More and more wrestlers, grapplers, and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu specialists are entering the No Holds Barred (Mixed Martial Arts) arenas to compete in the ultimate contest. The throws, ground positioning, joint-lock, choke, and submission holds that grapplers perfect are powerful weapons in a fight (be it in the ring or on the street).
However NHB fighting is far from a Jiu-Jitsu tournament or a wrestling match. The smart grappler will endeavor to practice striking and stand up fighting skills to round out his or her game, and prepare themselves for a win. Conversely, the smart boxer or kickboxer will seek out training on the mat.
Now even the many elite NHB fighters we see in UFC, Pride, and King of the Cage have clear preferences toward either striking or grappling. But as our sport evolves we are noticing that these preferences are getting harder and harder to tell. This is because all the best fighters are cross training more than ever, to truly become "mixed" martial artists!
Look at Dave Menne, he can strike or grapple fluidly and at a world-class level. Whatever his opponent's weakness is he can exploit it because he is solid at every aspect (and in awesome physical condition). In this article we will provide some insight and some techniques for the grappler or Jiu-Jitsu artist to get started on some basic standing skills (a' la Thai Kickboxing) and enhance his all around game.
The first step is to swallow all your pride. Once people get good at a skill be it wrestling, boxing, or even bodybuilding they tend to get comfortable and unwilling to "look bad" by trying something unfamiliar. Remember back when you started rolling on the mat, you probably got trounced plenty of times before you figured out what was what (I am still in that phase!). But you made it and the same thing will happen over time with the stand up. It is well worth the effort.
Next understand that strategically the same principals work with Thai boxing as Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. I was training in a class with Black Belt and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu champion Carlos Lemos Jr. once as he explained some strategy with takedowns. "You do not show him and go right for what you want to do, you make him think one thing and really you want to do another". Sun-Tzu (The Art of War) couldn't have phrased it any better. With boxing it is the same. Don't look for one big death punch or superman leg kick to take a guy out. You have to work him. Practice lots of light or medium sparring and develop your own style.
As for the foundation of kickboxing, you will want to practice a lot of footwork. Stand with your feet shoulder width apart, hands up, chin down, and left foot forward (if you are right handed opposite for southpaws). Some takedowns require you to keep your chin up, but for boxing go ahead and tuck your chin in (but look ahead, not down). When you step DO NOT ever cross your feet. Make your steps short (6 inches). Step with the lead foot to go ahead, back foot to go backward, and slide the foot that you don't step with the same distance as your step. To step to either side do the same thing, step and slide. You want to practice stepping to the outside of your opponents jab (his lead side). This lateral movement is a key!
Practice your footwork and basic punches with shadowboxing. Work the jab while moving forward throwing it 2 even 3 times. Concentrate more on the footwork, but throw some short sharp strikes as well. During the whole round, you want to spar an imaginary opponent (the best kind!) and work up a sweat. Do 2-5 rounds to warm up and get a feel for the footwork.
Here are just a few basic Thai boxing techniques.
The Jab: Start with hands up and quickly extend your left (or lead) hand, keeping the elbow in and rotating the hand with a quarter turn. Rotate you body at the hip to get power and bring the hand back to your face fast. Work on accuracy, timing, speed, and throwing more than one jab, as it is a set up for power punches/kicks.
The Right Cross: Start with hands up and quickly extend your right hand, keeping the elbow in and rotating the hand with a quarter turn. Feet should be planted as you rotate you body at the hip to get power and bring the hand back to your face fast.
The Roundkick: Pivot on the ball of your base foot and swing your hip and shoulder around as you let your back leg follow your hip. Drive your shin into the target and let the power of your kick drive your kicking leg back to the starting point. If you miss (or are practicing in shadowboxing) you will spin all the way around and come back to the start.
The Elbow: #1 From close range the elbow can be very effective. With your hand up roll your wrist so your hand rolls toward your opposite arm pit and drive the tip of your elbow into the target. Bring your hand back into position quickly.
The Elbow: #2 From close range quickly bring your hand back (pat yourself on the back) and drive your elbow up as shown into the target. Bring your hand back into position quickly.
Sparring (like rolling) is arguably the most important exercise for someone who wants to compete or feel confident with self-defense. Make sure you have the needed safety gear (big gloves, mouthpiece, shinguards, cup, maybe headgear). It is important to work with someone who is experienced and willing to give you pointers after the round. Don't go nuts right at the start. Once you are ready to spar work at a light pace. Generally your sparring partner will hit you as hard as you hit him, so don't worry about proving anything (unless you are training in prison).
The best thing to happen to me (as a fighter) was to get hit in the face. Because I got over it and realized it wasn't as bad as I thought. Now I'm not suggesting you be an idiot and have someone punch you in the face and not defend! Nor do I believe in whacking your shins with a stick to toughen them! With regular light/medium sparring you will gradually become accustomed to the contact and be able to go a little harder (if you want to fight that is). So don't go smash your head into a wall (there are people who do you know…). And throwing kicks on the bag, and sparring will toughen up your shins just fine ("shin toughening" with sticks or glass bottles only cause damage).
With practice a good grappler can also become a good kickboxer and become a complete fighter/martial artist. Gone are the days of the striker versus the wrestler. Evolution has produced a new breed of athlete. In today's competitive environment only the strong survive. It is no longer enough just to be a good striker or a good boxer. To succeed we need to be able to do it all. Nike said it best…"Just do it".
The techniques and information briefly described in this article are shortened excerpts and concepts from Chad Boykin's new book "Muay Thai Kickboxing: The Ultimate Guide to Training, Conditioning, and Fighting" available in May from Paladin Press.
For more information check out www.kickboxingunlimited.com
or www.paladin-press.com
Writer: Chad Boykin (22Apr02)
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