What is MMA?
Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full contact combat sport in which a wide variety of fighting techniques are used, including both striking and grappling.

Modern mixed martial arts tournaments as a popular phenomenon emerged in 1993 with the Ultimate Fighting Championship, based on the concept of pitting different fighting styles against each other in competition with minimal rules in place, in an attempt to determine which system would be more effective in a real, unregulated, combat situation.[1] In the late 1990s and early 2000s, mixed martial arts events implemented additional rules for the safety of the athletes and to promote acceptance of the sport, while maintaining as much of the original no-holds-barred concept as possible. Since these changes, the sport has grown rapidly, to the point of setting pay-per-view records.[2]

The fighting concept of combining various combat disciplines was seen in Bartitsu in late 19th century and gained popularity in the late 1960s and early 1970s with the emergence of Bruce Lee and his theories of mixing various martial art styles.

The history of the modern MMA event can be traced to mixed style contests throughout Europe, Japan and the Pacific Rim during the early 1900s; the Gracie family's vale tudo martial arts tournaments in Brazil starting in the 1920s; and early mixed martial arts matches hosted by Antonio Inoki in Japan in the 1970s. The sport gained international exposure and widespread publicity in the United States in 1993, when Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu fighter Royce Gracie dominated the Ultimate Fighting Championship, sparking a revolution in the martial arts,[3] while in Japan the continued interest in the sport resulted in the creation of the PRIDE Fighting Championships in 1997.[4]

Strikeforce MMA incorporates the striking arts of Muay Thai and boxing, The takedowns of Judo and wrestling and the ground grappling of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and submission wrestling.

What is the point of MMA?

The point of MMA is to bring together martial artists from different backgrounds to see who is the best overall fighter. So, on any given night, you could see fighters with backgrounds in wrestling, boxing, Muay Thai kickboxing, judo and Brazilian Jiu-jitsu.

The fighters battle it out in an eight-sided caged ring. To win, you have to knock out your opponent or make him give up. When a fighter can’t take any more pain, he taps on the mat. That’s why a submission victory is called a tap out.

MMA started to take off in the early Nineties with the advent of the UFC on pay-per-view. Early UFC fights were rather uncontrolled, as big guys were allowed to fight small guys and the beatings were quite brutal.

Royce Gracie dominated the early UFC tournaments with his style of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. In this style, a fighter is comfortable on his back in a defensive posture, and he is able to grab body parts to score submissions.

Ken Shamrock, who is more of a straightforward wrestler, was another of UFC’s top stars in the early days. He and Dan “The Beast” Severn then went to the WWE, where they benefited from the notoriety of their UFC backgrounds.

What do we teach?
Strikeforce MMA concentrates on teaching ring effective techniques combining the skills learned in Strikeforce BJJ and Kickboxing/Muay Thai classes. Bridging the gap between these classes and learning the flow of transition and striking on the ground is the focus of Strikeforce MMA.

As a student of mixed martial arts, you will need to develop and perfect the skills of several variations of the martial arts genre. These variations will include boxing, wrestling, Muay Thai kickboxing, judo, and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Each of these will take some time to learn and a lifetime to master them. Learning the basics is not enough, you need to be able to quickly think on your feet and be able to transfer from one style to another in the blink of an eye.

Strikeforce MMA can be learnt as an isolated art but it is recommended that every participant does attend BJJ or/and kickboxing classes where possible.

A young fighter writes:

Q How do you train as close to a real fight in training without hurting yourself? Do you have any tips?

A The goal of effective sparring is to simulate the conditions of an actual bout to the greatest extent possible While minimizing the risk of injury to you and you sparring partners

How do you begin?
Strikeforce MMA classes are held Wednesday nights at 8pm and Sunday at 11am.
The only equipment required to start is a mouth guard, shorts and tee shirt.

Pricing

Time Table

Come on down and have a look.

10 Drury St. New Lynn. Auckland. Ph: (09) 827 1222 info@strikeforcegym.com

Contact

References

1 Plotz, David. "Fight Clubbed", Slate, November 16, 1997. Retrieved on 2006-12-26.
2 a b Trembow, Ivan (March 1, 2007). UFC PPV Revenue Tops $200 Million in 2006. MMA Weekly. Retrieved on 2007-06-18.
3 a b Peligro, Kid (2003). The Gracie Way: An Illustrated History of the World's Greatest Martial Arts Family. Invisible Cities Press, 79-84. ISBN 1-931229-28-7.
4 a b What is PRIDE?. PRIDE. Retrieved on 2006-12-23.