Now, I've been fairly verbose in my condemnation of the UFC, if not on the pages of this blog then in real life. This makes me a rarer case of having bigger "real life balls" than that of "Facebook Balls", however I am an admirer of the training Conor employs. It is very much around the basics of movement and is obviously heavily influenced by the instruction of Ido Portal. This will certainly assist him more in his preparation to fight with, without a doubt, the greatest defensive boxer of all time. Will it be enough? I am interested to find out.
I actually did some video work for this blog, which now has in the region of 400 regular readers, so cheers for that folks! My body is pretty mashed up these days and kicking is becoming a real problem. I hope you can appreciate the fact that I have hobbled around for the past 4 days after making the short vids. It is worth it, as they say "a picture says a thousand words".
Rhythm is essential to combat and each combat art form has a unique one. I concentrated on 3 so you can see the differences.
1. BOXING
I am of course talking generally here, there are many deviations and exceptions to all the examples I give. Boxing rhythm is generally even paced with fast bursts of grouped punches. The momentum is generally forward and cyclical. Even weight distribution and with a high guard kept tight to the body.
2. Muay Thai
Thai boxing is generally at a slower pace which increases in intensity over the rounds. It operates at a different range obviously, as the legs are used for both offensive and defensive purpose. The body is still upright with the guard held higher and the elbows further from the body. The weight is distributed slightly more to the rear. Punches and kicks are grouped, when operating outwith the clinch the strikes are thrown in more of a loop.
3. Point/Semi Contact Freestyle
Stood side on and generally fought at a faster pace, freestyle has a more forward to backward shifting of the weight. Side kicks are employed more as are shots put together as two's or three's. The body is lower, with a slight crouch. The hands are low, sometimes even below the waist if the competitor is advanced enough. It is generally linear when it comes to attacking, these are thrown quickly with the full body behind them.
Three very distinct rhythms, which in effect, MMA has to operate over at any given time. There is no judgement here on which one is the more efficient. Each has merit and pitfall depending on your desired outcome. The below video is an attempt at illustrating the striking rhythm of MMA, grappling aside. Look how it compares to the boxing one in the context of the Conor/Floyd fight..
I was hugely sceptical of the event happening on August 26th but my mind has changed. I look forward to it greatly, if only out of my interest in Combative Art movement. Truth is, it is very difficult to make any kind of prediction. I would say this though, whoever figures out "the beat" on the night, will be the one that delivers the beating.
If you want to experience my thoughts and teaching methods why not join me at the Five Thunder training weekend where I'll be talking about some of the stuff above and general Strike IQ. There are a host of other instructors too and plenty art forms available to experience. For more details follow the link.
