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Combos and Sparring

daninnashville

daninnashville

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Just a couple of quick questions for experienced fighters.

I'm about to move up and join the intermediate level of our MMA program. The beginner classes are great for overall fundamentals. In the intermediate program you do get to spar which is why I'm excited. My question is do most of you spar every time you go to class? I'm quite familiar with grappling classes where you roll at the end. I just wondered if you tend to spar every time you go to thai/kickboxing classes once you reach a fairly decent level. Or is it something you focus on once or twice a week. Normally I attend three times a week (minimum) and have been focusing on my fundamentals. I will continue to attend the beginners class as well.

Secondly...I've done a lot of cross training with boxing in the past. I'm just now starting to work a lot on heavy bag with knees and kicks (in addition to the hands). I'd appreciate it if you'd share a few typical routines that you find helpful. I'm always throwing different combinations for three minute rounds. Putting it all together is challenging. Lately I've just been working individual techniques (just knees, just elbows, just jab-cross-hook-hook etc...). Also does your kicking style change if you are focusing more on kickboxing, muay thai, or "mma"? As of right now I'm focusing on what my instructors show me...just curious if you adapt your style in other ways.

Thanks for the suggestions in advance!
Dan
 
We play spar Thai style almost every class. We spar western style about once every other week.
 
daninnashville said:
Secondly...I've done a lot of cross training with boxing in the past. I'm just now starting to work a lot on heavy bag with knees and kicks (in addition to the hands). I'd appreciate it if you'd share a few typical routines that you find helpful. I'm always throwing different combinations for three minute rounds. Putting it all together is challenging. Lately I've just been working individual techniques (just knees, just elbows, just jab-cross-hook-hook etc...). Also does your kicking style change if you are focusing more on kickboxing, muay thai, or "mma"? As of right now I'm focusing on what my instructors show me...just curious if you adapt your style in other ways.

Thanks for the suggestions in advance!
Dan
Click to expand...


As for typcial routines, just try to pull all the different elements into one package. Try working the following combos (all assume LH lead). A recent example of this would be how Silva finished franklin in their last fight. He mixed punches, leg kicks and clinch work extremely fluidly.

jab, cross R round kick
L round kick, jab cross hook
Jab, L round kick
Jab, Cross, hook to the body, overhand right
Jab, Cross, Hook to the body, hook to the head (w/ LH)
Front leg Teep, Jab, Cross, R round kick
L round kick, jab cross, R round kick


Yes my striking style changes when I train diffent styles. in western kickboxing, I fight a more traditional boxing style inside game, MT I go for a thai clinch and in MMA I work of underhooks. I kick alot more in MT then kickboxing because I can attack the legs. I think everyone has to change or they lose.
 
daninnashville said:
Secondly...I've done a lot of cross training with boxing in the past. I'm just now starting to work a lot on heavy bag with knees and kicks (in addition to the hands). I'd appreciate it if you'd share a few typical routines that you find helpful. I'm always throwing different combinations for three minute rounds. Putting it all together is challenging. Lately I've just been working individual techniques (just knees, just elbows, just jab-cross-hook-hook etc...). Also does your kicking style change if you are focusing more on kickboxing, muay thai, or "mma"? As of right now I'm focusing on what my instructors show me...just curious if you adapt your style in other ways.
Click to expand...

Watch Michael McDonald's fights from K-1. He has one of the best combinations of boxing and Muay Thai, in my opinion. His movements & angles are boxing based, even though he never officially trained it.

Many times he throws a kick in a combo when he could throw a power punch or visa versa. The the trick is in the angle, footwork & pivot, not the actual strike. If you think along these lines, you won't think so much about the actual combo and just let it flow. Regardless, you're gonna find your favorite combinations and base your game around them. You look for where your opponent is, where his hands are, how he moves, etc. Then you note reactions to certain strikes, particularly how he blocks or whether he likes to evade. I used to train combinations after sparring based on what the guy did, just so that I have in my head a combination meant to adopt to the particular style/reaction.

At the end of the day, the basics never go away. You may have a beautiful combination but if you don't know when to use it, what's the point? A guy who can properly pinpoint a jab-cross with angles & pivots will KO you.

