A MMA Road Trip, and A MMA Sample Training Routine

I talked with Mike Perez this afternoon, who was with Justin Lopez at Throwdown's headquarters in Las Vegas. Justin had the great idea of taking a MMA/BJJ road trip all around SoCal in the Throwdown RV. Justin, Mike, and I could be the Pinoy crew going around interviewing fighters and checking different schools throughout America's BJJ/MMA mecca (i.e. Southern California). Sounds like a cool I idea. We might get so into it and decide to drive all over the U.S.! I didn't get all the details, but if it's going down, I'm there. I'll be in the Philippines next week for a little while, so hopefully they don't plan on taking the road trip anytime soon.

I said I'd give you guys a sample MMA training routine, so here it is. Choosing a MMA training routine is not an easy task because there are so many variables and things to work. Also, training needs to be altered for different individuals and for different opponents (e.g. if you're facing a striker, stand up drills would be different than if you were fighting a strong grappler). This routine is more of an everyday, maintenance session, for those of you who don't know where to start or looking for some new ideas. With this "skeletal outline," a lot of different parts of the game can be worked in each of the drills/areas covered. (Note: This routine assumes you have solid skills in striking, takedowns, and ground work.)

13-min round Jump Rope

2 3-min rounds Shadow Boxing while working your shots

2 3-min rounds Defending the Single/Double leg (your partner(s) should already have position--they shouldn't need to shoot in on you)

2 3-min rounds of Finishing the Single/Double leg (again, you should already be in position--no need to shoot in on your partner(s))

1 or 2 3-min rounds of Pummeling for Inside position w/ all hits allowed (i.e. clinch work)

1 or 2 3-min rounds of Pummeling for the Take Down w/ all hits allowed

Then 3-5 5-min rounds of 1 of the following:

a) Work specific ground positions (e.g. working from your guard while your partner(s) try to hit you, pass your guard, etc.)

b) Stand up sparring with takedowns (wearing boxing gloves with lace covers works well)

c) Start in Over-Under (Pummel Position) and begin MMA sparring from there (use grappling gloves). When someone hits the ground, keep going. If both partners stand up, re-tie and start over.

Give it a try. If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment. Good training to you.

Tags: mixed martial arts, training, tips, routine, mma, throwdown, road trip