Posts Tagged ‘MMA workouts’

Changes made in upcoming spring schedule

Posted on: April 26th, 2010 by admin No Comments

The May 16th scheduled Pakistan Warrior Challenge (PWC) has been canceled and has now been changed to a Shaheen Smoker. The next PWC is still to be announced and there is no scheduled tentative date as of yet.

The upcoming Shaheen Smoker may also include kick boxing and grappling matches if willing participants are founds.

In other news, Shaheen MMA Academy should officially open in time for the Shaheen Smoker.

To get a better idea of what is going on behind the scenes please read the blog entry by PAK-MMA President and Owner of Shaheen MMA Academy, Bashir Ahmad

Read it HERE

PTV Seminar (with video)

Posted on: January 23rd, 2010 by admin No Comments

Apologies for the late delivery of this article. The website was down for almost a week and just got back online.

On January 17th, at Sukh Chan Wellness club in Gulberg, Lahore Mixed Martial Arts Pakistan partnered with Fite Selektor to hold an MMA seminar for Pakistan Television. The purpose of the seminar was to educate the Pakistani audience on what Mixed Martial Arts is as well as let everyone know that there is a reality show taking place and that we are looking for as many applicants as possible.

The exercise studio at Sukh Chan had about 40-50 people during the shooting. People from all walks of life attended the seminar ranging from domestic workers to those working for international firms. Children just starting their martial training were in the crowd alongside some of the top Martial Artists in the country.

The seminar dealt with the history of modern MMA, what MMA is (a form of competition), the sports rules and the latest news regarding Fite Selektor Reality Show. This was the first part of the seminar, the second part of the seminar had players from various Martial Arts put on demos ranging from Kata’s to light sparring. With each demonstration Mixed Martial Arts Pakistan gave commentary and analysis about what was going on as well as how each style contributes to MMA.

After the demo’s there was a wrap up where Mixed Martial Arts Pakistan summarized the days events and ended with the conclusion that there was a lot of talent in Pakistan that just needed a platform and outlet to be recognized. Fite Selektor is helping make that happen. Then came the issue of wether or not pakistan is ready for such a new sporting event in light of the current situation. MMA Pakistan is of the opinion that Pakistani’s just want to go on with their lives as they normally do, and this sport has such potential in the country that the current security situation will not pose an obstacle in it’s path to supreme popularity.

A special thanks goes out to all those who attended particularly those instructors who came with their students. Thanks, Shahbaz Ali Khan, Shafiq Awan and Aamir Butt for attending and to all your students. Thanks to all those who performed at the seminar helping make it the success it was.

Next up on the MMA Pakistan agenda is continuing to look for fighters from all around Pakistan to compete in Fite Selektor and to begin organizing an amateur MMA event in Model Town Lahore on the 14th of February. Details regarding this will be announced in the coming weeks. Those who want to fight please contact info@pak-mma.com or call 0334 413 7706.

Those who wish to take part in Fite Selektor please send the following information to info@pak-mma.com

Name -

Age -

Location-

Weight -

Experience -

Phone Number -

PICTURE in fighting stance -

Please keep yourself updated and take some time to look around the website and watch how MMA has developed in Pakistan! MMA Pakistan the original origin and destination of all things Mixed Martial Arts in Pakistan!

Enjoy the video.

UFC sells 10% minority stake to Adu Dhabi Company (and what it could mean for MMA in Pakistan)

Posted on: January 14th, 2010 by admin No Comments

Zuffa LLC, the company that owns the largest Mixed Martial Arts promotion in the world, The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) recently sold a 10% stake to Abu Dhabi based company, Flash Entertainment. This has made HUGE headlines in the MMA world because the UFC is known to be very restrictive on whom it does business with and guards the running of it’s company very closely.

The recent deal between Zuffa and Flash entertainment is the first step the UFC is taking in marketing its Mixed Martial Arts promotion to a truly global audience. Dana White, the president of the UFC has said that he forsees the sport of MMA becoming bigger than football around the globe. Will that happen? Maybe, maybe not. But even if it get remotely close that is a grand achievement.

Flash Entertainment has the networks and connections in the Middle East and Asia as well as a better cultural understanding of the countries in it’s sphere to bring the UFC into the mainstream to a whole new audience.

