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The roots of today’s Mixed Martial Arts stretch far back into history. Far away from the lights of Las Vegas, down to A Cidade Maravilhosa, or “The Marvelous City” of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where five brothers named Gracie (Carlos, Osvaldo, Gastão, Jorge, and Hélio) were practicing the art passed on to eldest brother Carlos by Mitsuyo Maeda (a.k.a. Conde Koma, or Count Coma in English), an expert Japanese judoka and member of the Kodokan.

Imagine, if you will, a small, sweaty, matted room in the third most populous area in South America, where four of the five brothers train and give lessons in the sweltering heat. Very crowded and often quite dangerous, the city of Rio de Janeiro is known for its carnival celebrations, samba music, gorgeous beaches, and great surfing.

It is also the country that gave the world the bikini, the thong and the 38M tall Christ the Redeemer statue. But that first scorching gym was also the birthplace of the martial art that was to change the course of modern athletic competition in the latter portion of the 20th century.

It was there that Helio Gracie, a young man, small in stature but stout in heart, with an immense capacity to transform the judo he had learned from his oldest brother gave the world the gift that was to become known as Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

(In Brazil, the art is still called “Jiu-Jitsu”. When the Gracies went to the United States to spread their art, the system became known as “Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu” and “Gracie Jiu-Jitsu.” “Jiu-Jitsu” is an older Romanization that was the original spelling of the art in the West, and it is still in common use, whereas the modern Hepburn Romanization is “jujutsu.” Other common spellings are Brazilian jujitsu and Brazilian ju-jitsu.)

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu kicked open the doors to the international pantheon of sport in the 1990s, when Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu expert Royce Gracie (Son of Grand Master Helio Gracie) won the first, second and fourth Ultimate Fighting Championships.

The original UFC competitions were single-elimination, eight-man tournaments. Royce fought against often much larger opponents who were practicing other styles, including boxing, shoot-fighting, karate, judo, tae kwon do and wrestling. In fact the reason the UFC started was to showcase the efficacy of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

It is generally understood now that to be a well-rounded MMA fighter one must have a good grasp of several martial arts. Whether it is a mix of boxing, muay thai, wrestling, karate, Brazilian jiu-jitsu or any combination of those, simply knowing Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu by itself is not sufficient to be successful.

However, it has since become a staple art for many MMA fighters and is largely credited for bringing widespread attention to the importance of ground fighting. So, if you are among the millions of people watching MMA because you love seeing some of the top athletes in the world battle it out, try to remember that the fight you are watching started with a 145lb man in a small oven of a room in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil almost 90 years ago.

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Spiritual and Mental Benefits of Martial Arts

“Empty your mind, be formless, shapeless – like water. Now you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup, you put water into a bottle, it becomes the bottle, you put it in a teapot, it becomes the teapot. Now water can flow or it can crash. Be water, my friend.” – Bruce Lee

According to history, in A.D. 527, an emperor named Wu Di invited an Indian monk named Bodhidharma to visit China and help monks improve their health and physical skills. After journeying throughout China, he came upon a Buddhist temple in the province of Henan where he found the monks too weak and helpless against marauding bandits. After knowing learning the precarious situation of the monks, it was said that Bodhidharma meditated for nine years about what to do to help his fellow Buddhist clerics. After meditating, Bodhidharma wrote two books: “Yi Jin Jing” and “Xi Sui Jing”. The former was about exercises for developing external strength while the latter was about meditation and breathing. After finishing the two books, he wrote a third book entitled “Shi Bao Luo Han Shou” (The Eighteen Hands of Lohan), which was about his experiences as a member of the Kshatriya, an Indian caste of warriors and rulers. This book included synchronized defensive routines that later evolved as the first manual on offensive and defensive combat movements. Hence, martial arts was born.

People often associate martial arts to combat and self-defense…and violence and brutality. Though this form of art was introduced for self-defense, this combative craft is not just about about flying kicks and flashy punches. Martial arts is about developing these skills to defend one’s self and others. It is a philosophy that stresses that people should live in peace and harmony. The spiritual benefits of martial arts are often overlooked because of the combative and self-defense skills its brings. The real value of martial arts is is helping individuals harness their natural strength. The power within—the spirit and the mind.. Martial arts has a deep meaning and philosophy. It’s teachings will tell you that a true martial artist is the one who is strong enough to avoid fighting.

Below is a list of some forms of martial arts:

· Karate (empty hand)

· Muay Thai (Thai boxing or kick-boxing)

· Tae Kwon Do (foot hand way)

· Wing Chun (forever spring

· Silat (to fend off)

· Aikido (the way of harmonious spirit)

· Judo (gentle, soft way)

· Yaw-yan (dance of death)

· Jeet Kune Do (way of the intercepting fist)

· Jiu-jitsu (the soft, pliable method)

Martial arts training may include meditation at the start of the class. It is defined as the state of concentration on some object of thought or awareness. This practice is not a religious routine but a way of clarifying the practitioner’s mind and spirit. It includes breathing and relaxation drills which is the mental preparation for the training. According to researchers, learning to breathe properly is the secret to any physical activity. It is said that it moves the body’s energy, therefore promoting a strengthened body, soul, and spirit. Meditation according to health experts has many health benefits and is now being promoted as a means to cure physical illness and stress. Some benefits of practicing martial arts include reduced emotional illness, better confidence, and an enhanced immune system.

How to choose the right boxing gloves for MMA Training, Muay Thai and other Striking Systems

After many years of Boxing based training and now coaching Mixed Martial Arts from a striking point of view I often get asked which are the best boxing gloves to buy.

The first point is all about size.  Boxing gloves don’t come in sizes they come in weights between 8 and 18oz.  8 or 10oz gloves are competition gloves designed for actual fighting not really for sparring or training in however a lighter pair of boxing gloves can be handy for pad work and very light sparring although generally speaking purpose built bag gloves are better for pads or bag work.

I recommend no smaller than 12oz gloves for any training that is likely to involve sparring, 14 or 16oz however are the norm for sparring with moderate contact. 18oz I tend to see as cumbersome but can be useful for heavy sparring or for very large guys needing to lower their impact level.  For heavy sparring headgear often available from the same manufacturers as the gloves is probably going to be more appropriate than really big boxing gloves.

Buying Muay Thai brands such as Top King, Fairtex or Twins gloves is generally a better bet than western boxing brands although most good boxing brands will do a job..  In Muay Thai the clinch is an integral part of the sport therefore the gloves are a slimmer design which fits in well for MMA Training too.

Quality is a massively important consideration when purchasing boxing gloves.  There are many cheap gloves made in Pakistan or China and imported here under a whole host of brand names, some are ok, some even good but for the most they are untested, unreliable and poor quality.  I recommend going for a proven brand name such as Top King or Fairtex.  A good pair of boxing gloves if looked after will last years of training whereas a cheap pair you’ll be lucky to get a year out of, the old saying buy cheap buy twice really applies here.

The quality of the gloves also has an effect on the safety aspect of using them. I ban cheap gloves from my gym for this reason.  Boxing gloves are designed to protect the person you are hitting (an obvious but often misunderstood concept in beginners) Poor quality padding which wears down fast will soon offer only a little more protection than bare knuckles, the Velcro on cheaper imports is often not properly covered either so can cause grazes and often infections when making contact with peoples skin.

So it really is a massive factor to consider if you are starting out or have been doing this for years, otherwise you could cause some serious damage to not only yourself but to the person you are fighting with. Is it really worth saving a little bit of money when in the long run you could be doing some serious damage to yourself? If you are passionate about what you do then just take this small factor into consideration and you will have the last laugh.

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