5 things to look out for when joining an MMA academy.
Choosing the right academy and coach will be one of the most difficult decisions you will make in your Martial Arts journey.
Here are our top 5 things to look out for:
1. Know your trainer
Unfortunately there is no formal governing body to control and oversee the coaching of MMA. Due to this anyone with the funds can open up a training facility and start coaching. This can result in under qualified trainers teaching potentially dangerous techniques that can result in serious or life -long injuries.
In order to protect yourself from this you should look at the trainer’s affiliation and their reputation. Look for testimonials from people who have trained at the academy. Look at the trainer’s education and qualifications, do they belong to any organizations? There is more to a trainer than just being a fighter. The more education they have in all areas will make them better equipped to help you learn on the mat.
2. Training Environment
Martial Arts training can be very rewarding but also dangerous. Teaching someone the incorrect technique will result in injury not only to themselves but to their training partners. That’s why it is important that the training environment is always supervised during drilling and practice and all students receive attention.
Academy rules should also be visible as this will outline the do’s and don’ts. The rules will also outline how a person should behave on the mats and remind them to leave their ego at the door.
3. Attitudes
Do the students share a hyper competitive attitude or are they supportive of each other and share a friendly and welcoming attitude. Most people training in martial arts will never compete, this means that they are all there for different reasons, be it self-defence, weight loss, confidence, etc.
4. More than a number
There is nothing sweeter than hearing your own name called out. In an overcrowded environment it’s hard to not get lost even if it isn’t the trainers intention. See how everyone is treated during class, do they joke and does the trainer know the student’s names.
