Dominant Style???

[GeoQuadzilla]

For anyone who has trained in MMA I would like to know if you have a "Dominant" style that you use more frequently then others... I have done Kickboxing, Uechi Ryu Karate, and now I just started my ground skills with Jiu Jitsu/Grappling... I've picked up traits that I like from my first two styles meaning... I basically do everything from the Uechi Ryu aspect of my training, except for the stance... I stand more like a kickboxer... We are being tought different blocks and takedowns in jiu jitsu... a lot are similar to those I learned in Uechi but executed slightly differently... and everytime i go for a JJ take down I find myself struggling to not take them down the way i was tought in Uechi... same goes for blocks... I'm used to blocking the way I was tought in Uechi and find it weird to block any other way... Does anyone else have a problem with conflicting styles??? I just started JJ so I could be more apt to pick it up as I move forward with it... But doing that along with Uechi... and Uechi being my lets say "Primary" fighting style... I wonder how it will play out down the road... Anyone else have this problem?

[KAEW44]

Everyone has one aspect in wich they are more dominant, but its always good to know as much as you can so you can handle difficult situations. I did kickboxing for a while and then i actually took time off from life and went to thailand and stayed in a muay thai camp for a few months, that was an awesome experience that made me use my stand up style differently and more effectively, the culture there was amazing and the country is cheap and very beautiful.
From there i was already working on jiu jitsu for a while but recently i have been working on some wrestling to emphasize on powerful takedowns and keeping the top position. I like to grapple in a wrestling style so that i can stay on top and work from there. Ofcourse there are always times when i get reversed or when i meet a really good wrestler so i always try to train in the most difficult positions. I try to put people in my gaurd and tell them to try their best to escape without letting me reverse them or submit them, its a good drill that improves your gaurd game. Also my second 'bad position to be in' is the bottom in side control, that is why i also drill with heavier/stronger people on top and i try to escape from the bottom or regain the gaurd. These drills are essential because you dont want to be in these positions. Also let someone take your back and try to escape fromt here, dont just strugle out but instead try to use specific escapes and imrove on them.

I am pretty confiden with my stand-up, i am just working more on my boxing now because i'd like to compete in boxing only comptition also.

[einstein1905]

Unfortunately, styles can be crippling. That's why it's important to digest what you're learning in a particular style with pragmatism in mind. Don't learn the style but rather take from that style only what suits your style. I notice you mention blocks.....this is another cancer of "styles", especially more classical styles. Blocking (of strikes anyway) is really impractical in an MMA setting. A strike should be countered or evaded (with possibly a very noncommitted parry). To evade a strike allows for the striker to lose their balance and create an opening, while blocking their strike creates an opening on you as well....it's more of a stalemate action. Counterstriking is about the most difficult and effective art there is IMO. To evade strikes by using just enough angle to do so, you create perfect counterstriking positions for yourself. Even a slight parry, a slight twist of the hips and cutting with your lead hand of an opponent's jab sets you in a perfect position to deliver a counter with your rear hand/leg. By anticipating a follow up to their jab and beating them to the punch, you can catch them while their weight is still shifting forward, as their hips are turning over....they're also in the process of exhaling because they're striking, so your strike becomes exponentially more powerful. I know I've completely gone off on a tangent here, and this has little or nothing to do with your question, but what I'm saying is that your "style" should merely be a base stance that allows you to best utilize all of the skills that you've acquired from your training in formal styles

[GeoQuadzilla]

Thanks for sharing man! A lot of good info there thats for sure... As for right now I prefer to stand on my feet and fight because I am a natural striker... 6 foot 1, very long reach, very strong upper and lower body, One of the top guys in my class said I hit like a truck with both lefts and rights... so that ofcourse was awesome to hear. I am really starting to work on my ground fighting because I feel I can be very effective on the ground with my size... I weigh 250lbs at about 10% bodyfat... I'm going to try and drop some weight though because I think my Ideal would be around 230lbs... I have a question for you bro... Which do you prefer since you have trained in Muay Thai, Kickboxing, and now submission fighting... Do prefer to punch/kick an attacker or would you rather try and use submission on them?

Everyone has one aspect in wich they are more dominant, but its always good to know as much as you can so you can handle difficult situations. I did kickboxing for a while and then i actually took time off from life and went to thailand and stayed in a muay thai camp for a few months, that was an awesome experience that made me use my stand up style differently and more effectively, the culture there was amazing and the country is cheap and very beautiful.
From there i was already working on jiu jitsu for a while but recently i have been working on some wrestling to emphasize on powerful takedowns and keeping the top position. I like to grapple in a wrestling style so that i can stay on top and work from there. Ofcourse there are always times when i get reversed or when i meet a really good wrestler so i always try to train in the most difficult positions. I try to put people in my gaurd and tell them to try their best to escape without letting me reverse them or submit them, its a good drill that improves your gaurd game. Also my second 'bad position to be in' is the bottom in side control, that is why i also drill with heavier/stronger people on top and i try to escape from the bottom or regain the gaurd. These drills are essential because you dont want to be in these positions. Also let someone take your back and try to escape fromt here, dont just strugle out but instead try to use specific escapes and imrove on them.

