Beginner's MMA Crash Course: Lesson 1 Basics

Summary

In this MMA crash course for beginners, viewers are guided through the essentials of mixed martial arts, including finding the correct fighting stance, basic footwork, and movement. The instructor demonstrates and explains the fundamental punches such as the jab, cross, hook, and uppercut, emphasizing proper technique and body mechanics. Additionally, basic kicks like the teep, roundhouse, and front push kick are covered, along with defensive moves like checking and sprawling. The video aims to equip newcomers with the foundational skills needed for their first MMA class, encouraging practice for mastery.

Takeaways

• 🤼‍♂️ Start with the Basic Stance: Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, arms up, and elbows in front for a balanced and stable fighting position.
• 🤝 Choose Your Stance: Right-handed individuals should take a right-foot rear stance, while left-handed should stand in a southpaw stance.
• 👣 Understand Footwork: The direction you want to move is indicated by the foot that moves first to avoid crossing legs.
• 👊 Learn the Jab: The jab is a quick extension of the lead arm, with a corkscrew motion for contact and a quick retraction.
• 🔄 Power in the Cross: The cross involves rotating the hips and pivoting on the foot to generate power through the body into the punch.
• 🤛 Practice the Hook: The lead hook is a full-body punch that uses the torque of the hips and the whipping of the shoulder for speed and power.
• 💥 Execute the Uppercut: The uppercut is a short-range attack with a 90-degree bend, executed with minimal drop and a focus on not scraping knuckles.
• 🦶 Kick with the Teep: The teep is a push kick that can be executed with both the lead and rear leg, aiming to keep an opponent at bay or off balance.
• 💫 Develop the Roundhouse Kick: Practice a full 360-degree motion for the roundhouse kick, aiming to kick through the target for maximum impact.
• 🛡️ Defend with the Check: Use the knee to block incoming kicks at a 45-degree angle, keeping the elbow up to protect against counterattacks.
• 🚫 Avoid Takedowns with the Sprawl: The sprawl is a defensive move against double-leg takedowns, executed by dropping hands, extending legs, and bouncing back up.

Q & A

What is the purpose of the video?

The purpose of the video is to provide a beginner's MMA crash course, covering the fundamentals of MMA including stance, footwork, basic punches, and kicks.

How should one stand in a basic fighting stance?

In a basic fighting stance, one should stand with feet shoulder-width apart, arms straight up and falling in front of the body with elbows in front and fists at chest level. The dominant foot should be at the rear for right-handed individuals and in the front for left-handed individuals (southpaw stance).

What is the importance of foot rotation in the fighting stance?

Rotating the foot out slightly to a 45-degree angle provides extra stability and balance, which is crucial for effective fighting.

How does one move in different directions while maintaining proper footwork?

The foot in the direction one wants to move should move first. For example, to move left, the left leg steps first, and then the right, and vice versa. Forward movement involves the lead leg stepping first, and backward movement involves the rear leg stepping first.

What is the first basic punch taught in the video?

The first basic punch taught is the jab, which involves extending the lead arm without overcomplicating the movement and keeping the opposite hand up to protect the face.

How is the cross punch different from the jab?

The cross punch involves the rear hand and requires the rotation of the hips and pivoting on the foot to generate power, unlike the jab which is a simple extension of the lead arm.

What is the correct technique for throwing a hook?

The hook is thrown by rotating on the foot, turning the knee over, and the hip, with the arm bent at a 90-degree angle. It's a full-body punch combining the torque of the hips and the whipping of the shoulder for speed and power.

Why is it important to keep the opposite hand up while throwing punches?

Keeping the opposite hand up protects the chin and face from counterattacks while throwing punches, ensuring the fighter maintains a defensive posture.

What is the difference between the uppercut and the hook?

The uppercut is a short-range attack that involves lifting the opponent's guard and then following up with more punches, while the hook is a horizontal punch thrown with a bent arm and full-body rotation.

What are the basic kicks taught in the video?

The basic kicks taught in the video are the teep (or push kick), the roundhouse kick, and the check, which is a defensive move against incoming kicks.

