There’s no doubt that in order to get good at any sport you need to put in the hours. Once or twice a week just doesn’t cut it, I’m afraid.

Sure, if MMA is just a hobby to you, then cool. Twice a week will keep you progressing along nicely, and keep you in a modicrum of shape. But, if you want to step it up, getting down to the gym 3-4 times a week is essential.

With MMA/Sub Wrestling, we don’t have competition every week like you’d have in Soccer or GAA, so you need to have as much mat experience as you can when it comes to competitions. (Speaking of which, the MMA League kicks off again in Galway on Saturday, February 28th)

Which leads me on to Thursday night Athlete classes – these classes are a chance for other athletes to take the coaching stage and show you a couple of things they’ve been working on, and there’s a number of benefits to it. For one, different coaches (even worse coaches than your main coach) will have a different way of looking at things and explaining them. These descriptions will help you expand your knowledge of the game and will make something click with you.

Also, if you’re the athlete showing something that night, the process of teaching something forces you to take a look at all the parts of the movement, and be able to answer the what ifs. It’s fine if you don’t know them, at least now you’ll be aware of the gaps in your game or understanding.

Finally, I’ve often said it, but you learn more by open rolling with your partners than you do by listening to the coach for 10 minutes of techniques in every class. By open rolling I mean rolling to get better, not just win each round with your favourite, old reliable, go to move. By experimenting with different techniques, asking questions of you and your partner, you both get better, so that when you do make it onto the mats for a competition, you can trust your knowledge and trust your cornerman, who may just happen to be the guy you’re rolling with in training tonight.

Some vids from last Thursday. You can see the differences in skill level between the more experienced Anto & Tommy and the new guys, Mark and Paddy.

Thursday Night Rolling (4) from Colm O'Reilly on Vimeo.