How do kicks come into play for your fighting?

**DARKSON** · Posted On: 6/27/2008 10:10am

Originally Posted by Happy Panda

This is my situation. I rarely kick at all because I'm deathly afraid of being taken down. My advice would be to work on your takedown defense (obviously), which is what I'm doing too.

It would also be a good idea to feint the kick when you know they want to counter, then hopefully they'll leave themselves open for your hands.

Learn to grapple, then you can kick all you want without fear of takedown. (Anderson Silva, Carlos Condit, Miguel Torres{MMA Champs})

**DARKSON** · Posted On: 6/27/2008 10:15am

Originally Posted by MrHuggables

It seems to me the most effective way, if you're fighting MMA style, to use kicks AFTER having worn the opponent down with a good number of punches, as to capitalize on the exhaustion and fatigue the opponent most likely has succumbed to. Everytime I try a kick at the beginning of a fight, it seems the opponent is able to counter and catch the kick and typically take me down, and as I'm a far better striker than wrestler this is usually bad news for me.

What do you guys think? Do you feel the same or do you have your own use for kicks?

Learn to grapple, then you can kick all you want without fear of takedown. (Anderson Silva, Carlos Condit, Miguel Torres{MMA Champs})

**Yojimbo1717** · Posted On: 6/27/2008 10:38am

Kicking is for squares. According to Nevarikan masters, kicking above the waste can cause you to get thrown around and junk.

Yeah, this is the same guy that gives his back up to his attacker so he can elbow him in the back; I just take long haired-dudes with 'Shaolin Kung Fu' experience and skinny arms seriously. They know stuff.

**ronaldk** · Posted On: 6/27/2008 2:13pm

in striking kicking is my crutch. i haven't kickboxed long enough to have hands i feel more confident about than my kicks, due to my longest trained style being TKD. so i normally kick a lot when i'm sparring a superior boxer, to keep him at bay, and i always try to throw kicks into my combinations when i start out with my hands. kick from afar, then try to go in, box a bit to get their guard up, try to land a few body kicks, **** like that. i really need to work on my hands more. i'm really fond of using my SBK when their guard is hard to get through.

haven't done much MMA sparring yet. mostly only with light contact striking, so i don't have much of a basis to know how i'd adapt yet.

**BudoMonkey** · Posted On: 6/27/2008 2:28pm

Ronald-

I catch ALOT of kicks now that I do sanshou. Last night sparring was great! I would kick-punch-clinch-knee at free will, and when a kick comes at me, I just grab the damn thing and throw them right to the ground.

It's ok to be kicky sometimes, but trust me- if you're not used to people trying to catch them you will get your ass handed to you in mma-style sparring. You are gonna wanna mix it up a bit more to be a more balanced fighter, and pick the right moments to kick.

**ronaldk** · Posted On: 6/27/2008 3:26pm

i guessed as much. in MMA sparring i've yet to kick at all really, since it was light contact striking, and i'm and unflexible mofo with heavy legs, the only way i can kick worth a damn is to put some oomph behind it. was also afraid of getting taken down.

**Happy Panda** · Posted On: 6/27/2008 5:13pm

Originally Posted by DARKSON

Learn to grapple, then you can kick all you want without fear of takedown. (Anderson Silva, Carlos Condit, Miguel Torres{MMA Champs})

I'm fairly comfortable on my back in regular grappling, but I feel like it's not worth the risk when strikes are involved. Especially if your limbs aren't twice the length of your opponent's.

I can't decide if it's better to be really good at BJJ or really good at wrestling, in terms of complementing striking. The guys you quoted all make playing guard in MMA look viable, but there's also guys like Faber and Liddell who either never get taken down or just stand right back up if they do. Seems like Faber falls over at least twice per fight trying to kick someone in the head, but it never seems to matter.

**BudoMonkey** · Posted On: 6/27/2008 8:01pm

Are you on par with Urijah Faber though?

**DARKSON** · Posted On: 6/27/2008 11:15pm

Originally Posted by Happy Panda

I'm fairly comfortable on my back in regular grappling, but I feel like it's not worth the risk when strikes are involved. Especially if your limbs aren't twice the length of your opponent's.

I can't decide if it's better to be really good at BJJ or really good at wrestling, in terms of complementing striking.

If you are planning to get better at this mma thing then you are going to need to be comfortable on your back with strikes involved. + you are going to need wrestling and BJJ. I think it's easier to get good BJJ experience as opposed to wrestling if you aren't from a wrestling background.

**Happy Panda** · Posted On: 6/28/2008 4:48pm

Originally Posted by BudoMonkey

Are you on par with Urijah Faber though?

My BJJ isn't on par with Condit's either, what's your point?

Originally Posted by DARKSON

If you are planning to get better at this mma thing then you are going to need to be comfortable on your back with strikes involved. + you are going to need wrestling and BJJ. I think it's easier to get good BJJ experience as opposed to wrestling if you aren't from a wrestling background.

Yes, it's important to have options from your back in MMA. I'm just considering whether it's smarter (for a striker) to take the BJJ approach to it or the wrestling approach.

For example, at the main gym I train at they're all about staying off your back at all costs, always looking to sweep or scramble until you're on top or on your feet. They hardly work submissions from the bottom at all. At the more BJJ-oriented gym I go to, they're more content to work submissions from the guard and try to tie them up to minimize the punching.

But like I said, as a striker, I don't think staying on my back and playing guard is worth the risk in MMA when that's not my main strength. In that sense, the wrestling approach complements striking better than BJJ does.

Unfortunately, I agree with you about BJJ being easier to get experience with, and I'm already better at BJJ than wrestling anyway. Plus the chance of ending the fight with a quick triangle instead of having to scramble and go back to work is pretty appealing, so I'm not really sure what my focus in training should be.