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All About Mixed Martial Arts Fighting

All About Mixed Martial Arts FightingBy Dave Tessevich

The various fighting styles and techniques found in the world of martial arts have been honed and perfected over many years. Today, there even exists a full contact sport known as mixed martial arts fighting, that incorporates a large variety or diversity of techniques such as grappling and striking during tournaments and sparring sessions. The founding of mixed martial arts can be traced to the formation of the Ultimate Fighting Championship in 1993. This prestigious tournament brought fighters from around the world together in never before seen matches featuring fighters of widely differing fighting styles, in order to determine who was the better fighter. As the tournament aimed to determine which fighting style would fare greatest if fighters were truly faced with life and death scenarios requiring hand-to-hand combat, competitions incorporated few rules and regulations.

In truth, however, mixed martial arts fighting is not a new idea. In the late 1800s, Bartitsu already provided proof of the existence of mixed martial arts. Bruce Lee, an enormously famous martial artist, developed his own unique fighting style that was a combination of the styles, techniques, and theories of various fighting forms. The founding of mixed martial arts tournaments can be traced back to the Gracie family's vale tudo tournament organized in Brazil in the 1920s. Since then, however, mixed martial arts tournaments were few and far between up to the formation of the Ultimate Fighting Championship in 1993, which brought the international spotlight to bear on the sport again.

In an effort to encourage safe fighting during competitions, rules have been applied to mixed martial arts fighting tournaments. Like boxers, fighters must be licensed in order to participate in sanctioned events, and they must undergo physical examinations on a frequent and regular basis before being allowed to fight. There is no oversight committee, however, and therules vary from one tournament to the other. While there was some speculation of the sport being included in the 2004 Olympics as a medal sport, all of the new sports were removed from that Olympics due to size constraints at the venue.

The two main categeories of techniques by which fighters are judged in mixed martial arts fighting competitions are striking and grappling. Striking techniques encompass punches, kicks, and the use of the knees to take down an opponent. Grappling techniques encompass sweeps, holds, throws, and takedown methods used by fighters of each martial arts style. Moves such as biting, small joint manipulation, eye-gouging, and fish-hooking are disallowed during competitions regardless of whether a particular style of fighting considers them legal or not. Other illegal moves during sanctioned events include strikes to the groin, spinal locks, head butts, and elbowing.

A victor may be declared if there a knockout, concession by one fighter, stoppage of the match by the match referee or fight doctor, or "throwing in of the towel" by a fighter's corner man in order to protect his or her fighter from serious injury. Should none of these happen and a match reach the time limit, a winner will be called by the judges based on various criteria. In similar fashion as boxing, all fights take place in a ring, and each fighter has a corner man to assist him or her between rounds.

Dave Tessevichhttp://www.themmafightsite.comFor more articles, information, and resources on mixed martial arts fighting, visit The MMA Fight Site

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Mixed Martial Arts Fighting Styles

Mixed Martial Arts Fighting StylesBy Dave Tessevich

Mixed martial arts fighting was invented as a result of competitions that were held pitting masters of various fighting styles against each other, in an attempt to determine which fighting style was best. Mixed martial arts was created by people such as Bruce Lee, who combined various styles of fighting into his own unique style that incorporated striking, submissions fighting, and wrestling. Most of the fighters of today learn to fight in more than one style, making them effective fighters both in and out of the tournament ring. The following are some of the mixed martial arts fighting styles used in combat today by professional or expert fighters.

Sprawl-and-brawl is a combination of striking standing up and using various sprawl techniques to take down opponents. Boxers, kick-boxers, and full contact karate practitioners all utilize some form of sprawl-and-brawl mixed martial arts fighting, and will all have received some training in wrestling techniques in order to avoid being easily taken down by opponents. Part of the efficiency and effectiveness of this style comes from the ability of sprawl-and-brawl fighters to hold their own while down on the mat until they are able to get free or the match referee restarts the bout.

