Guidelines for training at ÖMMA IF

These are opinions expressed by Tobias Rönngren, head coach at Östersunds Mixed Martial Arts Idrottsförening.

Everybody who trains have different goals that the experience of their training are in accord with. If the training are not in accord with what the athlete expects this should be voiced and discussed with the coach in charge so that the training routine might be changed if suitable. With suitable I point to the fact that there are some certain guidelines which every athlete should be aware of and follow. To me those guidelines supports the routines and training habits that will result in an accumulated improvement of all the physical and mental attributes that are the character of an elite athlete.

What is expected by the club

The club is existing to support the athletes that wish to become better at their MMA performance. The training methods should always be worked on and improved by compeeting athletes and coaches with a rich background of compeeting. The training provided should be done in a manner that limits the possibility of athletes getting injured. The training shall always be pedagogical and all questions shall always be met and answered.

What is expected by the coach

The coach is an athlete with the responsibility to lead and inspire others in their MMA experience.

The coach main task is to introduce the athlete to excercices and drills so that it will be known at what level the athlete are performing in certain areas. When the trainee is evaluated the coach will expose the athlete to excercises and drills to let the athlete grow in a progressive process where practical and educational studies goes hand in hand. In this process the coach will know the athletes lurning curve and methods in which that athlete needs to train so that that athlete can grow at fastest rate possible. The coach will not put the athlete thru excercices or situations that the athlete are not ready to handle. It is on the coach responsibility that unexperienced athletes do not injure themselves or other athletes as well as it's the responsibility of the athlete him or herself.

All coaches must be active competitors or have a long history and experience of compeeting.

What is expected by the athlete

All athletes have different goals, ways to learn, ways to express themselves as persons and as fighters. That results in that the expactation of the training and the doing of the training itself will be expressed differentaly by different athletes. Everybody should enjoy training and make their best so that others also will find it enjoyable and giving. Some athletes goals and expectations are no more than it should be a fun activity, and this is totally ok, as long as it does not become a problem for those athletes that also have another goal. To become top athletes. In other words, get to the training well in time, have an already filled bottle of water when entering the training, train when you are at the training,  extend yourself when you are at the training,  get the equipment that your training aquires, assist others in their training so that the quality of us all improves.

All athletes must wear newly washed clothes, discard old clothes and equipment that have a sweat smell that does not go away with washing. Don't enter the training smelling of sweat, take a shower before training if needed. Take good care of your health and personal hygiene as certain diseases are easily spread in the training enviroment we are in. Make sure that you have the right equipment to avoid injuries (mouthguard, kneepads, rashguard, etc) and the right equipment to handle lighter injuries (disinfectant wipes, athletic coach tape etc).

Our training will develop the attributes necessary to compete in MMA. That means being aware of where you are and how you get to where you want to be. To be able to climb the ladder of improvement you have to be able to train, and you have to have others to train with. Do not train in such a way that you hurt yourself so you cant train, or you hurt others so that they cant train. Not being able to train is devastating ’cos the stream of experiences that are needed to evolve will be shut off or slowed down. Accidents happens, but if there are many accidents or "could be accidents" involving you you shall look into your behaviours and correct them yourself or the coach in charge will correct you. The only time when it's ok to have an intention of doing real damage is during competition according to the rules of that competition.

Everybody who participate in the training shall have a good and open attitude towards their fellow participants and their fellow human beings.

What is expected by the athletes in the fight team

As the quality and quantity of MMA fighters in the club grows the fight team will also be refined. By that I mean that when the overall standard improves the criterias to be a part of the fight team will also be higher. Some fighters that are in the fight team today might not be good enough to fit tomorrows fight team.

All members in the fight team are active competitors and not compeeting or being absent from trainings is a good reason for being taken of the team. All athletes in the fight team must have exceptional self control and know how to train hard without injuring others. Any fighter can be denied to represent ÖMMA IF at any competition if the coach in charge knows that the athlete arent ready or experienced enough.