How MMA gyms are changing to deal with the coronavirus
With the outbreak of the Coronavirus, there are certainly a number of things to worry about, with every business affected in some form or the other.
However, when it comes to MMA gyms, they are in a special situation. On the one hand, they have to deal with the fact that the more people that come to their gyms, the greater is the risk of the infection spreading. On the other hand, they have to deal with the fact that MMA is the only sport that seems to be continuing on in the face of this current outbreak. Professional fighters will need to be able to train and will need a place to prepare for their upcoming fights.
In the face of this, it is perhaps not that surprising that they have decided to change their usual training regimen to suit the new reality of their world.
Top MMA gyms like American Top Team and Jackson Wink MMA have been changing their methods to adjust as much as is needed. Both of these leading gyms have taken different approaches to deal with the outbreak.
American Top Team
The American Top Team gym is one of the leading MMA gyms in the world, and is also famous around the globe. In the face of the current situation, they have decided that it is time to put the fighters first and also to ensure that other gym members are not affected.
In a recent announcement, they have said that they will be canceling all the regular classes for the next 30 days. They said that they had been monitoring the situation and had decided to take this approach to ensure that the clients of the gym were not put at any risk.
"We want to do our best in keeping our members, families and communities safe and healthy. With that in mind, we have decided to CANCEL ALL CLASSES for the next 30 days. This is effective immediately. This includes: all kids classes, adult classes, and after-school, wrestling classes. We are doing this out of an abundance of caution for all. We hope you understand our decision and prepare accordingly and continue to follow the safe guidelines set forth by the CDC and Florida Dept. of Health."
Given the fixed nature of time for memberships, they announced that the time that these rules would be in place would be added to the membership periods of everyone. However, while this was the announcement for the general public, ATT will still be open for training for coaches and professional fighters so as to give them a place to work, given UFC's decision to continue functioning.
Jackson Wink MMA
Meanwhile, Jackson Wink MMA has taken a different route to help in stopping the spread of the coronavirus. In their efforts to continue classes while mitigating the spread of the infection. They have apparently changed their training regimen for fighters to involve more striking-based training instead of grappling so as to avoid infection. Also, the fighters who are sick are not allowed into the training facility at the moment.
With UFC looking to avoid any canceled events, the gyms are extremely important to fighters who are looking to prepare and train despite the virus.
Hopefully, these measures will prove to be enough and the fighters will be safe as the virus continues to rage through the globe.