[Two crazy women show off the appeal of MMA.] [There's no telling when it will ever end]
[Do the Muscle]
[Their joy and sorrow as they train with the macho beasts rang a hollow gong.]
My name is Momoko Otsuka.
I'm 19 and working as a model while I go to school.
My name is Kana Inamura.
I'm 22 and work as an editor at Vice.
MMA is basically a mix of other martial arts.
Middle, middle, middle!
Raise your leg! Raise your leg!
This is challenging yourself to something only you can do.
Keep your chin in.
Okay, now dash!
[Do the Muscle] [The Path of MMA]
[Episode 4] [Intensive Training from Hell]
So we weighed ourselves 3 months ago, maybe longer.
I thought maybe it was time to do it again and see what's changed.
Let's give it a try.
- Me first? - Go ahead.
The numbers look really nice.
My body fat percentage went up.
I had 10 pieces of sushi.
Maybe that was it.
- You can't help that. - I can't help that, but...
But I'm down two kilos from 48.
I'm the same as before. 46.5 kilos.
Nothing changed.
Same as before? Are you sure the scale is set right?
- It is right? - I think it's fine.
- I had 12 pieces of sushi. - Yeah, she ahd 12 and I had 10.
If I weigh myself right after training I'm around 45 kilos.
My body fat ratio is down by two. Just that has made my muscles stand out a lot more.
On my stomach, back, butt, and legs.
We're going to spend the next two months doing intensive training.
This is to prepare our bodies for an actual match.
The more I practice,
the more I feel like I actually want to have a real match.
In my case,
I'd like to spend more time going over the competitive aspects, like how to block.
I want to practice a bit more before I start gearing up for a real match.
Arms.
Don't laugh!
What!
Get onto your knees. With your legs.
The transition from the cross guard and turn your hips.
Turn your hips and get the legs off.
Use your hands and knees to pull the leg off.
Move around to the side with both knees on the ground.
Grab their ankle and knee, and then push.
Now do a cross guard. Aya does the cross guard.
Now the knee,
Then move to the side, and there you go. Let's give this a try.
We started
with the fundamentals of grappling.
Techniques for fighting on the ground, strengths that they'll need to have in MMA.
We did some mat exercises, learned how to move and position the body.
Then we moved on to strikes.
They learned a mix of kickboxing, boxing, and karate.
Doing all this taught them what they need to know about MMA strikes.
Then they learned the basics of wrestling.
Their teachers for this were Yamamoto Kid and his father Ikuei Yamamoto.
They also learned judo and jujitsu from world champion Ayaka Hamazaki.
If we describe their training as climbing a mountain,
they're still only halfway to the peak, still in the middle.
However, I wouldn't say they're still completely incapable.
I can see that their training is beginning to pay off.
We have another special guest this time.
A shoot boxer.
Shoot boxing consists of punches, throws,
and standing submission techniques.
That's their training this time around.
Then we're going to have women's MMA legend Megumi Fujii come in
and teach them what MMA is all about.
What they really need to do to prep for a match.
This will be some very intensive, almost hellish, training.
Nice to meet you.
I'm Rena from the Caesar Shoot Boxing Gym.
Shoot boxing combines kick boxing with throws and standing submission holds.
It's sometimes referred to as standing MMA.
Pretty much anything goes as long as you're standing.
I'd say it's somewhere in between kick boxing and MMA.
Okay, start with some shadow boxing.
Each round here at Caesar Gym is four minutes,
so that's how long we'll go for.
Okay, get in your stance, and... begin!
Move around a bit as you go.
Throw some kicks into the mix.
As for my career in shoot boxing so far...
I won the Girls S-Cup tournament for three years in a row,
and I'm the current fly-weight women's champion in shoot boxing.
I have three older sisters.
Being the youngest of four meant I was often picked on.
I was always getting bullied, so I started MMA so I could learn to defend myself.
Okay, last 30 seconds!
Pick up the pace and imagine you're taking down your opponent.
Okay.
Head shot.
Up high.
One-two.
Upper. Hook. Upper. Straight.
One-two. Four. 1, 2, 3, 4, good!
One-two. Cut.
That was a good kick.
Middle, middle, middle!
Hang in there!
Now here.
Two more.
Last one!
I kept forgetting what to do. Like what does over here mean?
I'm pooped!
You're soaked.
They did very well!
I'm serious. They're very good.
They've both got stamina.
Hello.
This is MMA legend Megumi Fujii.
Today I've going to have you go through my toughest training routine
from my active days as a fighter.
