I am a big fan of UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship), it is great to see these athletes getting themselves into superb condition and then climbing into the cage to fight. The big question is what impact is UFC having on Martial Arts today?

Is UFC Helping or Hurting Martial Arts? It  is certainly debatable and I can see cases for both sides of the argument.

The technical ability of these competitors is outstanding; it is also amazing to see the fighters coming from so many different backgrounds, specializing in different areas of combat.

What does concern me though, is the fact that some of the most important attributes of Martial Arts are oftentimes not present within the competitors – Respect, Discipline, Code of Honor, Code of Conduct, etc.

In UFC and Cage Fighting in general, there is too much cussing, disrespecting one another and general misconduct.

Let’s Lead by example!

UFC is right there in the spotlight for everyone to see. It has attracted a great deal of media attention in the last couple of years. Yes, there are some great competitors, demonstrating excellent techniques but it is not a complete representation of Martial arts. Even if that is not what they are trying to be, it is the way they are thought of by many.

The fighters in UFC become role models for children, so they should be conscious of the example that they are setting.

Lets remember that 70% of Martial arts involves children, helping them to become good citizens, team players and leaders through encouraging discipline, respect, conduct, focus, mental and spiritual development and so on.

Many parents do not really know what Martial Arts is, so the likes of UFC is the only picture of Martial arts they have. They have the impression that this is what it’s all about. To think that this is what their children are being prepared for, is in many cases, not really the encouragement required to Promote Martial arts amongst parents.

The types of injuries being received by competitors in MMA and other Cage Fighting  type arenas is certainly keeping surgeons very busy too and that is unlikely to change any time soon.

There are several different opinions spinning around whether or not UFC is hurting or helping Martial Arts. What do you think?

Ultimate Fighting Championship – UFC 84 has some great fights in store on May 24th. They include – 

BJ Penn is up against Sean Sherk. Conditioning will be a big factor here as Sean Sherk, very strong at Lightweight always looks in ultimate shape, however, BJ Penn is fantastic with his Jiu-Jitsu skills, incredible flexibility and is a pretty handy striker these days too. His conditioning has looked a little suspect at times in the past but I’m sure that he will be on top of that for this fight. 

Tito Ortiz and Lyoto Machida slug it out at 205 pounds. This is another tough one to call as Machida is fantastic both standing and on the ground. Ortiz, very strong is a hard guy to beat. 

Wanderlei Silva takes on Keith Jardine in another 205 pound clash. Jardine is very awkward and has chalked up some good wins recently.  However, for this one, I’m looking to Silva as being more than a match for Jardine. 

If I were a betting man, I would be looking at BJ Penn, Lyoto Machida and Wanderlei Silva to come up trumps on this card. But who knows – “It’s a funny old game”. 

Whatever the results – UFC 84 will be a great one to watch.

You get out, what You put in to your Combat Conditioning!

Fighters continue to fail because of poor Combat Conditioning yet it is one of the very areas of a fight that you can actually do something about. You should never lose because of poor Combat Conditioning, make it a major part of your arsenal. 

With Superior Combat Conditioning, you can oftentimes beat an opponent who is technically superior by controlling the fight at a relentless pace. 

Great Workouts are not necessarily fun, they are often painful. They don’t even have to be attractive to watch. It is not easy and it’s not meant to be either. 

This is your chosen arena and superior levels of Combat Conditioning will undoubtedly make the difference. Of course, you already know that so “what are you waiting for”? 

The amount of training required for just two or three - 3 minute rounds is huge, it’s real tough in there. MMA Fighters can fight in 5 minute rounds and there is nothing worse than seeing great technical fighters lose because of poor Combat Conditioning. Starting out looking great but soon wilting and unable to perform their technical skills at any reasonable level because of fatigue. 

Step up the plate, put in the extra effort, go the extra mile in your Combat Conditioning and you will reap the rewards in competition.

I keep a close eye on UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championships). You will always see varying styles but I am always very interested to see how competitors utilise Jiu-Jitsu techniques. 

Canadian hero, Georges St-Pierre had an excellent performance against Matt Serra. Everyone looks at him as a stand-up fighter, however, Georges looked much stronger and showed what a great all-rounder he really is by beating a BJJ (Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu) specialist, on the ground. 

I really like Travis Luter, he is an excellent practitioner of BJJ (Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu), however, he showed how a lack of conditioning can be your downfall. 

Come on! – conditioning is something that we can all work on and improve, there is no excuse for walking into such an arena in poor condition, especially against world class athletes like Rich Franklin. 

The Englishman Michael Bisping, on the other hand dropped a weight category to Middleweight. At 185 pounds, he looks in fantastic condition. Michael looked strong and fast, I really look forward to his future fights in this category. 

Jiu-Jitsu is a fantastic art, however, your Jiu-Jitsu skills will become useless without good conditioning to back them up! 

If you are involved in MMA, don’t let your fitness let you down. There are many programs available that will help you reach ultimate fitness. One such program is Martial Arts Conditioning

If your are just starting weight training for Martial Arts then seek expert advice to ensure you are getting the most from your efforts and also to ensure that you are lifting safely. If you learn to lift correctly right from the start, then injuries will be avoided.

Do not forget to warm up well and stretch before any resistance exercise. This will help towards injury prevention.

Do not lift alone! Accidents do happen and athletes have died after getting trapped under a weight that they could not lift back up.

Do not lift weights heavier than your program calls for. You want your weight training for Martial arts to benefit your progress not to cause injury.

Do not work your legs before running as tired leg muscles leaves the joints less protected and can cause jarring on the joints.

Do not forget to use the safety devices provided such as locking collars.

Do not unload a bar one end at a time. It may seem obvious but I’ve seen it done and the bar go flying.

Do not train with weights just before skill training as fatigue will hamper your efforts to learn a new skill.

Do not neglect any part of the body. A neglected muscle could become a weak point for you.

Weight Training for Martial Arts is great but always make sure you train safely!