So what does this mean for Pakistan?

Right now this means that in the coming years, there are going to be more organizations like Fite Selektor looking to break into the Pakistani and South Asian market. This move by the UFC sends out a big message to all those already trying to get involved in this mega sports industry.

Get ready to start seeing more UFC cards on Pakistani channels, particularly those based in the UAE. Get ready to start seeing direct UFC involvement in MMA promotion in India and by proxy, Pakistan.

So all you martial artists in Pakistan who have spent your lives earning black belt after belt and competing in any tournament you can find for a plastic trophy keep training hard.  The days of plastic trophies and a pat on the back will be over in exchange for sponsorships and cash prizes so that you can train full time as professionals.

Mixed Martial Arts will be here at the forefront bringing you the latest updates regarding MMA in the area as well as serving as a central point for Martial Artists and combat athletes of Pakistan to get together, work together, share ideas and become a nation known for producing some of the world’s top fighters.

That being said, let’s keep the Fite Selektor applications coming. More applicants will be showcased on our site in the coming days.

For those who live in Lahore, on Sunday, January 17th there will be a MMA seminar at Sukh Chan Wellness club in Gulberg at 4:30 pm. The seminar will answer all your questions about MMA. There will be some ground techniques covered and we can also accept applicants for Fite Selektor.

Look forward to seeing you there!

Isometric Exercises For Mixed-Martial Arts

Posted on: November 24th, 2009 by admin 1 Comment

Isometrics are not often used in sports specific strength and conditioning. Because most sports are dynamic in nature, isometrics aren’t obvious to they eye and thus aren’t trained.

In MMA, isometrics can add another element to your game that can help you submit your opponent, escape a submission, or achieve a dominant position whether standing or on the ground.

For example, if you get caught in an armbar and your opponent doesn’t immediately lock you in, you’ve got some time to escape. How long you have depends on your ability to keep your arm flexed using your biceps while trying to move your body around so that your arm is in a safe position.

Another example is when you’ve got a triangle locked in. Submitting an opponent with a triangle is no easy task, so you’ve got to have the ability to keep your knees squeezed tightly together for an extended period to tire your opponent out to make him tap.

A final example is in the clinch. When you’re pummeling back and forth with an opponent or you have a single-leg, you’ve got to hold your arms in a certain position against his bodyweight – this is isometrics in action.

So how do you train isometrics in the gym?

My favorite way to do it is to throw isometrics into the middle of a set. That would mean if you’re doing 12 reps of an exercise, after rep 6, you do an isometric hold at the middle of the range of motion, then finish the set off.

Or, you can break it up into thirds, so you can do an isometric hold of 5 seconds after the 4th rep, 8th rep, and at the end of the set.

But let me warn you – this method is difficult and burns, making it a great method for training mental toughness at the same time.

Here are 3 of my favorite exercises to use isometrics with:

1) Inverted Row

  • Hang under a barbell with your feet on a swiss ball so your body is parallel with the floor
  • Hold when your elbows are at 90 degrees

2) Push-up

  • Do your standard push-up, or put your feet on a ball for an added challenge
  • Hold at 90 degrees of elbow flexion

3) Leg curl on Swiss ball with knee squeeze

  • For this one, you need a squishy child’s ball
  • Put it between your knees and for the entire set of leg curls, squeeze the ball together as hard as you can

So now you have 3 exercises and a new method for developing your MMA strength and conditioning. Put these into your workout routine and you’ll be tapping people out when you would’ve given up before, and you’ll take your MMA game to the next level.

Isometrics are a component of a good strength and conditioning program. But there are a few things that many MMA fighters do wrong in their MMA workouts. Don’t make the same mistakes, check out the Top 5 MMA Workout Mistakes

Learn the Three Deadliest Submission Moves in Mixed Martial Arts

Posted on: November 24th, 2009 by admin 2 Comments

Some fight fans do not fully appreciate mixed martial arts (MMA), claiming that it’s boring and unexciting. This is completely understandable coming from fight fans that typically enjoy watching boxing or other contact sports. It’s highly likely that the reason they find MMA boring is because they love watching knockouts, which rarely happen in MMA competitions. However, if you’re a true student of the game, your preference may lean towards submission moves. Submission moves may not be as glamorous as knockouts, but they are more rewarding if you know how to do them because they involve a lot more skill and strategy. Just as devastating as a knockout, submission techniques require more discipline and patience in learning to find the perfect timing for these. There are many forms of submission techniques, but this article aims to discuss the four most effective MMA submission moves. If you master any of these, you can try it to the next guy who treats you like crap. He’ll regret what he did and apologize within seconds, guaranteed.

