Should I train Sumo for MMA?

**vicjenny** · Posted On: 7/16/2007 5:01pm

Hi guys, first time poster here, although I have been lurking for a while. I really like this forum, seems to be a lot more people posting with hard martial arts experience. There also seems to be a little bit less bickering over stupid crap. Enough, of that and onto my training question though. A little bit of training may make my question make a little more sense. I have been training mixed martial arts for only about two months. Unfortunately, right now I am up in Alaska to commercial fish for the summer and have no one to train with. My background is primarily in wrestling, I was a state champion in high school and have done some wrestling in college before I had to transfer out of that school. Since than, I trained Judo for a little over a year, and enjoyed it a lot. I thought naturally it fit my body type body than wrestling. In the fall I am taking a year of school to go work on my Muay Thai and juijitsu in Thailand. Once I get back, I will be back to my MMA training. Although I am trying hard to improve my striking, taking a guy down and putting him on his back will always be my bread and butter. My shots are not as solid as you would expect from someone with my wrestling background, I generally do most of my work in the clinch. I generally get my takedowns using overhooks and underhooks to push the guy into the fence and push him down from there? Would training sumo help much with my ability to push an opponent into the fence? I was wondering if anyone has trained sumo, and how much if any it helped them? Is it good stuff, or more ceremonial? Would a couple months of training it make me able to get people stuck against the fence in a hurry, or am I better of sticking to my greco for that?

**kwoww** · Posted On: 7/16/2007 6:26pm

See: UFC 1.

But really your ability to push someone into the fence has nothing to do with style. It's pure strength.

**vicjenny** · Posted On: 7/16/2007 8:00pm

Well I know some technuiqe is involved with pushing someone because of the leverage, and my years and years of wrestling. I was more wondering if anyone had actually trained sumo, and if it helped them with this or was a waste of time.

**kwoww** · Posted On: 7/16/2007 8:02pm

In the first UFC a sumo champion was owned.

Try training takedowns/clinching with resistance bands or whatever. I'm just guessing in the dark because I know nothing about grappling, but I know for sure that sumo wrestling is not an effective fighting art.

**hoodedmonk** · Posted On: 7/16/2007 8:36pm

I have never trained sumo, but I would think a good mma gym should be able to address all of your take down and ring controll needs.(I guess training sumo wouldnt hurt you any though)