feel better than they look

[devante]

i know we all are fans of combat sports, esp striking, so we watch ammy/pro fights of various forms of combat; an we all see alot of sparring, or i assume we have seen alot of sparring.

i think sometimes in assessing a fighter or fighter or even people sparring, we forget that what we see is only part of whats actually happening.

Now sometimes someone is just terrible..is slow..doesnt hit hard and is terribly uncoordinated/skilled; other times, the way it looks is far and away from what it is. Either because of a bias against a particular style of fighting, a bias of a particular approach to fighting or just the lack of firsthand experience sparring/fighting that particular person. I mean a shotokan karate guy style may not be appreciated by a muay thai guy, just like a kung fu man's approach may not be appreciated by a boxer and vice versa; or a volume guy may not like a potshot guy, or a boxer may not appreciate a brawler. Making a bias towards the good said sparring partner or opponent.

how many fights has a "superior" guy said how he thought the guy in front of him was gonna be easy to hit and was harder to hit than he thought..had faster hands than he thought...awkward but effective movements.. very good dist mgmt...timing..power...etc.

if it happens alot in fights...u know it happens alot in sparring, so sometimes seeing what a guy does w/out feeling it gives you the wrong impression of a persons skills; an even if its a correct gauge of skill, it doesn't always relay that persons effectiveness vs live competition.

and people OFTEN harp on the negative and ignore the positive, coaches i observed and worked w/often relayed that to me..guys will totally ignore anything positive a guy does; listing all his flaws and how he is easy work. Then spar or fight that guy and either get touched up...swing and miss alot/get outslicked or essentially get handled and then start copping pleas as to why/how it happened.

just an interesting point i think happens in life..sports..business; but esp combat sports, figured i would get some opinions

 

[Frode Falch]

In term of mma strikers, i think fedor, Chuck liddell, and Chris Weidman fit into that category.

The may look sloppy from watching a video of them. But their footwork, timing, distance, and experience training against good training partners, make their sloppy (from a striking nerds point of view) style work.

 

[devante]

exactly-great examples, so many guys talk about their limitations; but so many guys get stopped....or beat up in striking exchnges w/these guys, all because of lazy thinking/assumptions made on how they look when striking. Not taking time to appreciate method to their madness or trying to flesh out how and why they are effective.

 

[DoctorTaco]

Keith jardine ftw!

 

[devante]

the definition of feels better than he looks

 

[Fire of Youth]

John Wayne Parr always looks a bit awkward but he seems to hit like a mule

 

[NAKMUAY18]

I think unconventional can work for a while but when the problem gets solve then it comes back to how good the specific techniques they throw are. Jardine is a good example, when people started to ignore the jerky shit and make him react INTO strikes, he got fucked up. People forget Bob Sapp was legitimately feared for a while until guys realized they just had to check hook his blitzs for 90secs then punch him in the face until he cried.
Lyoto is a good example of someone unconventional that still used good technique. He was supposed to be undefetable, theN Shogun figured him out. His fundamental are still sound however, that's why he can still do great in the stand up dept

 

[devante]

I think unconventional can work for a while but when the problem gets solve then it comes back to how good the specific techniques they throw are. Jardine is a good example, when people started to ignore the jerky shit and make him react INTO strikes, he got fucked up. People forget Bob Sapp was legitimately feared for a while until guys realized they just had to check hook his blitzs for 90secs then punch him in the face until he cried.
Lyoto is a good example of someone unconventional that still used good technique. He was supposed to be undefetable, theN Shogun figured him out. His fundamental are still sound however, that's why he can still do great in the stand up dept

i always say this, it pertains to me and people who don't fight/compete..only spar; sparring against new guys will show you the effectiveness of your style, not your skills. Sparring guys you work w/alot, will tell you how good YOU are; its the same thing when a fighter bursts onto the scene, you see the effectiveness of their style...guys don't have enough tape on you ..esp not enough tape on you vs top athletes or skilled opp. As guys get more tape on you, then how good your skills..iq..fundamentals are become the determining factor in how you do...or if u continue to do well.

new guys u spar don't know who u are...how u are as a martial artist.. no idea about your timing, pacing, technique, rhythm..tech..setups...entries...exits; guys u spar repeatedly start to get see the whole toolbox, so alot of your tricks start losing their effectiveness cus guys see it regularly.

that what happened w/jardine and to a degree w/lyoto and imo what happened to anthony pettis as well...