10 Things You Need To Know To Be A Mixed Martial Arts Fighter Part 9: How To Use The Ring.
Everyone knows that the Mixed Martial Arts Craze is taking over America and everyone wants to be a part of the craze. The problem is that 99% of the Martial Arts Schools in America can’t teach you all you need to know to become a great MMA fighter. Why? Because the teachers don’t know all the skills necessary to become a great MMA fighter and so they only teach a little of the skills required and thus they only produce very poor MMA fighters.
So what exactly are the skills you need to know to be a great MMA FIGHTER?
1. How to punch like a Boxer, not a karate player
2. How to kick like a Kick Boxer or Tae Boxer, not a tae kwon do player
3. How to do takedowns like a Wrestler
4. How to do ground jiu jitsu with No Gi
5. How to do conditioning for a fight
6. How to eat like a champion
7. How to get sponsors for free equipment, clothes and money.
8. How to control your mind and emotions before, during and after the fight
9. How to use the ring
10. How to win the fight.
During the next few weeks I will be going over each of these skill sets and how and why you need to know them if you want to be a great MMA fighter.
The 9th skill set you need to know to become a great mixed martial arts fighter is how to use the ring.
It is an amazing thing to watch most MMA fighters who have no idea of how to use the ring to their advantage. In fact I doubt that most MMA fighters who have not been fighting for more than 2 years have any idea of how to use the ring. There are several things you can do in the ring to help you in a fight and in this article I will discuss some on the better ring techniques and how and when to use them.
1. Use the ring to cut off your opponents.
To cut off the ring, you have to “step into your opponent” not follow him around. When your opponent tries to “circle” you if you turn in a circle you get no advantage and he achieves his goal. What you should do is step when he steps. As he starts to move to your right an circle, you cut him off by stepping directly into him, this forces him to stop circling and instead he will go directly to the side.
When you learn this technique you will always be in a power position and your opponent will always be in a weak position. You can use this in the street to force your opponent into a wall or a corner also.
2. The second technique is “keep you opponent off balance”. By this I mean that the only fighting position your opponent ever sees you in, is the one you allow him to see you in, and that is usually your “strong position” or “power position”. You do this by keeping yourself directly in front of your opponent’s middle. To find his middle, you draw an imaginary line between his feet and then come out to 12 O’clock. This is his balance position and from here your opponent will not be able to punch or kick properly. When you learn to do this technique effectively you will nullify most of your opponents attacks.
3. The third way to use the ring is “force your opponent into the corner”. If you are fighting in a “square ring” this is much easier, but it will also work in a round ring, just not as well. Because in a square ring you can actually use the ring to force your opponent into a “corner” and keep him there while you rain down punches and kicks on him.
You kick, punch or drop step your opponent into the corner or the ring wall. You do this by delivering a series of hard punches and kicks in rapid succession and driving him back into the wall. There you can take him down or at the least nullify his punching and kicking ability.
4. The fourth way to use the ring is to keep yourself near your corner, to allow you to hear instructions from your coach. This is especially important when you are on the ground, because most of the time the coach will know more techniques and see more openings than his fighter and his instruction will be invaluable in defeating the opponent. In golf Tiger Woods always places his first tee shot, not to get the most distance, like 90% of golfers, but to give him the best angle for a shot to the green on his 2nd shot. A smart fighter always takes advantage of the ring and his position in the ring, especially when on the ground to be near his coach so that he can get instruction.
5. The fifth way to use the ring is to “run away”. To avoid heavy contacts or being taken down. This is not a technique that is appreciated by the crowd, and will not get you on the UFC, but if you are winning a 3 round fight by a large margin, and you are a little winded or even a little hurt. It is not a bad idea to use the ring to avoid your opponent. I don’t mean just turn your head and start running. You must move in and out, circle, back step, try weak shots and back off. There are lots of way you can run away or avoid being hit and still be in the fight.
If you will practice learning these techniques of “ringmanship” you will become a much more effective and better MMA Fighter.
