in your MMA/BJJ training.

What didn't you like about training? What did you like?

For example, I tend to forget to tell people about mat burn.

Anything and everything appreciated.

Thanks,
Colm

cowzerp

Headlocks are not the best move ever-i got my 1st cauliflower from getting my head squeezed off me by another beginner.

--amadeus--

Cut your bloody nails!

I've lost count of teh number of times I've had lumps gouged out of me by overly long nails, toes more so than fingers.

Training doesn't start and stop in the club. If you cross train (weights, running, whatever) you'll be better able to make the most of the training you do.

Get teh technique right first, power comes later.

Martin25

Duck!

Jason Mc

100% of fights start standing

mark.leonard

That its easy to learn and ANYONE can do it.

westcoastshuri

"Get teh technique right first, power comes later"

Thanks for this Amadeus , really good point I think

Darren

arybvtcw0eolkf

I would talk to them about the importance of respect, that it starts with showing up for practice clean, nails cut, fresh Gi/Kimono/clothing and ON TIME!.

Then it extends to the people your training with and the club's equipment and even carries over to your time off the mat.

After that I'd tell them that I drink Carlsberg :P

.

7daze

I'd say: don't get frustrated when you seem to be making no progress, just keep training and in 6 months you won't know yourself.

Clive

Stuff I was told, but I think bears repeating:

• Be a good training partner. If you're drilling and you're just shutting the other guy out, then you're being a dick. If you're sparring and you're bringing your A-game against people smaller or less experienced than you, you're bring a dick
• No matter how great it is to fall back for a glorious leglock, passing guard is exactly seventeen times more important
• X-guard eh? Rubber guard eh? How are your escapes as a matter of interest.
• Take a look at the experienced guys - if they're not acting the hard man why are you?
• Nobody cares who tapped you or who you tapped. Training is for learning, competition is for keeping score.
• Get an ear guard - if you have any problems with your ears, wear it religiously.
• Relax.
• Nine times out of ten the answer is :move your hips
• It's always better to be on top.

spiral

-relax
-learn to breathe
-top is king
-tap early and often
-chokes work on everyone

Raze_them_all

Always put on vas when training as accidental cuts happen.
Cup and gum shield should be the first training gear you buy.
LKearn to sprawl and practice practice practice it every training.
Pride=stupidity in training
If someone starts twisting your ankle tap straight away

Martin25

Good footwork can keep you out of a lot of trouble.
When sparring wear a mouthguard.
Keep your guard up.
Learn to fight standing up and on the ground.
Beware of the smiling assassin!

Tim_Murphy

That BJJ training is not MMA training.

Jason Mc

Tim_Murphy wrote: »

That BJJ training is not MMA training.

u r a scoundrel

Raze_them_all

Oh I forgot that pulling submissions in training is handy, pulling them while being punched in the face is not so handy

OMCCABE

Martin25 wrote: »

Beware of the smiling assassin!

QFT


Without a doubt the number one thing is to focus on technique and not power as they develop IMO.

After that I would say tap often and early and leave the submission escapes to drilling for the first while. The experience you gain from rolling out of an armbar or Kimura is not equal to the amount you miss from 2 + weeks out injured.


-Oisin

Niall Keane

Not MMA, but perhaps relevant? My coach actually gave me most of this advice but I think it’s worth mentioning.

• That when practicing techniques, it is not about the finishing move, position has to be earned, the guard must be maintained and dynamic. Tell your partner to let you know if you’re waltzing up, by jabbing your forehead etc.

• If practicing a technique and someone is being a dick, countering what they know is coming, then change from what you’re practicing, and send them to the floor, deal with awkwardness, as you’d deal with a live opponent. Won’t be long before your training partner sees sense. And it will help you learn how to follow. Your coach if he’s any good will recognise what’s going on, so don't worry about not doing the technique, when I see it happen I congratulate the guy for applying intelligent force against the awkward prick.
I used to do this myself years ago, to a particularly annoying heavy weight, “he didn’t like to be thrown”, and every time he landed he complained: “that’s not the throw!” Eventually he learnt he was going down one way or another, if he knew what was coming, he could prepare his landing; if he countered he got hurt!

• First fix the eyes on the heart, it tells the truth. Learn how to recognise a throw, kick or punch from here, don’t follow the limbs. When this is internalised you can start to play with faints and draws, gaze down and strike the head etc.

• Fighting is minimalism, always think how I can minimise the chance of failure, and maximise the chance of success. E.g. parrying, blocking, locks etc. don’t use your hands, learn to use your forearms.

• AVOID BRUTE STRENGTH. If the only way a technique is working is through great effort, then you’re doing it wrong, I see this in locks over and over again. Beginners not understanding leverage, trying almost to crush a limb, rather than using a see-saw lever effect. The danger for their partners is of course, that the fools develop a kind of inferiority complex, always employing retard strength, so, if or when they actually do get how to do a lock, applying such force could seriously fcuk up their training partner. NOT COOL!!!

