Mixed Martial Arts - MMA Explosion

By Clark A Swihart

There is a lot of talk about what martial art is the toughest and which masters of the art could beat all the rest, but never has that question been tested so thoroughly as in the field of Mixed Martial Arts, more commonly known as MMA. This full combat, nearly no-holds-barred type of fighting pits one competitor against another and the results, while occasionally brutal, go further towards declaring a fighting supremacy than anything short of full-out warfare.

More and more, people are discovering that Mixed Martial Arts holds more appeal than simply going to the gym to pump iron. This raw and vital application of their strength, their speed and their stamina has become a rallying point for people around the world, and it cannot be denied that ,other segments of this rarefied society is taking note.

Mixed Martial Arts is turning into a real proving ground for the Holy Grail of the sport, the Ultimate Fighting Championship, and while there are some clear favorites and some near-sure bets there is still plenty of speculation who is really going to be entering the ring every year. If you are interested in Mixed Martial Arts, there is no better time to start than now, but keep in mind that being prepared is one of the most important factors when it comes to avoiding catastrophic injury.

The full contact nature of Mixed Martial Arts sets it far apart from the sterile and regimented stylings and posturing of other martial arts, and the high velocity and sheer strength that is behind the moves of this activity are legendary. Make sure you don't go into it unprepared and that goes for your protection as well as your mind and your body. Make sure that you find MMA gloves and shorts that fit you appropriately. Your MMA gloves and shorts are an integral part of helping you move and bend appropriately, so make sure you don't forget this very simple, but altogether vital factor.

Take some time and really learn about this sport. Mixed Martial Arts has quite a pedigree; it stretches back to ancient Greece and the Olympic games. In 2005, more than ten years after the activity's creation, the US Army began to allow Mixed Martial Arts when the first annual All Army Combatives Championship was held. While some continue to complain about the sport not being as raw or as real anymore, head to a tournament, and you'll soon see different!

Clark Swihart is the Founder & President of CAS Enterprises, LLC. For more information, please visit Boxing Gloves and MMA ShortsMMA Gloves & UFC GearBoxing Gloves

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Martial Arts Attacks - Defending Your Long Range

By Keith Pascal

Distance Attacks
Sometimes, real fights start with your attacker at a distance. Not all fights start with your enemy right on top of you. Fortunately, some of the time, you get a little advanced warning.

Your aggressor may try to get past your long range defenses, for an in-fight attack.
Or maybe he (or she) is a long-range fighter -- someone who will start with distance kicks. Your attacker’s kick may come flying through the air, follow a giant step toward you, or just reach with a long leg.

How to Defend Against a Long-Range Kick
Whichever long-range kick you have to counter, you still probably have a situation where your aggressor’s kick is reaching you, but you can’t get in to reach your attacker.

So, what do you do?
The answer is you don’t go after your attacker ... yet.
Instead of reaching for your attacker, think in terms of protecting your own body space. Stop the limb that is approaching.

Ala Bruce Lee, you want to reach with your weapon -- maybe a shin kick -- to the closest part of your opponent. In this case, you kick your attacker’s shin.

As the kick comes in, you kick the kick.

By the way, kicking the kick with a low kick is technically known as a stop kick. And that’s what it needs to do -- it has to be able to stop your attacker’s kick.

Completely.
This means that your low shin kick should be completely locked. Straight at the knee. You need to offer a solid structure for your opponent to be stopped.

If your leg is bent, you could get toppled by the force of your attacker’s kick. His or her forward energy will knock you over, if you aren’t set in place.

You need to time it, so your kick locks out straight at the knee, just a hair before contact.
Be Prepared for Attacks at Any RangeOf course, a long-range kick, followed by your stop kick is not the only way a long-range attack could progress. Your enemy could break through your defense, and come in close, for “hand-to-hand combat.”

Your attacker could even be close enough for a solid elbow strike. At this point, a stop kick probably won’t work the way you’d need it to.

Would you know how to counter an elbow strike?

Would you like to?
Download my Free ebook on how to counter anyone who tries an elbow strike on you. This is the type of in-close tactic you need. It works. And it delivers a painful counter to your attacker.
Click here to get the edge in martial arts and self defense with this elbow strike counter (It’s Free)

Keith Pascal has been a martial-arts writer for eight years and a martial arts teacher for 25 years.