Giving the Slip

[DeathNTaxes]

I wanted to start/restart a thread about slipping punches in MMA. Let me define what I mean by slipping (so that people can correct me/understand my point). Slipping, as far as I know, is using side to side head movement to dodge punches which allows a fighter to advance through the pocket and get within range to strike, to counter, to clinch with their opponent. The conventional wisdom, it seems in MMA, is that a fighter shouldn't train slipping because it leaves them vulnerable to head kicks and therefore it is not viable in MMA striking. I think that slipping is one of the most underused boxing techniques in MMA. My example of a successful application of slipping to MMA is Randy Couture vs. Tim Sylvia. Randy slipped pretty much all of Tim's jabs that night allowing him to get takedowns and survive. The reasons I think he "got away with it" is that in MMA and especially the UFC, fear of the takedown gets fighters to not want to throw kicks. Kicks are also, with notable exceptions, still widely under-used and in the UFC almost always used to support punches. I think against the right opponent and with enough wrestling ability to put the fear of a "takedown" in your opponent use of head movement can be applied to MMA and needs to be, most MMA fighters have perfectly fine Boxing offense it's the defense that is horrible. What do people think? To slip or not to slip that is the question!

 

[ziggity]

If you're fighting a big ogre like Tim Sylvia you'll probably be okay slipping his lazy, retarded jab, like Randy did. If you're fighting a laser-guided kicker or puncher like Cro Cop or Chuck, not such a good idea.

It depends on the fighter across from you. Many fighters do not slip and still do okay.

The reason that there is so little skilled kicking in the UFC is because many of the UFC's signed fighters are American "MMA-trained" fighters that did not specialize in European kickboxing or Muay Thai in the beginning of their professional career. Their kicks typically come out weak, hesitant, and underused. In any given undercard fight, you'll probably see one of the guys throw 2 or 3 low kicks, and an inside leg kick or two. Maybe some blocked high kicks. They're almost never thrown with the full power of the body, unless you're watching a true kickboxer.

 

[Kozma]

I think many fighters are just not skilled enough or fast enough to effectively slip punches

 

[Rayrobinson#1]

I think it should be okay as long as a fighter doesn't use it in a rhthym and a fighter is aware to look for the kick when slipping. For example in traditional boxing you mostly slip outside but you can also slip inside. If you slip inside you have to be aware that you are in position to be hit with a right hand (orthodoxst stance). If you are aware and defend it then you can still use the inside slip as a good defensive technique.

 

[D$]

King Kabuki, get in here

 

[CowboyPete]

Slipping is an incredibly safe way of avoiding a straight punch in any combat sports format, given that you have the no-how and capability of doing it correctly. There's often a confusion between "slipping" and "bobbing and weaving." I could be wrong in my definitions so please correct me if I am. Slipping is essentially a small head movement to the left or right of an incoming straight punch. A fist isn't that big so the movement doesn't have to be either. By the time the guy's hand is back from doing the punch, you're head can easily be back to it's original position. There are a couple of videos here which demonstrate a slip.

Bobbing and weaving is different and more dangerous in a format that allows kicks and knees. It's a method generally used for dodging hooks since moving your head to the side as you would with a slip does nothing to stop a hook. You'll sometimes see boxers dropping their level incredibly low when bobbing and weaving. It's a great defense for boxing but if someone can time your weave in kickboxing or MMA, they can deliver a knee to your face as you duck down. Of course, you can also do a much more reserved bob or weave that leaves you pretty safe as well. This is an example of a weave from the same site as the two slipping examples.

Some of the stuff Couture was doing in the Sylvia fight would have been disastrous if Sylvia was throwing kicks and knees, especially given his height advantage. However, Couture's performance was far from exemplary if tight, safe slipping, bobbing and weaving.