Landing Effective Body Shots With Chael Sonnen
Body shots are what separates the best from the rest most of the time, but they don’t get enough credit for their immense impact on the fight; using body shots is money in the bank as they accumulate and slow our opponent.
Other than just slowing our adversaries, body shots constantly threaten to finish the fight. Remember, you can be as tough as you want, but anybody can fall with the right body shot; even the most formidable opponents cannot ignore a good body shot.
But if they are so good, why don’t we see fighters use them more?
The first reason is that fighters tend to forget about them and become head hunters, but they forget that the head can be slippery although the body is always there for us. The second reason, fighters give up on them too early and don’t see the impact, remember those shots accumulate over time, and we should throw them consistently throughout the fight.
The last reason is that fighters are not able to do damage with them due to aiming for the wrong areas, remember we have a lot of internal organs located around the torso. Still, we also have many dense bones and muscles, so aiming for the right spot is essential.
To get better as a body snatcher, we should first make it a part of our tactic, where we think consciously about landing those body shots. We should make sure we are throwing them correctly, so we are not open for counters, and lastly, we should drill to aim our punches at the correct spots - Diaphram, lower ribs, liver, and the guts. Remember, this is what separates experienced fighters from beginners, don’t become a head hunter that is easily dealt with and easy to anticipate.
In this video, Chael Sonnen will show us how he uses body shots on the ground and where to aim them.
Who Is Chael Sonnen
Chael Sonnen is a well-known figure in the world of MMA; he is considered by many as one of the greatest of all time that never won a title in the UFC. However, at the age of 43, Chael has announced his retirement from MMA after his last fight for BELLATOR MMA.
But Chael had never left the sport as he opened his SUG promotion that focuses on giving grapplers a stage to show how enjoyable their sport can be.
Check Out Chael Sonnen's Instructional Here! Click Learn More!
Effective Body Shots On The Ground
Chael starts the video by telling us that many fighters misunderstand body shots as they are a broad subject, and many people do not categorize them well as they think that aiming for the body is aiming for the ribs.
Remember, body shots to the ribs can hurt; they can damage, but an effective body shot is aimed for the naval where all our vital organs lie and will make our opponent fall to their knees in pain and agony if damaged.
We can land body shots whether we are standing or on the ground; as long as I’m aiming for the soft part of his torso, I will be effective. Now, when I work with a partner or an opponent, I’m constantly distracting him by throwing punches to his head, and once he forgets about the body, that is when I go.
Do not make the mistake everybody makes, punching the torso’s hard parts, feel it for yourself; your ribs are there to protect you, and therefore, they are dense and durable. However, the naval is soft and easily can cause damage, so keep that in mind when working the body shots.
You can also use the body shots as a distraction when you throw a body shot, and the opponent is reacting to hit him over the top where he is open. The body shots open a big game for us and should never be forgotten, “work the body kill the head.”
Learn More From Chael Sonnen
