Like a whiteboard in a school classroom or a couch in a psychiatrist’s office, an octagon cage or boxing ring defines a Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) training center. Simply put, if you want to have a true MMA academy and train fighters, you need to have an MMA cage, or, at the very least, a few cage panels.
Show Your Students You Mean Business!
It’s not hard to say that you teach MMA when you have a 20-foot cage in the middle of your gym! If your emphasis is MMA, an octagon cage is probably the way to go. However, if you also train boxers, kick boxers or Muay Thai fighters, a ring is a vital component as well.
Having a cage is a big advantage because your students can train in the same kind of atmosphere where they will be competing. They will feel more comfortable the first time they enter a cage for an actual competition.
Ring and Cage Training
The key is to make sure there is enough space in your academy to support a cage. For example, a 20-foot cage will occupy 400 square feet. You also have to determine whether a floor-level cage or elevated cage is best for your facility.
A cage is usually pretty self-sufficient once constructed (always use a professional to help put your cage up). You occasionally need to tighten a screw or adjust a pad, but the most important thing in maintaining a cage is to clean them often.
Add a Cage or Ring to Your Facility
In the end, you have to decide who your target audience is and what you want your business to be known for. If you are a full-service facility, put your cage in a separate space. Most of your students aren’t going to want to watch a couple of fighters banging around in a cage right when they walk into the facility.
Remember that you can still create a family-type atmosphere with a cage by scheduling your MMA fight classes at a different time of day than your other less aggressive classes. You can also hold children’s classes inside the cage. Seeing the kids inside the cage having fun will put the parents’ minds at ease.