Shin guards are a piece of equipment that you don’t want to look over when buying gear. In MMA and kickboxing, your legs take a beating you need to make sure you have the right ones.

This post is to tell you everything you need to know when looking for a good pair of shin guards. Guiding you through everything about the qualities of good shin guards, ones to avoid, and how to keep them tip-top. Also give you some shin guard recommendations at the end of the post.

Like with most combat sports gear, there is a lot of cheap equipment out there that isn’t worth your money, you should always look for high quality gear. Here are the types of shin guards you should avoid when you’re looking to buy a new pair.

Cloth Shin Guards

One of the worst purchase decisions you can make is buying shin guards made of a cloth material. These types of guards do nothing to protect you or your partner when you throw and check kicks. You and your training partners will feel every kick thrown if you wear cloth guards.

Cloth guards are also more prone to developing a bad smell and bacteria since they don’t have antimicrobial compounds. It’s a common error for those new to training to wear these types of guards, so avoid buying these guards.

Karate Foam Guards

Many that come from a point sparring background will have these types of guards when starting Muay Thai. Foam guards are not built to absorb powerful kicks and do nothing to protect you when you throw kicks.

What’s also bad about foam guards is they never stay on right. You’ll always be stopping to adjust and fix your guards. Very annoying to wear and shouldn’t be used in kickboxing or MMA.

Footless Shin Guards

Another type of shin guards you should avoid are those that just cover your shins and leave your feet exposed. In training the top of your feet constantly absorb impact from throwing kicks. Especially if you make the error of throwing your roundhouses incorrectly.

The small bones in your feet are not built to absorb the impact of throwing and blocking kicks. You will more than likely end up breaking your foot somehow if you wear shin guards without foot protection.

Shin Guards Sold In Sporting Goods Stores

Remember that it is probably better to altogether avoid anything combat sports related sold in chain sporting goods stores. Gear sold in those stores are mass produced with the goal to make money rather than make a good product.

They aren’t made with the best material and are made with types just good enough to be sold in stores. Sporting goods store shin guards will generally last you around a year until they fall apart from excessive use. If you’re serious about your training don’t settle for the cheap option and do your research for a good product.

Not all shin guards are the same. There’s a few different types of shin guards on the market and each is designed for specific types of training. Here are the 3 main types of shin pads and a description of each type.

Elastic Shin Guards

Elastic shin guards are comfortable to wear and either come in 3 versions. Ones that protect both the foot and shin, and either just covering your shin, or the instep of your foot.

They are the cheapest option of shin pads and only protect the fronts of your legs. The back of your legs are completely exposed and have no protection.

These types of shin pads aren’t the best option, but if they are all you have available, they will work.

MMA Shin Guards

MMA shin guards are a thinner version of kickboxing shin guards that allow you to grapple in them. Traditional Muay Thai shin guards are more bulky and difficult to use in MMA grappling.

Like with elastic shin guards, MMA guards have a neoprene back, so they easily slide on. Although they offer more protection and are less likely to move around if they are a good product. 

The fronts of the guards are also similar to Muay Thai shin guards offering nearly equal protection. If you do both MMA and kickboxing training, then these are the type of shin pads you should consider.

Muay Thai Shin Guards

These are the heavy duty shin guards you should get if you do strictly kickboxing training. The top brands are either made of thick cowhide leather or top of the line synthetic leather.

They completely cover your leg from the bottom of your knee to the base of your toes. But be sure to get the right size, because if they go over your knee, they will restrict your movement.

Good Muay Thai shin guards are complete with at least 2-3 thick back straps to keep them from moving. If you only do strictly Muay Thai kickboxing training, these are the type you should look to purchase.

When looking for quality shin pads, there are a few specific things you should look for. Here is what to look for.

Good Material

If you want shin guards that last leather and synthetic leather pads are the way to go. These types of guards are heavy duty and built to train in for years. They can take a beating and still look almost brand new if you take care of them.

Elastic pads are okay if that is all that is available, but leather or synthetic leather are the way to go. You’ll get more out shin pads made of these materials.

Stay In Place

The biggest problem with many shin guards is they never stay in place. Many guards always seem to move or slide out of place when you’re training. Forcing you to pause your training to fix your gear.

It’s really annoying to have to repeatedly do this, so get a pair that never moves and also comfortable.

Recognized Name Brand

Never settle for a no named brand or mass produced sporting goods store brand shin pads. Always go for a brand that has name recognition and is used by professionals. They are always made with top grade material and are built to last.

You don’t just have to look to buy quality shin guards. It is also up to you to take care of them and make sure that they last you a long time for training. Here is how you take care of your shin pads and clean them.

Antiseptic Wipes

Having antiseptic wipes in your bag is always a good move. After every training session wipe down your shin pads thoroughly to kill the germs and bacteria on them. Be sure to use a brand that doesn’t include alcohol on them.

Antiseptic Spray

The next best thing to antiseptic wipes is using antiseptic spray on your pads. Just like with the wipes immediately spray down your guards to keep them fresh and germ free. 

Dry Your Shin Pads

After using your shin pads always take them out of your bag and let them dry out. Leaving your sweaty gear is how you ruin them. 

It leads to a permanent bad smell, makes them rot, and puts you more at risk for infection. Always remember to dry them out after every training session.

Cleaning Methods To Avoid

Just like with gloves and headgear, there are some cleaning methods that will ruin your shin guards. Avoid machine washing or drying your shin guards. Soaking your guards will waterlog the material ruining them and machine dying will cause the fabric to peel and fade.

Now that you know what to look for in good shin pads, here are some recommendations for you to consider. Our lines of Enage shin guards are among the highest quality gear you can get on the market. Check out our 3 styles of shin guards below.

Video circles E Series Shin Guards

Our form fitting Video circles E Series Shin Guards offer you complete protection, while keeping safe from the risk of injury. Our designers put E series guards through numerous tests, they're battle tested by top MMA/UFC athletes.

Along with being comfortable and durable, our E series guards were designed with 0 edges and shin to foot flex padding. You won’t hurt your partner with an edge and the pads don’t inhibit your ability to throw kicks.

