Mixed Martial Arts Training - Footwork, Maneuverability and the Value of the H

[Rex Cox]

One of the most important aspects in mixed martial arts fighting, and
one that is often overlooked and taken for granted, is that of
footwork. The fighter with superior footwork and movement skills has a
notable advantage in any fight whether boxing, Muay Thai, MMA or
streetfighting.
Some of the greatest fighters we have seen in boxing have all
displayed tremendous footwork and movement; Jack Dempsey, Sugar Ray
Robinson, Sugar Ray Leonard, Prince Nassim and the incomparable
Mohammed Ali all utilized incredible foot work and movement skills to
evade and attack their opponents.
One of the major difficulties that the early kickboxing scene was
plagued with was that fighters came from the karate disciplines. The
classical karate disciplines emphasized flat-footed stand your ground
tactics with poor footwork and maneuverability. Many early kickboxers,
coming from karate backgrounds, complimented their karate kicks with
the superior punching techniques taken from boxing but most were slow
to adopt the highly mobile boxing footwork.
Those fighters that came from a boxing background or who recognized
that maneuverable footwork and strategic positioning were an integral
part of the boxers' game plan incorporated it in their training and
demonstrated a notable advantage.
Muay Thai fighters, however, not tainted by the classical karate
systems, have always demonstrated a very fine sense of footwork and
position, such that that they move in and out just out of range to
make the opponent miss and then back in to range to hit with power and
precision.
We saw a repeat of the kickboxing era in the early days of mixed
martial arts fighting, with the grapplers dominating and it appeared
that fighters that predominantly relied on their standup skills were
not going to be competitive. The fighters that relied heavily on
standup were very ineffective at stopping the takedowns of the
grapplers, allowing themselves to be put in positions that limited
their movement and ultimately to be taken down.
That was until Maurice Smith showed that with good footwork and ring
(cage) generalship the grapplers could be stopped with a predominantly
striking game. From there the evolution continued and predominant
strikers appeared again. The mixed martial arts fighters that
predominantly relied on their takedown game now under the selective
pressure of having to adapt their takedown methods to cope with the
evasive maneuverability and adapted striking methods of the standup
specialists. The main characteristics that set the successful mixed
martial arts fighters apart from those that failed was there footwork
and ring (cage) generalship that enabled them to neutralize the
takedowns.
We now see mixed martial arts fighters who have adapted and developed
there movement and positioning to the cage, such that the fights are
more dynamic and evenly balanced between the grapplers and strikers.
The latest exponent of excellent footwork and generalship, in mixed
martial arts, is Lyoto Machida who demonstrates very powerful hit and
move skills that are the key to the strikers' game against a grappler.
It is therefore important that when we train we include fast and
maneuverable foot work into our mixed martial arts training drills.
Once a new standup striking or takedown setup technique is acquired,
and has been adequately drilled for efficacy, we must combine it with
effective footwork and movement so that we can move in to execute it,
and out again, if it is countered or if on execution we need to move
away because it did not finish the job and the opponent covers up; a
hit and run strategy of fighting.
Here are some of the main points that must be addressed in your
footwork whether fighting mixed martial arts, Muay Thai, or boxing:
1) Learn to move on the balls of the feet with bent knees to
facilitate rapid and precise weight transfer. 2) Keep the feet spacing
about shoulder width apart, i.e. avoid wide stances. 3) When moving
make the steps small; better to take a series of smaller steps, then
one large one that upsets balance. 4) Practice quick changes in
direction always ensuring to maintain good balance. 5) Practice
constant movement. 6) Develop a keen sense of position in relation to
your opponent; this must be acquired to the level of unconscious
competence so that you can concentrate on the fight. 7) When you step
in to strike train for speed, explosiveness and accuracy. 8) Train
sprawling and angular changes for takedown avoidance.
In addition, footwork should be developed for both offensive and
defensive tactics. The use of evasive angular stepping that is the
basis of the "make 'em miss, make 'em pay" strategy, combined with
fast bridging the gap techniques and good ring generalship must be
developed to provide the complete fight game plan in mixed martial
arts.