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[Pasha K]

Hi.

As some of you may know, I have been training UFC (lol) for some months and I would really like to test myself in amateur fights in the future, however for that I still need a lot of training and a lot of improvement specially with the kicks and the ground game.
I have 3 questions.

1.- Do you think it would be a good idea to buy a dummy and use it to train some submissions?
Obvioulsy I know that submitting a real person will be 1000000x more difficult than submitting a dummy, but I believe it would not be a bad idea to use it at least to practice over and over again some submission move so when it comes to grappling with a real person I don't have to think stuff like "wait, I should first grab his left arm or right arm? oh fuck...should I turn to my left or to my right?"

2.- Sparring sessions. How to be well prepared for a fight if the sparring sessions are always very light? We use only 30 or 40% of our force, that is good to avoid injuries but I am afraid that I will get very used of taking very light punishment and when someone will land a very strong punch or kick in a real fight I will be mentally broken simply because I was not prepared physically or mentally to take punches.
So what is the solution? Using protection gear but going at 90% of force or what can I do?
In a sparring session your opponent goes at 40% of his force and tries to not hurt you, in a real fight the opponent will try to Knock the fuck out of you with every punch he throws.


3.- My condition is not bad but it can be much better, aside of all the training I have to do to improve it, is there any kind of food that helps you with your stamina?

Thanks a lot in advance!

[dbader08]

Originally Posted by Pashak

Hi.

As some of you may know, I have been training UFC (lol) for some months and I would really like to test myself in amateur fights in the future, however for that I still need a lot of training and a lot of improvement specially with the kicks and the ground game.
I have 3 questions.

1.- Do you think it would be a good idea to buy a dummy and use it to train some submissions?
Obvioulsy I know that submitting a real person will be 1000000x more difficult than submitting a dummy, but I believe it would not be a bad idea to use it at least to practice over and over again some submission move so when it comes to grappling with a real person I don't have to think stuff like "wait, I should first grab his left arm or right arm? oh fuck...should I turn to my left or to my right?"

2.- Sparring sessions. How to be well prepared for a fight if the sparring sessions are always very light? We use only 30 or 40% of our force, that is good to avoid injuries but I am afraid that I will get very used of taking very light punishment and when someone will land a very strong punch or kick in a real fight I will be mentally broken simply because I was not prepared physically or mentally to take punches.
So what is the solution? Using protection gear but going at 90% of force or what can I do?
In a sparring session your opponent goes at 40% of his force and tries to not hurt you, in a real fight the opponent will try to Knock the fuck out of you with every punch he throws.


3.- My condition is not bad but it can be much better, aside of all the training I have to do to improve it, is there any kind of food that helps you with your stamina?

Thanks a lot in advance!

I would say shadowboxing/mitt work and alot of grappling/shooting and defending takedowns would be key for the fight game. Also, heavier sparring with headgear, shin pads, and possibly some body protection would be good. It is one thing to have good cardio, but it is another to specifically have good cardio for the positions you are going to be in and the things you are going to do in the fight. You will have the right kind of muscles prepared well and mentally you will be more used to any kind of situation the fight will bring.

Also, if your shins aren't that conditioned, make sure you set up your kicks well because I'd imagine that if someone checks a hard kick that that would hurt pretty bad on an unconditioned leg lol.

I would also say it would be wise to just meditate, just focusing on your breath and trying to stay as calm and focused as possible while doing so. This well help you keep a calm mind in case you take a hard shot during the fight, so instead of panicking and making rash decisions, you will keep your composure. Andy Hug did alot of meditating and mental preparations for his K-1 fights, and Jon Jones does so as well, as we all know.

I would also say cutting back on red meats would help alot, as those seems to be pretty heavy on your body and can probably be detremental to overall training ability. UDO oil is suppost to help alot for recovery, Carlos Condit uses it, its expensive shit, though. It's about keeping balanced calories and UDO oil helps keep all of your essential fats in order. Fats and carbs get burned off more than anything when you train hard, so replenishing them will be key.

I'm not a personal trainer or anything but from what I've read online and from other forums, and just from some of my own personal experience, I would say that is some decent advice. I'm sure there is alot more to be covered, though, as you can never know too much, especially when it comes to something like MMA.

[Kimbo> Rampage]

Originally Posted by Pashak

1.- Do you think it would be a good idea to buy a dummy and use it to train some submissions?
Obvioulsy I know that submitting a real person will be 1000000x more difficult than submitting a dummy, but I believe it would not be a bad idea to use it at least to practice over and over again some submission move so when it comes to grappling with a real person I don't have to think stuff like "wait, I should first grab his left arm or right arm? oh fuck...should I turn to my left or to my right?"

What Dummy did you have in mind. The really good ones cost a lot. The dummy's you'll see the most are for throwing and GNP or some striking, although they fall over too much.

