Best High School Sport to Precede MMA Training? (other than wrestling)

[Matt "Gumby" Glach]

So my little bro is 15, a freshman in high school, currently his high school sport is crew, but I've talked to him about my love for MMA extensively and he's expressed some interest in training but he's too busy with school to start now and probably won't get a chance until college.

So my question is.. other than wrestling, what high school sport(s) would you say are ideal for preceding a transition into MMA? (in case it matters, he is 6'1 145lbs)

Thanks fellas!

[Aab]

tell him to eat! I think football is good. Gets you used to some hard contact.

[Danny Stolfi]

I agree with football. I'd also suggest lacrosse, it's fast paced, there's a lot of contact, and his agility and endurance will be pushed.

Not sure if every school has it though. I know it's spread across the country, but I'm pretty sure there's places in the country that don't play it. Especially bc it interferes with baseball season.

[Enrique "Kiko"]

Good wrestling base is awesome to have. Plus he'll have time on the mat. He'll just have to get over his panic feeling when on his back once transitioning to JJ

[Enrique "Kiko"]

Other than wrestling, idk, what sports in high school do a lot of flexibility and core strength training. Oh, I wish I did gymnastics in high school. Those dudes had wicked strength.

[Matt "Gumby" Glach]

See my first inclination was cross country & track because he'd have a superior cardio foundation plus the discipline of following timed/regimented workouts. Crew kind of does the same thing I guess. I heard football develops bad habits for MMA but that could be total bullshit cause I can't think of a reason why that'd be true. The only reason I said other than wrestling is because that's the obvious best but my bro refuses to do it. His crew coaches are idiots when it comes to weight training so I've tried to teach him all I know i terms of diet/strength training, but he is so busy it's hard for him to follow it precisely. (He commutes 30 min to school so he has to wake up at like 6AM and doesn't get home after crew practice until around 730PM, leaving little time for much else beyond homework and sleep.

I guess a more general question rather than what sport would be good for him, a more accurate inquiry would be... for a high school student who is a blank slate and has 4 years of guaranteed sports in front of him but no time to formally train MMA, what should he do to best prepare himself for entering the world of MMA? (obvious answers: stretch, lift, eat properly... but i guess I'm looking for more obscure activities I haven't thought of)

Thanks again guys, it's awesome to have access to a community like this to ask these types of questions.

[Enrique "Kiko"]

Gymnastics for the badass S&C program you have to go through for things like rings and pommel horse, unreal flexibility and core strength. There really aren't too many high schools I've heard of that have a martial arts curriculum which sucks, but I'm thinking liability would be a factor there. I started up a martial arts club at my community college with a buddy a few years ago and that was fun. Maybe he could start a MA club and get access to the wrestling mats?

[Nate Hollyfield]

Soccer... I did it, and its a lot of cardio and a lot of technique over strength mental training, you know, you dont HAVE to be super big to shoot like a pro, its all about proper form...
on top of that its running and strength training, and soccer is pretty fucking physical, most people seem to forget that, its all over strength, not just skinny guys with strong legs...
my 2 cents..

[VJ Bella]

Wrestling would obviously be ideal but ....personally I think basketball is a great sport to play leading into mma or bjj. Basketball players are in great shape (constant sprinting) and need to develop incredible footwork and athleticism in order to be able to dribble through defenders etc. There is also a very physical nature to the game that most who dont play the sport dont realize. Also, being able to dribble and not look at the ball...having to analyze defenses and make quick decisions also plays into the chess game of bjj (hand eye coordination and visual awareness of where all your players are on the court....similiar to recognizing where all your and your opponents body parts are while your attacking or defending). Before me an my kids started bjj we were all ball players....and I think its helped a ton.

[Harry Evans]

This would be outside of the actual high school, but I skipped school sports to join a rock climbing team in HS. I competed for a few years, and could not have been preparing for fighting better unless I was actually fighting. It is an individual sport, so you learn to focus on your own and to take responsibility (and credit) for your results. It is amazing for your entire body, especially your grip, back, and core. It emphasizes flexibility and balance, and getting your hips close to the wall to maintain position and extend your reach (the distance from your right hip to right fingers is longer than left hip to right fingers, so you put your right hip against the wall to reach up with that hand.) Finally, I learned how to be tough in my training mentality there. Climbing is hard, and you learn what it is like to fill up with lactic acid. When you are pumped and towards the top of a hard climb, it is kinda like being exhausted on your back in knee-on-belly. Try it - if I had not blown out tendons in my fingers at nationals, i would still cross train it at least 2x per week to enhance my bjj game.

Here's another thought. Chess! Have him learn to out-think people. Honestly, I feel like BJJ (for me at least) is more like chess and poker as it is football and lacrosse.