Transitioning to MMA from Kickboxing

**brclry** · Posted On: 1/31/2012 1:13pm

Hey everyone, I am training to transition from full contact kickboxing, to MMA. I am still with my kickboxing school, and cant afford to join the local MMA gym for another 3 months. We have a high level college wrestler who just joined the kickboxing Gym. I was wondering if anyone knows of any drills that we can incorporate into our training, that would make me better prepared when I go to the MMA gym. I want to be as prepared as I can be when I go to the new Gym, so I can get into an ameteur match quickly.

**Permalost** · Posted On: 1/31/2012 2:13pm

Sounds to me like your high level college wrestler training partner is the one you should be asking about drills.

**jdempsey** · Posted On: 1/31/2012 2:32pm

I hope you get some good feedback, I'm also interested. I'm doing a similar thing and have 0 wrestlers to train with, apart from the mma guys (who are primarily strikers).

**searcher66071** · Posted On: 2/02/2012 8:48am

Work on sprawling, takedown defense, and escaping from crappy positions(bottom of cross-body, underneath mount,..).

***Omega Supreme*** · Posted On: 2/02/2012 11:11am

The truth of matter is you need total immersion. When you start to get grasp on the wrestling you can then add your new found reflexes into your stand up. The collegiate wrestler needs to learn some basic striking. Then spar mixed. Then get you submission game going. How will you do that? I wouldn't know, I have no idea what resources you have at your disposal.

If kickboxing is your strength you should be concentrating keeping the game standing. When the wrestler takes you down, you need to work on getting up. This is fine in the beginning but you need somebody that knows submissions to also mix it up because you're going to become vulnerable to submissions while trying to escape. There are several striking drills which retard the advancement of most pure wrestlers. Let me know when you're ready for them.

**gregaquaman** · Posted On: 2/02/2012 8:45pm

Omega is right but here are some simple drills to get you going.

Double leg/single leg. And defence.

Pummeling for underhooks.

Our rule of thumb. Double leg is attempted after a left hand strike. Single leg after a right hand strike.

Shoot either if you are striking or they are. Not just when you are standing there.

**jdempsey** · Posted On: 2/03/2012 12:42am

Originally Posted by gregaquaman

Our rule of thumb. Double leg is attempted after a left hand strike. Single leg after a right hand strike

Is that after you throw your own punch?

***Omega Supreme*** · Posted On: 2/03/2012 12:49am

Originally Posted by jdempsey

Is that after you throw your own punch?

Before he answers I'm going to say no. A person is most vunerable while throwing the punch. If you try to throw, shoot the takedown, and evade the punch (time), it's too much.