How to Become a Better MMA Fighter in 7 Steps

Wondering how to become a better MMA fighter? Looking to go pro and want to know how to become a UFC fighter? Here are some essential tips for MMA greatness, along with guidance for accomplishing each, to help you out in your mission.

1. Join a good team to support your training and keep you grounded. Ask impartial but knowledgeable parties about how well a particular team's members have worked in the past with fighters. Does the team show a well-rounded portfolio of skills? Experience also counts for a lot. A coach who has successfully trained other winning champions in the most effective striking and grappling methods for MMA will be far more suitable for your needs than an expert in another martial art who has only recently decided to dabble in MMA training. Looking closely at the win-and-loss records for fighters who have worked with certain coaches is likely to be helpful as well.
2. Hunt down the best gym for mixed martial arts. Trying to fit your specialized training into a dojo that dissipates its focus across multiple specialties will tend to dissipate your own focus and energies. Immersion in a good MMA-oriented environment will add to your fighting spirit and provide opportunities to talk with other MMA experts. If you've already found the right team, then you'll either have found the right location as well or else gotten a suggestion from the head coach for a suitable training ground.
3. Train like a champion who fiercely wants to defend a hard-won victory. Thinking as if you've already won and need to be even better to keep your hard-earned glory will force your mind into a winning pattern. Weaknesses are then no longer threats to victory but temporary problems that will fall by the wayside as you battle your way to mastery. Maintaining good form at all times will prevent the insidious development of lazy habits that undermine your fighting skills, and carefully studying how other winners have fought against different opponents will add steadily to your knowledge, insight, and range of fighting techniques.
4. Never forget to feed and rest the biological machine that is your body. Studies from many different groups of researchers have repeatedly shown that lack of sleep has an outsized effect on the ability to learn new skills and refine existing skills. Slogging through a daily haze of fatigue will rob you of most of your potential gains, so get your daily eight to nine hours of sleep. Remember that speed and endurance gains come not from exercising but from the long rest periods in between hard training sessions. Take frequent breaks even during training sessions to juice up your energies for the next intense bout. Needless to say, listen to your nutritional expert on what to eat and when to eat it. In training more than anything, you really are what you eat, so eat well.
5. Water and ice will help you recover faster. Everyone knows staying hydrated is vital for general health and for quick recovery from pummeling your muscles and bones during hard training. Periodically gulping down replenishments for your precious bodily fluids isn't the end of the story for water, though. While the science surrounding the application of cold, iced water to muscles and joints after intense or extended exercise sessions remains controversial, many doctors, physical therapists, chiropractors, and elite athletes swear by it. Furthermore, some fighters consider contrast showers (1 minute hot, 30 seconds cold, repeat) and myofascial release therapy to be helpful for ameliorating the aftereffects of hard training, especially for a rough-and-tumble sport that involves a multitude of hard, sharp blows to sensitive points.
6. Fight in the ring every chance you get, in sparring matches and in amateur fights. Find enthusiastic fighting buddies and vigorously hone your skills by entering every possible kickboxing and grappling competition you can. Amateur MMA competitions are great opportunities to test yourself against other fighters who may have surprising approaches. All the training in the world can’t replace the experience of a real fight. 
7. Become balanced and well-rounded by incorporating unconventional activities like bikram yoga and slacklining into your training to improve your flexibility and balance. Choose a fighting style that plays to your strengths, and focus on training methods that amplify your best attributes. If you're physically stronger than most, emphasize your striking techniques; contrariwise, if you still enjoy fond memories of your wrestling career in high school and find that you tend to outlast opponents, focusing heavily on your ground game might work best for consistent victories. Regardless of your strengths, making certain to cover all the bases during training will ensure the ability to fight well against a wide range of opponents. 

Finally, whether you’re wondering how to train for MMA or want to know how to be a UFC fighter, negative people are best left alone to grumble and complain by themselves. You're a winner, and winners don't waste their time with soul-sapping whiners.

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