There’s an undeniable thrill that comes with watching your best MMA fighters using their popular techniques, and for spectators who engage in MMA betting, it could be a lucky break if the perfectly executed strategy also means they win their MMA wagers.
MMA is a mixture of several martial arts, meaning that the industry has numerous techniques that can take down opponents. Every fan wants to back a fighter who understands the necessary fighting techniques and can effectively put them to use on a matchday. Apart from the professional applications, some of these techniques can also be valuable to fans.
Whether you’re kicking a friendly round in the ring or need skills to save your life, MMA fighting techniques are some of the best self-defense skills anyone can learn and utilize. This article will discuss some of these techniques and how they work.
Table of Contents
The Jab
A jab is an essential tool in MMA fighting, derived from Western boxing, and has found its way into many combat sports. It happens when a fighter shoots straight and strong enough to break their opponent’s jaw. If you watch MMA tournaments, you’ve probably seen George St-Pierre throwing a straight punch at an opponent; that’s a jab.
However, it’s beyond just throwing punches. Jabs require precision, measurements, and fluidity to get the right momentum. And while every fighter can learn this strategy, it’s best suited for strikers as a counterattack. Aggressive fighters use it to cover their forward stance, and savvy punchers deploy it to disrupt their opponent’s rhythm. Ultimately, it’s an important technique that comes in handy during all combat sports.
The Overhand
Overhand is an effective yet tricky strategy that can defeat the opponent but make you lose your momentum and stance if not properly executed. The overhand is a baseball-like punch thrown from the rear and lands on the opponent’s face. While it’s not as popular as the jab, legendary fighters like the former UFC light heavyweight champion Chuck Liddell and Former Pride heavyweight champion Fedor Emelianenko have used it to disorient their opponents and land the ending strike.
Compared to other combat sports, the overhand is popular in MMA because it enhances level changes, where fighters need to bend their knees and duck down to land the punches. This technique is more common in MMA, where take-downs are the norm. Overhand is a unique strategy that plays a diligent role in effectively taking the opponent down at once.
Roundhouse Kick
The round kick is common in every combat sport, including Mixed Martial Arts, with slightly different execution styles. Fighters lift their knees, move their other foot and body in a semi-circular motion, and strike their opponents with their feet.
There are several variations and levels to this kick – the low kick is thrown from a farther distance; the middle kick is thrown from a reasonable distance but gives too much room for counterattacks, and the high kick is the hardest to land, which gives your opponents enough time to counterattack. The round kick can’t be free-styled; it’s a technique that should be learned to maximize it effectively.
Double-Leg Take-down
This strategy is piecemeal for standard MMA fighters. While the technique has several variations, the main gist of a double take-down is its level change. It entails bending your knees, getting closer to your opponent’s knee, wrapping your hands behind their knees, and knocking them out in your style. It’s easy to learn, practice, and understand, and most fighters go through its lessons whether they need it or not.
However, getting away from this technique is easier since many fighters can sprawl. You should implement a double-leg take-down as a counterattack to throw your opponent off their momentum. This technique is a basic strategy that can drastically change the outcome of a fight. Fans who want to learn some MMA fight techniques can easily learn this.
Sprawl
Sprawling is how you can escape attacks like double-leg take-down and trips. To execute this strategy, the player drops their hip back enough to get out of reach of their attacker, bait their opponents to drive towards the retreating hips, and lose their balance. Then they finish anyway they want.
You can choose to do a flip or try the modern way of landing a few elbows or knees while they’re in that position. In MMA, a sprawl is used to remind your opponent that their take-down was a bad idea. Prominent fighters like UFC strawweight champion Joanna Jędrzejczyk and Welterweight champion Robbie Lawler have done this beautifully in the past.
Final Notes
MMA fighting strategies, when perfectly executed, add thrill to the matches and give fans a lot to cheer for. Also, these techniques aren’t limited to the ring. You can also learn and utilize them to protect yourself or hold your ground against bigger opponents.
Since many prominent Mixed Martial Arts fighters have successfully implemented these techniques, you can watch their performances to fully grasp the strategies and use them to defend yourself whenever you need.
