Amateur Mixed Martial Arts (AMMAA) Association

MMA is a Real Sport in the United States Today

And it's quickly becoming the world's newest past time. MMA has been developing in the U.S. since the early 1990's. As the millennium approached MMA grew into a more clearly defined sport. Athletes realized it wasn't any one skill that was needed to win, but a combination of certain essential skills. MMA Athletes now know that to be victorious they will need to cross train across many mixed martial arts platforms.

Mixed martial arts was originally based around the concept of pitting different martial arts and fighting styles against each other in competition with minimal rules, in an attempt to determine which system would be more effective in a real, unregulated combat situation.

Modern MMA competition is an evolution of such events, but rules have been implemented to promote acceptance of the sport, while at the same time maintaining as much of the original no-holds-barred concept as possible. There is however no general sanctioning body for the sport, and the sets of rules vary according to the laws of individual organizations and localities (the Amateur MMA Assn is leading the charge to make modern MMA an Olympic sanctioned sport for the 2008 games).

The techniques utilized in MMA competition generally fall into two categories: striking techniques (such as kicks, knees and punches) and grappling techniques (such as clinch holds, pinning holds, submission holds, sweeps, takedowns and throws).

Some unarmed hand to hand combat techniques are considered illegal in arguably all modern MMA competition, such as biting, eye-gouging, fish-hooking and small joint manipulation. Over the last ten years, strikes to the groin have become illegal in all legally sanctioned MMA organizations. The legality of other techniques such as elbows, headbutts and spinal locks vary according to competition or organization.

Victory is normally gained by judges' decision after an allotted amount of time has elapsed, a stoppage by the referee or the fight doctor (in the event that the competitor is injured or can no longer defend himself intelligently), a submission, by a competitor's cornerman (throwing in the towel), or knockout.

The Amateur Mixed Martial Arts Association believes that striking and kicking is for the MMA semi-pro and professional. At the amateur MMA level, we strive to develop and tune the grappling, wrestling, ju-jitsu and submission skills that have become so critical to the sport.