Do your best, I'm counting on you.
Let's get to it.
You'll slow down if you lose focus, so don't get distracted.
Just a bit more, hang in there.
Your legs should absorb the impact.
Good.
You're moving your lower body very well.
Sorry!
That's the way.
Once you're over jump right back.
Keep the rhythm.
Now we're going to do some body muscle training that's crucial for MMA.
MMA has strikes, tackles, and ground fighting.
A single match can involve fighting at many different heights.
You need to learn to breathe differently for each of these positions.
This training what to you need to learn these things.
Okay, start.
Rush! Rush!
Don't think there's five minutes! This is learning how to go all out!
That's the way!
Take off your gloves and get in the ring.
Grab your plate and hold it in front of your chest.
Okay, now face the center of the ring.
Make sure your arms extend all the way.
Faster, faster!
Pick up the pace!
Anybody can do this slowly.
Focus, focus, focus!
If you lose focus you'll start to wear down.
Put more strength into it.
Extend your arms, that's the way.
You can do it. If you just try you can do it.
Five seconds!
Hang in there.
Okay, put the plates down.
Make sure you're giving it 100% each time.
Give it your all.
Get your legs up.
That's time. Now pair up.
That's the spirit. Put power into it.
Put your knees up.
Almost done.
Okay, last minute.
Now it's time for the match! Start!
Your opponent is right in front of you.
Good, that's the way.
Keep moving after you strike, Momo.
That's the way. Move back, make sure your legs never stop.
10 seconds to go!
Okay, that's time!
Nice work! That was really good.
Your focus comes across lound and clear.
I can't get any words out.
It was really hard, but now that it's over I feel really alert.
That's how I feel. How about you?
Just picking up my water makes my hands shake.
I feel like a baby deer.
A baby deer?
Like my legs are all wobbly like a newborn deer trying to stand up.
Like this.
Feels good, right?
Raise your hands. Keep them in front of you.
Now dash!
Good, now dash!
That's right, like you're pushing up from your hips.
Plant yourself a bit more firmly.
Good job, Yu. Hang in there, Momo. You've got to keep up.
I can barely see straight.
I'm like a baby deer again.
At this point,
I'd have to say that Inamura seems like she's in better shape
and picks up the techniques she'll need in a real match more quickly.
Okay, time for grappling.
Tackle.
If you get grabbed, break free.
Keep your rear positioned near the shoulder.
If that isn't working, then get back on top.
Put your hands on the ground and use your legs to open your opponent up.
Use your legs to open, then get your opponent's elbow.
Make sure to wrap your leg around hers, Inamura.
Her back, make sure you're on her back. Don't forget your positioning.
Slide your rear around.
Drop her forward, Rena. Keep your chin in and grab the wrist.
Drop her forward and to your left.
If you roll to the right you can put pressure on the left side.
Keep your chin tucked in.
Five seconds left!
Okay, that's time!
That was some good sparring.
What do you think of this sparring? It's a bit like what you'll be doing in MMA.
It's tough.
I can't fight back. And when I do, I just get caught again.
It makes me unsure of how I should be moving.
You've got long arms and legs, so how about this?
How about trying an amateur match focused more on strikes, like kick or shoot boxing?
How does that sound?
I think that might be better.
So what are your thoughts after a bit of mixed training?
It's difficult.
But, both of your shoot trainers today were saying you've got good form.
The question is how to use it in an actual match.
You also need to keep sparring more until you get used to it.
If you get used to the things you did today, you'll start to see real results.
So you should keep working at it.
Let's keep piling on the training.
At the moment, it looks like one of the girls can fight in a match, and one can't.
Still, there's no telling what could happen, so rather than talk,
I would rather that they keep training more before a decision is made.
Both of them have potential.
They'll get better the more they try.
They're also both young, so if they put their minds to it, they can become pros.
They need to put their minds to thinking of how they can push their limits.
Only two months left.
Do you really think we'll be ready for a match in two months at this pace?
I think maybe if I did it ever day, with a trainer and the same routine,
then maybe I would feel a bit more confident.
If someone tells me that I have to fight in a match in two months,
I'd be really worried because I'm still way behind when it comes to technique.
But there's also a part of me that would just fight through sheer spirit
if I was suddenly put in a ring and told to go at it for five minutes.
I might not be able to win a battle of skill,
but I'm determined not to lose when it comes to spirit.
So I just need to keep actively doing this type of training that pushes me.
Like this?
How do I do it?
What do I need to do to look muscular?