How Precision MMA Can Prepare A Student for Martial Arts’ Competition
Various authorities on the subject have stated recently that they believe martial arts have evolved more in the past 20 years than in the past 200 years. This may seem a bold claim, but is quite possibly true with the introduction of the Ultimate Fighting Championship in 1993 and the vast network of information provided by the Internet. Along with the increased awareness of styles found to be effective in the sport of Mixed Martial Arts has come a vast increase in practitioners of those styles, and with this has come an increase in the number of competitions held. This not only includes increased competition in both professional and amateur MMA, but also a greater number of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu tournaments, kickboxing and Muay Thai fights, Judo competitions, and
also more interest in school wrestling programs and local boxing programs. While almost every town has a martial arts’ dojo of some kind, most cannot provide the kind of quality instruction necessary to prepare students for these kinds of competitions. Precision Mixed Martial Arts, located in the Hudson Valley region of New York, boasts instructors who are experts in all these disciplines, and can get students of any style in competition shape.
When a student signs up for Precision Mixed Martial Arts they may not have competition in mind at first and the idea of testing themselves may come to them at a later point in their training. At some schools this could be a dilemma because the type and pace of the training offered may be very opposite from a tournament or fight atmosphere. For example, let’s look first at the art of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu as it is practiced at many schools versus how it is taught at Precision in the Hudson Valley. First of all, anyone acquainted with the martial art of BJJ will know that there are two distinct styles: Gi Jiu-jitsu, where the competitors wear a full kimono with a top, pants and a belt, and no-gi Jiu-Jitsu, also known as submission grappling, where the competitors wear a pair of shorts and a rash guard. While the two styles have many similarities, they also have many differences when it comes to grips, pace of the match, takedowns, and overall strategy. Many martial arts’ schools only offer instruction in one or the other, and this becomes a problem if the student has interest in competing in the style not offered by their dojo. Many a BJJ student has entered a no-gi division at a local tournament after training a year or two with the gi on, believing the two styles to be nearly identical, only to meet with defeat because they were unprepared for the differences. The same has also occurred the other way around, with students training exclusively no-gi, then entering a gi competition and finding themselves confused by the different grips and chokes. Luckily, Hudson Valley’ martial artists training at Precision can train in both styles and be prepared to compete under both formats. In fact, the two styles can complement each other and work as training tools for competition in the other. For example, training with the gi on can help a no-gi competitor work on his grip strength. Or, if the student trains without grabbing his opponent’s gi and asks his opponent not to collar choke him (since neither will apply to no-gi competition), he can otherwise learn a great deal about posturing which can cross over to no-gi. This is because he will have to develop the muscles necessary to resist the increased pounds of pressure created by the downward pull of the kimono that would not be focused on as greatly in no-gi training. Another reason that gi training can help no-gi training is that the increased friction caused by the gi will reduce the sweat factor which allows submission grapplers to more easily slide out of submissions without using as much technique, so no-gi grapplers will have to learn more technical escapes based less on athleticism. Likewise, no-gi grappling can greatly aid gi grapplers in their style because they will have to develop different types of grips which can cross over equally well to their style, (such as underhooks and overhooks), but which they may not have focused on as much in gi training due to over reliance upon gi grips. Since Precision Mixed Martial Arts in the Hudson Valley offers both of these styles, a student wishing to compete under either will reap the benefits.
Moreover, martial artists at Precision in the Hudson Valley will learn to wrestle in their submission grappling classes and they will also learn Judo takedowns in their gi Jiu-Jitsu classes. This is something that most Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu schools do not offer, and for this reason many competitors in both styles of grappling have been unsuccessful in competition because they did not know how to defend against, or initiate the takedown. In fact, there is such a heavy emphasis upon both wrestling and Judo in Precision’s Jiu-Jitsu classes that many students have been able to have success in local Hudson Valley wrestling tournaments. Since schools in the New York’s Hudson Valley region are rife with quality wrestling teams, these young wrestlers often come over to Precision to complement their wrestling with Jiu-Jitsu and Judo, as well as extra wrestling classes, and find increased success on the wrestling mat. Likewise, the local wrestlers help our Jiu-Jitsu students with their takedowns and our jiu-jitsukas find more success in grappling tournaments.
