Issue 089

June 2012

An MMA referee for 12 years, Mario Yamasaki has black belts in judo and BJJ and refereed the jiu-jitsu Pan-Am Games. Here, he looks at what to expect from an MMA officials' training course and how to prepare for them.

When I first became involved in MMA officiating there were no training courses. My background in the sports of BJJ and judo provided me with the basic skills of knowing many of the techniques found within the sport of MMA. I was also fortunate enough to have ‘Big’ John McCarthy help me through the hurdles of MMA officiating early on.

Many of the early referees (McCarthy, Herb Dean and myself) had to pioneer a great deal of the practices and procedures which are standard in terms of officiating today. Sometimes this was a trial and error process as the sport developed, because many of the rules were developing at this time, and techniques were being modified and improved by the athletes. As officials, we had to develop alongside the sport.

Gradually it became apparent that many new officials coming into the sport would require training, and the Association of Boxing Commissions (ABC) created a process where they would endorse certain trainers if they met the ABC requirements. Currently there are only a handful of trainers who are qualified and certified by the ABC. I should mention that John, Herb and I offer ABC-approved courses.

As an increasing number of people want to become more involved in the sport through officiating, these courses are essential as they offer a huge benefit for anyone wishing to become a trained MMA official.

In this column, I want to discuss many of the common general components found on the courses and how students can better maximize their success if they decide on taking a course. 

Logistics

Most courses will be one to three days depending on the instructor, the type of course and the material being covered. Some may be offered in your home city and hosted by your local athletic commission, while others may be hosted by the instructor. Whatever the time frame, keep in mind that these courses will be an intensive study into the aspects of officiating and students should prepare themselves well in advance.

Courses can also vary in price, although sometimes the cost may be supplemented by an athletic commission, as some have dedicated budgets for training.

Preparation

Almost every instructor will tell you the training courses will not be a ‘how to’ guide on all the techniques of MMA. There is usually a technical skills component associated with every course, in that a referee and judge will be asked to identify and be familiar with various techniques of MMA. It is imperative that any official – both judges and referees – have a vast working knowledge of these techniques, and any official that claims otherwise has no business being in the sport.

Usually, in every course, we have participants who have never been exposed to the various techniques and, as such, are looking for a mini MMA class on learning these techniques; many for the first time. It is impossible, regardless of the instructor, to go over in depth all of the techniques found within MMA. Keep in mind this involves all the submissions, throws, takedowns, sweeps, reversals, positions and strikes.

Our goal as instructors is to go over some of the techniques, especially some of the less common ones. We want to identify what is happening in some of the moves and where a referee will want to position themselves in relation to the technique. As a judge you need to know who is advancing their game and scoring, and where the fight is headed. Will we go over the techniques? Yes. However, if you have never seen them before in any capacity you are going to get confused very rapidly.

As a student coming into any course, it is my recommendation that you have already learned and become familiar with most of the technical aspects of the sport of MMA. Ideally, you should have immersed yourself in some type of grappling training that involves submissions. Obviously, BJJ is an ideal choice as it is one of the core systems that makes up MMA. However, a judo school can be a nice alternative. The internet is a valuable resource and you can research any technique and have all the videos at your disposal. And, of course, if you are reading this, both Fighters Only and Train Hard Fight Easy magazines have dedicated technical sections at the back, designed to enlighten and to integrate readers into the technical side of MMA.

Unified Rules 

This is the de facto MMA rule-set that has been adopted by the Association of Boxing Commissions and the one that is primarily in use for most MMA shows worldwide. Every course will spend time explaining the Unified Rules and how an official needs to interpret them. Don’t wait to take the course to examine the rules for the first time.

These rules can be found online at the ABC website. Look them over. When people think of the Unified Rules of MMA, generally what they are referring to are the fouls – 29 of them to be specific, found within the rules document. Students will need to commit these to memory, and a good place to start is well before the course.

Scenario-based training

A commissioner friend of mine, Dale Kliparchuk, used the term ‘high level simulations training’ to describe a key component of official training. Instructors will put students in the cage/ring and have them officiate simulated matches. These can be scripted scenarios where a fighter role plays conditions that would be found in a real match.

For example, we might have a fighter receive a low kick to the groin and watch how a referee responds to this foul. We want to evaluate students in not only their decision-making skills, but also cage mechanics. Cage mechanics are how referees move around the cage and position themselves in relation to the fighters.

This phase of training is also where stress inoculation takes place. The referees will have to make choices, under stress. For many this will be the first time they have had to experience this, and we want to have them deal and cope with stress before they have to officiate a real match.

Marc Ratner, the UFC’s vice president of regulatory affairs, has said that the difference found in officiating a local show versus the UFC is in the type of pressure an official has to face. Many officials cannot adapt to the greater strain, so managing stress is a key component.

Exams

At the end of the course, students will be tested on their knowledge and skills and must undergo an exam or a series of exams to become certified. Many courses are strict and not all students pass. We only want the best officials in the sport and all of my colleagues, along with myself, agree that there is no easy way to certification.

Most realize what they originally thought they believed about being an MMA an official was wrong and they look at the job in a different light.

Taking and passing an MMA official training course does not guarantee that you will receive a license to become an official with an athletic commission. However, it is a good first step and it shows you have taken the time and the interest to improve yourself.