If you are new to MMA, you have probably searched for a strength and conditioning program online. Maybe you asked ChatGPT to make one for you. You may have ended up with a six-day Push/Pull/Legs program, a long list of exercises, several different types of conditioning, and enough ab work to make you wonder when you're actually supposed to train MMA. The problem isn't that any of those exercises are necessarily bad. The problem is that a long workout is not the same thing as

Taking your first MMA fight is a big deal. You are going to do something you have never done before, against someone you have never fought, in an environment that is very different from your normal training. There is going to be adrenaline, nerves, an audience, officials, a time limit, a corner, and an opponent who is actively trying to impose their game on you. You can't eliminate all of the uncertainty. That's part of competition. What you can do is eliminate as many unnece

There is a limit to what a coach can do for you. A good coach can make an enormous difference in your development. They can teach you techniques that might take you years to discover on your own. They can explain concepts, demonstrate movements, identify mistakes, give you feedback and design training that puts you in the situations you need to experience. Good coaching can make learning faster and more productive. But there is one thing a coach can't do. They can't give you

When people talk about mental toughness in MMA, they usually mean someone who doesn't quit. That's certainly part of it, but I think mental toughness is much more than being willing to suffer. MMA is going to make you uncomfortable. You're going to get tired. You're going to get hit. You're going to get taken down. You're going to get stuck underneath someone who is stronger than you. You're going to make mistakes. Sometimes you're going to be nervous before you train or comp

Combat sports are hard. That seems obvious, but whenever someone talks about training intelligently, managing intensity, or taking recovery seriously, there is always someone who hears, "So we're supposed to take it easy now?" No. If you want to get better at MMA or Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, you have to work. You're going to get tired, sore, frustrated, and occasionally get your ass kicked by someone better than you. There will be difficult rounds where quitting or slowing down wo

When I was wrestling, one of my coaches used to say that you needed three different kinds of training partners in the practice room. You needed the person you could beat frequently. You needed the person you could beat about half the time. And finally, you needed the person who could beat you frequently. I've thought about that a lot over the years, and I think it's one of the simplest explanations of what a good training environment should look like. Most people understand t

If you're looking for MMA classes, you probably assume that joining a gym that advertises MMA means you're going to learn MMA. That seems pretty obvious. But it's worth taking a closer look at what a gym actually offers. A lot of martial arts gyms advertise MMA. When you look at their schedule, however, most of the classes are Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Muay Thai, Boxing, Kickboxing, or Wrestling. They may have an MMA sparring class once a week, but very little actual instruction d

One of the most common questions people ask when they're thinking about starting MMA is: "What martial art should I learn first?" Should you start with wrestling? Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu? Boxing? Muay Thai? The answer usually depends on who you ask. Wrestlers will tell you wrestling. BJJ guys will tell you BJJ. Strikers will tell you that MMA starts on your feet, so you'd better learn how to punch and kick. And honestly, they all have a pretty good argument. But I think there's a

If you're thinking about starting martial arts at BLAST MMA, one of the first questions you'll probably have is: Should I train MMA or Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu? Both are great ways to train. Both will challenge you. And both will teach you skills that you can continue developing for years. But they're also very different training experiences. At BLAST, we've found that the people who gravitate toward MMA and the people who gravitate toward BJJ are often looking for different thing

A lot of people approach sparring like it's a fight. You try to win. You try to make the other guy tap. You try to land more shots, take less damage, and prove that you're better than the person standing in front of you. And I understand why. Sparring is supposed to be competitive. That's part of what makes it fun. But if your goal every time you spar is to win, you're probably holding yourself back. The goal of sparring isn't to win. The goal of sparring is to get better. Th

I've been thinking a lot about how MMA should actually be taught, especially to beginners. At BLAST, we use a structured 48-lesson Core curriculum followed by a 72-class Development curriculum. There's a reason we chose to do this instead of simply teaching whatever technique seems appropriate that day. MMA is an enormous skill set. A beginner has to learn striking, wrestling, clinch, fence work, takedowns, ground control, escapes, GNP, submissions, etc. The problem with simp