There are three generally accepted ranges that a fighter can be in during a match. Long distance is at the very end of a kick, mid range which is where long jabs and crosses are landed, then close range where short uppercuts and...

Mixed Martial Arts has a lot to do with blending styles together. A fighter will have a base style but will need to incorporate techniques from other styles in order to be truly effective. For instance wrestlers need to add boxing into their...

Watching Muay Thai and Kickboxing you will often see a high kick miss its mark. This happens by a targeting error or the defending fighter leans back to evade the strike.  In either case when the  foot lands the total distance between the...

In the world of fighting, nothing is more majestic than a card at Madison Square Garden in New York City. On November 4th 2017, there was a UFC card for the ages. George St.Pierre returned for one fight and won the Middleweight title...

  If you are a mixed martial arts fan and keep up with the UFC, then you likely remember UFC 217 in Madison Square Garden in 2017, where Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson and Jorge Masvidal went head to head. Their records at the time...

  The ultimate goal in a fight is to hit the hardest and to hit the most. While a lot goes into that such as strength and proper technique, in order to achieve that you need to be in the right position. Specifically...

  Cyrille Diabate is a Mixed Martial Artist and Muay Thai Kickboxer with over 80 fights! Cyrille has fought in big name promotions such as Palace Fighting Championships, PRIDE, Cage Rage and the UFC as well as appearing frequently in season 9 of...

There is a lot of variety in striking arts. Whether it’s Muay Thai, Traditional Karate, Kickboxing, Boxing or Self-Defense arts such as Krav Maga, there is always a discrepancy of how techniques are thrown. What part of the leg to hit with when...

The Olympics are a place where the best athletes from every country around the world come to compete to choose absolute champions. In some sports the Olympics is the end all be all, for sports like wrestling and swimming the Olympics replace that...

The overhand right is a staple punch of many fighters. It's a great shot to land as it has a ton of power and knockout potential. In fact, at least from a scientific perspective, it might actually have the most out of any...

Watching fighters like Dominick Cruz, John Dodson, and the great Demetrius Johnson is always a pleasure. Their movements are visually stimulating and their output for striking is some of the highest in the history of the sport.  Why do they move like they...

  One of the most important things you can do while striking is to use each move to set you up for the next one. While sparring, things transpire quickly and you need to be able to act and react accordingly. Remembering that...

Being able to climb up on top of an opponent and attack them is one of the most powerful moments in all of martials arts. We should mention that we aren’t talking about getting a top position in MMA on the ground, we...

There is a long standing saying in pretty much every sport in the world, that being that “Fundamentals win matches” or in terms of combat sports “fundamentals win fights”. This is, fortunately or unfortunately depending on who you are, the truth. While everyone...

The Liver is one of the most sensitive areas on the human body. This comes as a surprise to people just getting into combat sports, either training in them or just watching them, as most people don’t think of the liver as sensitive....

Imagine your standing in the ring for a heavyweight kickboxing match, you look to the ramp and out walks a guy dressed in flannel and a trucker cap. As he approaches he is average Heavyweight size at 6 foot 4 inches, Then he...

Feinting is a really important aspect of striking that is almost never trained, at least directly, by most fighters or coaches. Feinting is the act of making a motion that looks like the beginning of a strike to make your opponent flinch. It’s...

In Australia it seems like everything can kill you. Between the Saltwater Crocodiles, Funnel Web Spiders, Irukandji Jellyfish and a giant turkey mixed with a velociraptor called a Cassowary there is danger around every corner. Just because you are not in the bush...

Being able to counter the counter strikers is a great way to get them to stop trying to counter your shots. If you are able to not only dodge their counter shots but counter them on top of that, it will likely dissuade...

Jake Mainini, a Muay Thai specialist, has so much to bring to the striking community. He has had the opportunity to train in Thailand on two different occasions, and with his 20+ years of training and over 7 years of amateur and professional...