Stance (cont) - MMA Conditioning

The most efficient stance for combat in the free-movement phase of combat is without doubt the standard boxer's stance. This stance is more or less standard in Western boxing and in most styles of kick boxing.. It allows for good protection of the head from punches and kicks along with good offensive striking potential. In addition, it permits rapid movement tin any direction for both, offensive and defensive purposes. Of course, small differences existing stance among fighters in arts such as boxing, kick boxing, and MMA. Some fighters crouch more than others, others stand more erect. Some fighters stand slightly more square to their opponents, others more side on . Small variations in stance are certainly acceptable. However,the core ideas behind an efficient fighting stance-the hands up tot protect the head, the feet slightly more than shoulder-width apart, the weight evenly distributed on the balls of the feet, the rear heel slightly off the floor, the chin tucked down, the elbows in, the knees bent-these are common to all.

For more on MMA Conditioning, visit; MMA Conditioning in Illinois 

The Achilles Lock - MMA Training in Schaumburg, Aurora, Naperville, Chicago and Minooka

We noted earlier that there are times when a direct attack to your opponent's legs can be a useful alternative to passing the guard. One effective means of doing so is by using the Achilles lock. Done well, it can end the fight quickly and efficiently.

If you feel that a direct attack on your opponent's legs is a viable option, step one leg between your opponent's legs. Left the foot of the leg you wish to attack slide your hip and place your hand on the knee of that leg to stabilize it. Wrap your arm around the leg where the Achilles tendon runs into the lower leg. Step the foot of th leg you have place between your opponent's leg under the buttocks/hamstring of the leg you are attacking. At the same time, place your other hand on the knee of the leg you plan to lock for stability. Fall down in a controlled manner and place your outside foot on your opponent's hip, toes turned out. To finish the lock, clamp your knees together. Grip the wrist of the hand around your opponent's ankle and pull up to your sternum. Lie down on your side until your shoulder touches the ground. Push your hips forward and arch your back strongly. This puts great pressure on the ankle and result in quick submission.

For more on MMA, visit; MMA Training in Illinois and Indiana

Stance and Motion- MMA Workout and Training

The most important foundational skill in the free-movement phase of combat is without doubt the ability to maintain a solid fighting stance while moving quickly and efficiently around, away from, and toward your opponent. Because little glamor is associated with this skill, people tend to overlook it and not practice it nearly enough. Poor stance and motion skills quickly become apparent when you begin to fight. Your opponent will have little difficult in striking you or taking you down when your stance and motion is flawed. Most people can hold a stance easily enough when asked to; this skill, however, is not enough. You must be able to hold stance while moving fluidly into attack and defense under the pressure of live combat- this ability is much more difficult to acquire, and it requires constant drilling and practice.

For more on MMA, visit; MMA gyms in Chicago

Pummeling Drill (cont)

Remember that one of the main uses for the neck clinch is to control an opponent's head so that one of the main uses for the neck clinch is to control an opponent's head so that you can throw knee strikes at him. If your head is low, then the chances of a  knockout  knee to the jaw are quite high. Therefore, keep your stance upright, your hips in, and your head high for this particular drill. If you are bent over, you are not only vulnerable to knee strikes, but it will also be easy to be off-balanced by snap downs and pulling on the head.

As you can become more confident, you can begin incorporating some knee strikes as you work the neck clinch. Do not preform this exercise too hard. Aim for the ribs, stomach and thighs with light contact. IF you hit too hard, injuries are the obvious result, which will quickly put a stop to your training and, hence, your progress. The emphasis is on controlling the opponent's movement and balance while maintaining your own. Once this is down, the knee strikes are the easy part; therefore, there is no need to hit hard in everyday training.

By working hard on these drills, you quickly develop the most important skills and attributes that allow you to fight successfully in the clinch. Your ability to control the movement and balance of your opponent, while maintaining your own, will dramatically increase. This is really the essence of successful fighting in the clinch. All the offensive techniques in clinch fighting-strikes, takedowns, and submissions- rely on this control of movement and balance. Soon, you will apply the positional strategy of seeking better position and control in a live situation, rather than merely repeating moves with no resistance. This level is as close to the pressure that you will experience in a real fight and is thus excellent preparation. It is rely the equivalent of sparring in the clinch, and it plays the same crucial role that live sparring plays in the free-movement phase.

