What's the most important physical attribute for MMA?

Tony Sopranoe

For example, speed, endurance, flexibility, strength etc....

I know in an ideal world it's probably a combination of the above, but if a person was starting out, which do you think is most important?

reganreggie

Brains a lack of ego and a willingsness to learn any other abillity can be improved.

Tony Sopranoe

reganreggie wrote: »

Brains a lack of ego and a willingsness to learn any other abillity can be improved.

I meant physical attributes rather than mental.

My apologies if I didn't make that clear.

cowzerp

Pure physical and starting out I would say speed, Tomorrow i might say strenght but without skills most physical attributes mean little.

Esse85

reganreggie wrote: »

Brains a lack of ego and a willingsness to learn any other abillity can be improved.

All generally good advice but not what the OP asked. He specifically asked for physical attributes.
If that was an exam you'd have failed for not reading the question properly.

To the OP, I think endurance as you need the fitness to complete training and get the most out of it. Everyone's answer will differ, there is no definate answer, just different opinions.

Killme00

cowzerp wrote: »

Pure physical and starting out I would say speed, Tomorrow i might say strenght but without skills most physical attributes mean little.

Brian Cody says you can make a big man a good hurler, but you cant make a good hurler a big man.

Speed, endurance, flexibility and strength can be improved through training, but the you can't change the frame it goes on. So obviously that's the most important physical attribute.

empacher

Esse85 wrote: »

All generally good advice but not what the OP asked. He specifically asked for physical attributes.
If that was an exam you'd have failed for not reading the question properly.

If this was a quiz your answer would have being too slow,and you would have lost the points.

Killme00 wrote: »

Speed, endurance, flexibility and strength can be improved through training, but the you can't change the frame it goes on. So obviously that's the most important physical attribute.

^ This.

Simple test get a strong person with no experience to go to a bjj session and see the results.

Barry.Oglesby

empacher wrote: »

Simple test get a strong person with no experience to go to a bjj session and see the results.

Another test would be to get an excellent BJJ player to box and see the results.

One of the things that makes MMA so interesting to coach and to programme for is the lack of control you have over the energy systems utilised in a fight. If I were coaching, say, a sprinter, I'd be absolutely sure that their event would be between 10 and 12 seconds long, anaerobic in nature and would require tremendous power but not have any concerns regarding recovery. Equally a GAA player has to have anaerobic speed, quick recovery times and aerobic endurance for 35 minutes without rest.

For a fighter, what you are training for depends on the athlete, but also the fight itself. You might train a guy to pummel and wrestle (predominantly power based) but his opponent turns out to be good at keeping the distance, then you will end up in a striking match which makes it far more aerobic in nature.

Now a good fighter will be able to bring the fight where he is strongest, using his tactics and technical nous to fight the type of fight he wants to fight. A good fighter also burns less energy as he is more efficient technically, and if he is controlling the fight with his superior technique, tactics, gameplan and ringcraft, doing less work than his opponent.

So in summation, be better at the sport and be well prepared tactically and technically and you'll spend less time worrying about strength, speed, power and so on.

cowzerp

Killme00 wrote: »

Brian Cody says you can make a big man a good hurler, but you cant make a good hurler a big man.

Speed, endurance, flexibility and strength can be improved through training, but the you can't change the frame it goes on. So obviously that's the most important physical attribute.

Your example may work in the hurling world but not in sports with weight categorarys, been a big man means you will be fighting other big men so it's no different than 2 small men fighting advantage wise.

denballs

never back down

It depends who you are fighting.....but 9/10 fights are won or lost because a fighter is out of breath,.....so endurance is a requirement especially as mma is moving toward more rounds per fight.

Strength will always help...but weight classes usually mean you will be of even enough strength...

speed.....well.....it depends....if you mean....speed as in how fast you move your feet......or throw your punches...or move out of the way of one......these are all more like skills...not physical traits.....practice will have you learn them....of course muscle fobres can adapt to add certain speed advantages but mainly...speed is learnt.

personally...i would expect a fighter to go for everything....you might put fighting styles before others as they take years to master...but physical ability should be improved constantly over time.

Jimmy Bottlehead

Killme00 wrote: »

cowzerp wrote: »

Pure physical and starting out I would say speed, Tomorrow i might say strenght but without skills most physical attributes mean little.

Brian Cody says you can make a big man a good hurler, but you cant make a good hurler a big man.

Speed, endurance, flexibility and strength can be improved through training, but the you can't change the frame it goes on. So obviously that's the most important physical attribute.

Just as an aside, what would be considered the most suitable frame for MMA with regards height and stockiness?

Killme00

cowzerp wrote: »

Your example may work in the hurling world but not in sports with weight categorarys, been a big man means you will be fighting other big men so it's no different than 2 small men fighting advantage wise.

