The Academy Of Mixed Martial Arts

There is no one, single organization calling itself The Academy of Mixed Martial Arts. Not yet anyway. And there is no governing body of mixed martial arts called the Academy of Mixed Martial Arts either, although perhaps there ought to be. After all an 'academy' is by definition a 'place of higher learning', so it would make a great name for such a body. This is however the reason why so many dojos choose to call themselves 'The Academy of Mixed Martial Arts'.

The Academy Of Mixed Martial Arts

So what should you expect from an MMA gym or dojo that has given itself the title of 'The Academy of Mixed Martial Arts'?

Safety is the first thing to look for in any activity. Not all activities have the potential to be equally safe, that is for sure. Sky diving will never be as safe as chess, but some sky diving schools have a better safety record than others.

And so it is with mixed martial arts schools, Mixed martial arts fighting is always going to be more dangerous than most other sports, which is why it is called an extreme sport, but it is also why safety is even more important, especially for kids.

In order to judge the safety record of 'The Academy of Mixed Martial Arts' that you are interested in:

• walk around the dojo and look at the condition of the equipment. Does it look well maintained?
• look in the toilets. Are they clean?
• ask what First Aid training staff have had and ask to see certificates of competence in First Aid.
• ask about serious accidents; ask to see the Accident Book and leaf through it to gain an impression of which accidents are the most common
• ask what their policy is on bullying and how they deal with it in practice

The next thing to look for in any place calling itself 'The Academy of Mixed Martial Arts' is its ability to teach you what you want to know. In order to be able to achieve this a dojo will need:

• competent, well-trained staff, experienced staff and instructors
• enough of the right equipment
• enough space to be able to train without getting under each others' feet

Do you just want to learn MMA for personal fitness or self defence or do you know which martial arts you specifically want to study?

The Academy of Mixed Martial Arts that you choose should be able to offer classes in at least the most common martial arts like: boxing, wrestling, jiu jitsu, karate, kickboxing and judo.

However, they may have to call in outside instructors, if you want to learn more unusual or specialized combative techniques like: muay Thai (Thai boxing or Thai kickboxing), Gracie jiu-jitsu, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, tae kwon do, jeet kune do or kung fu.

That is not to be held against the gym, as long as they can find the coaching that you need.

Lastly, when choosing The Academy of Mixed Martial Arts to train you, can you fit in with its times? Is it open when you need it to be open? And if you cannot make a scheduled workshop, can you book private training to catch up.

If you follow these guidelines, you should not have any trouble choosing a dojo that truly has the right to call itself 'The Academy of Mixed Martial Arts'.