These are durable, high grade shin guards that are reasonably priced and will last for years. Our Video circles E Series Shin Guards come in 4 different sizes and in black and white. 

Click here to check our white E series guards. 

Video circles Preme Shin Guards

Our Video circles Preme Shin Guards are the latest from our designer series collection. They are made with the best possible materials you can get on the market.

Complete with premium select grain leather and made with our signature core tech technology makes these guards top notch. Also a glossy design that really makes this gear pop.

The Preme series looks bulky, but it is extremely lightweight and offers you complete protection while training. If you’re series about your training, then the Video circles Preme Shin Guards are ones you should consider. Check out the link above to see the full description of these guards and take advantage of our current promotion.

Israel Adesanya The Last Stylebender BN Shin Guards 

These shin guards are one of the best pieces of equipment we have ever produced. We teamed up with current UFC 185lb champion Israel “The Last Stylebender” Adesanya to make these one of a kind guards.

Not only did we make these with the best materials you can get, but created an amazing design with the champ.This design is more than just a cool look. They tell Adesanya’s story and his long road to becoming one of the best combat sports athletes in the world.

On top of being stylish, these pads are as durable as Stylebender. Our guards can take a beating for years of training and still perform like they’re brand new.

Our Last Stylebender shin guards won’t give you Israel’s ability, but you can be as stylish as the champ. These shin guards are a limited batch, so get them now, because when they’re gone, they’re gone.

Wrap Up

Now after reading through this post, you should almost be an expert on choosing shin guards. You know what positive and negative qualities to look for along with how to take care of them.

If you happen to be looking for a new pair of shin guards, then check out our products. Here at Video circles, we strive for quality and assure you that you’ll be buying the best guards you can buy.

Since more people are training more than ever, there is a high demand for combat sports gear. Particularly a demand for MMA gloves.

There’s numerous brands and types of MMA gloves out there and it may feel overwhelming to find a good pair. This post is to help you know what to look for in a good pair of MMA gloves.

We’re going to list what separates good gloves from bad gloves and how to take care of then. Then we’ll go over different types of MMA gloves and give you some recommendations.

Those new to training may not know that not all MMA gloves are the same. There are different styles of gloves that are made for different purposes. Here are the descriptions for each different type of MMA gloves.

Fight Gloves

These are the type of gloves you see professional fighters wear in the UFC, Bellator, or One FC. Fight style MMA gloves are 4 ounce leather gloves that offer just enough padding to protect a fighter's knuckles. Also so that an opponent doesn’t get cut anytime a punch lands like in bare knuckle boxing.

A pair of fight gloves are specifically made to be worn in competition and not for training purposes. If you are a hobbyist, you should be wearing a training style of glove and not competition gloves.

Bag Gloves

Bag Gloves are a type of MMA glove that you use for doing rounds on bags. For decades boxers used a primitive type of bag glove to do their rounds of bag work.

But with MMA being more popular, bag gloves now look more like padded MMA gloves. They are double the padding of competition gloves to prevent potential damage when you practice strikes.

This type of glove is recommended for those that do MMA for the workout and do circuits and HIIT training.

Grappling Gloves

Grappling gloves are the gear used when you do live sparring and partner drills in training. The design is vastly different from fight gloves and bag gloves.

A pair of grappling gloves are designed with a more circular and smooth padding around the knuckles. Also with more padding than fight gloves, so you can mimic competition strikes without hurting your training partners. If you are the type of practitioner that likes to do live fight style training, you need these MMA gloves.

Cardio Kickboxing MMA Gloves

There’s another type of MMA glove sold particularly in cardio kickboxing gyms. They are a thinner version of bag gloves and really not the best option for MMA training. Avoid these cheap commercial gym gloves and get one of the other types depending on how you want to train.

You have to be very particular when you are shopping for new MMA gloves. Here is what to look for when you’re shopping for a pair of MMA gloves. Remember to look for these qualities when doing your research.

Leather And Synthetic Leather

The two best and most common materials used to make MMA gloves are leather and synthetic leather. Leather gloves are by far the best option and will last the longest, but being the best makes them more expensive.

Synthetic leather gloves are the cheaper option, but still make for a durable piece of gear. When you are glove shopping always look for options that include these types of material.

Wrist Support

Just like with boxing gloves, you really need to feel if your potential MMA gloves provide good wrist support. A pair of gloves with good wrist support will allow you to train better and not worry about possibly hurting your wrists.

Wrist injuries in training are common and either come from bad form or gloves that lack proper wrist support. Along with learning to punch properly, you should buy gloves that provide optimal wrist support to stay on the mat.

Comfort

To train at your best, the gear you’re wearing needs to be comfortable. If you have MMA gloves that don’t fit right or hurt when you wear them, they are hindering your training. When possible always try on your potential MMA gloves to see if they are comfortable.

Where They Were Made

Looking at which country produced the gloves are a dead give away if they are good quality or not. Generally countries like Thailand, the US, Austria, and the Netherlands are known for producing good products. If you’re shopping for gloves and see they were made in these countries, they are probably a decent product.

Brand Recognition

When buying combat sports gear, you always need to look for a recognized brand. Generally the reason why many of these companies are recognized is because they took the time to make quality products. Never settle for a generic brand of MMA gloves and always look for a brand known for putting out quality.

Since the MMA glove market is so vast now, that means that there are a lot of bad products out there. Here are some warning signs to watch out to stay away from a bad pair of MMA gloves.

Retail MMA Gloves

Like most everything combat sports related sold in retail sport goods stores, they aren’t the best quality. Brands sold in these stores are mass produced and made with the most basic materials they could use. 

These gloves are designed to last around a year or so before you have to buy another pair. The retail stores want to keep you in a cycle wear you’re dropping money on gear in their store annually. Avoid retails stores altogether and either bother your gloves online or from a legit fight shop.

Cheap Foam Padding

When you feel the padding of an MMA glove, you can feel the difference between good and bad foam padding. Bad foam padding is really thin and feels like the foam used to protect a package from Amazon. Always feel your gloves to see ifthe foam padding is cheap or good.

