Mma Dojo is an MMA gym in London which is very different from other gyms. The mission statement of Mma Dojo is to provide the most highly efficient Mma training there is.
The three main principles are
1.scientific training
2. structured syllabus
3.sustainable sparring
scientific training,
In Mma Dojo, we do not give a damn about tradition. The meaning of scientific training is having a clear goal, and then doing whatever is the most direct and efficient thing to achieve that goal. Science is about evolving. It’s about doing things better, just because a training method has been used for many years does not necessarily mean that it is the Best, safest, quickest and most efficient way to reach the goal. Scientific training means questioning, applying ruthless critique. And if we discover that there is a better way for us to reach the goal then we change.
Just take for example, many of the ways that people use to train their core. Many people still use 1970s core training methods! these methods not only don’t give you great core strength but they have high risk of injury. Now there are more modern methods which take less time give you higher core strength and have very low risk of injury.
In endurance training, many coaches unfortunately think that you have to run for an hour everyday to get endurence. Iittle do they know research and experience has already proven that you can get elite endurance levels from regular mma training and two medium/ high intensity sessions a week.
Many athletes and gyms moronically keep on doing the same thing just because they are stuck in their ways and dont want to change. It is amazing how many coaches know nothing about physiology, biomechanics and nutrition so they have ideas about training which are just plain wrong. At Mma Dojo, we question criticise, change, grow and evolve. Nobody on earth is 100% right all the time and neither are we! And that’s why we have an environment of questioning, critiquing and learning. This way we will often find out where we are wrong and then change which means that we essentially get more and more efficient over time.
syllabus with levels
The way our syllabus is set up is very different from most gyms for two reasons . The first thing that makes us unique is that we pay great attention to detail and we do not let students progress to the next level until they have actually got a certain level of skill and physical conditioning.
Secondly, our syllabus is designed in such a way that it becomes more individualised the further you progress through it.
In the basic and intermediate levels everyone is taught the same skills and physical conditioning. You will drill the same techniques over and over again until you have mastered them proficiently thousands of repetitions are required. A piece of iron has to be put in the fire and beaten, until it becomes a sword ! Strict attention to detail is required. The idea is to train those techniques until you feel like you were born doing them! At the same time strength and conditioning is being done in the Dojo and at home so that you develop good flexibility, balance, coordination and strength. The strict adherence to the syllabus in the basic and intermediate ensures that students are ready for the advanced stage.
Once students get to the advanced level things change greatly, now you will not be spoonfed techniques and told what to do. By this stage you should have mastered all of the basic skills that you need and developed a good level of conditioning.
One thing you should know at this point it that “Elite fighters know every technique but they highly proficient in using just a few”. There are thousands of ways to throw , submit and strike but elite athletes have their own style . At this stage you will only get better by sparring/competing regularly and finding solutions to problems. You will have to get to know yourself better and learn to remain calm under pressure. You will also need a personalised strength and conditioning plan to develop your strengths and weaknesses.
So in a nutshell the syllabus is strict and rigorous in the beginning and it may take quite awhile to develop the physical and skill levels to the advanced stage. Once you get to the advanced stage you are an individual martial artist and you have much more freedom to develop and grow. This is the long-term plan for those who train in mma dojo.
sustainable sparring
The third main point which makes Mma Dojo different is that we do not try to hurt each other in sparring . Many people think that because fighting is tough therefore to prepare for it we have to hit each other hard and try to hurt each other on a regular basis. This is a moronic way of thinking, and it leads to nothing but injuries and early dementia.
To prepare for combat sport or to prepare to defend yourself in the street it is necessary to have fast accurate and powerful striking techniques and a very good judgement of distance. You need sharp, defensive reactions, good timing, good physical condition and a strong mind. All of these can be developed through a form of sparring where we use maximum speed but we do not use high power.
Say, for example, we are sparring and I noticed that you have a habit of dropping your hands. I can throw a fast but light punch at you and catch you. You will obviously be aware that you’ve been hit but you will not be concussed. Therefore you will have learned about your defence weakness and I also will have learned better timing for my punching. This is a good situation for both of us. We have both improved and no one has got injured.
On the other hand, let’s say instead of throwing a fast light punch at you I decided to throw a hard punch at you. Now you are concussed you will have a headache for a few days and the concussion impairs, your cognitive ability and skill learning. If I threw the punch at you really hard, you may even have to have time out from training and I won’t even be able to train with you.
Remember martial art techniques are dangerous! when you use them with full power it can lead to anything from severe concussions, broken noses, broken jaws and broken ribs. If we were to spar like this every week, it would simply not be sustainable.
The fact that there are so many great fighters who are not going hard in sparring is proof that you do not need it. Basically you can develop great timing and reactions without it. Now I’m sure a lot of you are going to say that we need hard sparing to stay tough but the truth Is once you have been hit hard once you pretty much know what it feels like to get hit hard. It does not give you any benefits to get hit hard regularly! That Is nonsense. Martial art is about learning not to get hit! The better your defensive reactions the less you get hit! And you can learn these reactions through light sparring and drilling .
So so if you fancy beating the shit out of each other on a regular basis and being a punchdrunk moron with dementia in the next few years, I’m sure there are many gyms that will accommodate you. However, if you want to train smart and develop good defensive reactions so that you can compete at pro level with a chance of hitting and not getting hit. Then you can come to Mma Dojo.
