Amateur MMA events ???

[Scott Bolinger]

I'm working on a write up for amateur MMA. I have to do a little speech on it in front of a City Council and possible present it to the athletics commission on sanctioning. So far i've checked out about 10 different MMA circuits and there really isn't much difference in amateur and pro. Just some amateur events you cant do knee strikes, and there are sertain ways you are alloud to do elbow strikes.

In my area, and different parts of Nebraska there is know sactioning of MMA or kickboxing. But it's also stated that anyone that puts on a event without the approval of the law inforcement that the fighters could be fined for assault, as well as the promoter for promoting the assault. A few weeks ago, I had to get up front of a crowed on a rezone issue at a planning commission meeting on a facility that was going to allow MMA. And a church group was there to speek against MMA. The threw alot of untruths and accusations, bascially because they didn't know anything about MMA. So I did alot of giving of information about MMA, kickboxing and proboxing.

I know in my write up, i'll still have to do alot more information giving. But I think there should be more differences between pro and amateur. Maybe in using more safety equipment like knee padds, elbow pads and some sort of modified head gear.

I guess what I could use , is some advise on what to present and if someone has had to do this for there city or state, giving a bit of information on that, and how it worked would be helpfull as well. And maybe some suggestions on what brand of padding, as well as head gear. I was thinking of maybe a modified wrestling headgear might work best for MMA. Gotta be something thats not to bulky.

[howulikemenow]

I compete in amateur mma. We don't allow any knee or elbow strikes to the head at any time. We don't allow any striking to the head at all while on the ground. You can check out our rules at www.masonsata.com go to the "High Octane Fighting Championship" part. I hope this helps a little.

[MasterGrappler]

arent they all? I mean whats the difference, you dont get paid in ametuer and in pro you do? that must be it otherwise there is no differenece

[Bauer]

Where at in Nebraska? I live in Lincoln, so if you need any help, I'd be glad to lend a hand.

[Scott Bolinger]

i'm in Alliance

[Scott Bolinger]

from what i've checked out for sparring equipment, I like the armour gear from Century, the elbow and fore arm pad would work well. The wrestling head gear out of the Parana gear looks like it should be confertable. I havn't seen any descant knee pads yet. If I have to have it that certain pads need to be worn, i'd like to keep it as light as possible. I have quite a bit of the program written out and i'll post it in here for review shortly.

[Scott Bolinger]

WRKF -- Amateur MMA



The WRKF is dedicated to bring professionalism and sportsmanship to the art of the MMA competition.


Rules


Age: Must be at least 18 years old to compete in any MMA amateur events

Illegibility: Must fill out a application on credentials as a fighter. Must have at least 2 years fighting experience in any style of martial arts which would include boxing, tae kwon do, shotokan , jujitsu, judo etc… Application will be reviewed by the WRKF review board for approval. No professional fighters of any style will be allowed to participate in a WRKF amateur event.

Pre-Fight:
All fighters must sign a WRKF application and waiver form.
All fighters are advised to consult with there physician before competing.
Before and after the competition, every fighter will see a assigned WRKF medical staff.


Application fee for 2007: $35 per year. Will need to be renewed at the end of each year.

Equipment:
7 oz amateur MMA gloves
knee pads
elbow pads
groin protection
chest protectors for women
mouth peace
head gear (wrestling style head gear)
hand wraps (cotton, Mexican style, gauze) maybe worn. ( no tape over knuckles or palm)
Fighters may lightly apply Vaseline upon their faces, but neither oils nor grease may be used on any part of the competitor’s body.

Note: if one fighter don’t have elbow pads, there won’t be any elbow strikes allowed. If one fighter does not have knee pads, there won’t be any knee strikes allowed.

Weight Classes:
Lightweight –over 145 lbs. To 155 lbs.
Welterweight – over 155 lbs. To 170 lbs
Middleweight – over 170 lbs. To 185 lbs.
Light Heavyweight – over 185 lbs. To 205 lbs.
Heavyweight – over 205 lbs. To 265 lbs.

Round Duration:
All bouts shall be 3 rounds.
Rounds will be 3 minutes in duration
A one-minute rest period will occur between each round.