In MMA, the problem is takedowns, takedowns & takedowns. You will have to sacrifice power for balance. In Kickboxing, you can throw a kick all out, miss and trip with no penalty. Low & mid kicks also get countered a lot, either by overhand right or catch & takedown or the combination. So you have to train sprawls and always give yourself space after the kick.
 
StikyIcky said:
Watch Michael McDonald's fights from K-1. He has one of the best combinations of boxing and Muay Thai, in my opinion. His movements & angles are boxing based, even though he never officially trained it.

Many times he throws a kick in a combo when he could throw a power punch or visa versa. The the trick is in the angle, footwork & pivot, not the actual strike. If you think along these lines, you won't think so much about the actual combo and just let it flow. Regardless, you're gonna find your favorite combinations and base your game around them. You look for where your opponent is, where his hands are, how he moves, etc. Then you note reactions to certain strikes, particularly how he blocks or whether he likes to evade. I used to train combinations after sparring based on what the guy did, just so that I have in my head a combination meant to adopt to the particular style/reaction.

At the end of the day, the basics never go away. You may have a beautiful combination but if you don't know when to use it, what's the point? A guy who can properly pinpoint a jab-cross with angles & pivots will KO you.

In MMA, the problem is takedowns, takedowns & takedowns. You will have to sacrifice power for balance. In Kickboxing, you can throw a kick all out, miss and trip with no penalty. Low & mid kicks also get countered a lot, either by overhand right or catch & takedown or the combination. So you have to train sprawls and always give yourself space after the kick.
Click to expand...

Well said my friend. I do agree. Also check out Mike Zambidis and Melvin Manhoef
 
:icon_arrowd: :icon_arrowd:+:icon_arro :icon_arro P

I can't get the down arrow to work so I can't do a full hadouken.
 
daninnashville said:
Just a couple of quick questions for experienced fighters.

I'm about to move up and join the intermediate level of our MMA program. The beginner classes are great for overall fundamentals. In the intermediate program you do get to spar which is why I'm excited. My question is do most of you spar every time you go to class? I'm quite familiar with grappling classes where you roll at the end. I just wondered if you tend to spar every time you go to thai/kickboxing classes once you reach a fairly decent level. Or is it something you focus on once or twice a week. Normally I attend three times a week (minimum) and have been focusing on my fundamentals. I will continue to attend the beginners class as well.

Secondly...I've done a lot of cross training with boxing in the past. I'm just now starting to work a lot on heavy bag with knees and kicks (in addition to the hands). I'd appreciate it if you'd share a few typical routines that you find helpful. I'm always throwing different combinations for three minute rounds. Putting it all together is challenging. Lately I've just been working individual techniques (just knees, just elbows, just jab-cross-hook-hook etc...). Also does your kicking style change if you are focusing more on kickboxing, muay thai, or "mma"? As of right now I'm focusing on what my instructors show me...just curious if you adapt your style in other ways.

Thanks for the suggestions in advance!
Dan
Click to expand...

Im not an experienced fighter but Im gonna post anyway :)

At my gym we usually spar every session for about 30 minutes to 45 depending on how many people are there. Sometimes there is a low attendance and the few people there are injured or not in the mood so there is no sparring. You should probably practice the basics for 3-4 months at least before you get in the ring because the people you'll spar with will vary from casual people to guys who have fought Professionally so you want to be decent technically so you can protect yourself and so people get something out of sparring with you. Believe it or not no one likes sparring with a heavybag :)

Regarding the bags its good to practice the individual techniques as well as combinations. Practice combinations you will actually use in sparring though. Theres no point doing things like 1-2-1-1-3b-3-low kick because you'll likely never land that in sparring as a beginner (especially Thai) Start with like jab-low kick, 1-2-low kick, 1-2-3-2, 1-2-3 low kick, jab-teep etc.
 
Thanks for the suggestions everyone! :)

I've done some grappling and traditional boxing. Now I'm sort of looking to put everything together...but I'm most fascinated by the K-1 style amongst others. All of it is really interesting to me.

