Tennessee's New Practice Facility to Feature MMA Cage

DiamondDust · Feb 14, 2012

Yes it's a Vol heavy link, but the read is worth it:

http://www.govolsxtra.com/news/2012/feb/10/dooley-leads-tour-of-tennessees-new-practice/

Along with the standard free weights, machines, cardiovascular training equipment — which will be situated on a deck that overlooks the weight room — and a nutrition bar, it will feature a mixed martial arts cage "so we can go in and fight and all that stuff," Dooley said.

I am a big MMA fan, and outside of striking (And even that can have benefits), the wrestling aspect of the sport can actually be useful for football players... but man... the jokes can run heavy with this.

lilred · Feb 14, 2012

DiamondDust said:
Yes it's a Vol heavy link, but the read is worth it:

http://www.govolsxtra.com/news/2012/feb/10/dooley-leads-tour-of-tennessees-new-practice/

I am a big MMA fan, and outside of striking (And even that can have benefits), the wrestling aspect of the sport can actually be useful for football players... but man... the jokes can run heavy with this.

How can beating up a player be useful?

bamabelle1991 · Feb 14, 2012

I think he means the "fitness" aspect of MMA fighting is good for athletes. Kind of like kick boxing and other forms of martial arts.

bamacpa70 · Feb 14, 2012

lilred said:
How can beating up a player be useful?

It teaches the proper use of leverage and how to efficiently outmanuever your opponent. I doubt if they will be doing any striking, and if they do, I'm sure they will use the appropriate safety gear.

DiamondDust · Feb 14, 2012

lilred said:
How can beating up a player be useful?

What the others said. It's the same as Coach Bryant having the team participate in wrestling during the offseason. The wrestling/grappling aspect of MMA can be very beneficial.

lilred · Feb 14, 2012

DiamondDust said:
What the others said. It's the same as Coach Bryant having the team participate in wrestling during the offseason. The wrestling/grappling aspect of MMA can be very beneficial.

I dont know exactly what coach Stoughtland does with his players now but when coach Pendry was OL coach they did all kinds of stuff that was kind of like wrestling. I understand the benefits of learning ballance and eye to hand coordination but you dont have to build a cage to do that in. Only thing I can see a cage for is to keep something dangerous from getting to you or keeping something dangerous in until they perform for you. I dont see the benefit here for a football team other than a way to get hurt.

DaleC76 · Feb 14, 2012

lilred said:
How can beating up a player be useful?

The more beatings they take during the week, the more accustomed they'll be to the ones they take on Saturday.

TideMan09 · Feb 14, 2012

Besides the MMA cage..The Vols are following the "Bama Blueprint" to restore their football program..They'e took some our coaches & are following the blueprint used by Mal during the darkest days of Bama Football..Can't say I blame them..I just don't think they'll have the same success with Dooley as their HC..

DiamondDust · Feb 14, 2012

lilred said:
I dont know exactly what coach Stoughtland does with his players now but when coach Pendry was OL coach they did all kinds of stuff that was kind of like wrestling. I understand the benefits of learning ballance and eye to hand coordination but you dont have to build a cage to do that in. Only thing I can see a cage for is to keep something dangerous from getting to you or keeping something dangerous in until they perform for you. I dont see the benefit here for a football team other than a way to get hurt.

College players today know and are fans of MMA... it goes towards their appeal. I just wish people would get past the "cage" aspect. The sport is incredibly regulated.

lilred · Feb 14, 2012

DiamondDust said:
College players today know and are fans of MMA... it goes towards their appeal. I just wish people would get past the "cage" aspect. The sport is incredibly regulated.

