Over the years, MMA’s popularity has skyrocketed worldwide, including the world of eSports, thanks to the efforts of promotion companies like the UFC and television shows like The Ultimate Fighter, where bettors can legitimately bet at BetShah for live matches. MMA’s rise to fame has emphasized the value of learning more than one martial art, as competitors in the sport must be well-versed in striking and grappling.
MMA matches contenders from distinct fighting styles against one another. Typical bouts feature boxers facing off against wrestlers, Judoka versus Karateka, wrestlers against kickboxers, and so on. As mixed martial arts (MMA) gained national attention, competitors began incorporating techniques from other disciplines into their routines. This development resulted in the four main MMA styles, sometimes called the four pillars or staples.
The 4 Core Martial Arts Fighting Styles
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
Grappling and ground fighting is central to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ), a form of martial art. The basic idea is that anyone, no matter how small or weak, may use good technique and leverage to protect themselves or escape an attack from an attacker far larger than them. Its usefulness in the real world has propelled it to the forefront of modern mixed martial arts.
Submission holds, in which you use your opponent’s weight and momentum to bind their arms, legs, or neck, are important to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. As a result of its ability to reduce the fighter’s reliance on raw strength, it may be practiced by people of varying heights, weights, and ages. With the right strategy, someone of diminutive stature may easily defeat someone twice their size. The sport calls for both physical fitness and an awareness of correctly executing moves.
Boxing
A long-standing tradition in MMA is the use of boxing. Over 3200 years ago, the sport was originally practiced in ancient Greece. In the early 18th century, boxing saw renewed popularity, led by the United States and Britain athletes. Since then, boxing has developed into a popular combat sport worldwide, where fighters use various techniques, including hitting and grappling, to achieve victory.
Techniques like uppercuts, crosses, jabs, etc., are emphasized heavily in the sport. One misplaced punch could end the fight for you, so you need to be careful. That either boxer can be knocked out with a single blow makes boxing a thrilling spectator sport. During each round of a boxing competition, the competitors have three minutes to try to land punches on each other without being hit.
Boxing is a combat sport that requires upper-body strength and stamina. Both sports need their participants’ high level of fitness and upper-body strength. Boxing is a combat sport in which competitors use their fists to strike each other until one is knocked out or wins on the scorecard.
Muay Thai/Kickboxing
Knees, elbows, shins/feet, and boxing punches are commonly linked with Muay Thai, sometimes known as “Thai Boxing,” due to the sport’s reputation for brutality. They are commonly utilized to strike at an adversary’s torso and head. Muay Thai is widely hailed as the best striking style for use at close range. The striking style originates in Thailand and gained popularity as a ring sport during the reign of King Naresuan.
This form of combat sports rose to prominence due to its widespread availability, positive public perception, and relative safety. The physical demands of Muay Thai are high, especially for those who compete at the highest levels and can go the distance over several five-minute rounds without tiring. These competitors also require the stamina to strike, defend, and clinch quickly. The eight contact locations in this method of fighting include the fists, shins, elbows, and knees. Muay Thai is a terrific addition to mixed martial arts because of its variety of hitting methods. The roundhouse kick, one of Muay Thai’s most powerful weapons, may knock out an opponent in one solid blow if delivered with full force.
Wrestling
In wrestling, the goal is to take your opponent to the mat, establish dominance, and finish them off with a pin. If not for Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu’s popularity, wrestling would be MMA’s second most popular martial art.
However, many former wrestlers have found success in mixed martial arts (MMA) thanks to their takedown and positional control skills on the ground. Wrestling is a grappling sport in which competitors attempt to take down and pin their opponent to the mat using a variety of holds for points or a pin. Wrestling is arguably the best grappling style for mixed martial arts bouts.
The catch-as-catch-can nature of grappling means that it can be practiced either standing or with both fighters on the ground and involve clinch fights, throws, joint locks, and chokes. The combination of striking, grappling, and wrestling against an opponent has led to its meteoric rise in popularity.
What And Why Do MMA Academies Teach Their Athletes?
Most mixed martial artists (MMA) fighters employ some of the four styles mentioned above. Two to four of these are typically offered at MMA academies. Boring as it may seem to those not immersed in MMA culture, “boring” typically wins the fight, and a primary goal of MMA training camps and schools is to educate fighters on how to win.
A mixed martial artist’s income is directly proportional to their winning percentage in bouts. Those with ambitions to compete in the big promotions must amass a solid winning record. The same kinds of pressures can be felt at school or camp. If the school’s students continuously get into fights and lose, no one will want to enroll there.
MMA schools teach these four pillars because they are essential to the success of both athletes and trainers. These methods are effective!
What Makes These Four Pillars So Crucial?
Due to the importance of ground fighting, the breadth of striking coverage provided by boxing, wrestling, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, and muay thai, and the fact that many MMA fighters already have experience in one or more of these arts, these four styles have become the backbone of mixed martial arts.
Mixed martial arts (MMA) are a fusion of several martial arts. However, they consist mostly of four different combat disciplines. Those familiar with these four competition formats have an advantage under the Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts.
Students with no prior martial arts experience can benefit from cross-training using the 4-pillar approach. Students are expected to master all four approaches simultaneously rather than focusing on one and adding another to compensate for its shortcomings.