Mixed Martial Arts

We all have heard a lot about martial arts but many of us get confused with the term 'mixed martial arts'? Mixed martial arts is a form of combat sports that allows different varieties of fighting techniques and skills that includes martial arts and other non-martial arts traditions and due to the same reason it is also famously known as, no holds barred fighting. It was established in the United States in 1992 with Ultimate Fighting Championship which was the first recognized championship for this sport. When compared to others, this martial arts type has relatively less rules most of which were established in the last decade when the sport started getting recognized and popular. Before these rules were set, mixed martial arts was a brutal and deadly combat sport in which the fighter's health was always at a risk. As there is no established association as such for this combat sport yet, the rules of the sport slightly vary from country to country.

Stand-up fighting, ground fighting and clinch fighting are the three stages of this fighting technique. While martial arts techniques such as punching, kicking, elbowing and kneeing the opponent is a part of stand-up fighting, holding the opponent down using grappling holds is involved in ground fighting. And clinch fighting is where the fighter holds the opponent to either prevent the strikes or to get a dominant position when on ground.

Types of Mixed Martial Arts

Martial arts types in this combative sport can also be referred as fighting styles which as mentioned earlier could be a mixture of any form of combative fighting styles. The most common fighting styles include the following

• Submission Wrestling
• Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
• Muay Thai
• Western Boxing
• Judo
• Collegiate Wrestling

Mixed Martial Arts Moves

Amongst the different moves, submission holds are the most important moves and there are moves under submission holds. Given below is a list of moves used in submission holds. These moves are referred to as locks, these locks are to hold the opponent down to the ground in such a way that they are not in a position to strike back and so that they give up and accept defeat.

Compression Locks
Compression locks involves pressing a muscle against a bone. This type of submission hold is further classified into three locks namely bicep slicer, leg slicer and Achilles lock. Bicep slicer is used to put pressure on the bicep, leg slicer is a type of compression lock that is applied to the calf or the thigh muscle and achilles lock is used to apply pressure on the Achilles tendon.

Joint Locks
Joint locks are a kind submission hold that extends a joint to an abnormal range and it could be used for any body joint. There are different joint locks to be used on different joints and they are as follows.

• Kimura: A kind of joint lock used to hyper-rotate the shoulder.
• Arm Bar: Arm Bar is a joint lock technique that overextends the elbow
• Omoplata: It is a joint lock which is applied by the legs to lock the shoulders.
• Heel Hook: It extends the ankle joint.
• Knee Bar: This joint lock is used to hyper-extend the knee
• Can Opener: It is used to hyper-extend the neck
• Twister: This again is used to hyper-extend the neck.
• Crucifix Neck Crank: Applied from the crucifix position it is used to hyper-extend or overstretch the neck.
• Spine Crank: Used to hyper-extend the spinal vertebrate.

Choke Holds
This submission hold is applied to the neck in order to stop blood flow to the brain and some these choke holds are as follows:

• Arm Triangle
• Triangle Choke
• Guillotine
• Rear Naked Choke
• Gogoplata
• Gator Roll

The most important aspects of mixed martial arts training involves cardiovascular conditioning, strength training, speed drills and flexibility. Mixed martial arts workouts are different to the regular workouts and there are many schools and training centers in the United States for those who wish to learn mixed martial arts and aspire to be fighters.
 By Sheeba Nambiar