Fifty years ago, the boxing stadium was the place to be if you wanted to show off your sporting skills. Mohammed Ali and Mike Tyson were what every young man aspired to be. However, the old will always give way to something new, and this is exactly what happened in the field of sports as well.
The era of boxing is over and its place has been taken by mixed martial arts. Much of this new interest stems from the fact that there are hardly any good fighters in the sport anymore; this has led the young generation to turn to MMA or mixed martial arts.
What is MMA?
Mixed martial arts, more popularly known as MMA, is an action sport that borrows certain combat techniques from various martial arts that competitors must use against each other. The two main techniques involved are striking, grappling, and Brazilian Jui-Jitsu. Those familiar with MMA will know that while striking involves movements such as kicks and punches; Grappling will require deals like sweeps, grabs, and throws.
MMA has banned techniques like biting and eye gouging, which are also banned in most other sports. Since MMA events are area specific, it is up to the regional organization whether to allow the use of moves such as headbutts or spinal locks.
Game rules
Being a relatively recent game in the history of sports, the rules of the game are not very extensive yet. It started with very few rules, in fact only the necessary ones. However, over time, as MMA became one of the biggest sports in recent times, the number of rules increased; and the game is more organized and strict than ever. MMA does not yet have a central authority; because the rules are still governed by the regional authorities and therefore vary from area to area.
Once you have mastered the rules and played the game according to the techniques, it is up to the judge to decide which competitor wins the match. The judge is the supreme authority in this case, but two other people can contribute to the final decision; these are the man in the corner of any competitor and the doctor who takes into account if a player has been injured.
Connection with psychology
Mental agility is an important requirement if you are looking to win any match, and this applies to any sport, not just MMA. You are wrong if you think that MMA is about a physical show of strength and doing the right moves. In fact, once you’ve finished learning the various aspects of the game and can play fairly well, you’ll need to spend some time thinking about how you can outplay your opponent both mentally and physically.
Therefore, mental preparation is an essential element of training, and you must devote adequate time and training to this aspect of your fighting game in order to be successful at the elite level. Many of the top MMA champions and other combat athletes hire professional sports psychologists to take their game to the highest level. There are also many “alternative” sports psychology methods that are becoming increasingly popular, such as NLP, hypnosis, and energy psychology.