Following the success of Warriors MMA youth fighters in the MMA League inaugral Youth tournament at London Excel, we are starting new Junior & Youth classes in Bicester. WarriorsMMA are currently joint 4th in the UK MMALeague and Josh, one of our first youth team fighters is the League Youth champion 2010.

Classes will be held on Thursday evenings at Cooper School, Bicester. Junior classes (KS3) will run from 6pm - 7pm and Youth classes (KS4 &5) will run from 7pm - 8pm. Classes will be limited to a maximum 24 members.

For more information, contact info@warriorsmma.org

What can I expect in a typical class?

Junior classes lay the foundations for youth MMALeague competitions. There will be no contact sparring & striking will be to pads only. You will learn basic boxing & Muay Thai techniques, take-downs and submission groundwork.

Youth classes will include light contact sparring, but no head shots. We will be working to MMALeague competition rules. If you choose to compete & if we feel you are ready, sparring will increase to full contact 4 weeks from competition, with permission from your parents / guardians. Contact will not be permitted unless you have the correct safety equipment.

A typical class will start with a warm up followed by standing techniques, either boxing or Muay Thai. We will then teach some groundwork techniques and finish with rounds of grappling for submissions. Class will conclude with a short cool down.

Parents are welcome to watch the class, but I must ask that they do not interfere with the class or eat / drink / smoke in the training hall.

Parents' Guide to MMA.

MMA or Mixed Martial Arts is probably the fastest growing sport in the UK. It is a relatively safe and highly regulated sport that encourages self discipline and a healthy lifestyle. Modern MMA started in the early '90s with UFC 1 and has evolved in 2000 to become safer with the unified rules that outlawed the more dangerous techniques. At amateur level, there are no strikes to the head, heel hooks or neck cranks. Of course, with any sport, there is a risk of injury but we take safety very seriously and students are instructed to tap out before submission techniques start to hurt. Each MMA team use their own blend of Martial Arts styles, but the key skill sets include boxing, Muay Thai, wrestling, grappling (usually BJJ), Judo and Kickboxing. At WarriorsMMA, we use predominantly boxing & Muay Thai for stand up techniques and a blend of grapple techniques using GoshinJuJuitsu & Judo.

Links - Wikipedia What is MMA?, MMALeague, MMALeague Rules, Wikipedia Unified Rules, UFC, WEC, Strikeforce

Training kit is largely a personal choice. Most people wear fight shorts and rash guard, but jogging bottoms and an old t-shirt are fine. The main considerations are comfort & safety. For example, some tracksuit bottoms have metal zips at the ankle, making them unsuitable for training. For a detailed kit list, click here. We have sourced cheap, high quality equipment from our sponsor, so it is probably best to order your T-shirt / Rash guard / Shorts / Gloves through us. It is important to have the best quality gloves that you can afford so that the velcro doesn't peel back and scrape people. For Juniors / Youth fighters MMA sparring gloves are better than standard MMA gloves as they have more padding on the knuckle. If in doubt, feel free to ask. A cheap rugby style mouth guard is not ideal as accidents can happen when grappling - I recommend O-Pro Gold (which is what I wear), Brain Pad or Shock Doc 3. Basically, any brand that offers a £10,000 dental guarantee.

A decent gum shield is vital as is a groin guard (there are also women's groin guards). We will bring an assortment of gloves, pads & shin insteps that you can borrow if you are new, but if you are to train regularly, you will need to buy your own. For a detailed kit list, click here.

How much is a class?

Junior and Youth classes cost £7 pay as you go, or, if you pay a term in advance, will be billed at a reduced rate of £5 per class. If you pay in advance, you will not be refunded if your child misses a class.

Who are the instructors?

Nik & Luke mmmmmLuke teaches MMA and Muay Thai. Former European TSD champion, he has over 25 years experience of Full Contact martial arts, including a 3rd Dan in Goshinjujtsu, and a competitive record in Muay Thai and Tang Soo Do. Nik is a Sports & Remedial Massage Therapist & is the strength & conditioning coach for Warriors MMA. She has over 25 years experience of Full Contact Martial arts, including black belts in Judo & Goshinjujitsu. She has a competitive record in Judo & Jujitsu. Nik & Luke both have enhanced CRBs as they both work in education for Oxfordshire County Council. Nik has a full First Aid at Work qualification.

Chris mmmmmmmm Chris is the Senior Student at WarriorsMMA and competes regularly. He is currently the UK MMALeague #2 Light Heavyweight. He teaches Karate and MMA in Thame. Chris has a current CRB and First Aid qualification. Chris is a professional Personal Trainer.

What if I have paid for a term and my child no longer wishes to train?

In that case, your fee will only be refunded if we can find a reserve student to take your child's place. Because classes are size limited, we are likely to have turned people away as advance paid students will take priority over pay-as-you-go when it comes to having to restrict class size. After all, numbers are restricted to keep your child safe.

When will I be able to compete?

That depends on your natural skill level and how long you have been training in other martial arts. If you feel you are ready to compete, ask us and we will tell you if we think you are safe enough to fight. Most people have their first amateur competition within 18 months of starting to train. There is no pressure to compete though, in fact, many people chose to never step into the cage. MMALeague offer 4 tournaments each year and there are numerous other events, although junior competitions are less frequent than adult competitions. We have found MMALeague events to be fair, safe and consistantly refereed, so most of our youth fights will therefore be in the League. The minimum age for competing in the UKMMALeague youth tournament is 14.

Is there anything else I need to know ?

MMA requires a high level of concentration in order to minimise the risk of injury. If junior/youth members do not take their training seriously, they will be asked to leave the class for their safety and the safety of other fighters. If you are asked to leave the class due to dangerous behaviour, your fee will not be refunded.

Please bear in mind that for youth fighters, Nik holds an 'if you are behind in coursework, you don't train' policy.