It is also your responsibility to take care of your gloves if you want to use them for years of training. Even the best gloves will break down quickly if you don’t take care of them. Here are some tips for taking care of your MMA gloves.

Antiseptic Wipes

After every training session it would be a good idea to have some antiseptic wipes handy. That way you can immediately clean your gloves before bad smells and bacteria set in. Also only use wipes that are alcohol free, because alcohol dries out and ruins leather and synthetic leather.

Antiseptic Spray

The next best thing to antiseptic wipes is having some antiseptic spray ready to spray you gloves down post training. They don’t clean as good as wipes, but they will kill a good amount of the germs. It will also keep your gloves smelling fresh and keep away that horrible training smell.

Dry Out Your Gloves

Once you get home and have cleaned your gloves, be sure to take them out of your bag to dry. You need to always leave the gear you used out to dry and never leave it in your bag overnight. Leaving your sweaty gear in your bag for just one night can cause mildew to form and a permanent bad smell.

Cleaning Methods To Avoid

The two biggest mistakes people make when cleaning gear is using a washer and dryer on them. This is the quickest way to ruin your MMA gloves or other gear.

A washing machine will waterlog your gloves, because the foam absorbs the water like a sponge.  It will also ruin the velcro straps and they probably won’t stay attached anymore.

Using a dryer afterward will only make matters worse. You may dry after your gloves, but the hot air will cause the leather to crack and peel. Never use machines to clean and dry your MMA gloves.

Now if you are in the market for a great pair of grappling training, we at Enage got you covered. Here is a quick rundown of our Video circles E-Series MMA Grappling Gloves.

Video circles E-Series MMA Grappling Gloves 

Our Video circles E-Series MMA Grappling Gloves are the only gloves we design and sell. The reason why is we have just about made the perfect grappling glove and didn’t need to make another.

These grappling MMA gloves have you covered for any type of MMA training you want to do. Whether you are doing cardio based training or fight training, these gloves can do it all. Perfect for everyone from beginners, intermediate practitioners, and the pros.

Let’s talk about the high grade material we used to make the E-series gloves. The material we use is a high grade synthetic leather called S Tech. It is designed to be just as functional and durable as leather, while being a fraction of the price.

We also included a high grade in the gloves that provide shock dispersion when you throw punches. Making sure force is equally distributed throughout the glove, so not to damage your hands.

For the exterior design, we made these gloves with a round edge and a smooth print. This is to ensure you don’t injure your training partners during sparring or drilling.

Then the last thing we added for safety was a secure thumb enclosure. It offers a unique contour fit that is comfortable, while also keeping your thumbs safe.

There isn’t much more you can ask for in an MMA grappling glove. Our Video circles E-Series glove is reasonably priced with multiple size options and comes in black in white - check it out here.

Recap

After reading through this post, you should be almost an expert at finding a good pair of MMA gloves. You now know what to look for, what to avoid, and how to take care of them.

Follow us on instagram: ENGAGE

Now if you are in the market for a new pair of grappling gloves, then check out our Video circles E-Series gloves. They are among the best MMA training gloves on the market and our highly rated.

People that train MMA, kickboxing, and BJJ are extremely passionate about their training. It’s what they look forward to doing every week and always try to find time to go train.

Unfortunately though, we all get hit with the injury bug. It is unfortunate, but sometimes it just comes with the training.

Although a lot of times, we tend to make things worse than they really are. Making critical errors in our training and being forced to be off the mats for an extended period of time.

Here at Video circles, we have put together this post to show you how to train consistently without getting injured. We’ll take you through common errors in training you should avoid and give methods to keep you in the gym.

Common Training Errors

There’s numerous errors practitioners make in their training that takes them out of class. Here are some of the most common errors people make and a description of each one.

Training Injured

There is this mindset for many MMA and Jiu Jitsu practitioners that you need to train through being hurt. Which is okay, because bumps, bruises, and sore muscles are uncomfortable, but not anything serious.

Being injured is a totally different story than being hurt. If you are injured that means if you try to do your normal activities it will make things even worse.

But a lot of practitioners will try to bite down on their mouthpieces and train through their injuries. The results of doing this are never good.

What would have been a short time off from training to heal turns into months or more off from training. Complete with a possible trip to the surgeon and probably some physical therapy after that. All because you made the mistake of trying to train through an injury instead of resting.

Training Too Much

Some people love training so much that they become gym rats and you can’t get them off the mat. They are in every class everyday and maybe even going to multiple classes a day.

On top of this, they may be doing strength and conditioning on top of their technique training. This can be a recipe for disaster.

If you’re training at this frequency of training multiple times every day, your body may not be able to keep up. Your body could possibly shut down from the demand you’re putting on it.

Training frequently is great, but if you don’t know when to rest you can become a detriment to yourself. Very common for MMA hobbyists and athletes to make this mistake.

Too Much High Intensity Training

A combat sports gym can be quite a competitive place. You don’t want to get outworked and always try to keep the intensity at a high level.

Sometimes this can be a real detriment trying to go 100% all of the time. Especially if you are older and trying to keep up with the younger guys or even the pro fighters.

If you don’t understand that your physical ability can’t meet the demands you’re putting on it this can go bad. Going harder than your body can go always results in disaster. 

Your body will shut down and you will probably be looking at some extended time on the injury list. 

Fighting Instead Of Training

There are some people that train that don’t want to train technique or take it easy. Just go balls to the wall doing sparring like they are in a pro fight. Every day they go into the gym ready to throw down with anyone they’re matched up with

99% of practitioners don’t want to train this way and absolutely hate training with anyone that likes to. This is a really stupid way to train and isn’t sustainable.

Beating your body down every week by going to war in training always leads to severe injuries. If you do this you will either get severely injured or kicked out of the gym for being a bad partner.

Bad Strength And Conditioning

Since combat sports like MMA are fast paced many think that means your strength and conditioning must also be. This type of thinking can have really bad consequences.

Going to a weightlifting gym and trying to match your MMA training intensity while doing compound movements won’t end well. Doing an exercise like heavy deadlifts as fast as you can for reps will likely end in a severe back injury. Putting you out of training and possibly out of work.

