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Freestyle, whether it is the brute force of the UFC fighter, or the well guided darts of traditional karate, is a staple of martial arts training. A black belt is not a black belt, after all, unless he can defend himself using techniques of freestyle. Even in the MMA, a good base of classical karate freestyle goes a long way towards educating a fighter to basic ring concepts.
That all said, I should caution the reader that one should be well versed in form if he wishes to make the following techniques work. I know many people have put form aside in these modern times, but form teaches control of the body, and of the mind, on an intimate level. And while the purpose of freestyle is to destroy somebody, it is of a much higher level to control them.
The first thing one must understand is how to set up the fight. This is the structural postion one takes when facing another fighter. The idea is to understand and adjust the structure of the body so that one has max traction with the feet, proper angle of the leg and therefore pushing muscles, and the correct turn of the hip so that max weight can be moved with minimum effort.
Another thing that should be done is to keep your eyes on your opponent. Simply, you are not going to be able to fight what you cannot face. Don't look at the whole body, or generally focus the eyes, look at the eyes of your opponent and know that you are looking through the windows to a mans soul, and therefore will be able to see the moment of thought, if not the whole thought, and what the intended technique is going to be.
Lift the arms and angle them towards the opponents shoulders. Your opponent will have to go through your arms to fight, and that means he no longer has a straight line. Now he has to go around your arms, and that gives you the straight line advantage.
If you wish to know what your opponent is going to do before he does it, spread the hands slightly and give him an alley down which to strike, or tighten them slightly so he will have to go around to strike. There may be a slight loss of advantage, but now you know exactly what he is going to do. Predicting an opponents actions is is a sure way to win the game.
Balance the body so that he doesn't know if you are going to attack high or low or right or left. Turning the shoulders so he can't predict which side you will come in on makes you unpredictable. Not letting the opponent know which foot you are standing on, and which is free will stop him from predicting which foot you will use to launch a kick.
Now, admitted, the techniques and strategy I have presented here are of the quick twitch samurai variety. Still, whether you are facing Matt Hughes in the UFC, or the rival school in a friendly square off, or the rabid home invader, these techniques will hold true, and will open the door to further exploration and awareness. Whether you are fighting in the ring or on the street, whether you are practicing a traditional karate method, like shotokan, or a more modern method like Kenpo, or even a rare version of Shaolin or Wudan, these tactics will train you to win the fight.
That all said, I should caution the reader that one should be well versed in form if he wishes to make the following techniques work. I know many people have put form aside in these modern times, but form teaches control of the body, and of the mind, on an intimate level. And while the purpose of freestyle is to destroy somebody, it is of a much higher level to control them.
The first thing one must understand is how to set up the fight. This is the structural postion one takes when facing another fighter. The idea is to understand and adjust the structure of the body so that one has max traction with the feet, proper angle of the leg and therefore pushing muscles, and the correct turn of the hip so that max weight can be moved with minimum effort.
Another thing that should be done is to keep your eyes on your opponent. Simply, you are not going to be able to fight what you cannot face. Don't look at the whole body, or generally focus the eyes, look at the eyes of your opponent and know that you are looking through the windows to a mans soul, and therefore will be able to see the moment of thought, if not the whole thought, and what the intended technique is going to be.
Lift the arms and angle them towards the opponents shoulders. Your opponent will have to go through your arms to fight, and that means he no longer has a straight line. Now he has to go around your arms, and that gives you the straight line advantage.
If you wish to know what your opponent is going to do before he does it, spread the hands slightly and give him an alley down which to strike, or tighten them slightly so he will have to go around to strike. There may be a slight loss of advantage, but now you know exactly what he is going to do. Predicting an opponents actions is is a sure way to win the game.
Balance the body so that he doesn't know if you are going to attack high or low or right or left. Turning the shoulders so he can't predict which side you will come in on makes you unpredictable. Not letting the opponent know which foot you are standing on, and which is free will stop him from predicting which foot you will use to launch a kick.
Now, admitted, the techniques and strategy I have presented here are of the quick twitch samurai variety. Still, whether you are facing Matt Hughes in the UFC, or the rival school in a friendly square off, or the rabid home invader, these techniques will hold true, and will open the door to further exploration and awareness. Whether you are fighting in the ring or on the street, whether you are practicing a traditional karate method, like shotokan, or a more modern method like Kenpo, or even a rare version of Shaolin or Wudan, these tactics will train you to win the fight.
About the Author:
Al Case has analyzed martial arts for 4O+ years. He has written for the magazines since 1981, is the originator of Matrixing Technology, and has written the ultimate work on making a punch that will knock out your opponent every single time.
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