MMA and Combat Sports in India: How To Be A Warrior On The Sides

2017 was the year of combat sports. With the crossover fight between boxer Floyd ‘Money’ Mayweather and mixed-martial artist Conor ‘The Notorious’ McGregor, being the biggest fight in the history of the sport, combat sports have taken the limelight they deserve. That, and our very own Vijender Singh keeping his 10 fight undefeated streak going, India is getting its share of the pie.

With this rise, many of us Combat Sports lovers are running about trying to find ways to train and get a piece of that warrior lifestyle. But it’s that story of every Indian, that wretched Engineering degree or the 75% attendance rule in college is killing us, isn’t it ?

Well know this, if you want to get into combat sports, don’t let anything stop you. With this article, we will look at ways to conquer these challenges.

Combat Sports: Why ?

Why combat sports ? To tap into the warrior in your soul. Confidence ? Respect ? Self-control ? Perspective ? Healthy lifestyle ? A winning attitude ? Combat sports can earn you all of that. It’s said a man who knows how to fight will always keep his control, his confidence rises to a different level.

Combat sports is about power, not the power to hurt others but the power to defend yourself. The power to trust yourself and your instincts in adversity.

How to Prepare Yourself For Training

Training for combat sports requires intense physical fitness. If you join the gym without preparing your body first, it’ll be too steep a learning curve. You need to be in shape, understand your body and know what weight you’re comfortable at beforehand.

Here are the major things to follow:

1. Focus on mobility, stretch and practice callisthenics.
2. Ensure that any and all injuries are healed.
3. Run. Running is essential. Look for endurance with strength.
4. Follow combat sports on the internet, understand what you’re getting into.
5. Prepare mentally, to stretch your comfort zone.

Training In India: Where and How

Before starting off, understand which style you want to take up and why. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Muay Thai (Thai boxing), Krav Maga etc are some of the many forms you can choose from. Each art has a different purpose, a different style of fighting, tactics and application. While boxing can be done casually, more complex martial arts like Jiu-Jitsu often take as much as a decade to earn a black belt.

Choosing a good gym with good and experienced trainers is essential. There are blue belts who’re good teachers and black belts who can’t teach. Talk to other students of the gym, ask them about the about the trainers and the training schedules. Judge accordingly.

Here are some major gyms to consider:

1. Dynamic Kick-Boxing — Noida
2. BJJ India — New Delhi
3. Indian Combat Sports Academy — Bengaluru
4. India Thai Boxing and MMA Association — Chennai
5. Total Combat Fitness — Mumbai

Time Management: Must You Go Everyday ?

Make no mistake, MMA needs dedication and hard-work. But also technique, and the good thing about technique is that it doesn’t need time as much as focus.

If you’ve a gym close by, on the way to college, then you’re in luck. Most training sessions either start early morning (6am — 9am) or in the evenings (6pm — 9pm), so you won’t have to miss classes but at the same time, the start to your day will be as productive as it can get.

If you’re less fortunate and don’t have a place to train nearby, as is the case with most of us, fear not. You can go to the gym on the weekends for tips and tricks, get a partner at home, some floor mats and get training at home itself on weekdays.

Another source, is of course, the Internet. The following sites provide quality MMA training online, but remember, combat sports needs practice, so get off your couch!

1. Gracie Academy
2. Art of Jiu Jitsu
3. Cobrinha Online

With the above tips and some dedication, you’ll be well on your way to taking up the challenging yet fulfilling life-style of a warrior, just be careful, it’s still an up and coming concept in India, the regulations are still not up to the mark.

-Lakshya Tyagi