MMA Fundamental Striking With Kyle Bochniak
When fighting MMA, all fighters want to hear the people sitting in the crowd chant their name or scream in excitement when they do something. This is often why we see so many spinning kicks, Flying maneuvers. Everyone would like to be the next Connor McGregor, or Anthony “Showtime” Pettis. What people do not want is to be the guy out cold on the floor after missing the flashy kick.
How do elite fighters get to the level where they can safely fight like Showtime, or McGregor? The answer is simple. BASICS. A fighter must know how to defend themselves, and attack properly before they can go flying off the side of the cage.
The basics are what keep a fighter safe when all else fails. The basics are also the vehicle driving to most victories. Take the idea that Stephan Peterson won a fight, with the knockout of the year with a spinning back fist Hail Mary. Yet before that he was getting lit up with good technical striking by Martin Bravo.
Bravo decided to abandon good technical sense and threw a spinning backfist, missed and then became the recipient of a highlight reel knock out that was watched on sports center over, and over , and over again.
In Muay Thai and Western Boxing the larger gloves to allow for a much greater margin of error in comparison to the smaller 4oz gloves of MMA competition. Therefore, solid technique and a base in fundamental striking is crucial.
In MMA you do not have a 12oz pillow to absorb blows or to ricochet shots off. You have essentially the outline of your hand and that is it. In the same vein your surface area is much smaller, so throwing punches must be more accurate.
A great way to improve your striking accuracy, while utilizing proper footwork is to utilize pad work with a partner. Simple combos that involve three to four movements is a great way to build timing, speed, and coordination.
A great beginner drill that helps build both timing but foot work and kicks is the One, Two, Three, Body kick. Or for those who do not understand the vernacular. Jab(Front hand), Cross (back hand), Hook (Front hand in a looping motion) back leg kicks to the body while turning over your hips.
Here is a great video showing this combo, performed by UFC Alumni Kyle Bochniak.
Kyle shows this simple combo, but technically it is hard to do better. While Kyle punches his hands are always protecting his face. The punches return back into their starting positions allowing Kyle to block incoming shots but still see what is in front of him.
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Another perfect tip is how Kyle emphasizes taking a step out before the kick to the body. This motion not only gets his head off centerline it builds power in the kick. The reason being is the apex of the kick is now through the body of his opponent not before.
Ever have someone tell you, you must kick through the bag, or punch through the bag? The purpose of this idea is to get the energy transferred to your opponent effectively. Or in layman’s terms prevent you from “Pulling your punches”
Kyle has a great deal to share, and his teaching style is simple and effective. He has a instructional set that covers not only the basics standing up but also in the clinch and counters. In this DVD Kyle will address a position that is vastly understated by others. Long range, punches, counters and engagements.
So many times, there are instructions that talk about striking, but few ever discuss that long range distance, or how to enter a good striking distance. Kyle addresses close range clinch work in his instructional as well.
Overall, it is the basics that do most of the lifting in fights, so why not get a good fundamental start? Check out what Kyle has to offer!
Crash Course Striking For MMA by Kyle Bochniak looks to give you the drills and skills to learn how to be an effective Stiker where there are few rules! Learn how to adapt boxing range with kicking and wrestling range! Kyle has you covered!