Can You Learn MMA at Home? | Explained

by Martial Arts Insider September 12, 2022

In the last few years, seemingly everything has transitioned to being able to do from home.

Many people wonder whether this includes being able to learn MMA in the comfort of their own home.

In this page, we will cover whether or not you can learn MMA at home, and if so, the best way to do so.

Can You Learn MMA at Home?

You can definitely learn MMA at home, however you will be limited in what you are able to do.

In a normal environment such as a gym, you're able to drill and practice different techniques (under supervision) on your opponent, however at home you'll have to do a bit of improvising.

Depending on which martial art that you are trying to train, you'll need different amounts of space and equipment at home.

If you are wanting to train Jiu Jitsu or Wrestling at home, you'll need a grappling dummy and/or a wrestling mat.

This is due to the fact that these grappling based martial arts will need you to put some part of your body on the ground throughout training.

Training on an appropriate mat will spare you a lot of unnecessary superficial injuries such as scrapes and cuts.

On the other hand if you want to train a striking based martial arts such as Muay Thai and Boxing, you'll need gloves (and possibly shin guards).

punching at home

However, these martial arts you can easily train against air while still putting yourself through a rigorous workout.

Studying MMA

The most important thing that you can do at home however, is study MMA.

Every great athlete at the top of their field, has studied those who were the best at their craft.

youtube mma

Then they've taken techniques that worked for them, learned it, and implemented it into their own game.

Breaking down each martial art and studying it part by part is the easiest way make progress and improve, without overwhelming yourself.

The great basketball star Kobe Bryant explains that he studied Michael Jordan so much, that he was able to replicate a variety of his moves successfully into his own game as he would go on to have a hall of fame career.

Even at the high school level nowadays, they offer HUDL, which is a tool where players can watch their own film, and film of their opponents throughout the season.

Understanding Yourself as a MMA Student

The more that you understand Mixed Martial Arts itself, and the more film that you watch on other successful Mixed martial artists, the quicker that you'll be able to dissect your own game.

It's important to self-evaluate and understand what you're good at, and what you're not so good at yet.

checklist

You can break down your strengths and weaknesses through several components.

Grappler Checklist

Takedown & Takedown Defense
Which guard are you most comfortable with? Open, closed, half?
Passing the guard. Do you have more than 5 ways to pass each one?
Are you comfortable sweeping your opponent?
Which submissions are your go-to submissions?
Is your top game strong enough where opponents don't easily escape?
Do you have answers to escaping mount?
Is your squeeze strong enough to get a fast tap or does it take a while?
Are you flexible enough where you can perform most submissions?

Striker Checklist

Striking offense & striking defense
Which combinations are you most comfortable with landing?
When you punch with one hand, is your other hand protecting your head?
Do you feel comfortable striking forward?
Do you feel comfortable striking backwards?
Are you able to consistently cut the angle off on an opponent?
Are you able to level change during combinations?
During exchanges, when is it that you get hit the most?
During exchanges, when is it that you get hit the least?

Buy Home Equipment

Practicing alone can get real boring quickly, especially if you have nothing to physically practice your moves and techniques on.

A BJJ grappling dummy can come in especially handy, as it'll provide you with a human-like shape, and limbs that you can grab on to.

You can even put a Gi on the dummy, to practice as realistically as possible.

Dummies won't provide you any resistance, however they can help you gain confidence, as you can practice your placement, body positioning, and speed of your submission.

By the time that you're able to do it live, you'll have a better understanding on how exactly your path to that submission will be.