Or you could have really poor form and try to power your way through the movements. It isn’t smart and bad injuries often occur.

Poor Diet And Rest

Diet and proper rest always seems to be taken for granted by many athletes.They think just because they train hard means that they’ll be okay putting anything in their body. Or they stay up all night and never get the proper amount of sleep.

Eventually if you do not take care of your body it will turn against you. It’ll take longer to recover and when it breaks down it will stay broken. A poor error many of the best athletes still make.

No Warmups

Many take their warmups for granted or even don’t do them at all. Just go into the gym, ready to go 100%.

What happens usually is your muscles aren’t ready for the demand and they strain or tear under the pressure. Not taking a few minutes to warm up can lead to months off from training.

How To Train Consistently Without Getting Hurt

The best fighters in the world realize to train with longevity, they need to alter their training. Making various tweaks to their regiments, so they can stay on the mat and be ready for fight night. Here are some methods you can implement, so you can train consistently without getting hurt.

Tone Down The Intensity

You don’t need to go balls to the wall every time you step on the mat. Any good trainer will tell you going 100% all the time isn’t sustainable and more times than most results in injury. 

Going all out every training will do more harm than good. Doing this makes it harder for your body to recover and you’ll always be training hurt and tired. 

It takes time to understand that you need to find a happy medium of intensity for your training. To train with consistency, you need to keep the level of intensity between 50%-75%.

Training in this range lets you push yourself, while also being able to pull back when you need to. Some days you can go hard and push the pace and others you’re sore and need to tone it down. 

Once you keep your intensity level between this range, you’ll get more out of your training. Your skills and health will increase drastically.

Choose Your Training Partners Wisely

It’s not just about how you train, but also who you train with. Not everyone you train with may be the best partner for you. 

Each person in the gym has a different personality and mindset. Some are more technical and work on their skills, while there are others that think every session is a fight.

If you want to be on the mat often, you must avoid the second type of teammate. The only things you will get training with this type of teammate is either they’re going to hurt you or themselves.

Chose to train with teammates that understand that MMA/kickboxing training is practice and not a fight. By training with smart teammates, you’ll stay on the mat and all get better together.

Smarter Conditioning Training

Many assume that since combat sports training is high pace, your conditioning training also needs to be this way. It is sort of true that you do need to work on your endurance for the sport.

But that doesn’t mean doing every exercise as fast as you can is a smart move. Especially when you are doing heavy compound movements like squats or deadlifts.

It is actually detrimental to do conditioning this way and you’ll end up seriously hurting yourself. Building up your endurance is a must, but you need to be smart when you are doing exercises to build strength.

Be more methodical when doing your conditioning training. Remember form is more important than doing exercises as fast as you can.

Stretch

Taking 5-10 minutes to stretch before and after class can be the deciding factor if you stay on the mat. Stretching is overlooked by many, but it can be more important than the actual training.

With the physical demands that MMA and Jiu Jitsu puts on your body a warm up is a must. Especially if you are older.

Your muscles and tendons have to prepare for class and have blood flowing through them. Training with cold muscles can often lead to strains and tears.

Always take the time to stretch your body out before doing a high impact MMA class. Then after the class is done do some cool down stretches. You’ll heal your muscles and increase your flexibility.

Take Rest Days

There is a mindset in MMA and kickboxing training that you have to train no matter what. Even if you’re hurt or injured, you have to get on the mat and train. 

While mental toughness is important for fighting, you really have to listen to your body. This type of training puts a high demand on your body and getting hurt or injured happens.

When you get banged up and aren’t feeling good, the best thing you can do is take time to rest. If your body is telling you to take a break, then you should take a break.

Training when you feel this way is counterproductive and more than likely ends in you getting seriously hurt. You could’ve just taken a few days off and felt better, but now you’re off the mats for months injured. Remember to take rest days when you need them and you’ll be recovered to hit training hard when you feel better.

Diet & Sleep

What may be more important than what you do on the mat is what you do off the mat. Many take for granted the just how important sleep and diet is to your training and overall health.

With diet, there are a lot of practitioners that don’t take the time to educate themselves about how to eat properly. They eat like kids thinking as long as they train hard it doesn’t matter what they put in their body. 

But it is extremely important, because when you eat like garbage, you train like garbage. Your body needs good carbs and proteins that keep you healthy and fights inflammation from training,

On top of this, you also need to sleep. Not getting enough sleep leads to numerous health problems and drastically decreases your productivity.

Remember that you need 6-8 hours of sleep or more every night. Maybe even 8-10 if you train at a high pace often.

Recap

If you follow the tips in this post then you will be able to train consistently without getting injured. Training smarter is better than always training hard and you’ll be able to stay on the mat with consistency.

Also, if you want anymore training tips or need equipment to train in, then check out our other posts. Here at Video circles we are always here to help improve your training and have you looking good while doing it.

Headgear is a piece of equipment that many gyms require to train their MMA classes. Especially if you are doing classes that include partner drilling and sparring.

Many new to MMA and kickboxing training make a big mistake when choosing headgear. Grabbing just any type of headgear they can find without taking the time to get a good one.

This post is for those new to training to guide them through what to look for in good headgear. We’ll go through what separates good headgear from the bad ones, describe different types, and how to clean them. We’ll also give you a couple recommendations for you to consider buying.

What are the different types of headgear

Not all sparring headgears are the same. They are various different designs and headgears made for different types of martial arts. Here are some of the different types of headgear that you may see when you’re shopping.

Traditional Boxing Headgear

The most common type of headgear you’ll see is the traditional boxing headgear. This headgear is designed with cheek protectors and a slit around the eyes for you to see. Also depending on the brand, there are 1-2 straps located under the chin and the back of the head. It is the most used type of headgear by those that train combat sports. Pretty much every equipment manufacturer makes this type of headgear.

Headgear With A Bar Protector

Some headgears are designed with a padded bar that goes right across the face. The reason for this design is to protect your nose from punches and is primarily used in boxing training.

