Two Essential Strikes With Carlos Condit

Carlos Condit is a legend in the MMA community, holding the last WEC Welterweight  Champion title as well as previously being the Interim-Welterweight Champion title holder in the UFC. Fighting out of Jackson-Wink MMA Academy in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Carlos Condit has amassed over 40 professional fights fighting some of the sports most well known athletes such as Nick Diaz, Dan Hardy and Rory MacDonald to name just a few. Here, Coach Carlos Condit shows some of his tips that led him to be one of the most elite fighters in modern MMA!

The rear leg roundhouse kick and the lead hook are two of the most commonly thrown strikes in MMA, Kickboxing and Muay Thai. There are many ways to throw these strikes and many ways to set them up. Coach Condit will show how he likes to set up his leg kick and how he can use that leg kick to land a powerful lead hook!

To set up the low roundhouse kick, Coach Condit likes to use a step off jab. Starting from an orthodox stance (meaning left leg is in the front) Carlos takes a step with his rear leg out at an angle putting him into a southpaw stance (meaning his right leg is no in the front), he does not walk straight forward because he will go straight into his opponent instead he steps out to the right corner while simultaneously throwing his jab. This step off jab allows Coach Condit to quickly move forward and make an angle on the opponent.

The step off jab gives him a good angle on his opponent to throw his right leg roundhouse kick to the back of the opponent's leg. To throw the leg kick, Carlos steps shift his weight back to his lead leg (essentially returning him to an orthodox stance) while stepping slightly out with his left foot. After throwing the right leg roundhouse kick, Coach Condit does not step directly down from the kick, he uses the recoil to bring his leg back a bit, placing it down in a southpaw stance with his lead foot positioned to the outside of the opponents lead foot, this puts him in a good position to land a hard left hook.

Coach Condit further explains that the hook should be thrown immediately after your kicking leg lands, that way the momentum from the kicking leg can be used to rip a devastatingly hard hook into the opponent's head. Notice when throwing the hook, Carlos pivots on his rear leg to help twist his torso into the hook, accelerating it faster so it can hit harder. Coach Condit likes to think of his body as a spring, his jab loads tension into his kicking leg for a hard kick then his kick loads tension back into his legs for a hard hook, everytime Carlos twists to one side he has loaded that spring to explode back the other way.

Carlos continues to show more ways to set up the leg kick, he says whatever way you normally set up your leg kick works. Coach Condit shows you can use a double jab to your leg kick or a jab, cross into your leg kick or a hook into your leg kick back into the hook again! These are just a few options but the most important piece Coach Condit says is the timing. Explaining that this technique will feel weird when you first try it, the timing comes from throwing your hook the moment your kicking leg lands, carrying the momentum from the kick into your hook. 

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