Knowing how to fight is essential. Martial arts are sports, like any other, with rules, regulations, restraint and discipline. All Martial Arts are great to train but they do not teach you how to fight.

• Boxing teaches you how to throw a mean punch, but if the fight goes to the ground the boxer is done for.
• Thai Kickboxing shows you how to kick the hell out of someone, but if the fight goes to the ground the Thai Kickboxer is done for.
• Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu teaches you how to subdue someone on the ground with an armbar or a choke, but it doesn’t teach stand-up fighting or punching.
• Jeet Kune Do teaches you how to condition your body and mind but it doesn’t teach you how to break free of a headlock.
• Wrestling will build immense strength but has too many rules to ever win a fight.

Put all the Martial Arts training styles together and you have: MIXED MARTIAL ARTS. Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) combine all the styles of martial arts training into one package: learning how to fight.

Here are 10 Reasons to Study and Train Mixed Martial Arts (MMA)

1) Training Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) will build confidence in you. When you know how to fight your mind is a little calmer, a little freer, and a little more relaxed. When you know how to throw a punch, break an arm, or choke someone unconscious there isn’t too much threat of physical confrontation. And if there is threat, it is easier to walk away.

2) Training MMA will teach you discipline. As with any sport, MMA requires discipline. It teaches discipline of the mind and body. Training MMA teaches the discipline of eating right, sleeping right, and training right.

3) Training MMA is an excellent physical workout. Sparring (Boxing practice during training) or grappling (wrestling or ground-fighting practice) for 3-5 minute rounds is absolutely brutal cardio, which is why fighters are usually in top notch physical condition. There is no treadmill or stair-master in the world that can beat the benefits of practice fighting.

4) Training MMA will teach you self-defense. If the need should ever arise you will be able to defend yourself against would be attackers. Nightclub bouncers are notorious tough-guys who love to start fights and gang up on bar patrons. MMA fighter Alistair Overeem and his brother, MMA fighter Valentine Overeem, had this to say to five bouncers:

“Alistair attended some famous dance club with his brother Valentine. Went to the toilet and did not have coins to pay the toilet woman. Alistair told her he would pay a euro when he came back, because he did not have change. Then the security guard who was near by started to get involved,” he wrote.

Brother Valentine saw the incident and also started asking what the problem was. They offered to pay, but by then 6 security guards came over surrounding them. The Overeem brothers were asked to leave, Alistair was already outside when he saw his brother Valentine fighting.

Valentine still was discussing the situation on his way outside with one of the security guards hit Valentine in the face with a flash light. Three security guards dived onto Valentine and brother Alistair wanted to go back inside to help his brother. This resulted in five security guards in the hospital.”

As funny as the above story is, it is not likely for the average person to fight five bouncers. What is more likely to happen is someone being accosted by thugs and hoodlums. Taken from this post:

From the darkness you hear “that’s a nice watch, friend-o“.

The next thing you know it’s a fight to the finish.

Your whole life was preparation for this moment, even though you didn’t know it.

Someone has come from the darkness and they have come for your life.

They want to take you out, they are determined to take you out.

Your whole life up until this moment was just a game and the stakes were meaningless. It was all pretend.

Today the game is played for keeps – winner takes all.

It’s ‘Do or Die’ in every sense of the word.

One of you will stand tall and one of you will fall.

One of your souls will be sent to Hell. It’s unavoidable.

It’s a fight for your life.

For this very moment your whole life was preparation.

At the end someone will stand with their bloody knuckles raised victoriously towards the heavens, screamings to the skies from the depths of their soul and the bottom of their heart:

“I WILL NOT FALL.”

A dramatic retelling of a very real possibility. (Author’s Note: I have a family member who was murdered in a very similar way. Beaten to death by two hoodlums). This type of violence is a very real threat for anyone who poses a target - someone who does not have the confidence, strength, size and the will to win of a fighter.

5) Training MMA is a good manly hobby. Here we talked about causes of depression in males and one of the big reasons is lack of anything physical or masculine. Fighting in a controlled environment is just a damn good hobby that promotes values like courage, strength, will and heart.

6) Training MMA fulfills mans need for physical expression aka violence. We don’t want violence in our daily lives but we still yearn for physicality. We all get pumped up seeing fights in movies or TV or when we hear about someone who was accosted by thugs and kicked the crap out of the them. Training MMA is a perfect middle ground. You can train (or fight) in controlled areas and release aggression with no threat of repercussions, jail time, murder etc..

