It took me ten minutes to realise I enjoyed mixed martial arts (MMA). I participated in a Fitness 02 Mixed Martial Arts bootcamp at Safa Park and felt great when the MMA coach and professional fighter Tam Khan told me I was kicking harder than one of the guys participating!
The bootcamp, for both men and women, called MMA Fit, mixes Brazilian jiu-jitsu, wrestling, Thai boxing, kick-boxing and boxing. It takes places twice a week in the evening at Safa Park over a period of four weeks. According to Khan, it's the only MMA academy in the UAE, affiliated with the UFC legendary "Royce Gracie" and MMA professional fighters.
Conditioning over combat
It focuses on fitness and the conditioning aspect, not the combat. About 15 people participate in each class, from beginners to the advanced.
Fitness 02 and Khan joined hands to launch the bootcamp in late February. A male and female coach are present during each class, which begins with a ten-minute warm-up comprising sprawling, burpies, push-ups and squats, followed by explosive workout, including squat thrusts and plyometrics exercises.
After the warm-up, Khan asked me to put on gloves and hit a pad held by a male participant as hard as I could, while he lay on the ground and "trapped" me with his legs. Then Khan held the pad close to his left leg and asked me to first give right and left punches and then hit the pad hard. "If a woman gets assaulted, she can use these moves and hit where it hurts to free herself."
Zena Habi, co-owner of Fitness 02 and one of the six trainers, said MMA gives you more self-confidence in everything you do in life.
"We teach for the sense of power it gives members. We are not talking about power over people but the power to feel with clarity of thought," Khan said.
Intense regime
"If someone gets too close to you, you will be able to defend yourself, thanks to jiu-jitsu techniques," Habi said.
Although the bootcamp is conducted in a fun environment, it's intense, working on strength, conditioning and techniques.
I only worked out for 15 minutes but felt the benefits of the exercises (and the pain) the next day. Who knows, maybe someday I'll need to use a punch-kick combination to defend myself for real.
Dubai Karate Centre
A range of martial-arts classes — karate, judo, aikido, muay Thai, kudo, taekwondo, wing tzun — are held Saturday-Thursday from 5am-8pm. Visit www.dubaikarate.com for details.
Core Direction
Offers Yogilates classes (fusion of yoga and Pilates) at Safa Park on Monday and Wednesday at 7pm and Sufouh/Media City Beach on Sunday and Tuesday at 5.30pm. A new bootcamp starting on March 15 in Garhoud at 6.30pm will implement running drills and resistance exercises with kick-boxing gloves, tyres and weighted bars. Visit www.coredirection.com for information.
Dubai Kendo Club
This class, held every Tuesday at 4pm and 7.30pm for 90 minutes at Quay Health Club, Madinat Jumeirah, is for those interested in practising the ancient Japanese art of the way of the sword and the samurai.
Visir www.jumeirah.com/hotels-and-resorts/Destinations/Dubai/Madinat-Jumeirah/Spa--Healthclub/The-Quay-Healthclub/ for details.
World Black Belts Centre
Classes range from Tang Soo Do, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, mixed martial arts, Hapkido, power yoga, kick-boxing and arnis for adults and children. They are held near Mazaya Centre and Safestway supermarket daily from 4pm-midnight. Visit www.thewbbc.com for details.
Hapkido Club
Offers complete self-defence martial-arts class taught by third Dan-graded Metin Sayer for both men and women. Classes are held on Tuesday and Thursday at 7pm and Saturday at 10pm, for 90 minutes at Al Areesh Club in Festival City. Visit www.metinsayer.com for details.