For more info on UFC/ MMA Training and Conditioning, visit; Carlson Gracie Fight Team 

Pummeling Drill- UFC/ MMA Training in Hoffman Estates, Roselle and Schaumburg Illinois

A truly vital skill in the clinch is the ability to work your way into a more dominant position as you grapple. The single best way to develop this skill is the pummeling skill.

Begin in an over-under clinch with your partner. This position is a neutral clinch. The idea is to work from it into a dominant clinch. A point is scored every time you either get behind your opponent to a rear clinch; bring his head down and secure a  front headlock or guillotine;or lift both his feet off the ground. You will find it much easier to lift your opponent if you first succeed in getting under both his arms with your arms. This move gives great control over your opponent's lower back and hence his whole body; making the lift much easier. Your opponent will therefore not let you secure double under hooks, but he will instead fight hard to secure his own double under hooks. It thus becomes a grueling battle for positional dominance. Should your opponent lock his arms under yours, you need to move your hips back and get square to your opponent, then swim your arms back under his arms to recover your position. Failure to do so results in your opponent's crunching you down to your back.

The pummeling drill is physically exhausting and will get you in great shape for the tough work of upper-body clinch fighting. Nothing else can prepare you so well for the all-important struggle for positional control in the standing position.

You can also play a similar game with the neck clinch. The idea is to lock up a neck clinch on your partner and to keep your hands in position with both arms inside his arms, giving you inside control and, hence, a measure of dominance. Your partner will seek to beak your dominant clinch position by swimming his own hands, one at a time, inside yours. This move allows him to lock up his own neck clinch with his arms inside yours, thus reversing the dominant clinch. Each of you must try to prevent the other from maintaining the dominant inside-arm position.

For more on the pummeling drill, and for MMA Training, visit; MMA in Hoffman Estates/Roselle and Schaumburg

Rear- Mounted Position - UFC/ MMA Training

Of all the basic positions that can occur in a ground fight, the rear mounted position is probably the best. It offers a tremendous combination of control and offensive firepower, in the form of submission holds and strikes. At the same time, it makes it difficult for your opponent to effectively attack you, especially if he is not well versed in grappling technique.

As a fighter, you have two distinct ways to apply the rear mount. First, you can either be on top of your opponent or underneath him. Begin on top offers a little more control. especially if you can stretch your opponent out by thrusting your hips forward into his lower back. Although this move has many alternative, the most common method of finishing an opponent from this position is the rear naked sleeper choke, also referred to as simply the sleeper hold.

The bottom rear mount involves your getting behind your opponent and wrapping your legs around him by placing your feet inside both his hips. In this position, your legs and feet serve a crucial role: They lock you into place, functioning as hooks that enable you to ride your opponent no matter which way he rolls and moves. Be sure not to cross your feet in this position, because this makes it easy for your opponent to apply a simple yet effective foot lock on you. Simply place your feet, toes pointed out, inside his hips. Although it is still possible for your opponent to attack your feet in this position, it is not only much more difficult form him to do so, it is also much easier for you to counter any such attack.

From the perspective of your opponent, the man on the receiving end of the rear mount, escape to a better position is the first priority. With certain submission holds, your opponent has possible avenues form which to attack, even form such a disadvantageous position. Nonetheless, these attacks only have a low chance of success. They serve as setups to escape rather than genuine attempts at submission.

For more on mounted positon and UFC/ MMA Training, visit: Carlson Gracie Team

Side- Control Position - Wrestling and MMA in Schaumburg, Aurora, Merrillville IN

The side-control position is a powerful pinning position that has a great number of variations. The common element in all of them is that you are on top of your opponent, lying across his body, out to one side. This range of positions goes by many names, such as the side mount or across side. It is a great position to control an opponent and submit him. In addition, it is a great position from which to transition into other positions, such as the mounted position and knee-on-belly position. The great virtue of the side-control position is its stability. No other position offers the degree of control that is possible form the side position. This advantage makes it a great place to slow the tempo of a fight down, exerting a fatiguing and frustrating positional control on your opponent that makes him tire quickly.

