Mixed Martial Arts
I was doing Tae Kwon Do at the time and I remember questioning its effectiveness in a real life situation where someone might tackle me to the ground, sit on top of me and hit me until I was unconscious. I am sure that many martial artists have had similar thoughts about their martial art after viewing MMA competitions, especially the earlier ones that had fewer rules. What is mixed martial arts? Mixed martial arts is a term used to describe a combat sport where competitors fight with a limited number of rules. The winner is declared by a knockout, submission or referee decision. MMA today MMA is one of the fastest growing sports. The competitors have become real athletes rather than the brawlers of years gone past. Due to television coverage, organizations such the Ultimate Fighting Championships (UFC) and the Pride Fighting Championships have attracted fans world wide. I personally love watching MMA competitions and am a big fan.
Before MMA competitions, there was always the question of ‘Which is the best martial arts style?’. The evolution of mixed martial artists has demonstrated that rather than having a single style defined as the best martial arts style, different styles are more effective in different ranges of combat. For example, boxing and kickboxing are more effective in punching and kicking range, thai-boxing and greco-roman wrestling are more effective in close range (trapping range) and wrestling and brazilian jiu jitsu are more effective when the fight hits the ground. In other words, fighters had to become proficient in different ranges of combat, by training and blending different styles, to be successful in MMA competitions. Mixed martial arts schools With the increasing popularity of MMA competitions there has been a large number of schools opening claiming to be MMA schools. Most of these schools have classes in different martial arts styles and it is up to the student to pick which style or class they are interested in. Personally, I think it is important to be taught how the different styles can be blended to work with each other, not to just learn them individually. For example, learning to effectively control and strike an opponent while on the ground would be blending boxing/kickboxing(striking arts) with a grappling art such as Brazilian jiu jitsu . Taking separate kickboxing classes and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu classes may never equip you with the knowledge of how to do this. It takes an experienced and knowledgeable instructor to be able to effectively teach MMA as it is seen in the competitions. Mixed martial arts – the deadliest style of martial arts?
While rules such as these are great for the sport of MMA, they also start to limit its effectiveness as a reality based self-defense system.
Additionally, some techniques commonly seen in MMA competitions would be unrealistic in a real life encounter. For example, many of the ground submission techniques would be ineffective if you are confronted with multiple attackers, which is a very common street scenario. Beginners in the martial arts should be careful not equate a MMA fight to a real-life violent encounter where there is often multiple attackers, weapons and limited space. My personal recommendation I would recommend MMA training to someone who wants to develop excellent physical fitness while learning a combative sport. It is also appropriate for someone who wants to do martial arts but does not want to be involved in many of the traditional aspects such as patterns (kata) training, uniforms and belt systems. MMA, as it is trained for the ring, can be limited in effectiveness in a real life encounter. However, it can form an excellent base on which reality based training (e.g. multiple opponents, weaponry, making room to escape) can be built upon if you are able to find the right instructor.
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I remember watching the first mainstream mixed martial arts (MMA) competition, the Ultimate Fighting Championships, and being shocked by the brutality of some of the fights. 
Mixed martial arts competitions have seen martial artists evolve into more complete fighters.
As MMA competitions have evolved, there have been more rules applied to make the competitions safer for competitors and more entertaining for spectators. For example, to make the sport safer, competitors are not permitted to head-butt or attack an opponents groin area. 