Rear naked choke
Despite its odd name, the rear naked choke has nothing to do with being naked, but everything with rear and choke, as it is a form of a chokehold that must be executed from behind an opponent. When your opponent is facing away from you, usually when his back is turned on you, you can wrap one arm around his neck with your forearm pushing against one side of his neck and your bicep against the other. Then use your other arm to push against the back of his head. You can apply more pressure by simply pushing the back of his head harder towards your wrapped arm.

Most chokeholds put pressure on a person’s windpipe. This can take a while before putting the person to sleep. The rear naked choke, on the other hand, pinches the carotid arteries, which supply blood and oxygen to the head. When done correctly, your opponent will tap out or lose consciousness within a few seconds. This is why this choking method is considered the quickest and deadliest technique in MMA.

Omoplata
This is one of the toughest moves to execute but will guarantee an instant victory when done correctly. The omoplata works like this; after putting your opponent in a Kimura hold, you should lift your leg over your opponent’s shoulder and push under his chin. Then you should sit up, shift your weight, and lean forward so you can hyper rotate your opponent’s arm. If you’re on the receiving end of this submission technique, it is possible you’ll scream in pain. Which is why if your opponent does not submit within a few seconds, it’s very likely that he’ll be suffering from severe shoulder injuries.

Triangle Choke
The term triangle choke was coined because the head is trapped between three limbs; the other person’s two legs and his own arm. From the guard position, you trap your opponent’s arm and pull it forward. Then put your leg opposite to the isolated arm behind your opponent’s head and make sure that you lock that leg into place with your other leg. This makes your opponent trapped, and you can easily apply more pressure until the poor chap quits or loses consciousness.

Secret Weapon of the Mixed Martial Arts Workout

Posted on: November 23rd, 2009 by admin 1 Comment

Just imagine, you’re out of breath, tired, and you have a black eye, but the smile and raised fists say it all. Having been in martial arts for years, it’s not uncommon for someone to ask me what are the secret workouts that a mixed martial artist will do? What the secret that makes him or her different than others who train hard?

The truth is that it’s more than just having the best routine, because even if you do after a short period of time you’ll adjust and then you’ll not be ready for a competition. You have to change the routine regularly.

After you read this article you’ll have confidence that you can get to that level of training. First of all I have to say that if you are just getting started, this is a great place to start so you can gain valuable tools. Please be sure you check with a doctor before you start.

Grab a pen and take notes the differences may surprise you.

Myth: Most people I’ve talked to think that to get in shape to compete you need a certain set routine.

Actually you need a routine which combines everything, strength, cardiovascular, endurance, stamina, balance and flexibility.

A tall order I know but to be able to compete, you must have all of these or a good opponent will see where you’re weak, and continually challenge you where you there.

Think with me for a minute. You are watching a fight that goes for five minutes.

During this time you’ll see:

• Strength, resisting with wrestling or delivering strikes
• Cardiovascular conditioning, constant foot work in combination with striking
• Stamina after a few seconds you’ll be exhausted if you don’t this
• Balance, suddenly finding yourself on one foot you still have to fight
• Flexibility the last thing you need is a torn muscle or tendon

Are you ready for the most important aspect?

The real secret is that once you are fighting, the toughest thing is not the physical aspect, but the mental. You have to be able to out think your competitor.

Yes it is difficult; it’s not easy by any stretch of the imagination. But with the right tools this is the key that will get you through your toughest competitions.

You can’t expect to win if this is your weakest link, it’s impossible. You’ll end up fighting someone who does have mental strength, and they’ll get in your head. Once this is exposed; with mental training you’ll be able to tell the mental strength of your competitor, they can use this against you.