Fighters have many ways to hold a side-control position, and each has its advantages and disadvantages. The key elements common to all of them are as follows:

• Always pin your opponent chest-to-chest. Make sure that the center of your chest is directly on top of the center of your opponent's chest; ensure that it does not slide down to his stomach or over his side. 
• Keep your hips low and base wide. If your hips rise up, it becomes easy for your opponent to forcefully bridge and carry you to a bad position, Sink your hips down to use your weight much more efficiently, creating an unpleasant and tiring pressure on your opponent. Also be sure to keep your bas of support wide. By this, we mean that you should keep your legs wide apart as you sink your hips down, which makes it difficult or your opponent to roll you over.
• Keep mobile. Do not simply hold on grimly to your opponent. No matter how tightly you hold him, he will eventually work his way out. Instead, move in response to his movements, keeping your hips low and staying chest-to-chest as you do so. If he attempts to put you back in guard, do not be afraid to move your hops aways form his. You can even walk around his head to the other side of his body. This is a great way to set up submission holds and counter your opponent's movement. 

An interesting and important variation of the side-control position occurs when the man on top walks over and around his opponent's head, then stops. This move put him in a controlling position, often referred to as the "north and south" position. This pin has a slightly different feel to it for both the top and bottom fighters. 

For the man underneath the side-control and north-south pins, the chief concern is escape to a better position. The most common forms of escape involve getting back to the guard position or getting up to one's knees. It is also possible to completely turn the top man over for a reversal or even attempt to submit him. These alternatives are more difficult on an experienced opponent, however. 

For more on positions and wresting or MMA training, visit: Bulldog Wresting and Pure MMA 

Submission Grappling - MMA in Crown Point/ Hobart/ Merrillville IN

Many different rule systems exist for submission grappling. It is fair to say, however, that in recent years the form of submission grappling that has taken precedence around the world is that used in the unofficial world championships of submission grappling in Abu Dhabi. In a sense, it is simply the standard Brazilian jiu jitsu without the gi. After all, the positional point system is nearly identical, so there is a lot of truth to this claim.

However, there are some important differences between the two sports as well. Fewer restriction are put on submission holds in submission grappling. Unlike Brazilian jiu jitsu competition, all manner of twisting-leg locks are legal. A simplistic but fairly accurate statement would be that the takedowns of Brazilian jiu jitsu are more similar to those of a judo match, whereas those of submission grappling closely resemble Olympic wrestling. Thus, the games have a different look, feel, and dynamic from each other.

The takedowns of submission grappling are different because competitors, do not wear a judo gi. The judo gi has a dramatic slowing effect on the competitors in a Brazilian jiu jitsu match, which is a result of the fact that it provides the competitors with a multitude of grips and handles that can be used to stall an opponent's progress. Because of this element, there are often long periods of comparative inactivity, where both player appear deadlocked. In submission grappling, on the other hand, the matches appear faster because of the reduced friction and the comparative lack of handles and grips to hold an opponent and slow his motion.

For more on submission grappling and MMA in Hobart/ Merrillville IN area, visit: MMA in Merrillville IN

Mounted Position- MMA Training in Schaumburg, Naperville, Crown Point, Griffith and Merrillville IN

Another dominant position is the basic mounted position, which involves your straddling your opponent's chest and kneeling over him. To execute this move, you can sit up straight to create room to strike, or you can wrap one arm around his neck and get down low to control him. From the mount, it is easy for fighters to launch a barrage of powerful punches, and it is difficult for your opponent to respond, since his shoulders and hips are pinned to the amt, thus robbing his punches of any real power. In addition, you can apply a large number of effective submission holds from the mount whereas your opponent has little opportunity to reply.

Often, especially in a street fight against an inexperienced grappler, fighter have opportunities to transition from the mounted position to the rear-mounted position. This move normally occurs when you begin striking from the mount: Your opponent turns away to avoid the punches, giving you his back. By opening your legs a little, simply give him a little room to turn in, then lock in your hooks yo secure a rear-mounted position, and thus an easy opportunity to finish the fight with a rear naked choke. This transition is much less common in contemporary MMA, since most people know that it is foolish to turn under the mount and give up one's back. However, this happens all the time in street fights, so you must be able to make this transition at a moment's notice. From the persecutive of the man underneath the mounted position, escape is still the number one priority. The bottom man is generally looking to bridge over and end up on top, just inside his opponent's guard, or he is looking to scoot out and out the top man inside his own guard.

For more positions and MMA Training, visit: MMA Training in Crown Point and Merrillville IN