Martial arts workouts, especially mixed martial arts (MMA), can be as mentally challenging as they are physically; almost every serious martial arts athlete comments about the mental discipline these sports require. If you want to get the most from your martial arts workouts, looking to compete in martial arts events or qualify to become an instructor, you'll have to build up your mental strength as well as your muscles.

Persistence: As it applies to martial arts, persistence means building on your momentum and not letting anything stand in your way. Stay focused on your long-term goals and don't give up and get discouraged when you suffer short-term setbacks due to injury, for example.

Motivation: High motivation is a hallmark of successful martial arts competitors. Even if you only participate in martial arts for fitness, you need to be motivated to take on the rigorous workouts that these sports require. Having a specific goal, whether in competition or training, helps foster motivation.

Think winning: Keeping a winning mindset makes a huge difference in any competition. Plan your training with the viewpoint that you will in fact achieve your goals.

Prevail over pain: Continuing to fight at a high level of intensity even when you get taken down or hit is one of the greatest tests of mental stamina in martial arts workouts.

Training for your arms and legs is essential to developing powerful punches and kicks for MMA, but it is core strength that will give you the advantage over an opponent who is lacking in this area.

Some key MMA-specific reasons for a strong core:

• You'll sustain stability and put more force behind kicks and punches throughout an entire fight.
• You will be better able to get out of a hold or reverse your opponent's advantage on the ground.
• You will be better able to execute clinch moves to hold the dominant position on the ground.
• You will have more power behind every move.

Do you want to get involved in martial arts for fitness or competition? Although the many types of martial arts are similar in many respects, each has its own distinct elements.

Here's a primer to help you choose from among several types of martial arts:

Karate: The basic karate techniques are punching, kicking, striking and blocking. Building balance and developing correct form are especially important because you are often standing on one foot for both attacking and defending moves.

Tae Kwon Do: This Korean martial art and combat sport focuses on disabling your opponent from a distance using mostly kicks and turns; advanced moves involve jumping and spinning.

Jujitsu: In contrast to karate, jujitsu includes grappling on the ground as well as striking from a standing position, and incorporates physics and anatomy to overcome your opponent with less emphasis on brute strength.

And if you want a bit of everything, try mixed martial arts, or MMA. In MMA, every athlete develops his or her own style and favorite techniques, but given the fast pace and uncertainty of MMA competition, you need to hone your proficiency in the key areas:

• Stand up: The stand-up element of MMA includes kicking, punching and striking with the elbow or knee, using kickboxing-style moves.
• Clinch: The clinch element of MMA involves close-range fighting using moves from Judo and Greco-Roman wrestling to inhibit your opponent's movement.
• Ground: The ground element involves aspects of wrestling such as holds and throws, and moves to defend against holds and throws.

Although some types of martial arts such as karate and tae kwon rely more on kicking than jujitsu, kicking is a key component in all martial arts. In fact, good kicking skills can enhance your success in mixed martial arts competition.

What's in a kick? Kicks are the best way to attack an opponent who is keeping their distance from you. And because the legs are the strongest body part, a kick delivers more power than a punch or other type of strike. The impact of a kick is influenced by these factors: type of kick, the attacker's speed and flexibility, and the position of the kicker relative to the target.

All kicks involve a combination of snapping movements (moving the leg as fast as possible) and thrusting movement (putting the power into the kick). You may have seen a variety of kicks in different types of martial arts workouts, but all kicks can be divided into five categories: front kicks, back kicks, side kicks, jumping kicks and spinning kicks. Here are some tips for the three basic types of kicks--if you want to learn more about jumping and spinning kicks, you will need detailed guidance from a martial arts instructor.

Front kick: Stand so your target is directly in front of you. Use the ball of the foot as the striking surface.

Back kick: Start in front of your opponent, but spin so your back faces him or her, with your kicking leg parallel to the floor. Turn your head and use the heel as the striking target.

Side kick: To do a side kick, pivot in front of your opponent so that your side faces him or her. Use the heel or the outer edge of the foot as the striking surface.

Those who are serious about mixed martial arts (and want to get involved in competitions) need to be sure that their training and technique are solid. Many fitness fiends consider mixed martial arts (MMA) to be the ultimate athletic challenge because it requires physical strength, mental toughness, and the ability to think and react quickly.

Training for MMA is an extreme physical challenge and is for advanced exercisers. You will need to work on strength, speed, flexibility, endurance and power.

Although there are a variety of exercises and martial arts training tips that you can do to improve all these areas, MMA conditioning and weight training go hand-in-hand, and these two key moves should be part of your MMA training plan:

For the upper body, do the bench press: Lie flat on a bench and keep your feet flat on the floor and your back flat on the bench. Lift the bar above your body, slowly lower it toward the middle of your chest (without letting it touch the chest). Then push the bar straight up until your arms are straight and lock your elbows. Lower the bar slowly. Repeat as desired.

For the lower body, do the lunge: Place a barbell across your upper back and look straight ahead. Step one leg forward in a long stride, then slowly bend your front knee so it forms a 90-degree angle and lower your back knee to the floor, curling your back toes under. Pause, then slowly straighten your legs and return to the starting position. Repeat as desired with each leg.

One of the most important martial arts training techniques involves building muscle endurance so you can outlast your opponent.

In particular, defensive moves require sustained muscle contractions. Isometric exercises are an effective method for building the muscle stamina that you need to resist submissions on the ground.

Try adding these two isometric exercises to your martial arts workout. In addition to improving your ground fighting ability, they help to build core stability that will enhance your endurance for kicking and punching moves.

Push-away: Start on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Raise both legs at once, keeping the knees bent. While lying on your back, place one hand on each knee and push forward with both hands on both knees simultaneously. Hold the position for 6 seconds. You should feel your core muscles contracting. Release and repeat. As you get stronger, gradually extend the number of seconds that you hold the contraction.

Isometric Push-up: It sounds easy, but it isn't. Start in a plank position, with your arms straight. Lower down to a standard push-up position, keeping your elbows bent, your arms tucked against your sides, and your legs straight. Keep your neck in a neutral position and gaze at the floor. Keep your belly pulled in and your hips lifted slightly. Hold for 6 seconds. Release and repeat, and as you get stronger, gradually extend the number of seconds that you hold the position.

During both of these exercises, be sure to focus on the core contraction and think about keeping your tailbone tucked towards your pelvis, to avoid straining your lower back.

Do you want a total body workout that develops coordination and speed as well as strength? Try adding boxing workouts to your fitness routine.

A boxing workout is a fun alternative to lifting weights because you get your resistance training from punching a heavy bag. But because boxing also builds both stamina and speed, adding boxing workouts to your fitness plan will not only make you stronger, you will lose body fat and increase your endurance. Here's a basic boxing workout:

• Warm up. Jump rope or do some cardio activity for around 10 minutes, then do a few easy stretches for your chest and shoulders, as well as your quads, hamstrings and calves.
• Start with stance. Stand and turn one shoulder and the foot on that same side towards the center at a 45-degree angle. Keep your hips square and your abs pulled in.
• Hold your hands at chin level with palms facing each other. You're ready to punch the bag!
• Hit hard. Start by hitting a small bag vigorously for several minutes, and the move on to the heavy bag. Use a combination of moves and hit as hard as you can to get your blood flowing and your muscles working.
• Mix it up. Add some interval training by jumping rope for 3 minutes between intervals of bag punching.
• Add abs. When you're done with your workout, do some abdominal crunches-- and keep your gloves on. The gloves add an extra few pounds of weight to increase the difficulty of the move.
• Cool down. When you're finally done, don't forget to do some more upper and lower body stretches.