“Although most fighters believe that the fight is 90 percent mental and ten percent physical, they train 90 percent physical and ten percent mental. That is going to have to change as MMA continues to evolve or those fighters will be left behind.” Randy Couture

Former Ultimate Fighting Championship Heavyweight and Light Heavyweight Champion

Do you have what it takes to train your mind, and body at this level? Can you visualize yourself in the ring with opponents like Chuck Liddell, Tito Ortiz, Anderson “the Spider” Silva? Then you have to have the mindset they have.

FiteSelektor tried coming to Pakistan for MMA show

Posted on: November 11th, 2009 by admin 1 Comment

This has been out for a while but decided it was worth sharing with the readers to give you some idea how big MMA is getting around the world and that there are already promotions looking to bring it to Pakistan and recruit Pakistani fighters.

Here is a press release from a Dubai based MMA promotion called “Fiteselektor.”

“Fiteselektor, the Dubai based Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) event will start it’s FITESELEKTOR GLOBAL TALENT TOUR in January 2009 in Pakistan.
MMA is a spectacular combination of wrestling and full contact kickboxing techniques.
Fiteselektor is the only MMA concept in the world where the audience decides, by means of SMS voting, who is fighting whom.
Fiteselektor’s first port of call will be Pakistan, where over the course of January 2009 fighters will be recruited all over the country.
These fighters will be selected in a reality tv program where they will undergo gruelling MMA training while competing with each other. The Fiteselektor jury decides who will make it to the next round. The ultimate winner will be awarded a professional MMA contract as well as a considerable amount of money.
More details will be provided in the press conference, scheduled for mid December 2008 in Karachi, Pakistan.”

Based on very reliable sources close to MMA Pakistan, FiteSelektor was not able to find anyone in Pakistan to aid them in their search for fighters. MMA Pakistan’s website came online just three months after this press release. However, that is ok. Next time they come, and it will be sooner than later, we’ll be ready and waiting with fighters from Pakistan

Greco Roman Wrestling

Posted on: November 3rd, 2009 by admin 5 Comments

Greco-Roman wrestling is a combat sport which focuses on grappling. This form of wrestling does not permit holds below the waist and emphasizes upper body throws and slams such as the suplex etc. Unlike freestyle wrestling, a wrestler is not allowed to trip an opponent nor hook the opponent’s legs for blocking/avoiding throws.

Greco-Roman wrestling is a combination of arm drags, bear hugs, headlocks etc; all of these techniques have great importance in Greco-Roman wrestling. Similar to Brazilian Jiu-jitsu Greco-Roman wrestling also focuses on controlling the opponent on the ground, thus rendering him ineffective on his back.

Greco-Roman wrestling is said to be developed mainly on lands east of the Mediterranean Sea, mostly considered to be lands where the Ancient Greeks resided. In ancient Greece wrestling was not considered as a martial art but a regular exercise for men and boys and was made compulsory in school’s physical education curriculum. Initially Greco-Roman wrestling made its way through Europe and became very popular over there. However due to its many restrictions it lost its popularity in Britain and the United States to free-style wrestling.

In Greco-Roman wrestling one can win by:

  1. Fall: When one wrestler is successful in pinning the shoulders of his opponent to the ground/mat and maintaining the position for 1-2 seconds.
  2. Technical fall: When one wrestler leads by 6 points from his/her opponent, the judges declare the wrestler ahead in points the winner.
  3. Decision: At the end of the match if neither wrestler gets pinned the judges base their decision on points and the one with the most points win.
  4. Forfeit/Disqualification: One may also win if the other wrestler forfeits due to injury or withdrawal and by disqualification due to getting multiple warnings or by carrying out un-sportsman like conduct etc.
    The training regimen in Greco-Roman wrestling mostly focuses on conditioning and flexibility. One should be at the peak of his condition due to the quickness and the strength which is involved in wrestling, having to keep your opponent on his back, slamming/suplexing him etc. Flexibility is also a key factor in wrestling due to the high level of arches, turns, twists one must make to slam an opponent.
    Also quickness and agility are main components which make a wrestler what he is.
    Wrestling is a very demanding sport that requires the best from each athlete that steps onto the mat. The expectations and techniques remain relatively unchanged even though almost 3000 years have passed. Greco Roman wrestling is a true link makes it possible to connect the past history of this sport with its modern day incarnation.
    Greco-Roman wrestling has played a prominent role in MMA. Since UFC 4 there have been many wrestlers that have entered the octagon/ring and dominated their opponents by taking them or slamming them to the ground. Notable Greco-Roman wrestlers in MMA include:
    • Dan Severn
    • Randy Couture
    • Dan Henderson
    • Chael Sonnen
    • Matt Hamil

