5 Simple Ways to Improve Your Mixed Martial Arts Training

Have you started mixed martial arts training but feel like you aren’t getting the results you want? Are you getting sick of being beaten in sparring matches and struggle to make it through each round? Try out my 5 simple ways to improve your mixed martial arts training and you will see results quickly.
Vary your approach – Don’t do it too often but be sure to change the exercises you do within workouts and when those workouts happen every 4 to 6 weeks. The body is a marvellous machine that adapts to situations so repeating the same workout too much will cause your development to slow down, plateau and even decrease. So mix it up!
Take part in sparring matches as much as possible and learn from it – Your mixed martial arts training will likely involve a lot of sparring within your classes already but you could still do more. Meet up with 2 other like minded students, get one person to referee while the other two spar. It’s unlikely you have a cage at home but make sure you have a safe surface to spar on, concrete or carpet isn’t a good idea! Review your sparring matches and look at what went well and more importantly where you went wrong. Use this knowledge to improve your technique.
Organise your workouts correctly – performing the right efforts at the right time is important to maximise efficiency. The order in which things should be done in a workout is as follows:
warm up (including dynamic stretches), Technical drills, Speed drills, Strength Drills, Endurance and finally a cool down with relaxed and isometric stretches.
You should only have each element in a workout 2 to 3 times a week making sure you have at least 48 hours in between. Make sure you rest adequately to avoid over training. Have at least one day a week where you do not train or you do some gentle exercise for example walking.
Look at other forms for inspiration – You don’t need to go to classes in other forms to grab inspiration. Look at articles online, YouTube videos and magazines to see if there are any moves you can take into your instructor to see if they are familiar with it and see if it’s useful. It may be a move your opponent has never seen before and you just pull it out of the bag to win the fight! Study MMA and UFC fights for more great ideas.
Make sure you eat right – This is very important, if your body isn’t receiving the fuel it needs you won’t be at your peak. Plenty of complex carbohydrates, lean protein, fruit and vegetables and some types of fats are required to keep your body healthy and topped up with the stuff it needs. A good sign of a healthy meal is how colourful a plate is. If it all seems to be the same sort of colour you may not be getting a full varied diet. Remember you have to eat lean to be mean!
Follow these tips and I assure you your training will benefit immensely.