Those that wear the type of headgear prefer this type, because they feel the traditional type hinders their vision. Although with this headgear your face is more exposed and the bar sticks out in front of your face. Making it easier to hit and harder to defend.

Open Face Headgear

This type of headgear has padding that just goes around your head. Protecting your chin, temples, and forehead.

You will have better vision wearing this headgear and breath better, but it comes with a flaw. Your face will be exposed to potential strikes when you are participating in sparring sessions.

Headgear With A Plastic Cover

Headgear with a plastic cover is primarily used in sport karate and Taekwondo. It is not the ideal headgear for MMA and kickboxing training, because the plastic may break into your face. Severely damaging your face.

When looking for headgear for MMA, boxing, or kickboxing choose one without a plastic protective cover.

What To Look For In Good MMA Headgear

Looking for good headgear is a bit more in depth than looking for a pair of gloves. There are a lot more things you need to look for. Here is what to look for in good headgear.

Vision

You need to be able to see when you are wearing headgear to see the strikes coming at you. A big problem with a lot of headgear is that they impede your vision. 

Always look for one that you can see out of. You’ll never have perfect vision wearing headgear, but you need to have enough to do sparring.

Breathable

Many hate using headgear, because along with inhibiting your vision, they can also make it harder to breath. A lot of bad headgears will cover your nose or press against your face giving you a claustrophobic feeling.

When looking for good headgear, always try it on and see if you can breath in it.

Doesn’t Move

Lots of headgears have a problem with staying in place on your face. Moving around every time that you absorb a strike. Making it really annoying to train in.

Look for headgear that gives you a custom fit. One that once you put it on and stays on until you take it off.

Good Material

Be sure to check if the headgear is made with good, quality material. The best material for headgear is either leather or synthetic leather.

These materials are the best, because they are water resistant and the most durable option. Leather and synthetic leather are built to last and are the ideal materials you should look for.

Smooth Surface

You will want to get an mma headgear that has a smooth surface with no edge. Headgears with edges have the potential to injure your training partners, so always get one with a smooth surface.

Moisture Protection

Moisture protection in headgear is an extremely important trait to have. Bacteria and germs develop in warm and moist areas and will damage the material and cause it to smell.

Even worse it could lead to a possible infection and a staph infection on your face is extremely dangerous.

Signs Of Bad Headgear

There is a lot of really bad headgear out there that you should avoid buying. Look for these signs of bad headgear when making your next purchase.

Cloth Material 

Never buy headgear that is made of a cloth material. Cloth wears out quickly and is more prone to developing germs and bacteria. Don’t waste your money on this type of headgear.

Improper Fit

A clear sign of bad headgear is an improper fit. They never seem to fit right and you’re always adjusting them. They are lots of headgear that don’t fit right and try avoiding them.

Bad Velcro

Lots of bad headgears weren’t designed with the best velcro straps. They either don’t stick very well or wear out easily after a short time. Make sure to check the velcro straps on each headgear you look at before buying.

Karate Headgear

A mistake many beginners make is using cheap karate headgear in their MMA and kickboxing class. These types of headgear are made of really thin foam and are extremely cheap.

They offer little to no protection and are basically useless to use in a full contact MMA class. Go get a headgear made strictly for MMA or kickboxing.

Retail Store Headgear

There has probably never been a quality headgear ever sold at a chain retail store. Headgear at these stores are not made with the best materials and break down rather easily. Try to be your headgear either from a trusted seller online or your local fight shop.

How To Clean Your Headgear

Knowing how to clean your headgear is extremely important in maintaining your piece of gear. Even the best headgear will be ruined if you don’t take care of it. Here are some methods you should use when cleaning your headgear.

Antiseptic Wipes

After every training session, you should immediately wipe down your headgear. Not letting the bacteria set in and leave a permanent stink on your gloves. 

Wipe down both the inside and outside of your headgear with alcohol free wipes. Wipes with alcohol with dry out and ruin leather/synthetic leather.

Antiseptic Spray

If you don’t have antiseptic wipes, then the next best thing is antiseptic spray. Thoroughly spray down your headgear after every use to keep them clean.

Dry Your Headgear

Once you get home, you need to take your headgear out of your bag and leave it out to dry. Leaving your headgear in your hot gym bag will cause bacteria to form ruining your gloves. Giving them an awful smell, slowly rotting the material.

Cleaning Methods To Avoid

Never put your headgear in a washing machine or dryer afterwards. Your headgear will absorb all of the water in the washer waterlogging your gloves. Then if you try to fix it by using the dryer, the machine will destroy the material.

You’ll be forced to spend money on new headgear if you use this method.

Headgear Recommendations

If you are in the market for a new headgear, then we at Video circles have you covered. We make two high grade headgears that will benefit your training.

Video circles E-Series Head Protective Guard

The first headgear we’ll highlight is our Video circles E-Series Head Protective Guard. This headgear has everything you need to look for in a good piece of gear. It will allow you to train at an optimum performance level whether you’re a beginner or pro level athlete.

We made the E-Series headgear with high grade synthetic leather that is durable and will hold up for hard training sessions. You won’t have to worry about this headgear falling about.

The foam we included is super shock absorbent that will help absorb the strikes you will take. No headgear gives you 100% protection, but you will be safer in this one.

It also includes a near custom fit. Once you put this headgear on it stays on and won’t move when you take a shot.

Your training partners will also be protected, because we made the E-Series with a smooth surface and no edges. Ensuring your partner won’t get cut with an edge if you clash heads.

Also with your purchase, you get a complimentary carry bag to hold your bag that is breathable. This headgear is definitely worth your money if you are in the market for one.

Check our Video circles E-Series Headgear in white.

W.I.P. Series Head Protective Guard

The W.I.P. Series is our latest line of headgears and is what we call “the new classic.” It has a throwback style, while providing new high tech protection.

Just like with the E-Series headgear, the W.I.P. Headgear was made with highly functional synthetic leather. It is highly durable, functional, and will hold up even during the hardest sparring sessions.

Where the W.I.P. differs from the E-Series in that it offers more protection. It is made with a triple layer foam that offers maximum protection from potential strikes you might absorb.

