Archive for January, 2013

Mount in MMA is considered by many observers to be the most dominant position. Is this really the case?

New people step onto the mats at Lockdown MMA and once they start rolling and sparring, all they look for is mount. Having done BJJ for a while I understand that your offence from mount is limited, assuming your opponent is of the same level as you. With the exception of Roger Gracie, who seems to finish everyone with a Gi choke from mount, I cannot think of the last time I saw a BJJ match finish from mount.
However MMA is not BJJ, and yes people get to mount and then punch the crap out of the person underneath them to get a finish, but again this does not finish too often. Most of the ground and pound finishes that come to mind are with one person hurt on the ground the other person standing above them.

In side control you have more options for positional changes and more chances for submissions and it is more like likely that your opponent will give you something in the escape. With mount if you are skilled enough you can take the back while your opponent is trying to escape, it is more common however to end in half guard.

The big advantage I find for side control over mount is that fact that you can disengage from your opponent with no danger, then you are standing and your opponent is grounded which is usually an advantage. If you do it right you will be standing by their head and not facing their feet.

Where mount does have an advantage is in the eyes of the crowd and getting mount win you a close round in the eyes of the judges. However in nogi the chokes from mount are near on impossible and isolating an arm is difficult from a mounted position. In side control chokes can be easier to set up, and it is easier to isolate an arm, usually the far arm as it is two arms against one.

As side control has more submission options, as well as the option to disengage and get to your feet or transition to other positions without concern of getting your legs tied up, side control is more effective for MMA than mount. I believe that most people that like using top control to win fights would agree.

Gareth Lewis
Head MMA Instructor
http://www.Lockdown.co.nz/

Although in MMA jabs are not used as much as in boxing, it is still a very important part of a fighter?s skill set.

In boxing the jab is a real weapon, if a fighter establishes his jab then he can set up the rest of his offence behind it, which usually leads to a win. However on the flip side if every time a fighter throws his jab his opponent counters it is unlikely that he will win as his first punch is not working, making it hard to make any other punch work, which means there is no effective offense.

There are a few different types of jabs and you need each at a level that you can trust to set up your striking from.

The defensive jab: This is thrown when you are back pedalling and need to do something before you get swallowed up by their offence. So as you are going back you set your feet and throw out a jab to halt their forward momentum.

The throw because I don?t know what else to do jab: This jab is used when you are both standing there looking at each other, so you throw a jab to make something happen. You might do this to see how the person will react, but it is thrown just to do something and make them think twice before attacking.

The set up jab: Your opponent likes the over hand right counter so you know what to expect when you throw your jab. If you put some heat on it then their counter will be more effective as your weight will be going forward and so on. So this jab you pull a little short, you don?t roll your shoulder into it, making a fast arm punch with no real power. This means that the jab will fall short of the target, which gives you some room for the defence. You are throwing your jab but your mind is setting up for the counter to their right hand whatever that may be.

The distance keeper: You are the taller fighter and you want to keep your range so every time they get within range you pop out a jab right on their nose. This is a speed jab that lets them know whenever they get to a certain range that they have to worry about being hit.

The power jab: This is just inside your distance jab, about the length of a glove. This is your hardest jab that you have got, all your weight, full shoulder turn, everything you have got goes into the jab. This works very well behind a distance jab, also known as a double jab, as it gets you into range for the power jab. If this jab works for you make the most of it as it can become a great weapon. Great exponents of this jab are Larry Holmes or Lennox Lewis.

These are examples of the types of jabs you can use in fight, the decision of which one to use only comes with practice. Once you have got the hang of them you will find that your striking will be more effective. So why aren?t they used in MMA more? The simple answer is that in boxing you do not have to worry about takedowns so you can put on your weight into a punch without the need to shift your weight to sprawl. Still a jab can be an effective weapon in MMA, for example just have a look at GSP v Koscheck.

Gareth Lewis
Head MMA Instructor
http://www.Lockdown.co.nz/