I am pretty confiden with my stand-up, i am just working more on my boxing now because i'd like to compete in boxing only comptition also.

[GeoQuadzilla]

Well both in Uechi and JJ we are thought to use an attackers momentum against them... In Uechi we almost always counter strike an attacker and JJ we usually use their momentum to take them to the ground... I hear what your saying about blocking though... In Uechi we are basically concerned with blocking the face, solarplex, and ribs because these are areas that are always vunerable... we condition the body to take the blow with relative ease... With JJ we try and block most of all punches being thrown at us... and this is really not what I need because my conditioning allows me to take blows where other unconditioned fighters can't... So it makes it weird to be doing so much blocking... I like your idea of taking knowledge away from other styles which will help you in your Dominant style... Your a smart man my Friend... Thanks for the info.

Unfortunately, styles can be crippling. That's why it's important to digest what you're learning in a particular style with pragmatism in mind. Don't learn the style but rather take from that style only what suits your style. I notice you mention blocks.....this is another cancer of "styles", especially more classical styles. Blocking (of strikes anyway) is really impractical in an MMA setting. A strike should be countered or evaded (with possibly a very noncommitted parry). To evade a strike allows for the striker to lose their balance and create an opening, while blocking their strike creates an opening on you as well....it's more of a stalemate action. Counterstriking is about the most difficult and effective art there is IMO. To evade strikes by using just enough angle to do so, you create perfect counterstriking positions for yourself. Even a slight parry, a slight twist of the hips and cutting with your lead hand of an opponent's jab sets you in a perfect position to deliver a counter with your rear hand/leg. By anticipating a follow up to their jab and beating them to the punch, you can catch them while their weight is still shifting forward, as their hips are turning over....they're also in the process of exhaling because they're striking, so your strike becomes exponentially more powerful. I know I've completely gone off on a tangent here, and this has little or nothing to do with your question, but what I'm saying is that your "style" should merely be a base stance that allows you to best utilize all of the skills that you've acquired from your training in formal styles

[KAEW44]

Kickboxing was basically just plain boxing with the addition of kicks above the waist only to help keep your opponent away and also to score in a 'point' manner with the judges, you dont see alot of KO's frot he kicks in just kickboxing because there is more padding required and you can only kick above the waist so the opponent can easily assume that only his face and body need to be protected.
Muay thai is a lot more dangerous because it adds kicks to the legs and also knees and elbows. That changes the game because if your opponent chooses to attack strongly with punches, you can completly ruin their game by throwing a strong leg kick to their thigh or calf wich will also distract them from what they were doing with their punches. The knees in the clinch make it a very dangerous game, you get to clinch and attack the body with you knees wich can easily break ribs or cause significant damage. And the elbows are just an easy way to end a fight because they can open up huge cuts above the eye, or break a nose. If you train Muay thai with a good academy you will condition your shins and body so that you are solid! and everything is a weapon, you kick and punch and if someone closes the distance on you then knee and elbow them.

I have noticed that in MMA the pace is very intense, especially in small and amature competitions everyone is trying to build a name for themselves so they come out swinging hamakers with very little striking skill and before you know it your on the ground.....If your on top then striking could be a way to finish it, but when fighing someone yoru weight and strength then the chnces are 50/50, so if your on the bottom you want that to be a strenght not a weakness, and thats why i do those drills all the time to make my self accustomed to being in the 'bad position' ...and eventually it will become the 'good position' for me!!

Out of everyting i've trained i would say Muay Thai for stand up, and submission wrestling for ground. The only place we had in town was a traditional Jiu Jitsu wich only trained with the GI, but its pretty simple to apply most of the submissions without the GI.

[einstein1905]

Thanks for sharing man! A lot of good info there thats for sure... As for right now I prefer to stand on my feet and fight because I am a natural striker... 6 foot 1, very long reach, very strong upper and lower body, One of the top guys in my class said I hit like a truck with both lefts and rights... so that ofcourse was awesome to hear. I am really starting to work on my ground fighting because I feel I can be very effective on the ground with my size... I weigh 250lbs at about 10% bodyfat... I'm going to try and drop some weight though because I think my Ideal would be around 230lbs... I have a question for you bro... Which do you prefer since you have trained in Muay Thai, Kickboxing, and now submission fighting... Do prefer to punch/kick an attacker or would you rather try and use submission on them?

