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- Aug 21, 2007
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For the record: i am Dutch, was raised with kickboxing, trained under Ramon Dekkers at his Maeng Ho gym and know my shit as far as striking goes. Then again i also followed MMA for at least 20 years and have seen the evolution of striking there. As the title says, i firmly believe modern MMA striking > Prime K1 striking. Again, i was basically raised with the Dutch muay thai/kickboxing style so i know how it works.
1 Gloves
Probably the most important reason. People REALLY underestimate how much (kick)boxing gloves can help defend against striking. In K1 just holding both gloves in front of your head basically blocks all straights and with a bit of reaction time it blocks most hooks, overhands and even high kicks. In MMA, you REALLY have to aim for the incoming strikes to block them effeciently. (Kick)boxing gloves are kinda cheating in a way.
2 Stance
K1 rules allow you to stand up tall, basically avoid getting hit by uppercuts and knees to the face. This is ok since there are no takedowns allowed. Once that comes into the equation your stance has to adapt, you have to lean a bit more forward to be able to sprawl, thus making you more vulnerable to said strikes. In the 90's i've seen a LOT of great Dutch strikers being mauled by (mostly Eastern European) wrestlers in MMA fights since they did not change their normal kickboxing stance.
3 Countering has become more important
Obviously countering has always been a part of kickboxing, but the main focus in the Dutch style was ALWAYS to take the initiative and just attack. Overwhelm your opponent and he will break. That used to work in the 90's, but nowadays MMA striking is way more focused on countering. Best example was Saki in his last fight i guess... you just get KO'd period.
4 Smarter training
In Holland the mentality in the 90's was: get the shit beaten out of you in training, it will harden you and fights become easier. Just rounds of TAKING lowkicks, enduring liver shots (multiple ones in a row), kicking wooden planks with the shin without breaking them to harden the bones, endure mental stress (a trainer bullying you) to be able to endure shit etc. We now know that does not work. MMA training has become smart, avoids injuries and is well thought out to be most efficient as possible.
5 More fighters
Back in the 90's, Dutch fighters made up about 80% of the top kickboxers in the world. We only have 16 million inhabitants so no way Dutch genes are so dominant they rule all fighting in the world. And they don't nowadays. Aerts, Hoost, Schilt etc... all legends... but they have nothing to offer against modern day strikers who are just way more intelligent and efficient.
K1 had an awesome era without a doubt. But we seriously have to stop with the K1-level bullshit. Modern day MMA striking > Prime K1 striking by far. Again coming from someone who was raised with it.
1 Gloves
Probably the most important reason. People REALLY underestimate how much (kick)boxing gloves can help defend against striking. In K1 just holding both gloves in front of your head basically blocks all straights and with a bit of reaction time it blocks most hooks, overhands and even high kicks. In MMA, you REALLY have to aim for the incoming strikes to block them effeciently. (Kick)boxing gloves are kinda cheating in a way.
2 Stance
K1 rules allow you to stand up tall, basically avoid getting hit by uppercuts and knees to the face. This is ok since there are no takedowns allowed. Once that comes into the equation your stance has to adapt, you have to lean a bit more forward to be able to sprawl, thus making you more vulnerable to said strikes. In the 90's i've seen a LOT of great Dutch strikers being mauled by (mostly Eastern European) wrestlers in MMA fights since they did not change their normal kickboxing stance.
3 Countering has become more important
Obviously countering has always been a part of kickboxing, but the main focus in the Dutch style was ALWAYS to take the initiative and just attack. Overwhelm your opponent and he will break. That used to work in the 90's, but nowadays MMA striking is way more focused on countering. Best example was Saki in his last fight i guess... you just get KO'd period.
4 Smarter training
In Holland the mentality in the 90's was: get the shit beaten out of you in training, it will harden you and fights become easier. Just rounds of TAKING lowkicks, enduring liver shots (multiple ones in a row), kicking wooden planks with the shin without breaking them to harden the bones, endure mental stress (a trainer bullying you) to be able to endure shit etc. We now know that does not work. MMA training has become smart, avoids injuries and is well thought out to be most efficient as possible.
5 More fighters
Back in the 90's, Dutch fighters made up about 80% of the top kickboxers in the world. We only have 16 million inhabitants so no way Dutch genes are so dominant they rule all fighting in the world. And they don't nowadays. Aerts, Hoost, Schilt etc... all legends... but they have nothing to offer against modern day strikers who are just way more intelligent and efficient.
K1 had an awesome era without a doubt. But we seriously have to stop with the K1-level bullshit. Modern day MMA striking > Prime K1 striking by far. Again coming from someone who was raised with it.