How does the sprawl technique work as a takedown defense?

The sprawl is a takedown defense technique where one bends the knees, drops the hands to the mat, shoots the legs out violently, brings the hips down to the mat, and then pops back up quickly into the fighting stance.

Outlines

00:00

🥊 MMA Stance and Basic Movements

This paragraph introduces the MMA beginner's crash course, focusing on fundamental techniques such as stance, punches, kicks, and footwork. It explains how to find the basic fighting stance by standing with feet shoulder-width apart, arms falling naturally in front, and choosing the stance based on the dominant hand. The explanation includes foot positioning for stability and balance, knee bending, and the importance of staying relaxed. It also covers the basics of footwork, emphasizing the direction of movement and the sequence of stepping with the lead or rear leg to avoid crossing legs, which is crucial for beginners to master before advancing.

05:01

🤼‍♂️ Essential MMA Punches and Kicks

The second paragraph delves into the specifics of MMA punches, starting with the jab, which is a simple extension of the lead arm. It details the mechanics of throwing a jab, including the corkscrew motion for quick extension and retraction, and the importance of keeping the opposite hand up for protection. The paragraph then moves on to the cross, which involves hip rotation and foot pivoting to generate power. It also covers the hook and uppercut, explaining the body mechanics for each and the significance of a 90-degree bend in the arm and proper hand positioning. Additionally, the paragraph introduces basic kicks like the teep, emphasizing the technique for both lead and rear legs, including knee positioning, body tilt, and foot striking methods. The paragraph concludes with a brief mention of the push kick and roundhouse kick, highlighting the importance of practice for effective execution.

10:03

🦶 Advanced Kicks and MMA Defense Techniques

This paragraph continues the discussion on MMA techniques, focusing on advanced kicks such as the roundhouse kick, which can target different areas of the opponent's body. It provides a step-by-step guide on executing the roundhouse kick, including the cheat step, knee aiming, arm swinging, and foot placement. The summary also touches on the importance of checking, or blocking, kicks by lifting the knee and creating a shield with the arms. Furthermore, the paragraph introduces the sprawl, a takedown defense technique against a double-leg penetration shot, comparing it to a burpee and detailing the movement from dropping down to bouncing back up. The paragraph emphasizes the importance of these techniques for MMA beginners and encourages viewers to practice diligently to improve their skills.

📚 Conclusion and Resource Recommendation

The final paragraph concludes the MMA crash course by summarizing the basic techniques covered and encouraging viewers to continue their training. It mentions the availability of a playlist with videos designed for beginners to further develop their MMA skills. The paragraph also prompts viewers to subscribe to the channel to receive fight tips and stay ahead of their opponents. The speaker, Shane, identifies himself and positions himself as a resource for underdogs in the fighting community, offering valuable insights and guidance for those starting their MMA journey.

Keywords

💡Fighting Stance

The fighting stance is the basic position a martial artist adopts before engaging in combat. It involves standing with feet shoulder-width apart, arms up for protection, and elbows in front. In the video, the instructor explains the importance of finding a stable and balanced stance, which is crucial for MMA beginners to initiate their movements and punches effectively.

💡Footwork

Footwork in MMA refers to the way a fighter moves around the fighting area. It is essential for positioning, defense, and attack. The script emphasizes the importance of moving in the intended direction by stepping with the appropriate foot first to avoid crossing legs, which can lead to loss of balance or an opening for the opponent.

💡Jab

The jab is a quick, straight punch thrown with the lead arm in boxing and MMA. It's often the first punch taught to beginners and is used for both offense and defense. The video script describes the technique of throwing a jab, emphasizing the corkscrew motion of the arm and the importance of retracting the arm quickly after making contact.

💡Cross

The cross is a powerful, straight punch delivered with the rear hand. It involves more body rotation and hip movement compared to the jab, transferring power from the ground up through the body and into the punch. The script illustrates the mechanics of the cross, highlighting the importance of keeping the opposite hand up for protection while throwing the punch.

