[Sankaku513]

It seems that every summer, people are looking for more active things to do. Some people sign up for martial arts, and some get bit by the MMA bug. Before you go out and blow your entire life savings investing in an MMA career, here are a few thoughts from somebody who knows the ropes.

Money. Do you have money? You better. It costs money to join and maintain membership in a martial art. You have the cost for the lessons, uniform costs, sometimes there's a rank test fee, and there's almost always a tournament fee. Do you have the money to travel so that you can make a name for yourself?

Patience. It takes a lot of time to become proficient enough to fight in MMA. If you walk right in with little experience in full-contact sparring or grappling, then you're going to get hurt. It also takes a lot of time to get started. I've been fighting in MMA for a year, and I'm just beginning to have people recognize who I am. For every Chuck Liddell you see on TV, there are about 200 no-names trying to make it.

Letter Writing. What? Writing letters? That's right. If you want any hope at all in becoming a good MMA fighter, you need to start writing letters. Now. You need to write letters to the organizations you want to fight in. Write letters to people who might sponsor you. Write letters to anybody in the martial arts community who will listen! It's not uncommon to spend hours writing to people. Get used to it.

Talent. You'd better be a good fighter. Scratch that, you better be a great fighter. Can you take punches to the head? Can you defend well against a talented grappler? Will you feel bad if you hurt somebody? Do you have a bad back, neck, ankle, etc. as it is without somebody trying to fight you?

Pain Tolerance. I hope you can tolerate taking repeated shots to the head and body. It will happen a lot in training, and even more in the actual fight. If you're injury-prone, you may want to reconsider. Broken hands, fingers, teeth, noses, and feet are common. I once knocked a guy out with a roundhouse kick to the head and I heard a crack when it connected. I cracked a bone in my foot and almost fractured his skull. It hurt. It hurt bad.

Letter Writing. You know what? You need to start on those letters. Get to it. Enroll in classes with a good striker. Then enroll in a class with a good grappler. When you think you're ready, get yourself in an MMA organization and start training. Get a team together to support you. Then start writing to people who might sponsor you. You're just getting started buddy.

If you can't meet these requirements, a career in MMA probably isn't for you. Start training now, and get used to writing letters to people you don't know. I wish you the best of luck, because you'll need it. More to come soon.

This post has been edited by Sankaku513: 13 May 2005 - 08:12 PM

[Stumpy]

interesting post mate.

[judojedi]

Once you make it big you will also need someone to handle your $ :)

[Kozushi]

I'll work my way up there some day, I hope.

[Hywel Teague]

i actually disagree with most of that abv post. it may be applicable to a low level independent fighter, but most MMA fighters do not have to endure that type of existance.

[Kozushi]

Octagon: please inform us further!

[Sankaku513]

Dr octagon; you said "...it may be applicable to a low level independent fighter..." and this is exactly who I'm targeting. There's no reason for a UFC or Pride fighter to read my thread on what it takes to be a good MMA fighter. They are pros, and I am merely a low-level independent fighter.

A good manager and cornerman are also good ideas, but this is down the road from a beginner. I've been fighting in MMA for a year, and I still don't have a specific person as a dedicated cornerman. I handle the financial matters myself.

[Sankaku513]

Da Fighter; I'll PM you with information on where I train and you can see where you want to go from there. Why is it that everybody who has seen me fight has seen my fight with Blake Meyer, Jr.?