Kicks are an amazing strike to throw, if you can make sure they land. Kicks usually take long to hit their target, which means that your opponent has more time to react and defend. This usually means that your opponent has a better...

Coach Jake Mainini is a veteran Muay Thai fighter with over 20 fights as well as being the head instructor at Hard Knocks Gym located in Boston. Here he coaches many high level fighters who fight in organizations such as the UFC, Glory...

  Fighting is not all about striking as hard as you can. More so, it is the art of finding an opening to attack. Throughout a fight your opponent will inevitably create openings on his own, but it is all the more useful...

The Plumb position is one of the most important positions in Muay Thai clinching. The position is so connected to Muay Thai that it is simply known as the Muay Thai clinch to most MMA fighters. While it isn’t a traditional wrestling position,...

  One of the toughest aspects of fighting for both new and experienced fighters is the creation or elimination of distance. This is in art that has to be timed perfectly to both attack and defend effectively. You need to close distance to...

Conditioning is becoming a bigger and bigger part of training for combat sports. While technique should always be the main focus of your training, as having better technique will improve your conditioning by making your technique more efficient.  While that is true and...

  Timing, angles, and quick combinations; all are imperative when it comes to good, technical fighting. Waiting for the right moment to strike, jumping into the pocket and landing a quick combination and then getting out. This is what every good fighter trains...

  The jab is the most important strike thrown in just about every stand up striking combat sport. A good jab allows a fighter to dictate the range and pace of the fight, keeping the opponent in their range to perform their desired...

Despite not being the most powerful, and arguably being one of the least powerful in any striker's arsenal, the jab is widely recognized as the most important punch for any striker to learn and master.  The jab can control distance, start off a...

Most fighters when it comes to striking tend to excel in one range. While there are a ton of different ranges that a striker can work out of, most of the time fighters are classified into two types. These two classifications are inside...

The addition of kicks to combat sports like kickboxing, Muay Thai and MMA fundamentally changes so many aspects of striking. The addition of kicks even changes the way that people punch and fight with their hands. Since kicks are the longest range weapons...

Most takedowns in MMA happen off of the cage. Getting a takedown out in the open in MMA is pretty hard, as it gives your opponent more options to defend themselves with. With your opponent’s back against the cage, you take away their...

  Attack options from the clinch position can sometimes feel minimal. Though there is a larger option of attacks in mixed martial arts as opposed to strictly Jiu-Jitsu, wrestling, or boxing, it is still difficult to find angles and level change from the...

  Benson Henderson is a long time Mixed Martial Artist known for his ability to strike, clinch and grapple all at a very high level. Benson Henderson has notable wins over big name fighters such as Frankie Edgar, Donald Cerrone, Nate Diaz, Patricio...

Cage fighting is a dynamic sport. One minute the two athletes are smashing each other with hands and feet, the next they are on the floor wrestling for position.  The ability to either stay on the feet or too drag the other person...

The ability to counter your opponent’s best strikes is one that can be the difference between a win or a loss in any combat sport. If your opponent prefers to throw one shot in particular and relies on that shot to win in...

Elbows and knees are strikes that can be absolutely devastating if they land. Elbows can cause fight ending cuts and can even cause a knockout if they land in the right spot. Knees can break bones and can cause knockouts, even if they...

The overhand right is the favorite strike of many fighters throughout the years, especially those who are of a shorter stature. The overhand right is one of the best counters to the jab that you can have. The overhand has both a ton...

The world of sports is filled with mysticism, rituals and traditions. Wade Boggs would eat chicken wings before every game and was known never to swing at the first pitch thrown. Patrick Roy, a goalie in the NHL, would skate from center ice...

The body lock is one of the most dominant positions in all of combat sports. This position minimizes the options that your opponent has at their disposal and maximizes yours. You are basically in complete control of your opponent and they have to...