I’ve given up watching the Italy vs Wales game, it’s boring me and I keep shouting which is aggravating my sore throat. Instead I’ve turned to the delights of YouTube to provide some MMA inspiration. I really enjoy the little highlight reels that people conjure up and some of them are very, very well put together. At times like this (when I can’t train or am bored stiff) I often come online to find something to get me fired up for training. Sometimes I look for new videos and at other times I delve into my ‘favourites’.  I don’t always search out MMA highlights though; anything in a sporting context can get me going if it has the right soundtrack and good editing. I thought I’d share a few with you, I apologise if you’ve ever seen them before.

These two are not MMA related, but one gets me in the mood for those early morning training sessions and the other probably reflects the sentiment I was trying to express in my last post, about losing and/or failing and coming back for more.

Morning training from Nike (30 sec): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mWC0d4WID7c

Michael Jordan, the failure (30 sec): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=45mMioJ5szc

Here’s another Michael Jordan one, which dispels the myth that ‘natural’ ability is all you need.

Michael Jordan ability (1 min 2 sec): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=woOu_4l3lio

On the MMA front I will sometimes watch these sort of clips before I go to training. If I’ve had a hard day at work and I have don’t feel too ‘up for it’ these can get me going. I like the soundtrack on this one; it matches the brutality of some of the clips nicely.

MMA highlights (3 min 06sec): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HinXYYdfQuA

I like this next one because it shows the referee’s view of the end of a fight and whereas other cameras at a fight’s end would follow the winner running round the cage or ring screaming this one shows the pain of losing and some unique angles on some classic Pride fights.

Third man (4 min 54sec): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TUIl-nEu8iw

This one is great because the soundtrack fits the video so well. I can watch this one over and over and never get bored of it. I added The Killers’- ‘All these things I’ve done’ to my Ipod playlist.

http://www.megavideo.com/?v=0ESU88CW

Lastly I’ll leave you with a documentary made by a film student following Rob Mills as he prepared for his Strike and Submit semi-pro title fight. It’s a well made and interesting film and the teaser is a ‘goosebump inducer’ for my money.

Teaser (1min 22 sec): http://www.vimeo.com/3051507

The art of aggression (25 min 48 sec):  http://www.vimeo.com/2869144

I hope you enjoy these as much as I have (and continue to). Motivation doesn’t come from a video or a song, but they can help fuel a session when you’re lacking the wherewithal to get off your backside on cold, dark mornings or wet and windy evenings.