I definitely prefer stand up vs the ground game, but that's just because the vast majority of fighters today are really, really bad on their feet. Anyone can look good hitting pads or a heavy bag, but it's applying those techniques to practical situations where the majority falter. The when and where is so much more important the the "how hard", although I pride myself on power too. Power from a short distance is an incredible aset, as it allows you so many more opportunities to attack openings that only present themselves for a fraction of a second.

Just to go back to countering again, if someone throws a jab or even feints a jab, it's all the same thing....they've shifted weight to the front foot, and they have to redistribute that weight.....this is the opening. Whether or not they just recoil and shift weight back into a ~30%/70% (F/R) weight distrobution or if they follow up the jab with a strike with their rear hand/leg, it doesn't matter.....countering at the point immediately after a jab or feint will catch your opponent when they're shifting weight back to the rear leg or when they're opening their hips to pivot to deliver a technique with their rear hand/leg.

Also, another very common technique in MMA and really all MA is a rear leg roundhouse, whether it be to the leg or elsewhere. Pay attention next time you watch a fighter execute this........inevitably, you'll see them tip it off by first shifting more weight to the rear leg (to push off) before the kick comes, and of course, they have to open up their hips to deliver the kick. Countering is a huge gamble for someone that isn't good at it, as you'll have both feet planted while delivering your counter, but this leaves your legs planted and vulnerable for a leg kick........but for someone that is good at countering, it's that initial shift of weight the cues the ensuing kick.....getting your reaction time down so that you can react to this cue will give you one hell of an empowering feeling.

Conversely, your techniques should be refined so as to be delivered w/o these same cues. i have no idea how many hours I spent in front of a mirror throwing techniques until i could do so completely without telegraphing. Your stance should be such that any technique can be thrown w/o having to step or dramatically adjust/redistribute your weight. Punches should not begin with a slight recoil of the arm (as most do).


You also mentioned absorbing blows......I understand that, but even then, rolling with the punch even slightly turns the force into a glancing blow and also can throw the puncher off balance and also allow you to, by the act of rolling, cock the arm (of the direction you rolled) so as to be able to generate add'l torque......and here agin is where short explosive punches are so valuable....


I'm just rambling again....it's late

[GeoQuadzilla]

Awesome response bro

I definitely prefer stand up vs the ground game, but that's just because the vast majority of fighters today are really, really bad on their feet. Anyone can look good hitting pads or a heavy bag, but it's applying those techniques to practical situations where the majority falter. The when and where is so much more important the the "how hard", although I pride myself on power too. Power from a short distance is an incredible aset, as it allows you so many more opportunities to attack openings that only present themselves for a fraction of a second.

Just to go back to countering again, if someone throws a jab or even feints a jab, it's all the same thing....they've shifted weight to the front foot, and they have to redistribute that weight.....this is the opening. Whether or not they just recoil and shift weight back into a ~30%/70% (F/R) weight distrobution or if they follow up the jab with a strike with their rear hand/leg, it doesn't matter.....countering at the point immediately after a jab or feint will catch your opponent when they're shifting weight back to the rear leg or when they're opening their hips to pivot to deliver a technique with their rear hand/leg.

Also, another very common technique in MMA and really all MA is a rear leg roundhouse, whether it be to the leg or elsewhere. Pay attention next time you watch a fighter execute this........inevitably, you'll see them tip it off by first shifting more weight to the rear leg (to push off) before the kick comes, and of course, they have to open up their hips to deliver the kick. Countering is a huge gamble for someone that isn't good at it, as you'll have both feet planted while delivering your counter, but this leaves your legs planted and vulnerable for a leg kick........but for someone that is good at countering, it's that initial shift of weight the cues the ensuing kick.....getting your reaction time down so that you can react to this cue will give you one hell of an empowering feeling.

Conversely, your techniques should be refined so as to be delivered w/o these same cues. i have no idea how many hours I spent in front of a mirror throwing techniques until i could do so completely without telegraphing. Your stance should be such that any technique can be thrown w/o having to step or dramatically adjust/redistribute your weight. Punches should not begin with a slight recoil of the arm (as most do).


You also mentioned absorbing blows......I understand that, but even then, rolling with the punch even slightly turns the force into a glancing blow and also can throw the puncher off balance and also allow you to, by the act of rolling, cock the arm (of the direction you rolled) so as to be able to generate add'l torque......and here agin is where short explosive punches are so valuable....


I'm just rambling again....it's late