Cage fighting training advice

Also known as mixed martial arts, cage fighting is a combat sport using a wide variety of fighting techniques, including striking and grappling. Cage fighting became popular in the 1990s as a way of pitting different fighting styles against each other with minimal rules to find out which martial art system would be most effective in a genuine unregulated combat situation.

The first cage fighting events were held in Brazil and Japan, and the popularity of mixing different combat disciplines has become increasingly popular since Bruce Lee first mixed martial art forms in the 1960s and 1970s. Mixed martial artists generally specialise in one particular discipline, but they also train in a wide variety of styles, so that they can fight effectively in all phases of combat.

Typical styles that mixed martial artists generally train in for maximum effectiveness in combat include:

Stand-up

Full-contact forms of karate, boxing, kickboxing and Muay Thai all help improve footwork, elbowing, kicking, kneeing and punching techniques.

Clinch

Judo, sambo, freestyle wrestling. Greco-Roman wrestling and Muay Thai are used to train in takedowns, throws, and clinching.

Ground

To train in submission holds and how to defend against them, as well as improving positioning and ground control, fighters train in Judo, Sambo, catch wrestling, shoot wrestling, amateur wrestling, pankration and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

Speed drills, strength training, flexibility and energy system training are also key factors in getting in top condition for this very demanding sport.