FOLLOWING THE UPTAKE OF COMBAT SPORTS IN FITNESS TRAINING, THERE’S CLEARLY
MORE TO THEM THAN BLACK BELTS AND BLACK EYES. THOUGH, ARE THEY WORTH THE RISK?THE FIGHTER IN YOU
Andforgoodreason.Onehourof
boxing will burn close to 750 calories,
compared to 470 during circuit training.
And that’s without even mentioning the
technical dificulty involved.
Yet, the question still remains: with a
full-timejob,dailymeetingswithclients
andageneraldesiretokeepyourfaceintact,
is it possible to take up combat sports without
risking a collection of unlattering bruises
forallintheworkplacetosee?
Speaking to Thiago Stefanutti of
Melbourne’sAbsoluteMMA,theanswer
is a resounding yes. As someone who hasN
ot so long ago, if you wanted
to start boxing, the only option
wasasweatyoldbuilding
resembling a warehouse more
thanagym.Inside,thesoundofheavy
breathing accompanied by the pounding
ofcowhideleatheronpads(orlesh).
Now, the story is different. Walk into
mostmajorgymsintheworldandyou’ll
indanarrayofclassesinanythingfrom
boxing to Brazilian jiu-jitsu. Disciplines once
consideredanexcuseformindlessviolence
have become legitimate sports – more so,
some of the hardest in the world.trainedmultipleworldchampionsin
Brazilianjiu-jitsu,hetellsus,“Martial
arts are the future of the itness industry”.
“Lotsofpeoplewanttotrainlike
aighterbuttheydon’tnecessarilywant
tobeaighter,”explainsStefanutti.
“Theydon’twantthescarypart...I’m
totallyhappytoseepeopleusemartial
arts to improve their itness.”
Temptedtoditchthetreadmillforthe
gloves? If so, use this breakdown to discover
whichsport,fromtheclassicstothenewbies,is
rightforyou.Andwhetheryouwanttoactually
enter the ring – that’s entirely up to you.Unsurprisingly,
Stefanutti credits the
rising popularity of
combatsportstothe
UFC. “It all starts with
the UFC development;
this becoming popular
shookupthemartialarts
world.”Thego-tooption
forallthosehopingto
walk in the Gucci-loafer-
shaped footsteps of
acertainIrishfighter.
WILLIGETHURT?
Does Conor McGregor
have an anger problem?
WHERE’SBESTTODOIT?
UFCGym;Level2/93
O’Riordan St, Sydney;
ufcgymsydney.com
ORIGIN?The first time the
term MMA was used was
in 1993 by American TV
pundit Howard Rosenberg.
REQUIRED WATCHING
The Notorious.Boxing for the masses,
this is a good starting
point for anyone keen
tomixuptheirworkout
routinewithzerointerest
in actually stepping
between the ropes.
However, beware of
bad coaches – Stefanutti
says it’s in boxing he
sees the most
questionable training
methods. Best to start
here then graduate to
a dedicated boxing gym.
WILL I GET HURT?
Probably not.
WHERETODOIT?
Literally anywhere.
ORIGIN?Western gyms.
REQUIRED WATCHING
The Fighter.Be prepared to get
alittlemessy.Focusing
on grappling and ground
fighting,it’sahighly
technical sport that
evolvedasanadaptation
ofjudo.Evenifyou’veset
your sights on entering
theUFC(betterlatethen
ever,wesay)Stefanutti
advisesstartinghere
withafundamentals
classthenprogressing
toMMAwhenyou’ve
mastered the basics.
Yo u r c a l l.
WILLIGETHURT?
Possibly.
WHERETODOIT?
Absolute MMA,
Melbourne;
absolutemma.net.au
ORIGIN?Brazil. Duh.
REQUIRED WATCHING
Lethal Weapon.Because boxing just
with your hands is so
passé. The Japanese may
be credited with birthing
modern kickboxing but
it was Jean-Claude Van
Damme who brought it
to the world’s attention
with 1989 classic
Kickboxer.Thatwas
before he switched his
attention to selling
light beer.
WILLIGETHURT?
Certainly possible.
WHERETODOIT?
Corporate Box Gym,
6/497 Lutw yche Rd,
Brisbane;corporate
boxgym.com.au
ORIGIN?Japan.
REQUIRED WATCHING
Kickboxer.Jiu-jitsu’s edgier
younger brother.
Developed for the
Israeli Defense Forces,
it’s an amalgamation
of different techniques
including boxing,
wrestling and karate,
and aims to counter
real-world threats, like
being mugged – or if
you’re Tom Cruise in
Collateral,disarming
abaton-wieldinglunatic.
Either, or.
WILLIGETHURT?
Unlikely.
WHERETODOIT?
Combat Arts Institute
of Australia, 341 Oxford
St, Perth;combatarts
institute.com.au
ORIGIN?Israel.
REQUIRED WATCHING
Collateral.MMA
DIFFICULTY RATINGBOXERCISE
DIFFICULTY RATINGBRAZILIAN
JIU-JITSU
KICKBOXING
DIFFICULTY RATINGKRAV MAGA
DIFFICULTY RATING DIFFICULTY RATING