Three Basic MMA Techniques Everyone Should Learn

• By Grant Young

Learning basic MMA techniques can be incredibly beneficial for numerous reasons. Whether you're interested in self-defense, improving your fitness, or exploring a new hobby, MMA training provides a comprehensive skill set that can enhance your physical and mental well-being. 

By learning basic MMA techniques, you'll not only acquire valuable self-defense skills, but also improve your strength, agility, and overall confidence. 

Additionally, MMA training offers a dynamic and engaging workout experience that can help you stay motivated and committed to your fitness goals.

And even if you aren’t planning to become the next UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) world champion, learning MMA is the perfect way to learn how to defend yourself. 

Learning MMA for self-defense can be highly effective due to its focus on a wide range of combat techniques. MMA training encompasses striking, grappling, and submission techniques, providing a versatile skill set for defending against different types of attacks. 

This comprehensive approach to self-defense prepares individuals to handle various real-life situations, making it a practical and valuable form of training for personal safety. Moreover, the conditioning and mental fortitude developed through MMA practice can instill the confidence and preparedness needed to handle threatening encounters.

Stepping into a MMA gym for the first time can be daunting. This is why learning the basic techniques through an online course like that of SBG Idaho makes all of the sense in the world. 

SBG Idaho (formerly known as Combat Fitness) offers world-class training in self-defense, combat athletics, and fitness, as well as incredible opportunities for physical, mental, and emotional growth! At SBG we believe this type of training should be available for EVERYONE – 45-year-old professors, 53-year-old attorneys, 22-year-old MMA fighters, all men, women, and children.

SBG has over 50 thriving locations, all over the world, on every continent (except Antarctica)! From the USA and Canada to Europe, Asia, and Africa – SBG is known all across the globe for its incredible, innovative, and inclusive approach to martial arts training.

With this wealth of worldwide knowledge, SBG Idaho’s ‘MMA Techniques’ course represents your perfect opportunity to reach your Mixed Martial Arta goals, whatever they may be. 

Ankle Pick

The ankle pick technique has become a popular part of MMA folklore, given that UFC legend Tony Ferguson went viral for threatening to ankle pick a much bigger UFC colleague after that colleague interrupted him while he was speaking in an interview. Despite this, the ankle pick remains one of the most effective techniques for bringing an opponent to the ground in MMA. 

An ankle pick is a takedown technique in wrestling and grappling that involves pulling an opponent's ankle while pushing their upper body in the opposite direction. 

Coach Ransom of SBG Idaho teaches this technique by starting in a square stance, directly facing your training partner while both are holding judo grips (one hand on the Gi’s lapel with the other holding its sleeve).

From there, you will want to take a step backward on the side where you’re holding an arm’s sleeve then pull on the side of the arm that you’re holding the sleeve of. This will get the opponent off balance and cause them to bring the foot on that side back to balance. This presents an opportunity to pick up the ankle with one’s open hand, lift it as high as possible, taking a step forward then another step behind the opponent’s grounded foot, pushing them backward as you do so. 

This will cause them to lose their balance completely and fall to the ground. 

Because your opponent will be so worried about regaining their balance in the middle of the ankle pick, this will cause them to stop thinking about landing any offense against you and enter complete defense mode. This will create an advantage for you.

Firemans Carry Takedown

The fireman's carry takedown is among the most effective and indefensible wrestling techniques that are used in MMA. It is a wrestling takedown that's a fundamental move in freestyle, Greco-Roman, and high school folk-style wrestling. It's easy to teach, hard to defend and gives the wrestler a chance to score back points.

This technique begins with two opponents facing each other in a grappling stance. You will then want to get your opponent to reach out at you (typically by getting too close to them), and from there you will grab the bicep of the arm they reached out with. 

From there, you are going to take a step forward to get yourself into a better position, turn to the side where you’re still dropping your opponent’s bicep then drop to your knees. 

You will then grip your opponent’s leg, tighten your grip on their arm, then pull down on the arm across your body as you lift the leg and throw them across your back so that they land face-up on the ground. 

Jab Cross Left Hook Counter

Because the left hook is one of the most common counterpunching techniques for an orthodox (right-handed) MMA fighter, it is important to learn an effective counter to that punch that will give you the upper hand. 

A great left hook counter combination you can train is by starting with a simple jab and then cross (a 1,2). From there, the person who is holding your mitts will simulate a left cross. You will duck under it so that you’re on the outside of their left shoulder after they throw their hook. This will make them defenseless and put you in a perfect position to deliver a lethal combination. 

This combination will be a right cross, a left hook, and then a right cross, all of which should be thrown at the opponent’s face.