Don't be this Guy at MMA Class or at the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Club

The Man Test Guy

A lot of people today, I think, are really missing out on the benefits of a good societal man test. In more ancient cultures, there was often a prescribed age when a person was thought to have achieved adulthood and all the responsibilities and benefits that go along with it. Often this came with a ritualistic, and painful, man test. One such test was to be hanged by the pectorals from hooks, unable to cry out. There are probably several reasons this was done. However, after having run an mma gym for a while, one of those probable reasons really stands out to me. Many guys were coming in to learn to box and when we would hit them a little too hard, and apologize, they'd quickly say "No, no, that's fine.. I don't mind.."

There are several reasons a new student will say this. A VERY common reason for this behavior is the mistaken understanding "If you want to REALLY learn to fight, you have to REALLY fight." This isn't entirely negative - the prospect wants to show he is game to the rigors of MMA fight training, understands there will be contact, and is willing to deal with that reality. Oftentimes this attitude comes from having trained in traditional martial arts with little to no contact, finding that these training methods do not work when pressured, and make the decision to go somewhere that uses hard contact as a training tool. However, when we say several times to the student that rough contact is not only unnecessary in the first stages and middle stages of learning, but is also really detrimental to the development of a fighter, I would often hear "That's OK, seriously, I don't mind it.." Then we would re-explain that rough contact, too early in the training, causes lots of bad instincts to rise to the surface - the very same bad instincts a boxer or wrestler wants to avoid. Later, while watching this guy training with someone else in our MMA gym, I'd hear him say again "No, I don't mind, I want to learn to fight..its alright if a few rough ones get through" and just shake my head. I'm pretty sure a big ritualistic painful societal man test would have helped this individual. If, at age 14, we all showed the tribe or community that pectoral hooks don't make us scream, then I think this desire to show our fortitude at the MMA gym would be done and gone and dealt with already. The Man Test Guy isn't a bad guy to train with typically. He can sometimes be the Tough Guy and sometimes Mr. Full Contact, but not always. So long as he isn't beating people up during MMA training, and you can keep him from letting others do so to him, he will be a hardy MMA fighter and appreciate the Hell out of what you have given his game as well as what you have done for his understanding of training and coaching.