In and Out Tactics With Kyle Bochniak
Range and control of distance is one of the most important aspects of each and every combat sport, from boxing to Muay thai to MMA and even in wrestling and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. The ability to control the range and distance of where a fight takes place basically means that you’re in charge of when the fight itself actually happens and what happens during exchanges and how long that they can last.
Controlling the distance means that you are able to choose when you are able to take and give damage and if you are good enough at it, your opponent basically has no choice but to go along with it. It’s either that or they are just going to keep getting picked apart from the outside every time they try to go in and make something happen on their terms.
This is why it’s really important to learn how to control range, which is something that is rarely ever explicitly taught to fighters, even after they get to the pro circuit. It is mentioned a lot, but unless it is trained directly it can be very hard to really learn the importance of and how to control range and distance.
Controlling the distance of a fight is more than just throwing out a jab or a push kick to keep your opponent away from you. It’s about how you move and the small little things you do to get in your range, do your work and get out before your opponent even knows what hit them, or how you did it.
In this video, UFC vet Kyle Bochniak is going to show you a simple technique that you might already do without knowing it, that is used to get into striking range and control the distance, while being able to quickly get you to safety as well.
This technique is known as the long step and it is exactly as it sounds. This technique is super simple and you have probably already done it if you have been training for a decent amount of time. To do the long step, all you need to do is step out with your lead leg while keeping your rear leg back while throwing a strike.
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After you finish throwing a strike, you can follow up with another one, which you will need to bring your back leg up to compensate and keep base. Or you can bring your extended lead leg back to your stance to get out of the way of any potential counters that your opponent might throw.
This technique is most commonly used with a jab, as the long step adds reach to what is already your longest punch. While this is the most common use for the long step, you can also combine a long step with other punches, like a rear cross to throw a powerful strike from a distance that your opponent probably thought that they would be safe in.
This technique will get you in and out of distance and will likely cause your opponent to maintain a further range than they are used to because you are able to reach them from a longer distance than they probably first expected. This means that you will have more time to see them coming in and defend accordingly, as well as have more time to work your offense.
If you want to learn more striking tips and tricks like this one check out our video series featuring Kyle Bochniak!