So why don’t we wear regular sports shorts when we go to MMA classes and gyms? Do MMA shorts really have benefits or are these just cool looking shorts?
Lately, I have been seeing many people come to MMA gyms with regular short types so I thought that I should definitely have a writing about benefits of wearing MMA Shorts on my site. Because it does not only improve your training quality, it also keeps you and your partner safe. Below you can find the detailed explanations of these and also my experiences as well. Without further ado let’s start with training performance benefits.
1. Freedom of Movement
This would be the most important reason why you should train with a proper MMA short. When you kick, your short should 
stretch well and MMA shorts let you kick without any restriction of movement. The slits on the sides also help you kick freely and the position of the slits also matters. According to my experiences, aggressive slit type works the best.
These help you show better training performance (ground work, striking…) during MMA training.
I see many guys who wear basketball shorts and they literally can’t kick or move properly in them. These also don’t have slits and as you can guess, they can’t kick high and the material is not good for ground work either and if your short does not provide enough freedom, you may even end up hurting yourself.
So if you wear basketball shorts during any kind of MMA training, you will show way worse training performance than normal. I gave this example because I constantly see that people wear it and I am really sick of it.
MMA shorts are also made of “light” materials and once you wear them, considering other short types, it’s like nothing is on you and you can simply move faster with it.
When you do ground work, there will be friction between your skin and MMA short and the materials are chosen for decreasing the impact of it. I actually have a very sensitive skin and even if I did not have it, this is a huge plus.
As you can guess that MMA shorts are produced for grappling movements and it will give you freedom for implementing these.
It is fair to say that if you haven’t trained with MMA short before, you will show way better performance as soon as you wear them.
If you are interested getting MMA short, definitely have a look at my best MMA short reviews. There you can find the overviews the most quality ones on the market, my experiences and also all of them have sizing information as well.
2. Comfy
Did I mention that MMA shorts are really comfy and the material feels better than sweatpants? Well, I certainly feel comfortable while wearing MMA shorts and high-quality ones get rid of moisture quite well.
Keep in mind that, this also extends the durability of your short.
3. Protects Your Opponent
Other regular shorts may have zippers, some metal accessories or even cover material which can hurt your sparring partner and cause cuts. MMA shorts don’t have these accessories etc. and do not cause cuts.
4. It Stays on You
The last thing you want that when you grapple your opponent on the ground, your short drops to your knees. It would not be pleasant, would it?
MMA shorts have waistbands to prevent it from happening and it keeps your short in place and keep in mind that many other short types (surf board shorts etc.) also fail here.
Also while it stays on you, MMA shorts do not lessen blood flow one bit and even though it might look like a small detail, we do a lot of different movement types and over time, if your short lessens blood flow, this can cause serious health problems.
5. Groin Area
MMA shorts have a bit more room than usual around the groin area. Since you need to wear MMA cups and it can and will move during your session. So the material around this area also stretches well and your cup has some space to move while you wear MMA shorts. The cool thing is that MMA shorts can give you a bit more extra room without being baggy. So this does not lower your training quality and it doesn’t look bad 😉
6. The Durability
You will kick, punch, grapple, do groundwork… and many other stuff during your session. MMA shorts are simply ready for these and brawl 
more without losing the quality. However, when you wear other type shorts (basketball etc.) it can start being baggy even after the first session and I also don’t think that other short types are not durable to roll on the ground all the time.
You can expect to use a high-quality MMA short more than 2 years and I know that MMA gear prices can go up but you don’t really have to break the bank for a quality MMA short. I know many quality MMA shorts, which have the qualities in this writing, have $40-$50 prices.
Many non-MMA shorts (basketball, surf etc.) are not durable for MMA training and you will have to buy another short again after some time. So when you get MMA shorts, you actually save some money.
Conclusive Thoughts
Well as you read above if you do any kind of MMA training, (ground work, sparring…), it is simply more than vital for you to own one or two MMA shorts depending on your training frequency. It improves your training performance, protects your sparring partner and you will also feel really comfortable with it. I also have friends who said that they wish they started doing MMA training with proper MMA shorts and you can see a myriad of similar testimonials all over the internet. So whether you are a beginner or not, I strongly suggest you get a short for your training. With that, make sure that you get suitable short for yourself. For example, I like board style, which is the most popular short type among fighters, and you may prefer hybrid or Vale Tudo. These are all I wanted to say about the benefits of wearing MMA shorts and if I skipped anything, you can mention it in the comment section 😉
Interesting article. You bring up very good points that I had not thought of before. Seems like it should almost be mandatory that you wear MMA shorts when MMA fighting.
Can’t have your shorts falling off or your zipper scratching somebody! I am convinced!
It is simply mandatory man and we just should not go to MMA gym without one.
Furkan,
Great article! I like to watch MMA and you bring up some key points. I never considered the zipper part, that really blows my mind. I Will look into these shorts for sure
-Pat
Hi man, this short type will surely make a drastic change in your training performance
That good post about specific segment MMA, and people who really indulge themselves in mma sport really will find useful regarding making choice for shorts
Best wishes
Great post-Furkan. You’ve addressed just about every point someone would ask about these shorts. My only question is, do they have some for women?
Cheers,
Suzanne
Hi Sızanne, yes, of course, many companies produce shorts for women and you can have a look at this writing.
Hi,
I think that this is a great article. Wearing the correct clothing for any sport is important. When you are starting out, I think it is OK to just use what you have, until you realise that you are going to commit to the sport.
Once you buy clothing that is actually designed for the sport you are doing you can really feel the benefits.
When I first started I did not get MMA shorts and I just couldn’t do any kicking technique properly lol. Many people don’t buy any MMA shorts until they really start. It is also same in boxing. Many people don’t get boxing shoes until they really start boxing and slip in the ring all the time.
Wearing all necessary clothing and having gears is just a must for any martial art including MMA.