Bayonet Scabbard

Thursday, 12 May 2005 14:25 Last Updated on Thursday, 12 May 2005 14:25 Written by Hoboken 0 Comments

So...you want to be a mixed martial arts fighter? I'm only joking. Perhaps the competition and fighting aren't for you, but you would like to try the training to stay in shape and have fun. There's one problem...do you know what types of mixed martial arts (MMA) gear you need for training? You certainly don't just walk in as you are and expect to be able to start training.

MMA gear is designed for YOUR protection. Let's start with one of the must buys on my list. How much do you spend on dental care? How much did your parents spend on your braces? The correct answer...a small fortune. To prevent damage to your teeth, get a mouthguard! A mouthguard for MMA training is the cheapest kind of dental insurance. I'm not saying people are going to being hitting you in the mouth intentionally, but accidents do happen and it's much better to be able to laugh it off with your training partner then to have to leave class early to see your dentist.

There are many types of MMA mouthguards available that are known as "boil and bite" mouthguards. This is by far the cheapest option, but don't let this dissuade you from them. They do the job. Basically, you boil some water, stick the mouthguard in the water for about a minute (or however long the instructions provided tell you to), take the mouthguard out and splash it with cold water for a second, then bite into it. The mouthguard gets softened up by the boiling water so you can sink your teeth into them easily. It's as close to custom mouthguards as you can get for the price.

Your other option for MMA mouthguards are the custom mouthguards. Custom mouthguards are exactly what they sound like. They are molded to fit your teeth exactly with no possible deviations. This allows for a tighter fit, which lowers the chances of mishaps. So...why doesn't everybody choose custom mouthguard over a "boil and bite" mouthguard? Price. A custom mouthguard can cost up to 10 times more than a "boil and bite" mouthguard.

Once you've chosen the type of MMA mouthguard for you, time to put it to good use! When you first start using a mouthguard, it will take some time to get used to it if you've never used one before. You may find yourself salivating more, so be careful not to drool all over your training partners. One last tip, please make sure you clean your mouthguards. Rinse them after every training session, clean them with your toothbrush (or a separate one), and soak them in mouthwash once a week. They can get extremely stinky due to bacteria and you don't want to put all that bad stuff in your mouth if you can avoid it. Have fun training!

Danim Suer is an active practitioner in mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes known as ultimate fighting or cage fighting. When not training, he is also a writer for http://MMADEAL.com. He is very experienced with the different MMA clothing and gear brands available on the market today and highlights the best deals on the latest MMA clothing and gear at http://MMADEAL.com.