27 Dec The 4 Disciplines of Striking
Good striking technique is a constant battle. Humans are not initially wired to strike in a energy efficient and effective manner. All you need to do is cue up a few videos of street fights and you will see terrible technique over and over. So, if the baseline people start from is incorrect what does correct look like? How can you tell if someone has correct striking and more importantly how can it be developed in individuals and in groups?
These are the 4 elements which can be distilled down into simply telling a fighter to “stay disciplined”
1.Head Movement: somewhat of a misnomer since the head cannot actually move. Instead bending at the knees and waist and twisting in the torso and neck give the impression of movement. Head movement can be either Predictive/Pattern Based or Reactive. Predictive means that you are establishing movement patterns that increase the likelihood any incoming attacks will miss. Reactive means you are diagnosing and waiting on attacks before moving. Think about the difference between Mike Tyson and Roy Jones Jr. Moving the head means any incoming strikes will have a decreased likelihood of landing.
2. Feints: constant faking of various attacks. Feinting consistently serves a few different purposes. It disguises you own attacks, dissuades the opponent from leading for fear of getting intercepted, and makes them question the right time to counter. By making the opponent think more a fighter can slow their opposition’s reaction time.
3.Angles with movement: if a fighter simply stands in front of their opponent then the opponent can strike at them with their eyes closed and still find success. Movement constantly changes the target that an opponent is aiming for. Effective angling can enhance this even further. By moving to any angle you stay off the “railroad tracks” of the other fighter. The other fighter’s weapons are not pointed at the target any time an angle can be found.
4.Level changes – head movement and feints are wrapped up in level changes as well. Effective use of level changes becomes even more important in MMA due to the threat of using a shot to secure the takedown. In order to defend the takedown the fighter must drop their hands or step back. Dropping hands creates openings for attacks, and stepping back takes the other fighter out of their offensive rhythm. Much like with feinting the more level changes are employed the more likely the opponent’s reaction will dull over time making it easier to truly shoot and get the takedown when the timing is right.
Whenever watching a fight look for these four elements at play. They are rarely the main ingredient in a victory but they are always featured in some respect.
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