Counter The Cross With A Powerful Combo With Chris Camozzi
Quick instincts are key in fighting. Some of that is personal talent, but it also comes with knowing what to expect and what to do with it when it comes. When you know exactly what you want to do after your opponent throws a certain punch, pulling it off quickly can be a game changer.
This also plays into the mental aspect of fighting. When you have quick counters it starts to wear down your partner's confidence when you have a quick response to every one of his attacks. Landing solid shots is obviously going to wear your opponent down, but the change of mentality you cause in your opponent goes a long way as well.
Additionally, good counter strikes can stop your opponent from finishing their combination and landing more strikes on you. If your partner throws a right cross and it's in the beginning or middle of his combination and you see it and counter it immediately, you both stop yourself from taking more damage and land some good shots as well.
A huge part of being a good counter striker is to have the ability to stay calm and keep your eyes open in the pocket. This can be challenging for everyone, especially people who are in the early stages of their training. It’s almost a natural instinct to close your eyes when something like a punch is flying towards your head. However, you need to train yourself to keep your eyes open to see what is going on and to know what's coming. When you are calm and begin to see the strikes even before they happen, this is when you can start recognizing the opportunity to start landing some counter shots.
In this video, Chris Camozzi demonstrates a counter combination off of his opponents cross that is both quick and effective, check it out below!
The Technique
Chris prefaces this combination by saying although it is fairly basic, it is great for speed, timing, and its overall effectiveness. The combination is going to be a hook, cross, hook, counter off of his opponents cross.
It is important to note that while Chris’s partner is in an orthadox stance, he is in a southpaw stance. This obviously changes some things, but it also creates a great opportunity in a fight to quickly change your stance and throw something at your opponent that they aren't expecting.
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This can be done off of countering either a rear hook or a cross; in this case Chris demonstrates it off of the cross. As his partner throws the cross, Chris uses his left hand to cover his face and block it. As soon as he blocks that punch and before his partner can recoil his arm, he brings that left hand down from his head and immediately uses it to counter with a left cross.
As he fires that cross, he uses the momentum to take a step to the outside with his right foot. You will notice in this combination that Chris takes a step to the outside with every strike he throws to help him create an angle. Creating the angle and getting off of the center line makes it harder for his partner to defend the strikes.
Following the cross, Chris has now loaded up the right side of his body so he throws a right hook, simultaneously taking another step towards the outside. Immediately after the hook he throws another powerful cross at a great angle to finish the combination.
Additional Details
As your opponent throws the initial cross or hook he is obviously unable to protect his head on that side. This is precisely the reason why speed is such an important factor in this combination. If you can see that initial strike coming and can block it and throw your counter immediately after you block it, there is no reason it won't land cleanly.
Additionally, the other strikes in the combination are all bonuses but if you can properly create the angle and get the strikes off quickly, you are likely going to land them as well. This 2-3-2 combination is popular for a reason, it is quick and effective.
About Chris Camozzi
Chris Camozzi is an American professional Glory kickboxer and mixed martial artist. He formerly fought in the middleweight division in the UFC, and has been a professional competitor since 2006. He had a few stints in the UFC before his contract ended in 2017. Since then Chris has continued to fight professionally.
Being the versatile fighter that he is training both Muay Thai and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, he has significant wins by both knockout and submission. Chris has years of incredible and applicable experience to bring to the table.
Chris’s Instructional
Chris has devoted the entirety of this instructional to striking from southpaw. Included you will find techniques such as basic foot positioning for southpaws, how to crowd your opponent and attack the body, parry double jab body kick, countering opponents power side kick, and so much more.
Chris is a UFC veteran who has dedicated his life to martial arts. His techniques are battle tested and proven, and are strong and technical. Diversity your game by improving your technique from southpaw, check out his instructional here!