i am 17 and i want to get started in MMA where do i start ?

You should locate a gym that caters to new fighters if you wish to fight in the cage/ring. Or simply find a studio that offers MMA training which should include the following elements:

1. No Gi grappling training

2. Boxing or striking

3. Cardio training

4. Strength and conditioning coaching

5. Ground and pound

6. Sparring with similar sized fighters and lots of bag work

7. They should have a solid stable of competitive fighters as well. Look for championship belts in their entry way.

Bigger schools may have dietary staff and mental prep coaches as well.

There's a ton of specialized training you can do to increase focus, power, fitness, core power and the like. Try to locate a school that offers coaching in multiple areas. You want to learn from the best or at least a coach who has years of experience in the one core area of practice. It's hard for one coach to know and do it all, especially when they have a bunch of fighters looking to build a fight career.

Find out if the school has trained champions in the past, newer schools may not have active fighters, locate a school that has connections to your local fight community if that is your aim. Active schools can get you a fight where and when you are ready. They also know what it takes to get you ready for your first contest.

Your a beginner so you have everything to learn. Find a studio and staff that feel right to you. You may end up outgrowing a smaller school that offers less of the features from above but you can get a good start in learning. If I chose a single area to train in first I would focus on BJJ Gi and No Gi or Muy Thai. You will learn strong foundational basics and lots of techniques.

The main areas of martial arts you will draw upon include:

1. Striking/Boxing/Muy Thai - foot work, combos, cardio and power for solid kicks, punches, knees, elbows. Which will include lots of bag work and focus mits. You need an excellent coach/coaches for this to get strong basics and build power and speed.

2. Grappling - Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Freestyle grappling for conditioning, speed, takedowns, control and movement

3. Conditioning/Strength Training - everything cardio, you want to mix it up and always shock your body. You need coaches to assist you in preparation for each fight, your fight camp will last many weeks and will push your Vo2 max out and build explosive power and stamina for the fight ahead.

4. Train the mental side as well, you have to think like a winner to be a winner. You could read thousands of books on this subject so find one on amazon.com and get started today.

5. Diet - Eat like a champion, your body is a machine and it needs high octane fuel to perform at optimum levels. know what food helps you get the most out of your body as possible.

Enjoy your journey and only fight if and when you feel ready and your coaches support your decision especially if you have pro aspirations. If you can fight as an amateur or in Pankration then test yourself there or in "no gi" grappling competitions to practice your ground game, cardio and movement. www.fightleague.org - for Pankration info.

Have a goal in mind. Set one today. Focus on your goal and be prepared to make sacrifices to achieve it. Most of all you should love what you do. If you don't love it from the start you never will. So be sure you enjoy that training as much as the fighting or your heart will never be in it.

Good luck.

KK

Join your High School Wrestling team, you may only have 1 or 2 years left in High School but the conditioning and the ground base will help you a LOT. At the same time start looking around for an MMA gym or a BJJ and Muy Thai school. Sign up and train there during the wrestling off seasons. GO TO COLLEGE. Continue to train all the way through college. Once you graduate start getting Amateur fights (It would be ok to get Amateur fights while still in college so long as training for them doesn't mess with your grades) win a few, get Pro fights.

Tada.

It's not too late. Honestly, I think you are at the right age. If you want to train MMA....GO TO AN MMA SCHOOL! Do not listen to anyone that says otherwise. MMA isn't about doing a little bit of BJJ and a little bit of Muay Thai. MMA sport training specifically throws out much of what you would learn at individual schools like BJJ, Judo, and Muay Thai and concentrate on the things that really work in MMA.

find a mma place and sign up. you can look on google.

join brazilian ju juitsu

it wil make you a concentrated fighter