I talked with my instructor on Monday night and he's going to "test" me (I think just to make sure I know what I'm doing) soon so that I can jump up a level in classes. A lot of people in our beginners class are there for a workout and that's it. I kind of understand but want to grow to the next level. The intermediate class has more intensive drills and the sparring. I think it is just a way of weeding out who is more focused on that.

Suggestions for other kickboxers who have transitioned well? I'm a fan of Rob Kamen. He's pretty amazing. :)

Thanks!
Dan
 
Yeh its better to be a relative beginner amongst a group of serious fighters rather than being the best in a beginners class.
 
spar as much as you need to get your timing and eyes sharp. I wouldn't say spar hard 5X a week as you can go lighter and more paced to go more rounds. Hard (90-100%) sparring is sometimes over-emphasized I feel. its not something you are required to do as a main staple of your training. If you are not going at that intensity, I would say it's ok to do it a couple times a week. Some people spar for the wrong reasons like using sparring as a way of cardio which I feel is very wrong.
 
daninnashville said:
Just a couple of quick questions for experienced fighters.

I'm about to move up and join the intermediate level of our MMA program. The beginner Lately I've just been working individual techniques (just knees, just elbows, just jab-cross-hook-hook etc...). Also does your kicking style change if you are focusing more on kickboxing, muay thai, or "mma"? As of right now I'm focusing on what my instructors show me...just curious if you adapt your style in other ways.

Thanks for the suggestions in advance!
Dan
Click to expand...

Good to see someone going about training in the correct way! vs. " I spar with 4 oz gloves and no headgear against my high-school buddies". Sparing is going to help you develop a style that will be natural to you, just keep the fundamentals in tact. As for adapting your style, you will find that when you get better at sparing, regardless of discipline (Kickboxing, MT, Boxing), you will adapt your natural style to suit. The better you get the more your style will adapt to your opponent more than anything else!

P.S: If your going to start sparing soon, try to work more on a double-end bag. It helped me tremendously when I started sparring!
 
Tony Manifold said:
As for typcial routines, just try to pull all the different elements into one package. Try working the following combos (all assume LH lead). A recent example of this would be how Silva finished franklin in their last fight. He mixed punches, leg kicks and clinch work extremely fluidly.

jab, cross R round kick
L round kick, jab cross hook
Jab, L round kick
Jab, Cross, hook to the body, overhand right
Jab, Cross, Hook to the body, hook to the head (w/ LH)
Front leg Teep, Jab, Cross, R round kick
L round kick, jab cross, R round kick


Yes my striking style changes when I train diffent styles. in western kickboxing, I fight a more traditional boxing style inside game, MT I go for a thai clinch and in MMA I work of underhooks. I kick alot more in MT then kickboxing because I can attack the legs. I think everyone has to change or they lose.
Click to expand...

Jab cross Round house?? Is that your combo? if so you are not generating any power in your punches/kicks

If you are a righty and you throw a 1-2 as in jab-straight right you have to end with a left kick. How are you throwing jab cross and then round house? are you throwing the punches waiting a sec and then throwing the kick?
 
you can set it up if you dont fully extend for the right or if you pull your weight back after the right. watch peter aerts do this as he uses that combo alot, especially in his early days when he used this to set up his high kick the hell out of everyone.
 
ASiAnVaLEtUDo said:
you can set it up if you dont fully extend for the right or if you pull your weight back after the right. watch peter aerts do this as he uses that combo alot, especially in his early days when he used this to set up his high kick the hell out of everyone.
Click to expand...

So just basically throwing an arm punch and just putting it out there.
 
ADI_DAS said:
Jab cross Round house?? Is that your combo? if so you are not generating any power in your punches/kicks

If you are a righty and you throw a 1-2 as in jab-straight right you have to end with a left kick. How are you throwing jab cross and then round house? are you throwing the punches waiting a sec and then throwing the kick?
Click to expand...

Do you train Muay Thai? Kicking on the same side following a punch is basic Thai style Muay Thai. Dutch like to kick opposite side, but Thai's normally kick on the same side.
 
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