We have all heard the adage “practice makes perfect.” This applies to mental skills training too. But the unique thing about training the mind is that, over a period of time the mind gets conditioned to think along particular lines, and mental preparation comes to you almost by rote, automatically without having to consciously put yourself in a mental practice mode. However, for your mind to reach a conditioned state, a significant amount of regular mental preparation and use of mind techniques is essential. In other words you can reach a level where mental skills become a part of your life, if you employ mental skills training regularly. If you resort to mental preparation just before a match, and not follow up regularly, its effect on you will be temporary in nature and also incomplete. Consistency is the key here. You can bring focus to your game through the following aspects of mental discipline:

• make good use of practice sessions to develop both technique and mental skills

• follow the principles in mental skills training consistently

• improve memory retrieval to efficiently apply the mental skills techniques

Making Good Use of Training Sessions

1. Prior to starting your practice, spend a few minutes thinking about what you would like to do, learn, and improve. Clearly outline issues that you want to deal with, like styles, moves, concentration, intensity , alertness, and so on.

2. During the session try to be aware of what exactly is happening: How do you feel? What’s going on in your mind? What thought processes were effective? What thoughts or distractions drove down your performance? Were you able to give yourself the right cues at the right moment? Were you alert enough to execute perfect timing?-and so on. Being aware of all these finer points makes for a sharp focus that can add to your learning and bring about breakthroughs while practicing tough styles. The finer points also include details, such as the rush of adrenaline and surge in aggression, the rush of blood into your muscles, the process of calming down to get out of a hold, precise shifts and turns, etc.

3. Employ persistence and patience in learning difficult moves – persist until you perfect the technique.

4. For young athletes who are just embarking on their grappling or combat athletics careers, there will be a lot to learn and an extensive list of styles and moves to practice. Break down your learning objectives into manageable sections and spread out the training over a realistic period of time. Attempting too much, too soon may reduce the effectiveness of your training. Ensure that you’ve learned one set of techniques thoroughly before moving onto another. Your performance quality can be maintained at high levels when you’re learning progress at a realistic pace.

5. Display pro activeness and drive during training and treat it like a real game.

6. Exercise control over your thought processes during training in much the same way that you would have to do in a match.

7. After the practice session, spend a few minutes reflecting on what you learned and what you can follow up on in your spare time.

Enter your practice with an open mind and walk out with a commitment to rehearse your learning using mental skills. Here’s an interesting look at grappler Daniel lgali’s practice and training regimen and the reason for his success today (based on an article published in Reader’s Digest):

“In 1994, at age 20, Daniel came to Canada from Nigeria. In 1995 Daniel started practicing with the Burnaby Mountain Wrestling Club. Coach Dave McKay found Daniel to be lightning fast and powerful, but lacking in stamina and consistency. Grapplers had to train four hours each day six days a week, but because of his night job Daniel often missed practice. During matches, Daniel was easily fatigued and his expression gave away his tiredness to his opponent. Coach McKay felt Daniel had to master his emotions as well as his game. Daniel’s embarrassing defeat to Steiner in 1996 changed his attitude completely. Daniel started regularly attended practice sessions and worked hard and spent long hours in practice. He saved for a video camera and then studied his bouts thoroughly. Over two years, he also lifted weights and ran. Coach McKay, constantly pushed Daniel one step further until his confidence and determination grew.“

Daniel made his mark in 1988 when he was placed second at the World Cup. In 2000, he won the gold for Canada at the Sydney Olympics. Consistency in training and hard work certainly pays off, and Daniel’s case is testimony that grapplers and combat athletes benefit from a regular and consistent training regimen.

A Performance Monitor is a kind of diary or record to regularly track your training program and your skill improvement. You can either use a paper-based diary or record on audio cassettes. This performance monitor must be used after every training session to record different aspects of the session.

• What did you learn? – Styles, techniques, moves, submission, defense strategies, and so

• Your mental framework during the session. Rate yourself: poor, average, good, excellent – on each of the following factors. Your ability to handle distractions. Your calmness: Were you relaxed or not? Your confidence? Your alertness? Your attentiveness?

• What mistakes or slip ups did you make?

• What do you want to learn in your next session? Make a list of learning objectives and a list of mistakes that you want to avoid

As your training progresses, the aim should be to minimize your slip-ups and advance your rating on mental skills issues to either good or excellent. The performance monitor is a simple daily assessment method that has the dual advantage of taking into account your training on grappling or combat athletic techniques as well as mental skills preparation. You will be assessing yourself, and must be as objective and as tough on yourself as you possibly can to benefit the exercise.

Advantage of maintaining a performance monitor:

You always have on record, a benchmark of your previous session on which to build and improve in a new training session. You start out with a set of objectives for each new session, which makes the training sessions a lot more useful. Mistakes don’t get swept under the rug. You address them in your next session. You can monitor your progress over a period especially when you rate yourself on mental skills.

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Differences:

The most obvious difference is the grips. The gi gives you the chance to control your opponent much easier. Sweeps become much more frequent, as well as Judo-Type take downs. The no-gi game relies on under or over hooks for control, while the take downs are more wrestling based.

