Hidden in the corner of Sacramento State’s main gym, there is a small group of students practicing the world’s fastest growing sport — mixed martial arts. The Mixed Martial Arts Club has been on the Sac State campus for eight years and its goal has not changed.

“We want to teach the art of MMA,” said grappling instructor Jarett Haggmark. “[We want] to show students proper MMA techniques and how to do them safely.”

The club meets Monday and Wednesday from 7 to 9 p.m. and Friday from 5 to 7 p.m. Club members learn the basic four elements of MMA: grappling, boxing, kickboxing and Muay Thai kickboxing. These are the most commonly used styles in MMA.

“You get a taste of MMA and learn some of the basics,” said club president Dustin Gaab-Mosen. “It builds camaraderie with others in the club.”

The club’s practice starts off with some basic mat drills to loosen up the body and muscles. Then club members go into a light grappling session, where each person grapples someone for about three minutes and then switches partners. They do this three times.

After grappling, they do some shadow boxing, and then pad work. To end practice, the group does wall climbs. Wall climbs are when you sit with your back to the wall and use your back to climb up the wall to a standing position, then slide back down the wall to a sitting position and climb back up. They do this for five, grueling minutes.

The basis for this workout is not only to learn MMA but to work on stamina and cardio, two of the most important factors in MMA. Fights are won and lost in the final round based on how good a fighter’s cardio is.

However, the goal of the MMA club is not to train a champion fighter, but to be a place where students can learn MMA and get in shape. With the workout regime that the club abides by, members will be in shape in no time.

“You get in great shape,” Gaab-Mosen said. “We’ve had guys come in here who’ve been overweight and lose 30 pounds in a couple of weeks.”

On top of getting in shape, another benefit of learning mixed martial arts is self defense. This is one of the main reasons why students want to learn MMA.

“I wanted to learn how to fight and defend myself,” said Charles Weinstein, a Sac State student. “I watched a lot of MMA on TV and I think it’s a practical way of fighting. No fancy jumping kicks or anything.”

One of the products of a strenuous cardio workout and grappling with others is that members build a friendship – what club president Gabb-Mosen calls “camaraderie” with the other members. You have to trust that the person you’re working out with won’t hurt you.

“The best thing about the MMA club is the friendly environment,” Weinstein said. “It’s intense training and competition, but it never gets out of control. Everyone here is friendly and I’ve never been seriously hurt or put in harms way.”

The Mixed Martial Arts club offers quality training at an unbeatable price: Free. Anywhere else in Sacramento training like this would cost you over $100 per month.

Recently, the club lost head trainer Haggmark, as he started working as a trainer at “No Limit MMA.” Club president Gabb-Mosen has stepped up and taken over as the stand-up trainer, and the club has also found someone to take over as the new grappling instructor. The club now meets Mondays and Fridays.

Felipe Molina can be reached at [email protected]