When it comes to striking, distance is king. Being able to manage the distance will make it so that you can hit and not get hit, which is basically the entire point of any fight. Being able to dictate the distance of a...

Fighting is stressful and for a lot of newer comppetitors it can be hard to settle down and get a sense for it all at the moment. In a fight the adrenaline kicks in and you’re fighting off of pure instinct. While this...

Front kicks are an underused weapon in MMA but one only needs to look at pretty much any Muay Thai, kickboxing or even traditional martial arts fighters to see how effective they can be. Front kicks, especially ones off of the lead leg...

Counter punching is an essential striking ability that every fighter, no matter what their style is, should be able to do ,at least to a certain degree. Even if you’re a fighter who likes to be the aggressor, pressuring your opponent back and...

Who is Bas Rutten? Bas “El Guapo” Rutten is one of the most sought after coaches in the world of competitive fighting. Bas Rutten was known for his aggressive striking and surprisingly effective grappling. Having attained the UFC Heavyweight Title as well as...

The rear straight is probably the most well known punch in the world. While the jab is probably thrown a lot more than the rear straight, the rear straight is the power punch that the jab sets up. From day one, whether it's...

The clinch is a really important aspect of MMA but it tends to go pretty underrated. For the most part the clinch is just seen as hugging or as a way to escape damage or take a break. This is a pretty bad...

Getting a head kick knockout is a great thing to have on your highlight reel but landing them can be pretty difficult. You need to have good timing, power, speed and flexibility to make sure that your head kick not only lands but...

In Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, being in someone's guard can be a pretty bad position. Even though you are technically on top and your opponent’s back is on the floor, they are in control of you and can attack submission even though you can’t. That...

A lot of MMA analysts, fighters and coaches have been saying for years that wrestling is the most important skill to have in MMA. It’s the bottom of the pyramid they say. This is because if you’re an MMA fighter and you’re fighting...

If you’ve ever practiced MMA, Kickboxing or Muay Thai, and since you’re reading this, I’m going to assume you’ve trained in at least one, you’ve probably been told about landing with your shin, as opposed to landing with the foot. This is different...

An OODA loop, which stands for Observe Orient Decide Act, is a basically a step by step breakdown of the process of combat. The term was created by military strategist and United States Air Force Colonel John Boyd. This process can be described...

Whether you train in mixed martial arts or you are just a fan, you either know or can at least imagine all that goes into a fight. All of the training and hard preparation work, the strict diets, the mentality, the physical consequences;...

The element of kicks in fighting completely changes the game and the strategy. There are so many different kinds of kicks that are used for all different types of reasons. An extremely useful kick in MMA is the front kick. Different kinds of...

  Quick instincts are key in fighting. Some of that is personal talent, but it also comes with knowing what to expect and what to do with it when it comes. When you know exactly what you want to do after your opponent...

Hook punches can be absolutely devastating if they land on your opponent. The amount of torque and the multiple devastating targets that the hook can land on is part of the reason why  hook punches are responsible for a surprisingly high amount of...

Front kicks, similarly to calf kicks, are a kicking technique that is becoming more widely used in MMA and combat sports in general. While push kicks have been well known and in use for a while, front kicks are coming into prominence. While...

The jab is one of the most important strikes in all of combat sports. It sets up strikes, distracts your opponent, helps you find and keep your range and more. This is why the jab is considered the best strike and one of...

  For those who know little or nothing about the strategy of fighting, they probably assume the battle is who can throw the most punches. While throwing more significant strikes isn’t a bad thing, there is so much more that goes into having...

  In the art of striking, there are so many helpful tools and techniques that can be used for all different kinds of situations. Having a partner to spar with is also important because it gives you an element of the sport that...