Boxing training for an MMA fight, at Apollos Boxing in Bolton we get a lot of MMA fighters coming down to us to work on their boxing technique and to improve there boxing skills for their MMA fights.
We have been lucky to of worked with some high level MMA fighters over the years including Saul Rogers (Bellator signed MMA fighter and former TUF finalist) Jack Cartwright (current cage warriors world champion) Martin Stapleton (former cage warriors world champion) Pietro Menga who has competed on every major MMA organisations including Bellator and many other MMA fighters from around the UK.
MMA has grown in recent years and the growth of the sports continues to rise, alongside the growth of MMA the nature of the fights has also evolved with no one MMA fighter now only skilled in one area for example now each one fighter is just outstanding at wrestling or boxing but is a rounded fighter.
The evolution of MMA will continue for as long as the sport is around and many of the high level MMA fighters now look to improve specific areas for example boxing and Brazilian Ju Jitsu!
Apollos Boxing prides itself on making every session specific to each students individual needs, when we are coaching MMA fighters we make sure that each technique is taught in such a way that it applies to an MMA fight.
Some boxing techniques that are generally taught in a lot of amateur and professional boxing gyms don’t really apply as much is an MMA fight!
There are only slight differences between the techniques from a boxing fight and an MMA fight as far as the types of defenses and attacks used the difference is the amount of time spent doing them for example you would not stand in range blocking shots and would not stand still throwing long combinations leaving more opening for take downs and giving more opportunities to get caught with a big shot with those small MMA gloves. The differences for both defense and attack are below –
Defensive boxing skills – Some defensive techniques for example standing still and blocking shots on their gloves become less useful, it doesn’t mean there not useful at all but the higher percentage defenses that we teach at Apollos Boxing to the MMA fighters are head movement and foot movement, these allow the MMA fighter to hit and escape quickly without giving too many opportunities to get taken down or caught with a big shot either with those little MMA gloves or a shin!
Offensive boxing skills – Attacks that work in a boxing match would also work in an MMA fight, the only differences being that would like to get your boxing punches and boxing combinations off and then get out before getting caught yourself so basically like a raid just get in get your shots off and get back out again, there is another article on creative punching on the Apollos Boxing website that explains the ideas behind setting up your punches and boxing combinations.
As you can see there are no massive differences between the way we train the MMA fighters at Apollos Boxing than the way we train the amateur and professional boxers that train with us, the difference is the amount of time you spend doing each one and the higher percentage boxing techniques used in an MMA fight than you would in an amateur boxing match so basically it is the same moves just done either less or more from one sport to another.
Over the fifteen years we have been coaching boxing to not only boxers but to MMA fighters we have developed the way we teach boxing here at Apollos Boxing and the results speak for themselves with a current MMA world champion training with us and many other high level MMA fighters from around the area it is a tried and tested formula!
If you are interested in learning how to box for an up and coming MMA fight then please contact us as Apollos Boxing, we don’t just teach people who want to compete in amateur, white collar or professional boxing and MMA matches but also people who just want to use boxing as a way to get fit and lose weight!