How to Prep for Your First MMA Fight

If you've been training for MMA for some time, and you've finally booked your first MMA fight, then congratulations! You've accomplished more than most around you. But now you need to change your game up completely. Before you were building your foundation for techniques and conditioning. Now with your first fight coming up, you need to start working on applying them directly toward victory in the ring. If you thought that you had a good base and had some specific training going on, well now you have to change and tailor it toward your specific opponent.

Physical - You have to start working toward peak conditioning for your next MMA fight. You may have been going through regular drills and base conditioning to make it through your workouts, but fighting is a much different story. Depending on how much time you have until your first fight, (ideally 8-16 weeks) you will want to start periodizing, or structuring, your conditioning program to maximize coordination and stability, base strength and endurance, and finally explosive power.

Strategic - If you have booked your first MMA fight, then you and your coaches probably have a lot of confidence in your basic techniques and your ability to apply them. However, now you have to look at your opponent for your first MMA Fight and figure out exactly what are his strengths and weaknesses. Is he an experienced kickboxer or a black belt in Brazilian Jujitsu? Try and estimate how he will be attacking you in your MMA fight and learn to defend against it. Try and put him in a position where you will be dominant, but be prepared for him to exploit your weaknesses. If you're not a submission king, work your takedown defense and ground escapes. If you're not a champion kickboxer and he is, learn to pass his dangerous kicking and punching reach so you can score a takedown. Analyze your opponent before you meet him in the ring. View his past MMA fights and see what strategies he favors.

Mental - From now until the time of your MMA fight, you need to stay focused, but at the same time, relaxed. Stay intense and excited about your fight, but don't stress out so much that you lock up when the ref starts the match. Many MMA fights are won or lost before either fighter enters the cage. So many fighters tense up, think too much, and just don't know how to react properly. That's the kiss of death. Stay loose. Get a massage the day before your MMA fight. Do whatever you need to ensure that you're head is in the game but not burned out from all your hard work.

Weight - Last but not least, an MMA fighter needs to have proper control of his weight. Most fighters are naturally 10-20 pounds above the weight that they will be fighting at. You need to start cutting weight probably about 2-3 weeks before your MMA fight. Maybe more depending on how much you are overweight. At the same time, you need to cut weight SAFELY. So many fighters starve themselves or take diuretics and other pills that will dehydrate them. This can cause permanent damage to your internal organs or get you suspended from fighting.

When prepping for your first MMA fight, you definitely need to follow a plan that is laid out for you, every step of the way. Hopefully your coach will have a good, specific program for you to follow. For a free MMA conditioning workout as well as a 12-day fat burning meal plan, go to http://martialartswellness.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Tim_Parisi

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