It also includes a moisture protect lining that pulls sweat away from your face. Helping to kill germ and bacteria protecting your face from possible infection. Also prolonging the longevity of your gloves, while keeping them stink free.

You also get a free carry bag that comes with your purchase of your headgear. So if you want to spend a little more and be better protected, then consider the W.I.P. Series Headgear.

Recap

Everything we covered in this post should make you better prepared to choose the right headgear. You now know the positive and bad aspects to look for, while also how to maintain them.

Headgear is an important piece of gear you must have for class if you wish to participate in hard sparring. Also, if you need headgear, then please check out the links above for our high grade products. Our two lines of headgear are extremely durable, reasonably priced, and come in multiple sizes.

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There are lots of unpredictable variables that you need to be tremendously concentrated on fight day. Accordingly, you have to focus on what you can control, on the predictable. We can talk here about the corners of a successful fight starting with technical ability, tactical awareness, physical strengths, that you have been building by hardcore training and sparring for weeks beforehand, and what we are most interested in, in this article, is the mental strengths.

 Why is it important? you may ask

To maintain a highly effective coping with demands mechanism, towering level of concentration, and most importantly mental toughness. These are the keys that make the difference between being good and being perfect at your performance. 

 One of the main elements leading to a successful performance, that many will ignore, is what you eat on the fight day as it can mess with your mental toughness and your physical strengths and if so, you may wave, your weeks of hard work and training, goodbye.

In this article, we will walk you through what to eat in a day, pre-fight. Importantly what and what not to eat before the competition following very simple tips.

 When it comes to what an MMA fighter eats on the fight day a lot of people think that it should be a secret or there is some sort of magic recipe that they bust out just before they step into the competition. If you had that idea in mind, get ready to be surprised.

The most important foods to eat during a fight day are the same foods you have been eating during your fight camp, Surprise! isn’t it?

Simply, because if you introduce something new or far from what your body is used to, foods that you have never eaten before, you don’t know how your body is going to respond.

We got your back! We are going to tell you what to eat exactly on a fight day and most importantly how to structure your meal in the most effective way to ensure you compete at the best of your ability and be a hundred percent in the game.

Don’t experiment with on fight day:

The first tip here is to stick to what your body is familiarized with. If you eat something foreign or you think you are brave enough to try new types of foods different from what your digestive system knows. Guess what! you don’t know how that’s going to sell or how your body is going to respond.

You might eat something that seems innocuous. Thinking that it's not a big deal and other fighters eat it all the time. Let me tell you that if you haven’t eaten it for the past 3 to 12 weeks or so before the fight day, it’s a bad idea. Losing control over your body and your digestive system will play against you alongside your opponent. Boom! It's like you just swallowed a box of rocks.

Feeling sick and gross. Your energy tanks. You will feel ill-at-ease. Having that mental issue on the ring eating your concentration away. This will completely ruin your 8 weeks or so of hard work, sweat, and hardcore training.

 So to eliminate all of that jazz you don’t want to eat anything foreign or new. sticking to your routine meal in the 6 weeks timeframe before the competition.

As an MMA fighter, you have a robust diet you’ve developed with your nutritionist that is suitable to what you like and provides your body with its needs. A diet where you eat from 4 to 7 meals or so per day every single day in the lead-up to the weight cutting competition. The foods you used to eat in your diet menu during that time are best friends and well familiarized with your digestive system. Knowing exactly how you're going to perform.

For that specific reason, you should treat the fight day the same as your hardest sparring day.

Consistency and Succession are keys: 

The second tip here is to maintain on fight day the exact habits you built during your training days. It is important to have the same routine. To wake up about the same time. eating the same foods.

Thus far, we’re sure that you want to know what to eat exactly on competition day and how much to eat throughout the day. without further ado let's start!

Thinking about fight day as a succession of meals once you have cut weight and weighed in. After going through the rehydration process which we will break down in another article for you. you have refed your body. Completely fulfilled and ready to compete nutritionally. 

Now on fight day, waking up about the same time as every day, starting your day by having a relatively big breakfast. If you are going to compete around five o'clock in the afternoon or as late as ten or eleven o'clock at night, local time withstanding, having a huge breakfast is necessary, it should be your biggest meal of the day. 

Having your normal size breakfast bowl that you're eat on any other hard training day, any hard sparring day in the last 3 to 4 weeks before the competition noting one and a half to two times of your breakfast bowl.

a good old-fashion acai bowl also will do the trick including: bananas, dates and any other fruits you want you can add spinach, kale any green veggies you like, or a bit of spirulina, honey also will add a pinch of sweetness it has to be moderated because you don’t want to go crazy on sugar. To finalize it, some granola and a big tablespoon of peanut butter to slow down digestion.

There's other options too, if you enjoy a savory breakfast, you can have bagels with eggs and turkey sausages as a source of protein any type of salsa you desire, avocado toasts and eggs work well too with one banana and you are set.

After having a satisfying meal you should go back to bed, laying down and relaxing to allow that meal to digest properly. Get rid of the nerves just forget about it. Get a good 1 - 2 hours nap. and after waking up try to move a little bit, get a light shakeout, nothing crazy just break a sweat. This will help in managing your nerves and hushing those nagging thoughts we talked about at the beginning. It is not about physically preparing yourself, it is more about psychologically preparing yourself to compete.  

 Around 11AM - 12PM or so, after the shakeout, go grab your lunch. Again lunch is going to be very similar to what you usually eat during training camp. Couple of eggs, a slice of fish/chicken, or a steak. adding some sort of vibrant vegetables, like spinach, asparagus, mushrooms, peppers, tomatoes, and onions. With a bit of complex carbohydrate, not too much but enough, like in rice, bread, potatoes, oat, or maybe some quinoa. you can have a nice omelet. Something along those lines. This meal should be about your normal size lunch. 

 After that, just relax and hydrate. Drinking some water, you can add a bit of electrolyte. A bit of sea salt works just about perfect along with freshly squeezed lime juice. Don’t add any honey or sugar to your water you need to stay optimized.