Grappling Fundamentals Part One

Posted on: November 3rd, 2009 by admin No Comments

This is not about BJJ, its not about wrestling, it’s not about judo. It’s about grappling or ground fighting. As an instructor once told me, “grappling at the highest levels is all the same”. What this means is that the fundamental concepts of grappling are the same no matter if your a judo black belt or a kushti wrestler. Of course the rules of your particular game may differ but the physical concepts of leverage, momentum, weight distribution etc don’t change.

In grappling there are two main facets to consider. One is positional dominance and control and the other is submissions.

Positional dominance is controlling your opponents body on the ground, an example of this is having someone in the full mount which is where you are sitting on top of your opponent. The person on top is in a dominant position because he can rain down strikes wit great effect on his opponent due to gravity while his opponent is pretty much helpless. Positional control comes into play regarding how effective you are in holding mount. You could get the mount position but then have huge problems staying on, constantly defending the chance of being bucked off. However, for someone with good positional control they can sit on top of their opponent and no matter how hard the other is struggling to buck them have total control with which to rain down effective strikes. Wrestlers are known for being very good with positional dominance and positional control.

Submissions are techniques applied on the ground (however they CAN be applied standing but are much harder to pull off, almost never see this in a pro fight) where a limb in manipulated beyond its normal range of motion causing pain and the potential for serious injury or when a choke is applied causing the opponent to lose consciousness. The most well known and utlized art form for this aspect of grappling in MMA is Brazillian Jiu Jitsu.

They are different animals but very closely related to each other with a few exceptions. The link between the two lies in the fact that generally speaking, a submission is much easier to obtain when you are in dominant position.

It’s all in the hips, is what my BJJ instructor always tells me. There is a lot of truth in that. To control an opponent, controlling their hips is very important. With the hips your opponent will try to get to guard, buck you off or scoot away to get to their knees. Controlling the hips is very important. This does not mean you should ignore the upper body, it just means that it requires more strength, attention, focus and technique to control a good opponents hips than it does his upper body.

A good drill to do for first time grapplers is to take turns with a partner trying to control each other in either side mount or mount. This will teach you to get used to being pinned underneath someone and remaining calm while looking for a way out. It will also teach the controlling partner how to remain on top of a resisting opponent without losing position. There are many techniques that are involved in this one aspect of ground fighting however this lays down the foundation of what is a long road of learning.

So they key point that one should learn from the article is that learn how to control position before submission. This is particularly true for MMA because from a dominant position you also have the added option of strikes making your top position all the more advantageous.

Grappling Session being arranged in KHI!

Posted on: November 2nd, 2009 by admin No Comments

We are currently in the process of arranging informal grappling sessions in the KHI area. Please make note that these session will not have any sort of ranked or certified instructor. Rather these sessions will serve to get interested parties together to trade knowledge regarding grappling techniques as well as network for further sessions. Despite not having a certified instructor, sessions will be conducted and monitored by a Mixed Martial Arts Pakistan representative so that the sessions runs in as smooth and organized manner as possible for everyone’s benefit.

Please keep an eye out to the training section of this website. In the training section we will begin posting a step by step guide to learning the fundamentals of grappling. By keeping everyone on the same page, despite not having a trained instructor we are confident that the technical mastery of everyone who follows the website for updates on training will improve.

The first session will take place AFTER Nov 9th to give ample time for people to make plans get on the same page regarding what aspects of the grappling game to train. This is your chance to get together and start training. This is the opportunity to lay down any excuses as to why you can’t train because there is no training center and help each other out. Don’t wait for the martial arts revolution to come to you, be the revolution!

Here are some things to consider, anyone who is interested head to the discussion area on the facebook page and put in your thoughts regarding WHERE and WHEN training should take place. Should the training take place in a park? the beach? What time? Get together with fellow Karachites and share any information. Help each other out! let’s be brothers in this sport and help everyone grow.

Keep a look out for the first installment on the fundamentals of grappling in 1-2 days.