Issue 083
December 2011
Specialist stand-up combos that will keep you dangerous while throwing at arms length or lugging leather inside the pocket
Pete Irving
Professional fighter
Pete Irving is a professional welterweight fighter and Fighters Only’s resident fight expert.
Until recently, it was rare to see front kicks and kick combinations in MMA. The common wisdom was that it was too risky when faced with a takedown. Striking masters like Lyoto Machida and Anderson Silva have shown how kicks can be used effectively without being taken down thanks to an understanding of distance and timing.
LONGEST RANGE – KICK COMBINATION: TEEP, LEFT KICK, RIGHT CROSS, RIGHT BODY KICK
1 Pete begins by engaging Mariusz with his longest weapon, the front kick from the lead leg, known in Muay Thai as the teep. Pete ‘screws’ his hip and pushes down his toes on impact to get the maximum range from his leg. Pete keeps his right hand up to protect his face, and pushes his left arm down as he extends the kick.
2 If Pete has correctly executed the push kick, Mariusz is thrown back. As Mariusz steps back in, Pete re-engages him with the left body kick, his second-longest weapon, switch-stepping and chopping up into the ribs.
3 As Pete’s foot touches down after the kick he immediately throws the long right-cross. If you have to adjust your feet before you can punch, you must practice landing perfectly after the kick.
4 Pete follows up the right cross with the right body kick, stepping in with his left foot, whipping the right arm back and protecting his face with his left hand.
The key to effective striking is finding your range. Establishing the distance that is best for you changes with each opponent, and often changes as the fight develops and you feel each other out. Understanding your ranges and practicing suitable combinations is part of the skill of a good pad man.
MAXIMUM RANGE – HAND COMBINATION
Freddie Roach is widely considered to be one of the greatest boxing coaches ever, having trained a slew of world champions, including the great Manny Pacquiao. A few prominent MMA fighters have been attracted to Roach’s Wild Card gym, such as Georges St Pierre and Dan Hardy. Here is a simple Roach-style pad combination, working long-range shots, setting up a long straight right with three shots from the left hand.
1 Pete and Mariusz begin just out of punching range.
2 Pete takes a small sliding step in and leads with a long jab, keeping his elbow down and screwing the punch at the last moment, finishing with his chin covered by the shoulder.
3 Pete takes another small incremental step off the lead leg, sliding out slightly, and throws a long left uppercut. This long lead uppercut is almost a screwshot, twisting in from the outside angle. Pete drives the punch from his hip.
4 Pete twists his lead foot and whips in a left hook, keeping the range long with a slightly extended arm.
5 After three shots from the lead hand, Pete drives home the right cross, twisting the back foot, and rotating through to achieve his maximum range without leaning his head forward.
CLOSE RANGE – HAND COMBINATION
The orthodox boxing and Muay Thai method of power generation emphasizes rotation. In MMA there is an inherent danger presented when twisting the feet, as you are momentarily unable to sprawl. When extending the elbow and twisting the arm you offer a window to penetrate. The alternative is to punch ‘from the hip,’ driving in straights and uppercuts at shorter range, throwing the piston punch. When you feel comfortable, have your pad man throw in double-leg shots to test the lines of defense, jamming with your forearms.
1 Mariusz steps closer to Pete, and Pete throws the piston punch jab, keeping his wrestling lines of defense intact.
2 Pete follows up with a right uppercut, once again driving up from the hip. Pete’s elevation is low, ready to sprawl.
3 Pete follows up with straight left...
4 ...and a straight right. Both punches drive from the hip, and are essentially the same punch, less distinct from one another than the typical boxing jab and cross.