💡Hook

A hook is a semi-circular punch thrown with a bent arm, targeting the side of an opponent's head or body. It's executed by pivoting on the foot and using the body's rotation to generate power. The video explains the technique of the hook, noting that it's not an arm punch but rather a full-body movement that requires the elbow to be in line with the fist for maximum impact.

💡Uppercut

An uppercut is a vertical punch executed with a 90-degree bend in the arm, typically used for close-range attacks. The script describes the uppercut as a punch that requires the hips to rotate and the punch to be thrown upwards towards the target, with special attention to avoid scraping knuckles on the ground and to maintain guard with the opposite hand.

💡Teep

The teep is a type of kick used in Muay Thai and MMA, where the ball of the foot is driven forward in a pushing motion. It's used to keep an opponent at bay or to knock them off balance. The video script demonstrates the teep, explaining the mechanics of the kick, including the importance of tilting the upper body back and shooting the hips forward for power.

💡Roundhouse Kick

The roundhouse kick is a sweeping kick where the leg is swung in a circular motion to strike the opponent. It can target the legs, body, or head. The script provides a detailed breakdown of the roundhouse kick technique, emphasizing the importance of a full follow-through and the need for practice to overcome the initial awkwardness and balance issues.

💡Check

In MMA, a check is a defensive move where the knee is lifted to block an incoming kick. The script explains the proper technique for checking, which involves lifting the knee to a 45-degree angle and bringing it close to the elbow to create a shield against the kick, rather than extending the knee straight out which could leave the fighter vulnerable.

💡Sprawl

A sprawl is a defensive technique used to defend against a takedown, specifically a double-leg penetration shot. It involves quickly dropping down and extending the legs out to create distance and prevent the takedown. The video script likens the sprawl to a burpee and demonstrates the mechanics of performing a sprawl effectively, emphasizing the importance of speed and maintaining a strong base.

Highlights

Introduction to a beginners MMA crash course covering fundamentals such as punches, kicks, stance, and footwork.

Finding the basic fighting stance with feet shoulder-width apart and arms falling in front of the body.

The importance of standing in a right or southpaw stance based on dominant hand preference.

Technique for foot positioning at a 45-degree angle for stability and balance.

Instructions on maintaining a relaxed stance without squeezing shoulders or flexing muscles.

Fundamentals of movement and footwork, emphasizing the foot that moves first in any given direction.

Explanation of how to avoid crossing legs during movement to maintain fluidity.

Introduction to the jab, the basic straight punch using the lead arm.

Technique for throwing a jab with a corkscrew motion and quick retraction.

The cross, a straight punch using the rear hand with hip rotation and pivoting on the foot.

How to generate power in the cross through body mechanics and maintaining hand protection.

The lead hook, a punch thrown with the front hand focusing on body rotation and shoulder whipping.

Key points for executing a hook with a 90-degree bend in the arm and proper elbow alignment.

Introduction to the uppercut, a short-range punch with a 90-degree bend, executed with both lead and rear hands.

Avoiding common mistakes with the uppercut, such as scraping knuckles on the ground.

Basic kicks overview, starting with the teep, executed with both the lead and rear legs.

Technique for the teep kick, emphasizing the tilt of the upper body and hip drive.

Different striking points for the teep kick, including flat foot and ball of the foot.

The roundhouse kick, targeting legs, body, or head with a full follow-through motion.

Step-by-step breakdown of the roundhouse kick, including the cheat step and knee aiming.

The importance of checking kicks with a 45-degree knee lift and proper elbow positioning.

The sprawl technique for takedown defense, similar to a burpee with a quick bounce back.

Conclusion summarizing the basic MMA techniques for beginners and encouraging further training.

