Can you learn mma by yourself

The more frequently heard story of MMA fighters usually starts with having begun martial arts training at a very young age and continuing this until finding a school or a mentor who then takes them to a new level of training by teaching the student a wide variety of skills from other disciplines until the fighter is skilled both in striking, ability to take an opponent to the ground, in grappling to gain dominance, proceeding to victory from submitting the opponent or "ground and pounding" him until the referee stops the action, or the opponent taps out or passes out.

Most find motivation from being in the presence of others who are learning the same skills and wanting to surpass their "rivals" with rapid progression and dedication to practice. This is not as easy as when you are the student with no one to help plan your development, assess your learning, spur you on, and maintain your level of motivation. The majority of MMA competitors have had a background in at least high school level wrestling, which was the impetus of setting them on track to compete in a full contact sport.

One benefit of coming up through a martial arts school is the chance to test for belts. Having a black belt on your MMA resume puts the holder among the upper echelon of fighters. Attaining a belt is not an option for a self-taught fighter. Now, what if this same soccer player primarily trained at home in his backyard, but the difference is he has a coach come to his house 2 times per week and help him with his form?

Perhaps he also plays football every night in the backyard with a couple of his buddies. He gets better at dribbling, scoring, understanding plays, defense, and increases his overall physical fitness.

Are you already going to classes? Instead of sparring with a partner, you can focus on things like conditioning, proper form, and stretching. However, there are some online training programs that can help you learn the basics. Spend some time learning a little bit about different types of martial arts before making a decision on which one is right for you. Keep in mind you can always learn the theory behind martial arts from the comfort of your home.

There are multiple courses available online that teach you about the history, techniques, and movements of various types of martial arts. Be polite and humble. Everyone was a beginner at some point, so they understand what it's like to be new at MMA. The people at the gym are there to learn and become better fighters so don't act like a hotshot or you'll give off a bad first impression. Be nice to the people you meet, keep a positive attitude, and be receptive to advice.

Listen to all of the directions from your instructor. When you start training it's important that you follow all of the instructions given by your instructor. If you don't, you could injure yourself or someone else. Pay close attention to everything your instructor has to say and try to execute the moves exactly as you're taught. Pace yourself. During your first couple of classes, you may feel like you have something to prove, but you don't. You might be tempted to go full intensity as soon as you hit the mat or ring, but this will just make you exhausted and unable to train further.

Remember to breathe deeply and try to execute the moves and work on your technique rather than exhausting all of your energy. Don't be too hard on yourself and stay positive. If you don't have experience with martial arts, it's possible that you'll be sparring against someone more experienced. Don't expect to be amazing at fighting if you've had no training. It will most likely take you a lot of hours and work training before you can compete in your gym.

It's important to keep this in mind so that you don't get discouraged. Method 3. Get the basics down first. To get better at MMA, you'll need to become proficient in basic strikes and grappling techniques. The basic punches include hooks, jabs, straights, and uppercuts. In grappling, you'll want to learn the different positions and how to do basic moves like armbars, triangle chokes, and the rear naked choke.

Go to class regularly. Going to class regularly will keep your skills sharp and can keep you in shape. Try not to take too much time off in between classes when you're starting off. Go to at least three classes per week and then pace yourself to see how many classes you feel comfortable going to each week. Don't overtrain. While being sore is natural, you don't want to overdo it. When you get physically fatigued, overly sore, or injured, take time off from training and let your body recover.

If you don't let your body recover from training, you can become weaker and less focused. Fatigue, weakness, decreased performance, and constant muscle soreness are signs of overtraining.

Spar with your classmates. Sparring is the portion of your training when you get to test your technique on a fellow classmate. Don't be scared to exchange punches and kicks with your classmate. When sparring, go in with an end goal in mind, like scoring a flush roundhouse kick or working to improve your distance making with your jab.

The goal of sparring is to perfect your technique, not to hurt your opponent. It's good manners to shake your opponent's hand before and after sparring. Sparring partners will often try to match your intensity, so expect to get what you give. Roll with your classmates. Rolling is when you practice your grappling techniques on a classmate without incorporating strikes.

Grappling and wrestling can be grueling, and it takes a lot of endurance, so take your time and pace yourself. Practice getting out of tough situations, gaining superior positioning, and trying various submissions. MMA is basically a sport not a traditional martial art. This ethos is okay in my book.

You usually see this in other martial arts or combat sports that are transitioning to MMA. However, learning the other skills need for MMA will already be up to that fighter. Same thing with MMA. It depends on what your learning goals are. Casual understanding Some learners just want to learn to be able to have a basic understanding of the sport.

They want to know how a double-leg down is done. They want to be able to show some friends how to do an armbar. They would like to identify they moves they see on the UFC. Lots of people start this way. Then they get sucked down that rabbit hole and end up being an MMA-crazed fighter.

Functional combat and self-defense There are those who want to learn because they want to be able to use MMA when the need arises. These are also the people who want to defend themselves and loved ones from criminal elements. MMA is a combat sport that is good reflection of actual hand-to-hand combat. High-level competition Finally, there are those who want to teach themselves MMA to be really good professional fighters.

They just catch that MMA bug and want to be really awesome fighters. I been there too. But how far can you go in the MMA world for those who are self-taught? More on that in a bit. Are there successful MMA fighters who are self-taught? How far can you go without a coach? Even without having a main MMA coach you can still improve a lot. No amount of shadow-boxing will get you used to being punched in the face.

No amount of book study will teach you to pull of good submissions from the guard.