Tag With Stephen Thompson
Tag; A Children’s game where one player is attempting to touch or tag another Player to transfer the role of the attacker. What a fun game but who remembers the term “no Tag backs”? Essentially if you Tag a person then cannot immediately touch you back. No one liked the whiners that screamed no tag backs by the way.
In many ways fighting is a much more aggressive version of Tag, but in this version, there is not a rule for “no Tag backs”. Actually as a rule, the fighter who has just been Tagged wants to Tag back more! In fact Erik Paulson the great Shooto Fighter and Trainer says “For every shot you take, you return with twice that amount.”
This is not a bad theory when score cards are often made or broken by who lands more strikes. It becomes an almost mathematical way to approach a fight. The problem with this idea inlays with the concept of landing strikes without taking any strikes in return.
For some fighters walking into a fight and just going toe to toe with the other guy and just seeing who comes out on top is a good enough plan. It has its moments and for sure will sell tickets on pay per view but at a regional show taking that kind of damage for a few hundred bucks does not seem like a good idea.
If you think you can waltz in like Don Frye and just slug it out, This article is probably not the one for you. Don is a Legend in both wrestling and MMA, He was a pioneer in the sport and is to be respected. If you go to Youtube and watch his insane fight with Yoshihiro Takayama, Dan Walks up they grab each other by the head and with no attempts to get out of the way, both fighters just go to town on each other’s face.
This strategy is ill advised and will not bode well for your modeling career or endorsement deals. A better option in this writer's opinion, is to play tag. Get in, Tag , Get out before they know what hit them. How can you do this when the other fighter knows you are trying to hit them?
First you have to not have a tell. A tell is when you do something that telegraphs a strike, or lets the other fighter know you're about to attack. Good footwork, and fast movement are going to help. Two current fighters seem to be the keyholders to the ability to hit and not get hit at the same time.
Michael “Venom” Page in Bellator and Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson. Both are very high level strikers who use Karate as their base for striking. The key is a good stance and footwork that is unpredictable. Both of these fighters use what is referred to as a shuffle step to move in Tag their opponent and get out!
Wonderboy is currently one of the top welterweights in the world. His career has been highlighted by his ability to hit people without taking much damage in return. His last fight with the “Silent Assassin” Vincente Luque that style was on highlight. Thompson goes in hits with one or two big shots then is back out leaving Luque swinging at air. There is a good chance that Luque missed completely just as many times as he hit Thompson.
To hear the commentators talk about Thompsons fighting style, shows he has developed something special. Mike Goldberg said “There he goes with his signature stance”, and Joe Rogan made note “Once Wonderboy gets that style down, that timing, he becomes so difficult to chase because he can just stop on a dime and crack you on the way in!”
As a kickboxer Wonderboy is 57-0 with 40 knockouts, so he has shown his ability to throw bombs when they are warranted. All of the bombs in the world would not mean a thing if he cant make his way in to hit his opponent.
Stephen Thompsons fight IQ is phenomenal and approaches his fights and his style in a very Didactic and Scholastic manner. Thompson has proven that he knows how to articulate himself well in post and pre fight interviews. So it comes as no surprise when asked about his signature style he has the ability to explain How and why it is effective and when to deploy it.
Wonderboy explains his signature footwork in the video below.
Wonderboy explains how he uses his “Shuffle Step” to get in and get out without sending the big telegraph telling the other fighter he’s is coming. The attention detail about foot spacing is one of the most important concepts a fighter has to keep.
Learn More key details with Wonderboy! Click Learn More!
If feet become to close together you become unstable and easily knocked over. If the legs get to far apart a fighter becomes planted and cannot move which will lead to shots landing harder.
This is just a little piece of Wonderboy’s system, he has so much more to show in his recently released instructional video. Wonderboy goes deep into his style and ideology behind how he fights.
Wonderboy out lines several movement drills, ladder Drills and concepts to keep in mind while utilizing these drills. Lastly he outlines several kicks that he uses and what has made him a #1 contender for the welterweight division.
If you are new to MMA and need foot work you need this instructional. If you are a Karate, TKD Fighter looking to improve your points scoring ability or are transitioning into MMA this instructional is essential.
Check It out here!