Issue 057
December 2009
His fighting style has caught the imagination of anyone who has trained in the traditional martial arts. Finally, someone who can make those techniques work in the Octagon! Machida is a well-rounded athlete with a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu as well as Shotokan karate, but he is best known for confusing and frustrating his opponents with traditional karate attacks.
Plyometric Kick Training
Machida’s kick speed is unparalleled among light heavyweights. Machida uses various plyometric training methods to enhance the velocity of his kicks.
In the Gym
Set out a course of obstacles, roughly a meter apart (depending on the length of your stride). If you don’t have cones, you can improvise with Thai pads, medicine balls – anything you have lying around the gym that won’t cause an injury should you misjudge your distance and kick the obstacle.
Lateral weave
With your pad man, take a deep lateral step, step back around the obstacle and let your kick go the moment your foot lands back on the ground.
Depth Jump
Start on a bench, box or chair. Jump off and, without pausing as you land, spring up to kick the pads.
In Action
Machida’s swift kicks are one of his greatest weapons; you’ll see him use them in almost every one of his fights.
Fake to Jump Kick
In action it looks like something out of ‘The Karate Kid’, but this move is legit and can catch your opponent unaware when thrown correctly.
In the Gym
Practice with a partner; fake a low kick from your lead leg, and before it lands jump up and throw a high kick from the back leg. The movement will momentarily leave you in mid air, leaving the opponent no time to realize the first attack was a feint.
In Action
Machida caught Tito Ortiz with this tricky attack in their bout at UFC 84.
Reverse punch
Machida often ‘paws’ with his right hand to find his range or parry his opponent’s jab. When the punch comes out, Lyoto uses his lead hand to circle around the wrist and clear the avenue of attack so he can punch straight down the middle. He will paw at the guard to find the lead hand, which gives him his range. Karateka Machida throws his cross differently to the traditional boxing-style. He fires his punch more from the hip and lunges in to generate power.
In the Gym
Try to emulate ‘The Dragon’s’ ambidextrous karate style, holding your guard long and adopting a deep stance when sparring.
In Action
The karate ‘reverse punch’ can be seen in effect in all of Machida’s fights. Check out some of his pre-UFC bouts such as vs Stephan Bonnar in Jungle Fight, vs Vernon White in WFA, or vs Rich Franklin from 2003’s Inoki Bom-Ba-Ye event in Japan for more evidence of his destructive punching power. Lyoto’s reverse punch can be seen in effect in almost all his bouts.
Lead Leg Foot Sweep / Trip
One of Machida’s most effective tricks is to worry his opponent’s lead leg with kicks, trips and foot sweeps. While they are off balance, he will blast in with punches as they are unable to properly defend.
In the Gym
From a southpaw stance, harass your training partner’s lead leg by sweeping the ankle. If you find your opponent steps forward to defend this, step your thigh behind their lead leg and throw them. If you don’t succeed with your throw, you’ll still gain the opportunity to strike as they try to recover their balance.
In Action
When Machida fought judoka Kazuhiro Nakamura at UFC 76 it was Nakamura who was thrown to the canvas with Machida’s tani otoshi style kick-throw combination.
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