Clinch fighting is a form of mixed martial arts fighting that makes use of clinch holds to prevent opponents from getting enough distance to strike effectively. Fighters who make use of clinch fighting then strike their opponents with their knees, stomp on their feet, and use their elbows to strike. Both Muay Thai fighters and wrestlers make use of these techniques to bring down their opponents. Body locks and neck clinches have been used by many fighters to bring anopponent down to the mat.

Ground-and-pound is a mixed martial art form that involves throwing your opponent or taking them down, then striking them from a dominant position. A submission grapple often follows. Many mixed martial arts fighters who make use of this form have found it to be invaluable as the fight can be expected to go to the mat many times before it is over.

A submission hold or grapple is used to pin an opponent to the ground until the match referee is able to call the match. Originally a technique taught in Army Combat, it has been incorporated into mixed martial arts fighting styles because it is a highly effective technique that can be used from either a top or bottom position. Most fighters will also learn how to counter this particular move so that they can break free in the event that it is used on them.

Finally, mixed martial arts fighters who are able to bring their opponents to the mat however lack the strength to finish them off make use of the lay-and-pray technique, which involves waiting for the referee to call the match. Sometimes, fighters who use this method or approach are penalized for being too aggressive.

Dave Tessevich http://www.themmafightsite.com For more articles, information, and resources on mixed martial arts fighting, visit The MMA Fight Site

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MMA Fighting - The History Behind the Sport

MMA Fighting - The History Behind the SportBy Dave Tessevich

Mixed martial arts, also known as pankration in ancient times, is a multi-disciplinary form of unarmed combat. It was among the earliest combat sports that incorporated few rules, and was featured in the Olympic Games in 648 B.C. This sport was chic / stylish / trendy / hip / cool throughout Europe all the way into the Early Middle Ages, and the Greeks and Romans even erected statues to honor the greatest mixed martial arts fighters. Some are even of the opinion that pankration should be included in the list of Olympic medal sports again.

In the late 1800s, many no-holds-barred events were held in Europe, and everything from catch wrestling to Greco-Roman wrestling could be found in the various mini-tournaments held in music-halls around the continent. One of the earliest recorded mixed martial arts fighting bouts was held in 1887, between a boxer and a wrestler. It was in London in 1899 that Bartitsu, one of the earliest forms of mixed martial arts fighting, was founded. This fighting style was also the first to combine both Asian and European fighting styles.

In the early 1900s, matches featuring boxers versus jujutsu practitioners were extremely chic / stylish / trendy / hip / cool in Europe, the Pacific Rim, and Japan. In Japan, mixed martial arts tournaments were known as Meriakan, which is Japanese slang for "American". These tournaments actually incorporated rules such as points of decision, knockouts, greatest of three throws, and submissions, many of which are still in use today.

The roots of today's mixed martial arts tournaments can be found in the 1920s vale tudo competitions from Brazil and the Japanese shoot wrestling matches. These shoot matches led to the formation of the first mixed martial arts organization in Japan in 1985, known as Shooto.Bruce Lee also played a vital role in the field of mixed martial arts during the 1960s and 1970s, thanks to his belief that the greatest fighters would be those who incorporated the greatest aspects of boxing, judo, and karate into their fighting styles. These fighters would be able to adapt to any fighting style. For his contributions to the sport, Bruce Lee came to be known as the "father of mixed martial arts".

In 1993, mixed martial arts received international acceptance with the formation of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. The PRIDE fighting Championships were started in Japan in 1997 in support of the continuation of the sport. Even the United States Army supports mixed martial arts fighting, and a competition known as the All Army Combatives Championships is held every November.

Certain competitions require that participating fighters be licensed in order to take part. In similar fashion to boxing competitions, there are defined weight classes and rules for competitions. Illegal hits and strikes are grounds for disqualification. Various training schools have been set up specifically to teach students mixed martial arts fighting and students from these schools compete in regional, national, and international tournaments around the globe.

Dave Tessevich http://www.themmafightsite.com For more articles, information, and resources on mixed martial arts fighting, visit The MMA Fight Site