Mewing has become increasingly popular in recent years due to its online presence throughout several social media platforms. People claim itâs helped solve many health issues, including sleep disorders, joint pain, and jaw slack. While thereâs no scientific backing to these claims, itâs interesting to see the correlation between strong jaws from mewing and MMA fighters.
Proponents of mewing claim itâs good for MMA because it strengthens jaw muscles. It prevents jaw, chin, and tooth damage when fighting in the ring. Mewing limits mouth breathing, which is known to cause exhaustion, especially when people are moving around often. It could be an excellent tool to improve breathing techniques.
Throughout this article, youâll also learn the following details about how mewing affects MMA:
- Supposed health benefits of mewing for a long time
- Why MMA fighters should consider making mewing a part of their routine
- Downsides of mewing and why it might not work for you
Table of Contents
Does Mewing Help MMA Fighters?
Mewing is the act of resting your tongue on the roof of your mouth and lightly against the back of your teeth. Your mouth should be closed, and your teeth need to be close but not touching.
Mewing hasnât been linked to MMA too often since it hasnât gained popularity until the past few years. However, thereâs no denying the uplifting movement behind the practice. MMA fighters can all agree they need strong chins, jaws and focus on improving their performance. Many people claim they receive all three benefits from mewing.
Mewing Helps People Keep Their Mouth Closed
According to Medical News Today, people who practice mewing state it helps them keep their mouths closed, limiting open-mouth breathing. Breathing with your mouth open leads to exhaustion, so thereâs no doubt any sports athlete could benefit from it. If youâre tired after a couple of rounds in the ring (or octagon), you might want to consider mewing.
It Toughens Jaws and Chins
Another reason MMA fighters should try mewing is itâs been known to tighten and strengthen jaws and chins. In a sport where people are throwing strikes at your face all day, toughening your muscles is crucial. Itâs also a significant improvement for wrestlers and boxers, even if theyâre not MMA practitioners.
Many Pro Wrestlers and Boxers Have Muscular Faces
A Sherdog Forums community member pointed out the similarity between almost every professional fighting sports athlete: They have muscular faces. Clenching your jaw all day on a mouthguard will strengthen your jaw, but why not take it up a notch? Mewing could be the defining factor.
As you can see, there are plenty of reasons MMA fighters might want to try mewing. Itâs important to remember the technique is based on Dr. John Mewâs findings, who found positive results in his children when trying to practice. If you want to know more benefits of mewing, proceed to the next section.
Benefits of Mewing
Whether youâre mewing for MMA or other reasons, countless people claim itâs the most straightforward self-help practice. You donât need to break a sweat or exercise to reap the benefits, and you can do it anywhere you go. Furthermore, itâs almost impossible for other people to know when youâre mewing unless you tell them.
Here are five benefits of mewing, along with why they might help an MMA fighter:
- It can help strengthen their jaw muscles. As you read above, strong jaws are a significant part of taking a hit from an opponent. Although the results may vary, most fighters would try almost anything to give them a stronger jaw and chin, which leads us to the next benefit.
- Mewing has been known to improve chin strength. Evolve MMA shows chin strength is important to improve your punch resistance. If you donât want to lose a match, mewing could prove worthwhile. Donât forget to focus on head movement and proper footwork, though.
- Many people claim mewing helped them sleep better. Mewing might be a bit tiring when you start, but youâll get used to the process. After you enjoy all of the other benefits, youâll be happy to know mewing can help limit sleep apnea. Being well-rested will let your body heal between training sessions.
- It limits breathing from the mouth, which accelerates exhaustion during fights. If youâre trying to improve your ground game, breathing techniques play an important role. Breathing with your mouth closed is much healthier and controls your heart rate, so if youâre mewing, itâll keep it in check.
- Mewing combats jaw discomfort and joint pain. Joint pain can be one of the most detrimental issues when youâre preparing for a match. Your jaw joints shouldnât lock or be sore; Otherwise, everything will hurt twice as badly. Mewing can reduce or eliminate long-lasting jaw joint discomfort.
Unfortunately, mewing isnât a perfect cure to everything related to MMA. It has a handful of problems, primarily the fact that all of the claims are debated. Thereâs a lot you should know about it, so weâll cover the cons below.
Are There Drawbacks of Mewing for MMA?
Do you want to start mewing right away? Very Well Health explains there arenât many adverse effects associated with mewing, so it probably wonât harm you. However, it could be a pointless activity, depending on who you ask.
So, what are the downsides of mewing as an MMA fighter?
- Thereâs no scientific proof. All claims are based on one doctorâs beliefs and thousands of peoplesâ testimonies. People often discount anything without loads of proven, tested theories or laws. If youâre skeptical, it doesnât hurt to give it a chance. However, itâs reasonable to be let down by the lack of concrete evidence.
- Excessive mewing can lead to jaw joint and muscle pain. If youâre mewing too heavily, you could cause more harm than good. Mewing calls for light pressure of the tongue, so donât push hard. Your jaw shouldnât be flexed all the way, or youâre doing too much. This process can lead to TMJ disorders.
- Improper mewing often causes people to grind their teeth. As you might know, your enamel canât withstand constant grinding, or it starts to deteriorate. If you mew all day and every day, your body might develop the habit of grinding your teeth when youâre sleeping. Youâll need a mouthguard, even when youâre not training.
- Some people believe itâs a waste of time and energy. Those whoâve found success mewing claim it takes several months or years to present noticeable effects. If youâre not committed for a long time, you probably wonât see a difference, which can be upsetting. Itâs easy to understand why people wouldnât trust something that doesnât show immediate results.
Mewing might not be the biggest improvement in your combat sports career or hobby, but there are numerous benefits people have experienced. You can give it a shot for six to twelve months, then check the results to see if itâs made any significant changes. As long as you follow the proper techniques mentioned throughout this page, you have nothing to lose.
Conclusion
Now that you know how mewing might improve your MMA experience, you can decide if itâs right for you. While there might not be much scientific evidence supporting the claims, hundreds upon thousands of people vouch for the benefits. But your time might be spent better on things that actually improve your game.
Hereâs a quick recap of the post:
- Mewing might improve jaw muscles and chin strength.
- Thereâs no concrete proof regarding the health benefits of mewing.
- Some people believe mewing can help them take a punch better.
