EXPLANATION OF CONTENT

MMA Level #1 - (Basic) program focuses on the most basic of the 3 general distances of a fight: the standing fighting, the clinch plus takedowns and the ground fighting.

Standing fighting, starts with the basic fighting stance; regarding foot work, we see simple steps for punches and elbows strikes and switches for knees and kicks.

The strikes are only straight aimed at the frontal area: Jab, Cross, Slashing Elbow , Front Knee and Front Kick; all this adding the Low Kick, which is the easiest circular kick to perform.

The defensive system is based on blocking and divert (parries) these attacks.

Regarding the clinch and takedowns, the program is based on the Body Lock and its variations in other techniques, since they are much easier to achieve than takedowns towards to the legs (tackles).

The ground fighting is based on actions from the 4 basic positions, almost exclusively with variants of postures and positional transitions, while the only attacks are punchesand only 2 essential submissions: Rear Naked Choke and Guillotine. Rear Nake Choke is performed from Back Control Position and I included because this position is the safest and the best in order to domain and control, but there's not space to strike or to do something else than submit by this technique. I included Guillotine because it is an emergency tool from a disadvantaged position.

There are no more submissions and it decition is to highlighting the importance of positioning over submissions. You can win a fight on the ground thanks to dominating the positions and attacking with strikes, but it is very difficult to do so by having good submissions without dominating the positionings.

So, I have preferred to include more content regarding the building blocks of the ground fighting and relegate the submissions to the next program, when it's certain that the student has already learned this program based mainly on what I just mentioned.

With this I want to emphasize that, understanding the limits of the number of techniques that can be asked of a student in their first program and having to consider and choose between positioning and submissions, although I could have changed both things (including fewer variations of positions to include a greater number of submissions), I preferred to occupy the space that would correspond to these to expand on a topic that is more important.

Finally, it's not my recommendation that a student at the most beginner level does not know basic submissions such as Arm Triangles or Americanas, but rather to give a guideline on the importance of practicing more important topics with greater effort.

Mestre Rolando Carrizo Ortiz