7) Training MMA teaches competition. The 2nd best person in a fight is a big ol’ loser. “Winning isn’t everything!” It is when their are only two of you. Training MMA will bring that winning drive and spirit to the surface, which can be utilized in other aspects of daily life like business and relationships. Competition is good. A person training in MMA will not spar or grapple with too many opponents willing to roll over and lose - it’s real competition and everyone wants to win.

At an MMA gym everyone wants to be Maverick - no one wants to be Goose.

8) Training MMA is a huge stress reliever. Above, we talked about how fighting releases aggression and it’s true. After an hours session of training, when you are completely drenched in sweat, tired and sore as hell, ready for a big meal and sleep there can be no more room for stress.

9) Camaraderie. When training at an MMA gym you will meet a whole bunch of people with similar interests as you. You aren’t going to run into too many nancy-boys afraid of their own shadow. You get to hang with other big dogs while kicking ass and taking names.

10) Chicks dig fighters. Women love violence. They will say things like “I hate violence. I hate those meathead guys that fight all the time.” The women who say things like this have one thing in common: they’re lying. Women absolutely love men who handle violent confrontation and come up the winner. It’s in their nature, it’s in their DNA. Something you won’t read in a newspaper: Ghetto thugs who often beat up weak people are rewarded with sex by their ghetto mistresses. You’re smarter than fighting all the time - but simply being able to handle violent confrontation (having the Eye of the Tiger) is enough to get them wet.

Sounds great! Where do I sign up?

Go here and look for a Mixed Martial Arts gym in your area. Find one, go check it out, if it looks good sign up and get to training.

How to Start Your Own Fight Club

If there is one drawback to joining a Mixed Martial Arts gym it is that it can be very expensive. Especially if you are training under a famous, well-qualified teacher. The money is worth it, but not everyone can afford upwards of more than $1,000.00 every six months.

The beauty of the internet world is that with the internet anything is possible. All Martial Arts training information is available on the internet. All training styles and fights are available to watch on websites like youtube.com but remember you will only get snippets of information on sites like that, you won’t learn everything.

For a much more detailed, smart, thorough and affordable way to learn MMA from the internet you can study retired MMA pro Jeff Joslins beginner training course.

Learning from the internet isn’t the best way to learn to fight, but it’s a great way to get the basics down.

This is how you can start your own fight club and recruit members:

1) Go to meetup.com and click on the tab that says “FIND“. Search your area for “mixed martial arts”, “mma”, “boxing”, “fight club” etc. If you’re lucky then some enterprising person has already started a club and you can go ahead and join.

2) If no club exists then click on the tab that says “START” and start your own Fight Club. Set up a time for your first meet and wait for some like-minded members to join your group.

3) Training can be held in a garage, a living room, the backyard - anywhere that there is room.

4) Watch some fight videos, watch some “how to” videos, print out some notes and get to fightin’. You won’t be fighting like Fedor Emelianenko any time soon but that’s what training is for - to get good.

Be sure and have all padding and equipment necessary so no one gets hurt.

Train slow, train with patience, try to get the simple moves down - don’t try and inflict pain or win a fight. It’s simply training, it isn’t fighting.

Know the rules of fighting. Specifically if someone taps (with hands or with feet) the opponent must immediately let go.

DO NOT HURT ANYBODY. Training is only play-fighting, it isn’t real. It is preparation for the real thing.

No dirty tricks like:

1. Hair pulling
2. Headbutting
3. Eye Gouging
4. Spitting
5. Biting
6. Fish-hooking
7. Attacking the groin
8. Strikes to the back of the head and spinal area
9. Strikes to, or grabs of the trachea
10. Small Joint Manipulation
11. Intentionally throwing your opponent out of the ring/cage
12. Running out of the ring/cage
13. Purposely holding the ring ropes or cage fence
14. Grabbing or putting a hand inside the trunks or gloves of the opponent
15. Pulling or holding onto an opponent’s gloves or trunks

Go over all rules individually and specifically with all new members. Make sure everyone is on the same page. Use your best judgement and don’t let any rogues/rebels/crazies who will not follow the rules into your fight club.

Do not really fight anyone. A Fight Club should only be practice. Fights should only take place at sanctioned events under the supervision of professionals.

5) Make sure everyone signs a disclosure agreement saying they will not sue you if they happen to get injured.

Let’s have a good, clean fight.