Sorry but the cage is the whole issue to me. If you want to teach agility, balance, strength, and so on thats fine by me. You can teach toughness many ways but being in a cage is so many things to me other than good. Like jail, a zoo, or danger. Nothing about a cage strikes me as being the least bit appealing. Call me old school if you want. There are just too many ways to get FOOTBALL players ready for a game that has nothing to do with a cage.

bamacpa70 · Feb 14, 2012

Yeah, and don't let those kids listen to hip hop either, because I just don't get it!! :biggrin:

DiamondDust · Feb 14, 2012

lilred said:
Sorry but the cage is the whole issue to me. If you want to teach agility, balance, strength, and so on thats fine by me. You can teach toughness many ways but being in a cage is so many things to me other than good. Like jail, a zoo, or danger. Nothing about a cage strikes me as being the least bit appealing. Call me old school if you want. There are just too many ways to get FOOTBALL players ready for a game that has nothing to do with a cage.

Tell me what's wrong with this:

RollTide1224 · Feb 14, 2012

DiamondDust said:
Tell me what's wrong with this:

Oh the humanity...a cage, I'm horrified.

lilred · Feb 14, 2012

DiamondDust said:
Tell me what's wrong with this:

There is nothing wrong with this if you like that sport. I prefer football and I don't see any yard lines, end zones, or goal post.

lilred · Feb 14, 2012

bamacpa70 said:
Yeah, and don't let those kids listen to hip hop either, because I just don't get it!! :biggrin:

Nothing wrong with hip hop music. I personally prefer Christian Rap.

TexasTideFan · Feb 14, 2012

DiamondDust said:
The wrestling/grappling aspect of MMA can be very beneficial.

You nailed that.

I got into submission grappling years ago after I did Golden Gloves. I am pretty much all Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu now in a gi but I still roll w/o a gi for tournaments. I wish that I had a better wrestiling background but they did not have it in Louisiana when I was in school because not only would it have helped me now but it would have made me a much better football player then.

We have several high school players that train with us. Wrestling is an outstanding way for D-Linemen to work on the leverage they need against O-Linemen. It also does wonders for WR's/Corners that need seperation and there is no better cardio workout than rolling against a dude in your weight class. In fact, Jay Glazer and Randy Couture run a place out in Vegas that does nothing but implement MMA drills for athletes. That place draws some top notch football talent during the off season.

TexasTideFan · Feb 14, 2012

lilred said:
Sorry but the cage is the whole issue to me. If you want to teach agility, balance, strength, and so on thats fine by me. You can teach toughness many ways but being in a cage is so many things to me other than good. Like jail, a zoo, or danger. Nothing about a cage strikes me as being the least bit appealing. Call me old school if you want. There are just too many ways to get FOOTBALL players ready for a game that has nothing to do with a cage.

They probably had an extra $5K to spend and thought the cage would get kids motivated to grapple. You can do the same stuff on a mat.

Ole Man Dan · Feb 14, 2012

Roy Adams is too old to enter the 'Thunderdome'...
(Not that I'd turn away from watching what happened to him)

TheRealPokeChop · Feb 14, 2012

I took tae kwon do for 6 years as a teenager, long enough to earn a few blackbelts, and would agree that learning a martial art of some type can be used on the football field. However, two untrained guys in a cage wailing on one another is not likely a good idea.

This is just a "hey look what we have" to show recruits on visits. I dont see it being too productive unless they happen to be training the guys to fight as well.

btw, Eryk Anders (former UA lb) wons his first mma fight a few weeks back.

DiamondDust · Feb 14, 2012

TheRealPokeChop said:
I took tae kwon do for 6 years as a teenager, long enough to earn a few blackbelts, and would agree that learning a martial art of some type can be used on the football field. However, two untrained guys in a cage wailing on one another is not likely a good idea.

This is just a "hey look what we have" to show recruits on visits. I dont see it being too productive unless they happen to be training the guys to fight as well.

btw, Eryk Anders (former UA lb) wons his first mma fight a few weeks back.

Which is why I don't think they'll be doing any striking. Most likely wrestling/grappling techniques

Tennessee's New Practice Facility to Feature MMA Cage

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