Once on the ground, chokes become available using the lapels, or gi. Overall, the gi is a bit slower paced, more controlled, and technical. No-gi, however, seems to be faster paced and more fluid.

Pros & Cons:

Grappling in the gi sometimes can be like trying to swim in quick sand. It is restraining, and hot! The general idea is that the gi isn’t like “real” fighting, which is fair. But training in the gi is very beneficial to your technique, and understanding of the art.

Learning the wide array of grips, chokes, and throws are great because they do not exist in no-gi. Technicality is very important in the gi, therefore users usually develop an overall tighter game.

The No-Gi game is the most popular, especially here in North America. Wrestling and mixed martial arts have changed the game, and created a huge no gi following.

Again, the grips are actually “hooks”. The lack of lapel control makes for a faster pace, and great entertainment. Submissions are also harder to finish in no gi for the simple fact that everything is slippery. Whether it be rash guards, or sweaty skin, control is harder to secure.

On the flip-side, gi-less grappling helps to create more quickness, and increases overall strength. Learning how to utilize your over and under hooks is an art, and is applicable in MMA.

Conclusion:

TRAIN BOTH. You can NEVER know too much. Why limit yourself to one or the other? I personally enjoy both games.

If your goal is to fight mma, focus more on no gi. But training in the gi won’t hinder you, if anything it will help develop your knowledge of the body.

Punching, kicking, moving, ducking, and wrestling are all natural movements used in martial arts and MMA. So why is there so much focus on these new types of training methods? Lifting weights doesn’t build toughness. Using your own bodyweight builds a toughness.

Lifting weights and bulked up muscles don’t make you a better fighter-just look at all the juiced up ( steroids ) fighters. Steroids don’t help a fighters chin. What makes a better fighter is a superb work ethic, and being a conditioned machine  built with bodyweight training.

Fighters are spending to much time on exercises that are not going to make them a better fighter. A tough fighter is focused, he is strong physically and mentally, he is explosive, flexible, fast, and highly conditioned. And he is someone that can take a punch.

A good fighter trains like a fighter and only does things that will make him a better fighter, things that are unproven he leaves alone. Martial arts has come a long way and will probably go even further, but will soon become a spectacle.

I think the best fighters are natural fighters. Men that have certain tools, not everyone is meant to be a fighter. But everyone wants to be a MMA fighter for the sake of saying” I’m a MMA fighter “

Old methods of training like bodyweight training have worked for years, the new way is flashy and gets people in the door. Some trainers use the old methods and put out good fighters- fighters that are strong and highly conditioned.

One secret is train like you fight and use the same movements you would in a fight.Train using circuits with little or no rest. Always train harder in training- and the fight will be easier.

A fighter that trains 4 to 6 hours a day and can’t breathe after a 5 minute round is doing something wrong. A conditioned fighter should never get tired and if does he should be able to get out of harms way.

A fighter that does not stay in condition is not a serious fighter. When a fighter fights in the ring and is not conditioned he only loses, but if you are in the street and you get tired, you’re dead.

A few things that will help a fighter to be better conditioned are bodyweight exercises, like jumping rope,  hill sprints, sprints, burpees, and explosive pushups. Another way to step up your conditioning is to combine bodyweight training circuits in between rounds.

An example might be a 3 minute round on the heavy bag and 2 minutes of burpees. Or 1 minute of pushups and 1 minute of jumping jacks. Get the idea. Very little rest use as much active rest as possible, and your fitness level will sky-rocket. Toughness Builds Winners 

About the Author

John Grube B.C.S. F.F.S is an expert on the subject of bodyweight training and real functional fitness. He has over 25 years of training experience and is the author of The Wildman Training Program manual and Course and other training material. For more info www.wildmantraining.com He also runs fitness bootcamps In the State College Pa area

BCAA’s for MMA Fighters
By Josh Rafferty

Over the last ten years sports nutrition experts have found that you can increase the time of recovery by taking certain nutrients immediately following strenuous exercise. Experts agree that this could be the most important time for the athlete to supplement with a muscle recovery supplement like L-leucine, l-valine, and l-isoleucine. Amino acid supplements along with a combination of protein and fast acting carbohydrates help build muscle, increase testosterone, and help maintain a positive nitrogen balance for the athlete. Some other great recovery aids that work well with bcaa’s are:

· L-glutamine · ZMA · Creatine · HMB · Beta alanine

Any sport where weight classes are involved translates to competitors training on limited amounts of calories. The supplement Branch Chain Amino Acidshas been shown to lower overall body weight and a decrease in body fat percentage. Athletes have also experienced a reduction in abdominal adipose tissue. When training for a fight or competition on a low calorie diet, introducing BCAA’s to your program may help you lose more weight without compromising your performance in the ring or cage. The best way for fighters to take BCAA’s is to take it 30 minutes before training and one serving immediately after your workout. MMA athletes should shoot for 50mg of bcaa’s per pound of body weight for maximum results.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Josh was one of 16 fighters from across the United States to compete on The Ultimate Fighter Season 1, which airs on Spike TV still today. As a Mixed Martial Arts Veteran, Josh has had over 25 fights since 1998 and continues his career into 2009. Josh is also a coach and mentor to many amateur and professional fighters in his hometown of Cincinnati, OH.