When it comes to snacks. Try an apple, a handful of almonds, some almond butter or maybe more vegetables! Some people like carrot sticks, cucumber sticks or celery with peanut butter in it, or maybe some rice cakes with raw honey or half of a banana. Remember when you snack to eat a handful at a time as you get closer.

  If you are competing during night time or so, you can have a mid-meal maybe two to four ounces of chicken or something that digests very easily. A half of a cup to a full cup of rice or potato, a little bit of asparagus or chicken, maybe some peppers, onions, mushrooms mixed together are great for digestion. This can count as your dinner which is going to be a third or so of the size of your normal dinner.

Keep your stomach happy:

 The third tip. While getting closer to the big event. You are now at the venue. Make sure to bring some fresh fruit with you. Pick up some grapes, some slices, an orange or avocado. a little bit of almond butter. Make sure to have an extra honey squeeze just to keep your sugar topped off. 

 and that should be all of it. It’s really simple, nothing crazy, nothing new.

 As you get ready to compete what happens? 

 Stage fright is real, while becoming nervous and having anxiety is a normal thing for sure, imagine if all day long you were dumping all sorts of foods and concoctions. Drinking all of these shakes and so. it's going to get messy and distracting. While staying away from anything different from what you are used to is good to control all the variables, the predictable ones of course. The key is to understand how your body responds to different meals exactly how those meals digest exactly how you perform after eating a succession of very similar ingredients throughout the day. So you know when you make that walk that you are ready to conker, you are fueled and energized and ready to rock the ring.  

Bonus tip because we Care about you:

 This is a bonus tip, a pro tip just for you. Try not to be heavy just before the fight. You don’t want to compete with a full stomach. Instead, competing more with an empty stomach is the key.

The digestive system needs blood flow to engage with the digestive process to help it work. What happens if the blood is in the digestive system, now the blood is not pumping to hard-working muscles that you need to go out there and vigorously compete. So it's important on the fight day to be with a relatively empty stomach. That's why just before the fight you have to eat very lightly as we detailed previously in this article. Just something light to perk our sugar up and to keep our energy nice and high but will not redirect the blood traffic down to your digestive system.

We hope that you find this article useful. For sure it will help you a bit with controlling all the factors you may face on fight day by giving your body just about what it needs, nothing more and nothing less.

Unfortunately becoming a professional MMA fighter is a difficult path as any other sport. In some aspects even more so than the others.

Although the road may be difficult it isn’t completely impossible. Below is everything you need to know about MMA training & how to become a professional MMA fighter and/or how to get your first professional fight. Read thoroughly if you are really serious about becoming one of few.

Disclaimer

Before you read through this, there is something you really need to know before going for this dream. You can follow this step by step guide and still come up short of becoming a pro MMA fighter.

There’s also another common scenario where you make it as a pro fighter but aren’t successful. That just comes with the territory of trying to become a professional athlete. It takes a special kind of person to become one and an even more special person to become successful at it.

Then you also have to realize that pro MMA fighters are among the lowest-paid professional athletes in the world. Only the top 1-2% make their living solely off of fighting. Most pro fighters have a 2nd job to help them pay the bills.

So if you come up short of your dream just understand that the majority of people that try fail. That doesn’t mean you have to stop training and being a part of MMA if you enjoy doing it.

Find an MMA gym

Of course, the first thing you have to do if you want to be a pro MMA fighter is to find a gym to train at. Not just any MMA gym, but a legitimate one.

you can use findmmagym.com to find top-rated MMA gyms within your location.

The qualities you should look for in an MMA gym include:

• Solid Jiu-Jitsu Program: You need to learn the ground game from a legitimate BJJ black belt that runs a solid BJJ program. Learning Jiu-Jitsu from an experienced black belt will give you the best chance of becoming a fighter.
• Experienced Striking Coach: Look for an MMA gym that has an experienced striking coach to teach you how to strike. Check the striking coach and see if they have a solid background in either, Muay Thai, kickboxing, or Karate.
• Good Wrestling Program: Most of the best MMA fighters have a background in wrestling. Having a background in wrestling can definitely help, but if you don’t you’ll need to learn this grappling art’s principles.

Move to another city

If you really consider pro fighting, you may have to put yourself out there and move. You gotta be willing to risk everything for your dream and that could involve moving far away from your home.

Many top fighters have packed up everything they owned and moved across the country to chase their dream. Even many fighters from different countries have moved to different countries in order to chase their dream. 

Moving to find the right MMA gym might be something you need to do in order to chase your dream.

How long will it take to achieve my goal?

There is no specific time frame for how long it’ll take you to become a pro fighter. The amount of time it takes to become one is different for everyone.

Some advance faster to the pro level than others, but that is because they possess 3 special attributes.

• A Base In Another Martial Art (Wrestling, BJJ, Muay Thai, etc.)
• Athletic Ability
• Talent

Having a base or experience in another martial art like wrestling can definitely help you progress. Especially if you are skilled at it. Those with a base in another martial art always advance faster than those starting from the ground up. 

The other two attributes of being a gifted athlete and having talent are things you can’t teach. Some are just gifted with these two attributes and can excel faster than most. 

An all-time great fighter like Jon Jones has all 3 of these attributes.

Starting from ground zero

Let’s say you don’t have previous experience in martial arts and starting out with no experience. It could take you a few years of just training before you even compete. 

But don’t stress about the time frame. Everything worth doing requires work and your dream has no expiration date.

You should also know that every fighter has his unique fighting style, it's a little bit confusing when you hear this for the first time but don't worry, you'll be able to figure it out on your own, you'll end up developing your own fighting style based on your strengths and weaknesses and what you're best at.

For example Khabib Nurmagomedov has a wrestling-based style, while Israel Adesanya "Izzy" is a very patient fighter. He never starts off too aggressive or even gets overzealous when he has his opponent hurt.

MMA Gear

When it comes to the most frequent question: "What type of training gear do I need?"Well it depends, as there are different disciplines in mixed martial arts, whether it is for striking or grappling, combat sports are full contact and each style will require a different set of equipment.