Ways To Win:
1. Submission by:
a) physical tap out.
b) Verbal tap out.
2. Technical knockout by the referee stopping the contest.
3. Decision via the scorecards, including:
a) Unanimous decision
b) Split decision
c) Majority decision
d) Draw, including:
I) unanimous draw
II) Majority draw
III) split draw
4. Technical decision
5. Technical draw
6. Disqualification
7. Forfeit
8. No contest
9. corner of opponent throws in the towel
10. Referee Stoppage: When a fighter is taking excessive punishment but cannot or will not submit or quit, either due to striking, failing to show a willingness to continue, a refusal to submit to the face of grave injury, or any other reason to referee believes is necessary to preserve the fighter’s safety.
11. stoppage by ringside physician or referee do to a cut or other injury

Fouls
1. Butting with the head
2. Eye gouging of any kind
3. Biting
4. Hair pulling
5. Fish hooking
6. Groin attacks of any kind (grabs or strikes)
7. putting a finger into any orifice or into any cut or laceration on an opponent
8. small joint manipulation
9. striking to the spine or the back of the head
10. Striking downward using the point of the elbow
11. Throat strikes of any kind, including, without limitation, brabbing the trachea.
12. Clawing, pinching or twisting the flesh
13. Grabbing the clavicle
14. Kicking to the head of a grounded opponent
15. Kneeing to the head or neck of a grounded opponent
16. Stomping a grounded opponent
17. Kicking to the kidney with the heel
18. Spiking an opponent to the canvas on his head or back of neck
19. Throwing an opponent out of the ring or fenced area
20. Holding the shorts or gloves of an opponent
21. Spitting at an opponent
22. Engaging in an unsportsmanlike conduct that causes an injury to an opponent
23. Holding the ropes or the fence
24. Using abusive language in the ring or fenced area
25. Attacking an opponent who is under the care of the referee
26. Attacking an opponent after the bell has sounded the end of the period of unarmed combat
27. Attacking an opponent on or during the break
28. Flagrantly disregarding the instructions of the referee
29. Timidity, including, without limitation, avoiding contact with an opponent, intentionally or consistently dropping the mouthpiece or faking an injury.
30. Interference by the corner
31. fingertip strikes or rakes
32. single hand chokes to the throat
33. two handed chokes applied directly to the throat and/or windpipe
34. no application of oil, ointment, spray, massaging cream, hair cream, or any other substances is permitted to any part of the fighter’s body before and during the fights. The discovery of any of these substances will result in a disqualification.
35. Intentionally delaying the contest due to improper equipment, or by intentionally dropping or spitting out the mouthpiece.

Note: In the event that a fighter is injured by illegal actions, then at the discretion of the referee and ring doctor, the round will attempt to be resumed after enough time has been given to the fighter to recover (5 minutes max). If the match cannot be continued due to the severity of the injury then the fighter who perpetrated the action will be disqualified.

Note: first offense maybe a warning, second offense will be a point deduction, 3rd offense will be a automatic disqualification. Depending on the severity of the offense and whether it was accidental or on purposes may be cause for automatic disqualification. The referee has final say in the discipline during the time of the event. Any disqualifications, the referee will file a report and send to the WRKF board. WRKF reserves the right to do further investigation and disciplinary actions for any disqualifications, which may include review boards before allowed to compete, suspensions, banning from any further competitions in WRKF and possibly fined.

Ground opponent:

A fighter is considered down if anything other than the flats of his or her feet are on the canvas.

While on the Ground:

While on the ground , if a opponent travel to close to the rope or fence, the round will stop by the referee by yelling break and touching each fighter and have them restart in the same position in the middle of the ring.

Scoring Bouts and Determining a Winner by Decision

Scoring the round:
The rounds will be scored on a 10 point must system. Where 10 will be the winner of that round and a 9 to the loser of the round

How to Score Points:
1 point for a strike to the head, face, legal body shots, inner , top and outer thigh
2 points for take downs
2 points for a reversal
3 points for submission holds (has to be at least 3 seconds long to show control)






Ranking system:

All WRKF fighters will be ranked on the WRKF site at www.wrkf.us .
Participants will get 1 point
Winner receives 3 points
Draw receives 2 points
Exhibition matches receive 2 points

Octagon Ring
The ring size maybe octagon shaped, must be a minimum of 16’ X 16’ from the middle of each side. The fence must be a minimum of 6’ high. If using rope., there should be at least 4 ropes with the first rope at 18, the second rope 30 inches, the third rope 42 inches, and the fourth rope 54 inches above the ring floor. The ring floor shall be padded with a ½ to one-inch layer of ensolite AAC or /AL closed cell foam rubber (or chemical equivalent). Ring post should be should be covered with a protective padding. If the ring is home made, a WRKF rep will need to inspect the ring to assure safety and that it meets the requirements of the WRKF.