In terms of overall strategy, Precision in the Hudson Valley’s instructors have a wealth of experience in all grappling styles so they will know how to coach their students in competition. We have black and brown belts in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu who have extensive competition experience in both gi and no-gi divisions who can help students learn the point systems found in local Hudson Valley tournaments and also teach them how to pace themselves in their matches. We also have multiple Division One wrestlers who have competed at schools in the Hudson Valley region who can teach our wrestlers and jiu-jitsukas how to apply their mat skills and a renowned Judo black belt who is experienced in training Judokas for competition.
In addition to the many grappling styles taught at Precision Mixed Martial Arts, we also offer the striking styles of Muay Thai Kickboxing and conventional western boxing and our coaches are perfectly equipped to prepare our students for the ring. Our head Muay Thai coach, Karl Nemeth, is himself an AKBF kickboxing champion in the Hudson Valley area with multiple victories and several knockouts to his credit who is quite adept at teaching both beginning and advanced students the skills necessary for sport competition. Likewise, our head boxing coach, Derrick Ohlhoff, is a three-time Golden Gloves’ boxing champion who has coached many of our students to wins in the boxing ring. The knowledge our coaches have to impart is multi dimensional. Not only will our striking instructors teach the aspiring competitor the necessary technique but they will also make sure that the student has a practical application for it by having the student engage in serious sparring sessions before any fight so that they will know what to expect. While it might seem strange to some, many martial arts’ academies do not even allow sparring, either deeming it unnecessary or fearing that students will be injured. Yet some of these schools will actually allow their students to enter competitions without ever experiencing real contact in sparring and it is this that will actually increase their risks for injury once they truly step foot in the ring. Also, many martial arts’ schools in the Hudson Valley and elsewhere do not have an actual boxing ring so they are unprepared for the environment under which they will be competing. This is not a problem at Precision with our new sixteen by sixteen foot ring. Strikers at Precision will also have rounds set with timers that will sound at the end of each to prepare them for the short bursts necessary during a competition bout. Nothing is left to chance and we make sure our fighters are ready for everything they will experience come fight night.
Finally, if Mixed Martial Arts is a goal of the Precision trainee, a better coach cannot be found than in our head instructor Brian McLaughlin. McLaughlin is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt and two-time MMA champion who boasts an impressive 6-2 record and has even competed on the UFC’s reality show T.U.F, season eight. McLaughlin teaches his MMA students everything they will need to find success in the cage. Often neglected by other martial arts’ schools, McLaughlin teaches his students proper nutrition and weight cutting skills so that they can make the right competition weight and feel strong and healthy when stepping out there. The MMA classes themselves focus on all aspects of mixed martial arts, including ground and pound, fusing takedowns with strikes, getting back to one’s feet and defending from the bottom against an opponent on top, as well as many other elements. Brian also makes sure that all his aspiring competitors have the necessary cardio to deal with the pace of an MMA fight, and even has many tips to dealing with the mental stresses of fighting which he has learned through his actual ring experience.
In summary, no matter what style of martial art a student wishes to compete in, Precision MMA in the Hudson Valley will be able to adequately prepare them. Don’t waste your time training with coaches who claim to know what it takes to fight without ever having put the gloves on themselves. Try us out for 30 free days and see all we have to offer the aspiring competitor.
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Jamey Bazes is a lifelong martial artist holding a brown belt in both Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Kenpo Karate. He also holds a master’s degree from SUNY New Paltz. He is a student of Precision Mixed Martial Arts in LaGrange, NY (near Poughkeepsie) and a decorated competitor including a Delaware Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu State Championship and a NAGA World Title. To train with Jamey in Poughkeepsie NY check out Precision MMA http://www.poughkeepsiemixedmartialarts.com
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