Transcripts

what's going on guys senior today I have

a beginners MMA crash course we're gonna

look at some fundamentals and teach you

the basic punches kicks stance and

footwork let's get it started okay let's

begin by finding our basic fighting

stance so we're gonna stand with our

feet shoulder width distance apart bring

your arms straight up to the sky and let

them fall right in front of you elbows

in front and your fish should be at

cheap level now which hand do you right

with most of us were right-handed if so

you're gonna take your right foot and

put that in the rear if you're

left-handed you're gonna stand in a

southpaw stance great now but that's in

the rear I want you to rotate the foot

out slightly to a 45 degree and this is

going to give us extra stability and

balance bend your knees slightly and I

want you to avoid squeezing your

shoulders or flexing your muscles we

want to stay calm and relaxed here okay

now let's talk a little bit about

movement and footwork whatever direction

you want to go in that's the foot that

moves first meaning if I want to step to

my left then my left leg steps first and

then the right if I want to step to my

right then my right leg steps first and

then my left if I want to move forward

then the lead leg steps first then the

rear and if I want to move backwards

then the rear leg steps first and then

the lead we do this to avoid crossing

our legs okay we'll see this when

fighters get a little bit more advanced

in the pro level but until then you want

to make sure that you master the basic

fundamentals okay so whatever direction

you're going in make sure you step with

that foot first let's go over some

punches the first one is the jab and we

often refer to this as the one okay it's

just extending your lead arm don't over

complicate it that's all I want you to

do and with every punch that we throw

we're keeping the opposite hand up

protecting our face okay so the jab and

foot looks like this okay so when we

throw our jab all we're doing is quick

screwing our arm as we extend it aiming

to make contact with our fist protecting

our chin with our shoulder that's why we

do that corkscrew motion and then we

retract it as quickly as we throw okay

so it's not just a quick and a lazy

retraction we want to go quick quick in

out in out okay that's the first punch

the jab

next up the two is the cross

so it's going to be the rear hand now

the straight pot is very similar to the

jab except we are going to rotate our

hips and pivot on our foot

okay we're pushing into the ground the

earth is pushing back up into us that

power is generating and building going

through our body twisting through our

hips coming up our back down our

shoulder into our fist and transferring

into our target okay so in full this is

the cross and again okay so what we're

doing is just courts going arms just

like we did with the jab full extension

making contact with our fists again

keeping the opposite hand up protecting

our chin with our shoulder and again a

quick retraction back to garner okay

number three is the hook the lead hook

so the hand that is in front closer to

the target we're going to rotate on our

foot turn our knee over turn our hip and

throw the lead hook which looks like

this keep your arm bent in a ninety

degree like so imagine you have a box

and you're holding on to it you don't

want to drop it this is the motion to

practice the hook here okay it's not an

arm punch it's a full body punch we

combine the torque of our hips and the

whipping of our shoulder to get speed

and power again keep the opposite hand

up the entire time so I'm in full it

looks like this and again good so

remember to keep it 90 degree bend and

also to keep your elbow in line with

your fist and your shoulder in line with

your elbow you don't want to drop your

hand like this because when you make

contact

it'll give it'll cave we want a strong

backing with the elbow right behind the

fist when it hit it just continues to go

right through the target okay so once

more we have the one which is the jab

the two which is the cross and the three

which is the hook the next punch and the

last one that we're going to teach is

just the uppercut we can do this with

the rear and we can do this with the

lead similar to the hook and that it

keeps a 90-degree Bend we're going to do

the same thing with the uppercut it's a

short range the attack and it's just the

lift our conan's head up and then follow

up with more punches so we're going to

demonstrate with the rear very similar

to the cross and that we

our hips we rotate on the rear foot and

we throw the uppercut at the same time

now what I want you to avoid is scraping

your knuckles on the ground as we call

it all right you don't want to throw

those MORTAL KOMBAT punches why do you

think because if I do this and my

opponent throws a left hook oh I'm gonna

get caught

instead I want you to release last

second you're just gonna do minimal drop

and throw right from here that's what

that uppercut should look like keeping

the opposite hand up at all times and

the lead looks like this okay so we have

the 1 the 2 the 3 and your uppercuts

let's go over some basic kicks so the

first one is going to be the teep you're

gonna throw this with both the lead leg