Dont lie, you know you'd rather be taller with a longer reach. I know i would

Donald Cerrone is 6ft and fights against guys that are 5ft8. Four inches in height and a longer reach are a huge advantage. There are examples of this in all weight classes, Jon Jones is another prime example.

cowzerp

Jimmy Bottlehead wrote: »

Just as an aside, what would be considered the most suitable frame for MMA with regards height and stockiness?

Depends if you are more of a wrestler or striker, stocky for wrestlers and long for striking is a basic statement, so somewhere in-between for a well rounded fighter, in saying that I've seen long thin lads been great wrestlers and short stocky lads who are great boxers.

Truth is any body type can do MMA

Killme00

Jimmy Bottlehead wrote: »

Just as an aside, what would be considered the most suitable frame for MMA with regards height and stockiness?

Read Barrys post. Depends on skillset, what's good for BJJ isnt necessarily good for Boxing isnt necessarily for Wrestling.

Clive

Tattoos, lots of tattoos.

Jimmy Bottlehead

Clive wrote: »

Tattoos, lots of tattoos.

You forgot the mandatory shaved head / mohawk :P

_oveless

Attendance isn't a physical attribute per se, but you have to be physically there in the gym training each day so technically that's the most important physical attribute.

Mr. Loverman

Small dick so you can wear speedos in the cage.

EDIT: Or maybe a really big dick?!

Be like Nutella

All I know is Jones wins, has won and will win for a long long long time because of his intelligent and very successful exploitation of insanely abnormal and completely freaky ass reach of 84.5 inches...
that's 7 feet....hahaha.... more than 7 inches on Arlovski who is the same exact height!!!! Longest Reach on the whole UFC roster...ever !Longer than bloody Struve...he's a freak : ) He is a genius fighter (but should be judged taking into account his reach advantage heavily)
If you're fast, fit and strong and a pure MMA athlete and you have at least 6 inches on ANYONE who will ever fight you ...ever... then.....
Reach Reach Reach !! for anyone else...mnaa.....no answer .... being short doesn't help but tell that to Frankie Edgar.... bein fat doesn't help but Big country gets past that.... being a lanky freaky string of beans doesn't help either but tell that to Semmy (incidentally who is 6'11'' and STILL HAS A SHORTER REACH THAN BONES!!!! BY 1.5 INCHES!!!

All of these guys have a shorter reach than Jones...it's maaaad

http://www.mmawiz.com/toplists/tallest

_oveless

Corey Hill had a significant reach advantage over most of his opponents and he didnt amount to much.

Be like Nutella

wasn't saying if you've got good reach advantage you're set up... was just pointing out a case of freaky reach advantage and the intelligent use of said advantage.... reach is an advantage is all I was saying... and its Bones most significant physical quality as regards fighting him at 205 and the size you will therefore naturally likely be... his likely opponents will always have reach between 72 an 78 inches and this allows Bones to focus strategy based around this precept allowing him to take advantage of reach as far as striking strategy goes with every single opponent. Becasue he is at least as fast as anyone else and as strong as anyone else he smartly uses his reach to his maximum advantage whether thats staying outside and using range and footwork or controling inside on the basis that nobody wants to engage get inside and be victim to his wrestling. It is the scale of his freaky reach advantage which ultimately makes him a possible 5+ year reigning 205 champion. If he moves up at any point that advantage will lessen relatively but not even that much as it's such a mahoosive advantage. God or whatever, gave him a great brain for fighting and a statistically freaky advantageous frame to fight with. He'll never fear any opponent...he'll always be bigger...always have massive reach advantage....and the more he wins...he'll just get better at using that advantage until he's some kind of unbeatable God among what 'he will make look like' average fighters.

DrPhilG

Killme00 wrote: »

Dont lie, you know you'd rather be taller with a longer reach. I know i would

Donald Cerrone is 6ft and fights against guys that are 5ft8. Four inches in height and a longer reach are a huge advantage. There are examples of this in all weight classes, Jon Jones is another prime example.

But there's also Stefan Struve who has been KO'd a few times because he hadn't the skill/brains to back up his reach. Although size and reach did turn a chump like Tim Sylvia into a champ...

DB888

I'd say the most important thing to have before you step foot in a cage/ring or whatever combat arena you enter is a high level of cardio.Once cardio goes everything else you possess quickly falls apart I think.Along with clarity of the mind which controls it all.Just my thoughts on it

Cill94

I think at the top level the thing that separates fighters on the physical scale is endurance, especially for 5 round fights and especially at heavyweight. It's an incredible advantage to be able to perform at near 100% for longer than your opponent. One of the major reasons why Nick Diaz is so effective; he doesn't throw a lot of power shots but he can pepper the other guy with gassing body blows and effective jabs for 5 rounds, or even longer if he needed.

gary s

I think explosivness is a key aspect of mma

themandan6611

if you are a soccer player you'll have amazing leg kicks