MMA Cheat Sheet

The key takeaways for beginners – linking three distances, the level change before a takedown and position before strikes.

Equipment

Item	Priority	Tip
Mouthguard	High	A boil-and-bite for €15–25 is enough to start – saves the dental bill it costs.
Sparring gloves (16oz)	High	Thick, not thin 4oz fight gloves – more padding for head and hands.
Shin & groin guards	High	Protect you and make you a welcome partner – the rest can wait 4–6 weeks.

Your start

Feel the three distances: Think of striking, clinch and ground as three layers – first the feel for it, details come later.
A gym with a real team: Safe drilling, partners at your level, coaches who correct you – a good gym is a community.
Technique before sparring: Good training is mostly technique – a gym that tests you hard immediately is a red flag.
Two steady sessions: Over months they beat any hard short camp for both mind and technique.

The 3 golden technique rules

Factor 1: Level change before the takedown

Concept: The most common beginner mistake is leading with the head – reaching with head and arms instead of changing levels walks into a sprawl. Tip: Lower from the knees first (back straight, head up, hips down), then shoot with a deep step between the legs.

Factor 2: Position before strikes

Concept: One heavy shot from a stable mount lands harder than ten frantic ones from a shaky guard – position decides how hard you hit. Tip: Secure a dominant position first (back control, mount, side control), then land short punches from the hip – never the reverse.

Factor 3: The transitions are the real sport

Concept: No style wins alone – strike-into-takedown and stand-up-into-distance are the seams where fights are actually decided. Tip: Deliberately drill the chains between ranges, not just isolated techniques: sprawl into control, stand-up into distance.

The Unified Rules

Rule	Remember
Fight ends by	KO, TKO, submission or judges' decision under the 10-point system.
10-point system	Round winner gets 10, loser 9 or less, clear dominance 10:8.
Classic fouls	Eye gouging, headbutts, groin strikes, kicks to a grounded opponent's head.
Amateur ≠ pro	Usually no elbows, guards mandatory – check the federation rulebook first.

Safety & the head

The head is the red line: Around 30.9% of competition injuries hit the head – control this in training through dosed sparring.
No gear prevents concussion: What actually protects you is rules and control – 2.1 versus 4.7 injuries per participant.
Tap early: A tap costs ten seconds of pride, a late tap costs months with a torn ligament.
Ego sparring is the costliest mistake: Losers sustain almost twice as many injuries (48% vs. 24%) – any hard head shot ends the round.

Pro tip: Honestly review your sparring: in which range do you finish situations, in which do you just survive? That's your A-game – build it deep instead of staying mediocre everywhere.