Mma training how to start

This is actually a really hard question to answer, because it depends what you want from the sport. Are you interested in exercise, self defence, or do you actually want to fight..?

For exercise, any of the above would be great, and all of them will give you a great base to build from. There is nothing like an MMA sparring workout for general fitness and body conditioining, but each of the arts mentioned in the question will not be far off! My advice in this case would be to go and check out a few gyms in the area and see which one makes you feel most comfortable.

Remember, other arts like Karate, Judo, Sambo etc. have all made great bases for fighters in the UFC so don’t limit yourself. Go and experiment.

Self defence is a completely different matter, and each style has its own limitations. Boxing will make you an excellent pugilist, but what happens when they grab you..? Wrestling would deal with that grab very well but you would probably get punched in the face for your trouble. BJJ does deal with all range of attacks, but usually only on the floor. I have studied many martial arts, and for me the best art for self defence is BJJ. This is because you practice a huge amount of active resistance training i.e. your opponent is actively trying to stop you. Many traditional martial arts will claim to teach self defence, but everything will be set up with unresisting opponents. If you want the real deal, the training will be hard, but 95% of fights end up on the floor so BJJ is a very real self defence art. It is centred around survival and winning the fight with brains and not brawn.

There are other issues such as multiple attackers and weapons to factor in, so a mix of Traditional Ju Jitsu, Sambo, or Krav Maga and the Brazilian Ju jitsu would provide the most grounded base for a well rounded level of self defence.

Or, as Dana would say, “So you wanna be a fighter..?” I think there is no contest here. MMA is by far the best training art for MMA. If you train extensively in one particular aspect of MMA, you will have to be excellent at pulling the opponent into that arena, or your weaknesses will be exploited. Strong striking with a great wrestling base and a knowledge of submissions should be your priority, and only MMA will give you this. The other thing you have to worry about is making sure you can transition easily between separate arts if you study them in isolation. I found it hard to go from kickboxing mode into BJJ mode at first. You won’t have that problem in MMA as the transitions are part of the art itself.

Please shop around though. Traditional martial arts instructors with questionable credentials are claiming to teach MMA to increase their revenue. Make sure you find a legitimate gym where you will be taught properly. It’s always good to see if the gym has any active succesful fighters. If they do, you know they are doing soemthing right. Remember, Google is your friend.

That should give you a good base to start from, my only advice now is to go and get it, as procrastinating will only lead you into your armchair! Go and check out your local gyms now