When many of us hear the term “MMA,” we immediately think of the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) or cage fighting or some other extreme form of fighting. It can be intimidating to think about taking MMA classes! And at some gyms, MMA classes are truly more of a fight club for actual and aspiring fighters and not a class for most martial arts students (many of whom have jobs and families and can’t afford cuts and broken noses on a regular basis!). It’s really too bad, because MMA is one of the best ways to train for self-defense, and everyone from kids to grandparents can use self-defense training. After all, MMA stands for “mixed martial arts,” and a self-defense situation is dynamic and fluid, ranging from standup to clinch to ground fighting to weapons, and the best way to prepare for all potential situations is to train in multiple arts.
Many people who want self-defense training enroll in a Krav Maga program, since self defense is literally what Krav Maga is for. It does an excellent job of teaching technical aspects of self defense as well as developing the students’ mindsets. A mixed martial art in itself, Krav Maga draws its techniques from many different arts and systems from around the world. Training in Krav Maga is great for developing a self-defense skill set, but taking MMA classes will give you much more mat time and training time to supplement your ability to apply that skill set. Although many aspects of self-defense, such as groin strikes and knees on the ground, are illegal in MMA, the body mechanics and controls are virtually the same. If you take MMA classes, your Krav Maga training will become more functional and you’ll accelerate your progress.
MMA classes at Elite are a blend of Muay Thai kickboxing, boxing, wrestling, and BJJ brazilian jiu jitsu. There is training against the cage (the techniques translate to self-defense very well here…what if you’re against a wall or a car etc?), and students learn about distance and timing and control and strategy. All of these things will make you that much better at self-defense. Every student at Elite should give the MMA classes a try…it’s not just for people who want to fight! We have many women enrolled in the program as well as students of all ages, with goals ranging from self-defense to fitness to fighting. MMA classes are run in an intelligent and controlled manner, with an eye on safety at all times. Elite offers MMA classes and Krav Maga under one roof, so why not take advantage of it?!
~Katie Toney
Elite Training Center
1628 South Pacific Coast Highway,
Redondo Beach, CA 90277
(310) 543-1600
www.elitetrainingcenter.net