• Related to the last point, just because someone is a heavy weight and you’re middle weight does not mean they can be used as a punch bag. It does not give you the right to apply all your power in a strike, throw, locking technique. First, if something isn’t working, ask yourself, am I doing it right, or is there something fundamental I’m missing here? Don’t assume he’s bigger, so I’ll put down the shot gun and use the thermo nuclear missile. Most heavyweights I know put up with a lot of **** that they simply wouldn’t take from someone of equal weight, because they don’t want to be a bully. Lightweights don’t confuse this for success!!! If he’s taking your full force strikes and not complaining, it’s because he sees you as a pathetic little prick. He wouldn’t hit a woman, and that’s why he’s not knocking you out!

• Cleanliness: Cut your fcukin nails, after years of ripped back and limbs, infected scrapes on my neck torn soles on my feet etc, I’ve started banning people for two weeks for such offences. It’s the highest form of disrespect in a martial gym to carry on like this. And a guaranteed way to piss everyone off. On a lesser more forgivable note, if you find that you have bought some crap gloves or shin pads etc. that keep scraping / cutting your sparing partners, ask your instructor for advice on where to source good equipment.

• On that note invest in good equipment, i.e. respect yourself and others, prevent needless injury.

Tim_Murphy

Jason Mc wrote: »

u r a scoundrel

A scoundrel who speaks the truth! :pac:

Roper

Some good stuff here, I'd only be repeating some of it but there's one thing I could add.

Enjoy yourself and make the most of it. There may come a day when you can't do it anymore and you'll probably be kicking yourself that you didn't make the most of the stuff that was available to you. I don't want to go all bromance on it too but a lot of the guys I meet who have left for one reason or another miss the training but also miss the craic and brotherhood of working and training hard together.

Martin25

Very good posts here guys, I enjoyed reading them.
Roper you are right, enjoy the training as when illness,injury, or too many birthdays takes over we will surely miss the craic.
My Instructor is comming over to Ireland and at 85 years old is still working out and helping people.
all the best
Martin

dudara

• Cut your nails, including toenails. Nothing worse than getting a nasty deep scrape from someone's nails.
  
• Watch out for training on non-matted floors in bare feet - you will lose all skin on your feet at the start.
  
• Buy the talc powder that they use on babies' umbilical cords. it's great for dusting on scrapes etc. It dries them out and starts the healing process.
  
• Warn people not to get too enthusiastic with stretches at the start. You will walk like a cowboy for a few weeks otherwise.
  
• Get a proper mouthguard - fitted from your dentist.
  
• Always remember to air your footpads/handpads immediately after training. There's nothing quite like the aroma of fermented sweaty gear.

smacl

A bit cheeky since I'm not training much these days but...

Don't skimp on your conditioning. In a comptition excellent condition with strong intent and average skills regularly beats average condition with strong skills and weak intent.

Jason Mc

I suppose one of the biggest mistakes I see most people make is not working their weaknesses enough and focusing on what they are already good at.

David Jones

Ah Jason that flies in the face of what society is telling kids to do. Focus on strengths not your weakenesses. Working on your weakenesses might involve some honest soul searching, followed by some hard work, you cant possibly want that as a message? :rolleyes:

Modern society is worshipping at the church of Marcus Buckingham

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4lNC6--JuoY

Everyone deserves a medal.

Jason Mc

The easy solution is always the best solution???

David Jones

Crazy stuff huh? But Oprah loves him so he is god. :pac:

Jason Mc

So I present to you Dave Jones stating that my bench press is dandy but my seated rows (or any prescribed back exercise) is dreadfully weak

It seems it would be best for me to neglect my back exercises and keep benching like a madman

az2wp0sye65487

Colm_OReilly wrote: »

Hi Guys,

I'm trying to do up a better intro to MMA for new guys in my place, and I wanted to see what you wish you'd known earlier in your MMA/BJJ training.

What didn't you like about training? What did you like?

For example, I tend to forget to tell people about mat burn.

Anything and everything appreciated.

Thanks,
Colm

Sorry for the O/T post, but as soon as I read yours I got a flashback!

I was in a Judo club as a kid. I remember in the dressing rooms one time after training, one lad had a big rash/burn/scrape on one leg.

A silly conversation between himself and another lad ensued:

"What happened your leg? - It's in bits"

"Mat Burn"

"Who's he?"




*Maybe you'd have had to be there.

HammerHeadGym

The advice I give to every first time fighter in our gym is go out there and have fun. You may as well be enjoying yourself as sh!tting your pants.

David Jones

"Mat Burn"

Believe it or not when I first opened Next Generation I had guy come down whose name was Matt Byrne, moved later to Australia, but great name for grappling.

So I present to you Dave Jones stating that my bench press is dandy but my seated rows (or any prescribed back exercise) is dreadfully weak

It seems it would be best for me to neglect my back exercises and keep benching like a madman

Well since bench press is the only exercise worth a damn......

koking

if your gonna take it serious get a dentist fitted gumshield,best investment ya can make