MMA 101 – The Five Things You Must Bring to Your First MMA Training Session

Here on the official TapouTVTC.com blog, we have already told you why you should be training MMA, and what to consider when choosing an MMA program.

Now you are ready to start your MMA training. You’ve already been learning from the best fighters in the world on TapouTVTC.com, and now you’re going to take those skills and use them in an actual gym for the first time.

But before you head to the gym, I want to make sure that you are fully and completely prepared. There have been so many times that I have seen someone walk into the gym that I train at for the first time, ready to get their training on, only to be limited in their first class because they didn’t bring the proper gear. I want you to get the most out of every second of your gym time, so don’t let that guy be you!

Most MMA gyms should have basic sparring gear like gloves and head gear, and while I would recommend eventually picking those things up for yourself, there is no need to break the bank on them when you’re first starting out. What you will need are the five items that I have put together in this handy checklist below.

You can pick up all of these items for less than $100 total, and they’ll last you for years during your training.

1) Mouthguard

Dental work is expensive, mouth guards are cheap

Having a mouthguard (also called a mouthpiece) is absolutely non-negotiable when you are doing any sort of contact training at my gym, and it is the number-one thing that new students don’t have or forget to bring.

Wearing a mouthguard protects your teeth from getting knocked out, your tongue from getting bitten, and it allows you to keep your jaw clenched while sparring, which helps prevent you from getting knocked out and keeps your jaw from getting broken. A lot of guys I train with think you only need a mouthguard when you are throwing strikes, but I have seen more mouth injuries from accidental head butts during grappling than I ever have in actual sparring sessions. No matter what kind of training you’re doing, if you are working with a partner, your mouthguard should be in.

Remember, dental work is long, expensive and painful. A mouthpiece is cheap and takes less than a second to put in. Which one would you rather have?

TapouT sells an excellent line of affordable mouthguards, or you can pick one up at just about any sporting goods store. Just make sure that you buy a single-sided mouthguard, as opposed to the double-sided ones that some people use in football. These allow you to breathe a little easier out of your mouth and won’t come with a hook that protrudes out of your mouth (which lets football players attach their mouthpiece to their helmet). Also be sure to follow the molding instructions that will come with your mouthguard BEFORE your first training session. Using an unmolded mouthguard will not protect you nearly as much as a molded one will.

2) Fight shorts

Stylish, durable, and they won't fall down

When you are training MMA, the last thing that you want is for your clothes to be a hindrance. Baggy basketball shorts might look cool, but they get caught easily when you are grappling, make it harder to throw kicks, and have a greater chance of getting pulled down while you’re wrestling. And let me tell you, there is nothing more embarrassing than trying to defend a double leg takedown while your pants are sliding down your butt.

I have two preferred types of shorts that I wear when I train. Board shorts and fight shorts are made with a thick polyester that is durable and won’t rip during grappling. Most board shorts also have a draw string, so you can keep them tight even after you shed a few pounds. Again, TapouT has a great selection of board shorts and fight shorts, and while they might be a little pricier than the cheap gym shorts that you can find in a department store, you’ll make up the difference in the quality and durability.

If you want something that offers you even more mobility, compression shorts won’t get caught on anything and do not give your opponent anything to grab onto. Compression shorts are the preferred attire for our competition team for that exact reason.

Even if you are wearing fight shorts, I would recommend wearing compression shorts underneath them. Fight shorts have a tendency to ride up during grappling, especially when you are on your back, and having compression shorts underneath will keep you from feeling exposed.

3) Athletic shirt

The type of shirt that you wear to MMA training is a matter of personal preference, and some people prefer not to wear a shirt at all. Just know that if you are doing any sort of grappling or wrestling, there is a decent chance that the shirt you are wearing is going to get stretched and possibly ripped. Because of that, I prefer a durable workout shirt specifically designed for MMA training, or a tight-fitting compression shirt that can’t get grabbed.

My personal preference is to wear a sleeveless shirt, which feels cooler and doesn’t give my opponent any handle when they are fishing for arm drags and triangle chokes.

4) Athletic cup

You'll thank us

The Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts requires competitors to use three pieces of equipment; a mouthguard, 4 oz. gloves, and a cup. And while groin strikes are not legal like they used to be, accidents can still happen, and you will be thankful that you are wearing your cup when they do.

You would think that after the first time you got hit in the groin, the pain would be enough to ensure that you always wear your cup, but I am amazed at how many guys continue to risk life and limb — okay, that’s maybe a slight exaggeration — even after they’ve been floored by a groin shot multiple times in their training career.

Why risk it? At some point in your training, you WILL get hit in the groin. After you spend enough time in the gym, it simply becomes a law of averages. And when that day does come, I want you to think back to this article, and thank TapouTVTC.com for saving you some serious pain.

5) Hand wraps

Always protect your hands

Your hand and wrist are made up of 27 small bones, which means that every time you land a punch on a bag or opponent, those 27 bones absorb a significant amount of force.

Hand injuries are surprisingly debilitating. At their worst, hand injures can actually keep you out of competition or sideline you from training for an extended period of time. At the very least, they are uncomfortable and can make any sort of MMA activity painful and uncomfortable.

Wearing proper training gloves protect your hand to an extent, but hand wraps will provide support for your wrist and keep the bones in your hand compressed and tight, which limits the chance of a break.

Hand wraps come in a variety of lengths, but you should look for a pair that are at least 170 inches long. This gives you enough fabric to tightly wrap the wrist and knuckles multiple times, which will add more protection and allow for a sturdier wrap.

Your coaches should be able to teach you how to wrap your hands properly, and websites like Youtube are a great source of instruction. Or if you want to learn from the best, TapouTVTC.com has hand wrap lessons from Jacob ‘Stitch’ Duran, the best cornerman in all of MMA.

***

And there you have it, every piece of equipment that you need to walk into your first MMA training session and start kicking butt.

You can buy everything on this list in one trip or the store, or in 15 minutes online. Proper equipment will keep you safe, and make your MMA workout more enjoyable. Now head to the gym, and make sure to show your new training partners some of the moves you learned on TapouTVTC.com while you’re there!

Cameron Gidari is the official writer for TapouTVTC.com. Follow him on Twitter at Twitter.com/GidariTapouTVTC