Boxing ring
The ring should be a minimum of 16’ X 16’ and there should be at least 4 ropes with the first rope at 18, the second rope 30 inches, the third rope 42 inches, and the fourth rope 54 inches above the ring floor. The ring floor shall be padded with a 1/2 to one-inch layer of ensolite AAC or /AL closed cell foam rubber (or chemical equivalent). The turn buckles must be covered with a protective padding. If the ring is home made, a WRKF rep will need to inspect the ring to assure safety and that it meets the requirements of the WRKF.

Ring implements:
The organization conducting the event shale provide a sufficient number of sanitary water buckets, sponges and water bottles. Also, two stools with short legs, Ice, gauze, 1”athletic tape, 2” athletic tape and a first aid kit.

Gong, bell, horn, klaxon, etc.
The gong, bell, buzzer, horn, whistle or claxon, whichever is used, must be sufficiently loud so that the official and boxers can hear it clearly.

Other equipment
Tables and chairs for the officials – judges, announcers, timekeeper, physicians, jury, administration, media, etc.

Score (judges) cards – top portion filled out. Extra blank copies of scorecards, extra pens and pencils and clipboards.

Equipment care
A 10 percent household bleach and water solution shall be used for cleansing al headgear and gloves prior to the start of the event and after each use.

Questions and concerns:

Is there a training program or seminar that you go through to be eligible to run a MMA event or be a corner man, or be one of the officials? Yes and there are many ways you can obtain training on how to efficient run a event. There will be a seminar available at least once per year for each region that will be conducted by the WRKF. Some other coach also go as far as obtaining a USA boxing coaches license in which they have to go to a training seminar for being a official (judge, referee, time keeper and some go over corner man responsibilities). Some Officials are also certified through the ABC and athletics commission.

Do people get hurt in MMA? Just like any sport, a athlete can and does get hurt. But in MMA I haven’t heard of any serious injuries. There’s a great deal more injuries that occur in football and horse racing.

Is there any benefits of a MMA style of competition? In MMA, this style of competition pushes the athletes and coaches to think outside of the box compare to your standard karate, kickboxing or boxing style. You end up adding to your style of fighting and end up studying a great deal in many different arts. On another good side to that style of fighting, it also promotes many styles of competitions, such as Judo, Jujitsu, wrestling, boxing, tae kwon do, karate, kickboxing etc….

What can MMA bring to our community? The MMA can bring many thing to your community. It’s a sport for both amateur and pro athletes. It’s very useful in helping people get in shape. Helps create interest in the other fighting arts. It can also bring in new business such as a new sport to your area and product line. This type of sport brings in spectators and athletes from in state, outer state and outside the country to train and compete.

How do I qualify to be able to compete? Every fighter has to fill out a WRKF application , in which a WRKF associate will approve or disapprove eligibility. You have to be at least 18 to participate. With a minimum of 2 years of training in any fighting style.

I have a concern that kids will imitate what they see and if they see MMA, they’ll imitate those fighters. That’s something that could happen. Kids has imitated WWE wrestlers, ninja turtles, power rangers, pokeymon etc…Not to much a person can do about except be good role models for kids and teach them Wright from wrong. WRKF-MMA is a sport and should be treated as a sports. A proper coach will teach professionalism and good sportsmanship.

What’s the difference between how MMA controls a knockout strike compared to sports like boxing and kickboxing? The difference is, that boxing and kickboxing, when hit hard enough to get knocked down and hit hard enough to be dazed or go 10 seconds or longer of taking hits without defending ones self, that usually what will happen is you get a standing 8 count. Some events go with the 3 knock down rule, some have specifically in there contract of a know knockdown rule, which means you can get knocked down more than 3 times. But in MMA getting knocked down and in a stunned state maybe considered a knockout and the fight will be stopped. Buy doing that, that has limited a lot of the possible serious injuries.

[Scott Bolinger]

that's basicallly what I got now, i'll have to do up a emblem sometime. i'll also need to add what the time keepers,judges and referees responsiblities are. For the application , i'll probably just do my standard application that I have for the kickboxing for WRKF, but add a few things like, systems each fight has taking and how long they have trained.

[Bauer]

Alliance, yeah you are out their in the panhandle. ! Good luck on the city council, they are Bible beatres, but you can beat them with truth and logic. Good luck!!

[siouxnyc]

new jersey has a thriving amateur mma league. the uskba sanctions it, and the rules are different than for pro fights.