MMA Training Gear and Competition Introduction
By Kenny Florian

Clothing for Training
Acquiring the right equipment is important for safety and getting the most out of your training sessions.

A solid pair of training shorts is important. Accordingly, you want shorts that are going to take the wear and tear of hard training. You also want a pair of shorts that are easy to move in and comfortable to wear. Wearing regular cotton gym shorts is not recommended as they will get wet easy due to sweat and can hinder movement. I recommend the ultimate training shorts made by the Sprawl Fight Short Company. Sprawl is the first company to have board shorts for MMA and grappling. Sprawl has set the standard for the best shorts in the business.

A rash guard is also very important when training. During the fight, you are bare chested, so you want to mimic that same feeling in training. The rash guard will also keep you clean. They have long sleeve and short sleeve rash guards to train in. The rash guards at Sirius Athletic are great to wear for many reasons. The quality is amazing. They are made extra long, preventing the rash guard from riding up. Plus, they are extremely comfortable and they look cool!

If you are training in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, finding a good quality kimono (gi) or uniform is important. You want it to be comfortable and well constructed so it lasts a long time. I recommend Sirius Athletic kimonos. In my opinion, they are simply the best BJJ uniforms in the world.

Equipment for Training
Gloves are part of your training and fighting. There are MMA gloves, sparring MMA gloves and the regular 16 oz boxing gloves. All can be used when training. It is a good idea to have at least one of them for training. Obviously, the smaller MMA glove is best to train with. However, you just can't go very hard at all with the striking. Provided, you don't punch that hard with them, they are fine to use. However, by no means should you be sparring all out with those tiny gloves or any gloves for that matter. If you are doing that, you are asking for a serious hand injury and you will most definitely injure your training partner pretty badly.

A mouth guard is an absolute must for training. Even when grappling, they should be worn to protect you from losing teeth, cutting up your lips, saving your partner's hands and protecting you from knockouts and/or concussions.

Headgear is also a wise investment because you can protect yourself when sparring on your feet or on the ground. Although it will save you from cuts, wearing headgear doesn't give you the green light to start pounding on your partner's head. Plus, you will not be completely shielded from head trauma. Remember, you use your training partners to get better - not to beat them up. When sparring, you should rarely be striking past 60%.

Shin guards are important when kicking and defending against kicks. They will prevent bruises, fractures and injuring your partner.

Kneepads are a sensible idea - especially when training wrestling or grappling on the ground. Kneepads will save your knees from the impact and rubbing from the mat.

Wrestling ear guards are a good investment as well. Your ears can go through some trauma when training wrestling, grappling or striking. Keep them protected so you don't end up with permanent disfigurement of the ears which is called cauliflower ears.

Doing Your Homework
Watching instructional DVDs can be a beneficial learning tool. They can be a good addition to what you learn at your school. I produced two Instructional DVDs that you can find in my online store. One is for Sport BJJ and the other is for MMA and submission wrestling. Along with watching instructional DVDs, viewing competitions on DVD or at a local event will teach you a lot as well. You can see first hand what is and isn't effective. Be sure to study the most capable competitors, analyze what they are doing that makes them successful in the fight. Plus, attending events can give you a reasonable idea of what to expect when it is your time to compete.