Sunday, September 9, 2012

Gear You Need For MMA Training

By Rod Bourgoine


For those who take a weekly Jiu-Jitsu class or perhaps a kickboxing class, no special gear is needed. Your regular gym clothes will be fine. However, if you are focused on becoming a professional MMA fighter or want to engage in hard core mixed martial arts training, then you do need to invest in some special MMA gear. This doesn't mean that you need expensive designer clothes and designer gear; you don't have to break the bank to get started with some basic MMA equipment.

Rather than worry about the gear, consider the type of gym where you train. If you are serious about MMA, you need to work out at a gym where the staff and instructors are equally serious about this complex sport. Choose a location that offers a variety of unlimited classes for one low monthly fee. This means you can hone many MMA skills and transform into a stronger fighter. Be sure your instructors are guys who have had real experience in the ring; learning from a pro is always the best way to go.

As with any sport, wearing comfortable clothing that fits well is important. You can probably get away with fight shorts and a t-shirt, but you might want to invest in a rash guard, as well. Rash guards, which fit snuggly against the body, hold in sweat and also won't soak up the sweat of your opponent, so they are also more hygienic. In addition, a rash guard, because of its proximity to the body, won't tear as easily as a t-shirt. Your fight shorts should fit well and MMA shorts tie up snugly. Unlike boxing shorts, these also are designed with side slits to make movement easier.

There are many different types of gloves on the market and you can easily get away with purchasing one pair of MMA gloves and one set of boxing gloves. The MMA gloves should be comfortable and not too stiff. Additionally some people prefer a thumb-less glove as it makes grappling easier. Boxing gloves will be use both for bag work as well as for sparring, and it is essential to find comfortable gloves with some type of injected foam molding.

The last thing you want is to suffer a bone break during training, so invest in a good pair of shin guards. There are MMA shin pads that are fine for a beginner and allow more movement, but if you do focus on Muay Thai training, you will want a pair of Muay Thai pads, as well. These run from the knee down and protect the knee, shin, ankle and instep.

While some fighters dislike headgear, it really does prevent injury and why risk damage when you are training. Obviously you won't be wearing it in the arena, but you don't want to suffer an injury before you even start your first bout. Mouth gear also is important, and while there are pieces out there that cover the top and bottom teeth, a single mouthpiece is probably fine and should be fairly inexpensive to purchase.

In addition, you will need to purchase some type of bag to carry everything, but this certainly doesn't need to be anything fancy. Just choose a bag that is large enough to carry all of your gear from home to the gym.




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