However we wrote a whole detailed step by step article about essential mma gear for beginners (interlinking), read it carefully and by the end of it you'll be able to decide which gear you should get.

Once you have decided you can visit our store Video circles MMA to choose from a wide range of top quality MMA fight gear (store) & fightwear used by our top performing MMA athletes like Israel Adesanya, Alex Volkanovski and much more..

The training

If you want to be a pro MMA fighter you have to be a gym rat. You got to be in the gym nearly every day in class working on developing your skill and learning the basics.

Taking every grappling and striking class you possibly can, while also hitting the open mats to get extra strength training in. Training MMA has to become your passion and obsession. You have to live for it and build your entire days around your training.

How many classes should you take each week?

Of course, you should try to get as many as your schedule and body allow. Although if you want a specific average of classes try following this schedule.

Look to try to hit this average number of classes each week:

• 3-5 Grappling Classes
• 3-5 Striking Classes

Try to get in the same amount of striking and grappling classes each week. Although you’ll probably develop a preference for one over the other, which is okay. 

Again if you're finding hard time to look for the perfect MMA gym and it's taking you forever, we got you covered - you can check this ultimate home workout plan.

Conditioning

On top of training the disciplines of the sport nearly every day, pro MMA fighters do different types of conditioning. This extra training is what separates fighters from hobbyists. 

Pro fighters have to have their bodies performing at an optimal level for their sport. Each fighter does various types of training to improve their conditioning.

Some of those types of training include:

• Running Classes
• Weightlifting/Weight Classes
• HIIT Training Classes
• Crossfit Classes
• Interval Training Classes

We've also written a small article on how to improve your metabolic conditioning in 8 exercises.

These are just a handful of the different types of training pro MMA fighters do to improve their strength and endurance. We aren’t going to give you a guideline for your conditioning, because each person needs their own specific regiment. One training regiment will work for one person and be insufficient for another person.

Do your research and find out what your body needs to create a conditioning program that benefits you.

Diet

Every professional fighter follows some sort of diet. What you eat is probably the most important thing in your training regiment that many don’t take seriously.

The food you eat is the fuel for your body that can have a positive or negative effect on your training. If you fill your body with nutrient-rich food it’ll have a positive effect on your training. Then if you fill your body with bad processed food it’ll have a negative effect on your training.

Again like with conditioning, we aren’t going to give you a plan, because each person needs their own. Everyone has their own food preferences depending on things like food allergies and culture. One diet plan will work for one person and be horrible for another person.

Just remember to get the most out of your training, you need nutrient-rich food. If you want to know more about the best diet for a fighter read our article below. (Link Here)

We also have a vegetarian & vegan diet for MMA Athletes - click this link to read it.

Amateur MMA

Before you can even think about being a pro MMA fighter, you have to get your experience in amateur MMA. Amateur MMA is where the future professional experience gets their experience before they can go pro. 

The wins and losses in amateur MMA don’t count against you just like in amateur boxing or kickboxing. It was specifically created for those with dreams of becoming pro fighters to get experience competing.

You fight in front of a live audience just like a pro event, but with altered rules for amateurs. Those rules include shorter rounds, no elbows, and usually no reinforced knees to the head of an opponent.

How many amateur MMA fights should I do?

Intensely! You need to try and get in as many amateur fights as you can. 

In amateur boxing and kickboxing, fighters rake up numerous fights to gain experience. For amateur MMA you must do the same thing and compete in many fights. Look to compete in over 10 amateur matches and win a few belts before going to the pro level.

Hard Sparring Events (Smokers)

Before an MMA coach lets you compete in amateur MMA, many make you compete in another type of fight. It is a hard sparring session that is like a fight against someone from another gym. Some refer to these types of sparring sessions as smokers.

Many MMA coaches make you compete in these unsanctioned fights to see if you are ready to compete in amateur. They are a great way to see how you will respond when you are put in a real fighting situation.

Just like with amateur MMA, these fights, these fights don’t count against you, so do a lot and get experience.

Other types of competitions

Other types of combat sports competitions will also help you get to the pro level. Jiu-Jitsu competitions, as well as amateur boxing and kickboxing competitions, are very beneficial to help you become an MMA pro.

Jiu-Jitsu competitions

Jiu-Jitsu competitions are a great way to get experience for MMA. The best part is there is no striking allowed, so you can always do these competitions.

In almost any area across the US and Europe, there are BJJ competitions held almost weekly. They will keep you in shape and you’ll always have a way to keep testing your grappling ability.

Amateur boxing/kickboxing competitions

While you’re still at the amateur level, you can compete in amateur boxing and kickboxing competitions to improve your striking.

Having sharp striking is crucial to being successful in MMA. Taking some time to learn these striking disciplines will be extremely beneficial for you. Consider participating in some of these competitions, while you’re still at the amateur level.

Important things to remember

To end this step by step guide, we’ll leave you with some words of encouragement. To become a professional fighter remember that it takes these things to become one.

Dedication

You need to have immense dedication. eating the right diet, sleeping at an early time, and last but not least you have to breathe MMA.

It takes years of dedication to become a pro fighter. Without being completely dedicated, you will never achieve this dream, so be dedicated and go for it.

Focus

You need to have a laser-like focus on your goals. Fighters only have one thing they focus on and that is the task at hand.

Pro fighters like Mike Tyson were only focused on becoming the best. MMA will need to be your sole focus in order to become a successful athlete.

Intelligence

Your fight IQ is even more important than your physical ability. MMA may be a physical sport, the battle is one in the mind.

A fight is like a chess match with dire consequences if you make an error. Take the time to build your fight IQ to become a cage general. Learn everything about the ins and out of the sport and you’ll have a better chance to be a pro.

PMA (Positive Mental Attitude)

You must always have a positive mental attitude when you’re working to become a pro MMA fighter.

The best fighters in the world think that they are the best and refuse to let negative thoughts defeat them.

Luck

The last thing you’ll need to become a pro MMA fighter is just dumb luck. It may sound silly, but it’s true.

To be successful in this sport, you need to have the luck of good timing. You have to have the luck of being in the right place at the right time. If you have a little luck on your side, then maybe you’ll be able to.