and the rear leg so the teeth is we

bring our leg up and as we do we keep a

slight bend in our knee we're gonna tilt

our upper body back and we're gonna

shoot our hips forward driving into the

ground with our planet foot ok so the

teeth looks like this and once more ok

on the first one I do a little bit of a

rotation ok this is just good a little

bit extra distance and a little more

oomph into my kick but I can keep it

more squared and just go here as well

I can hit flat foot or I can hit with

the ball of my foot meaning I can go

here more surface area more likely to

land or I can concentrate it into the

ball of my foot this takes a little bit

more practice it comes from my Taekwondo

background so once again the teeth just

just imagine you're trying to kick down

the door it's a great way to keep

someone at bay or to knock them off

balance and then you have the rear teeth

covers a little bit more distance and

there's a little bit stronger but takes

a little bit more time

meaning the upper body back as you drive

the hips forward now we often see a more

time MMA wear whatever side kick we

throw we drop that same side hand you

can do that especially as a beginner but

it's also good to get in the habit of

keeping your hands up okay so when we

throw that rear teeth

boom you can keep your hands up or more

power boom you can swing that scissor

hand down same thing what

the lead okay that's the teeth to front

push kick we also have the roundhouse

kick and these can go to the legs to the

body or to the head now this is going to

take a lot of practice especially in the

Thai style roundhouse kick where we have

a full follow-through I recommend for

beginners when you're shadowboxing

practice a full 360 degree motion it's

going to feel awkward you're going to

feel off balance but the more you do it

the more comfortable you'll feel so let

me show you what it looks like in full

I'll throw a right roundhouse kick to

the body okay may look advanced but if I

do it in slow-motion you'll see it's not

that hard okay so the first thing that

we're going to do is take a cheat step

with our non kicking leg 45 degree angle

this is opening up our hips and starting

to pull us in the motion of the kick

from here I'm going to aim with my knee

and I'm starting to swing my arms across

so my right hand comes across my face as

I put my pressure onto my lead leg I aim

with my knee past the target I go past

the target because I'm aiming to kick

through right if I just hit

superficially it's not gonna do a lot of

damage I want to chop through my target

so I bring the knee across and then I

start to extend my leg and as I do I

swing this arm back down and I leave it

right in front of my opponent's face to

blind that extend my leg and then I put

that foot down I put that foot down and

then I lift the opposite leg up to check

this is a good habit to have if I miss

my kick it's very common that they will

counter with a kick and I'm guarded here

mynique comes up to my elbow and we'll

talk a little bit about that in the

check but let's go over this roundhouse

kick one more time so I take a cheat

step hand comes across knee comes across

extend the leg for the kick put that

foot down lift the opposite leg up for

the check and back to my guard

okay we talked a little bit about

checking so if someone throws a kick

we're going to lift our knee up at a 45

degree angle flexing our toes up

bringing our knee to our elbow we don't

want to bring our elbow down because

then we become exposed our head is open

for punches and for kicks so instead we

bring the knee up to the elbow and we

create an entire shield on either side

of our

by 45 degree angle and not straight out

in front because kicks are circular

round kicks are circular the one I just

demonstrated so if it comes here it's

gonna knock me off balance but if I meet

it head-on it's gonna stop that kick

from coming in and if it's a left kick I

go here okay the next one that we're

going to look at is the sprawl the

sprawl is a takedown defense to a double

leg penetration shot if you take an MMA

class it's likely that you will be doing

this on the first day it's very similar

to a burpee most instructors will say if

you don't know how to do a sprawl do a

burpee we're going to do from your fight

stance is bend your knees if your hands

are going to drop down to the mat and

you're going to shoot your legs out

violently bringing your hips down to the

mat keeping your arms extended and then

you're gonna pop right back up as

quickly as you went down okay so when

they say sprawl I dropped down my hands

touch the mat feet extend out my hips

touch the mat and then I bounce right

back up into my garden okay quick looks

like this and that's the sprawl alright

guys so hopefully this answers your

question this isn't just a couple of the

basic techniques that you will need to

know for an intro class in an MMA gym

hopefully this helps alright guys thanks

for watching so if you want to continue

your training we have a playlist that we

put together for you right here

these are the videos that we've made

over the years that are great for

beginners and just really honing in on

your skills make sure you subscribe to

get the fight tips before your opponent

does until then i'm shane with fighttips

for the underdogs