Originally Posted by Pashak

2.- Sparring sessions. How to be well prepared for a fight if the sparring sessions are always very light? We use only 30 or 40% of our force, that is good to avoid injuries but I am afraid that I will get very used of taking very light punishment and when someone will land a very strong punch or kick in a real fight I will be mentally broken simply because I was not prepared physically or mentally to take punches.
So what is the solution? Using protection gear but going at 90% of force or what can I do?
In a sparring session your opponent goes at 40% of his force and tries to not hurt you, in a real fight the opponent will try to Knock the fuck out of you with every punch he throws.

Most sparring sessions to focus on technique are done at a lower pace but 30-40% seems low for just about any type of sparring.. Unless you are just starting.

Sparring is the most important part of training, it is where you actually execute your techniques in fight like scenarios on a live opponent.

Get some head gear and big sparring gloves and you can go 100% or close to it. You cant do anything else that will help prepare you more.

[TheKidInside]

Originally Posted by Pashak

Hi.

As some of you may know, I have been training UFC (lol) for some months and I would really like to test myself in amateur fights in the future, however for that I still need a lot of training and a lot of improvement specially with the kicks and the ground game.
I have 3 questions.

1.- Do you think it would be a good idea to buy a dummy and use it to train some submissions?
Obvioulsy I know that submitting a real person will be 1000000x more difficult than submitting a dummy, but I believe it would not be a bad idea to use it at least to practice over and over again some submission move so when it comes to grappling with a real person I don't have to think stuff like "wait, I should first grab his left arm or right arm? oh fuck...should I turn to my left or to my right?"

2.- Sparring sessions. How to be well prepared for a fight if the sparring sessions are always very light? We use only 30 or 40% of our force, that is good to avoid injuries but I am afraid that I will get very used of taking very light punishment and when someone will land a very strong punch or kick in a real fight I will be mentally broken simply because I was not prepared physically or mentally to take punches.
So what is the solution? Using protection gear but going at 90% of force or what can I do?
In a sparring session your opponent goes at 40% of his force and tries to not hurt you, in a real fight the opponent will try to Knock the fuck out of you with every punch he throws.


3.- My condition is not bad but it can be much better, aside of all the training I have to do to improve it, is there any kind of food that helps you with your stamina?

Thanks a lot in advance!

food? you all ready know what I am going to tell you.

2nd point. you cannot be training for a fight and going 40%...as you get halfway to your fight prep (example, 8 weeks so 3-4 weeks into it, you MUST start training 60-80% intensity)

going slower WILL teach you much more technique especially if you're also throwing punches and kicks properly from the ground up and from your hips, ESPECIALLY with speed

in my school, when someone has a fight coming up, we teach them to take punches to the head and face. so all of our guys go into fights with bruises and small black eyes :-P

1. dummy is a waste, get a training partner and train all the damn time in your home in his home, in the street, on the beach, park wherever. the dummy won't tell you when the submission is working nor do they feel very realistic in terms flexibility, etc...

[MIZjitsZOU]

Pashak did you get a dummy? I would like to know if it was beneficial. I do Judo, and have always thought of getting/making a dummy but have not. I think it would help throws, submission, and what not. What i do (because I cheap) is take my heavy bag and take resistance bands, the kind you buy at walmart and put them through the top (where you would normally hang the bag). With this I work on throws and can kind of work on being on the bottom.

[TheKidInside]

Originally Posted by GingerWarrior

Pashak did you get a dummy? I would like to know if it was beneficial. I do Judo, and have always thought of getting/making a dummy but have not. I think it would help throws, submission, and what not. What i do (because I cheap) is take my heavy bag and take resistance bands, the kind you buy at walmart and put them through the top (where you would normally hang the bag). With this I work on throws and can kind of work on being on the bottom.

much better than a dummy because you're essentially doing (about 80%) of the same functional strength and it'll help you with your muscle memory.

[Hawkeye]

if you wanna boost your cardio start swimming laps.

H.

[TheKidInside]

or running steadily at and below 130 HR :-)

[deeznizzies]

you gotta spar bro. put on your helmet, get your mouthpiece and really hit one another. you gotta get hit. my first fight i believe i lost because i didn't spar enough leading up. i went out with the wrong mentality from the onset and even when i had my guy hurt i didn't capitalize. when he had me though, he sure die. was a good lesson.

[Sniggles]

Originally Posted by deeznizzies

you gotta spar bro. put on your helmet, get your mouthpiece and really hit one another. you gotta get hit. my first fight i believe i lost because i didn't spar enough leading up. i went out with the wrong mentality from the onset and even when i had my guy hurt i didn't capitalize. when he had me though, he sure die. was a good lesson.

If you don't you will end up doing backwards somersaults once hit in the face flush.