Recently, while talking to a friend who is a martial arts instructor, we engaged int he age-old debate of how competitive sport fighting relates into street fighting. Obvious examples included the dangers of fighting off your back when you're at-risk of having your head bounce off the concrete or had floor, bobbing with the head in boxing when knees to the face are a real threat and the dreaded "soccer kick", made famous by Pride Fighting Championship. I asked him if he could list some of the more effective MMA tactics that could also be effective in a street fighting scenario. Without further delay, here they are:
1. Rear Naked Choke
To be specific, the rear naked choke is a blood choke, meaning that it interrupts the two large vessels in your neck that take blood to and from your brain. The chokes that are legal in MMA are designed to stop this process, as opposed to blocking the airway by putting pressure on the front of the throat, which is illegal just about everywhere. In a street fight, it's safer for you to perform any variation of the blood choke to render your attacker unconscious, as opposed to the lethal option of strangling him.
2. Side Control
Side control, or side mount, is great in MMA for working some ground and pound, while still being able to move quickly into a submission at any time. In the sport, full mount is a deadly position, although many fighters are now preferring side mount as a secret weapon as there are a lot more options from there. I'm one of those people. It's dangerous to commit to a ground fight in the street for a number of reasons (surface, weapons, multiple attackers, etc), but by establishing side control you can neutralize an attacker fairly well, while being able to spring back up to your feet quickly. A knee pin is also great for the same reasons.
3. Clinch
There are very specific clinch positions that are effective for the street. A double-over, for example, might seem like a good idea until your attacker finds himself an inch from your face and decides to bite your ear or nose or headbutts you until his arms are free again. Double plum or over-under are a safer bet and great for restraint in both the cage and the back alleys.
4. Knees and Elbows
Most street fights, at some point, end up in close proximity. Either the fighters run out of room or, more often than not, one fighter gets hit hard and feels overwhelmed and starts to grapple with their attacker. We see this in hockey fights all the time. Because of this, fighters who are comfortable with their close weapons, such as knee and elbow strikes, can cause a lot of damage when this happens. Combine this with a strong clinch, as mentioned above, and you've got a clear advantage both in MMA and a street fight.
Well, there are some of the many skill sets that translate from the cage to the street effectively. These aren't the only ones, of course, but a good place to start.
Like watching martial arts videos? Like reading about violent crisis interventions in SouthEast Asia? Interested in supporting someone who is pursuing a dream? Check out this link: http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/teaching-martial-arts-full-time/x/5088823
No comments:
Post a Comment