Why do alot of MMA fighters stand up so straight?

[Max Shane]

It seems like alot of the fighters in MMA have such poor footwork and stance. They don't stay nearly as low as boxers, which I don't see a reason for. The lower and wider the more central your weight, the more stable and more power you can swing. Also, if they fought lower like boxers, I would guess that they would have much better wrestling and probably wouldn't get caught in double leg takedowns as much. At worst it seems like they would most often get single leg take downs on someone with a low, wider stance, which is much better than any double leg since you could often fall into half guard which offers tons of sweeps instead of getting double legged and being put in side control defense.

Now I am not saying all or even most MMA fighters are like this, but from what I see it's a surprising amount. Am I being a stupid noob and missing some basic knowledge here, or do any others agree somewhat?

 

[Thai Clinch]

I believe its for kicking......i could be wrong...i not involved in a lot of mma...but from a kickboxing point of view....

 

[Doughbelly]

They're called knees.

 

[Max Shane]

Yes, but wouldn't the supperior wrestling would help with that?

 

[blanko]

of of the reason why mma guys look like they have poor footwork is because they have wresting footwork rather than a "stricker's footwork"

 

[Madmick]

It seems like alot of the fighters in MMA have such poor footwork and stance. They don't stay nearly as low as boxers, which I don't see a reason for. The lower and wider the more central your weight, the more stable and more power you can swing. Also, if they fought lower like boxers, I would guess that they would have much better wrestling and probably wouldn't get caught in double leg takedowns as much. At worst it seems like they would most often get single leg take downs on someone with a low, wider stance, which is much better than any double leg since you could often fall into half guard which offers tons of sweeps instead of getting double legged and being put in side control defense.

Now I am not saying all or even most MMA fighters are like this, but from what I see it's a surprising amount. Am I being a stupid noob and missing some basic knowledge here, or do any others agree somewhat?

The short answer is, "They're not boxing."

Why do MMAer's not weave or duck punches as much as boxer? Because of knees and kicks. You get low, you get caught.

MMAer's also have to moderate the width of their stance because of these additional weapons. You'll notice Muay Thai fighters maintain a very narrow stance in order that they don't expose the inside of their thighs to lead kicks, or the outside of their thighs to the brutal thai kick- the narrow stance allows for them to check if necessary. They also distribute more of their weight to the back leg so the lead leg is more mobile: unlike in boxing, it is vulnerable to attack. Futhermore, if you thrust your lead leg out as much as you do in boxing, then when in-fighting, you could probably get hurt really badly with a teep thrown in combination (knees too).

Yet, with such a narrow stance, Muay Thai fighters are a grappler's wet dream. So MMAer's fight with a wider stance that is a more secure base- just as you have observed. But they can't get too low. Although one must maintain balance to be mobile, at a certain point, one is mediating between balance and mobility. And the lower your head and liver are, the less distance (and less time) it takes a shin or foot to get there.

 

[The Underdog]

i boxed for some time. when i started doing mma i used to deal with everything ok, untill i got kicked, it send me flying as my weight was on my front leg. and in that stance blocking kicks is much much harder. plus when kicks were involved i couldn't let my hands go as i got confused and cautious. i just was a punch bag after that lol. but i trained with kicks and ive improved alot.

 

[phenomfan1529]

The short answer is, "They're not boxing."

Why do MMAer's not weave or duck punches as much as boxer? Because of knees and kicks. You get low, you get caught.

MMAer's also have to moderate the width of their stance because of these additional weapons. You'll notice Muay Thai fighters maintain a very narrow stance in order that they don't expose the inside of their thighs to lead kicks, or the outside of their thighs to the brutal thai kick- the narrow stance allows for them to check if necessary. They also distribute more of their weight to the back leg so the lead leg is more mobile: unlike in boxing, it is vulnerable to attack. Futhermore, if you thrust your lead leg out as much as you do in boxing, then when in-fighting, you could probably get hurt really badly with a teep thrown in combination (knees too).

Yet, with such a narrow stance, Muay Thai fighters are a grappler's wet dream. So MMAer's fight with a wider stance that is a more secure base- just as you have observed. But they can't get too low. Although one must maintain balance to be mobile, at a certain point, one is mediating between balance and mobility. And the lower your head and liver are, the less distance (and less time) it takes a shin or foot to get there.

agreed

 

[aries]

i boxed for some time. when i started doing mma i used to deal with everything ok, untill i got kicked, it send me flying as my weight was on my front leg. and in that stance blocking kicks is much much harder. plus when kicks were involved i couldn't let my hands go as i got confused and cautious. i just was a punch bag after that lol. but i trained with kicks and ive improved alot.

Yeah I had the same but in reverse. I did kung fu and kickboxing before turning to boxing and my weight was always on my back foot. This hampered my mobility and meant i couldn't bob and weave properly or throw combinations as well or counter effectively.

In essence whatever you do in MMA is going to be a comprimise whether you opt for kicking, boxing or grappling.

 

[Hamit Aktas]

It's a completely different sport. That's why.

 

[scorcho]

Low kicks.

 

[Marvin Covar]

It's a completely different sport. That's why.

short and sweet. i like it.

 

[randomg1t]

The short answer is, "They're not boxing."

Why do MMAer's not weave or duck punches as much as boxer? Because of knees and kicks. You get low, you get caught.

MMAer's also have to moderate the width of their stance because of these additional weapons. You'll notice Muay Thai fighters maintain a very narrow stance in order that they don't expose the inside of their thighs to lead kicks, or the outside of their thighs to the brutal thai kick- the narrow stance allows for them to check if necessary. They also distribute more of their weight to the back leg so the lead leg is more mobile: unlike in boxing, it is vulnerable to attack. Futhermore, if you thrust your lead leg out as much as you do in boxing, then when in-fighting, you could probably get hurt really badly with a teep thrown in combination (knees too).

Yet, with such a narrow stance, Muay Thai fighters are a grappler's wet dream. So MMAer's fight with a wider stance that is a more secure base- just as you have observed. But they can't get too low. Although one must maintain balance to be mobile, at a certain point, one is mediating between balance and mobility. And the lower your head and liver are, the less distance (and less time) it takes a shin or foot to get there.

very true.

but regarding your ducking under punches comment, i personally find it much more difficult to block a punch like boxers do. i think the best part of the boxing game (next to throwing a punch, obviously) is to avoid being hit rather than trying to block it. the little gloves get through everything.

so if you're good at it enough (examples being mirko and gomi), it's actually a technique you can't go wrong with. ofcourse it also depends on who you're fighting.

 

[perfy]

very true.

but regarding your ducking under punches comment, i personally find it much more difficult to block a punch like boxers do. i think the best part of the boxing game (next to throwing a punch, obviously) is to avoid being hit rather than trying to block it. the little gloves get through everything.

so if you're good at it enough (examples being mirko and gomi), it's actually a technique you can't go wrong with. ofcourse it also depends on who you're fighting.

Yeah covering up like a boxer is a very bad idea. Just look at the Tito Liddell fight and what resulted when Tito tried to cover-up. It also leaves your vulernable to knees.

 

[crooked]

rampage did pretty good with his style of blocking

 

[Madmick]

very true.

but regarding your ducking under punches comment, i personally find it much more difficult to block a punch like boxers do. i think the best part of the boxing game (next to throwing a punch, obviously) is to avoid being hit rather than trying to block it. the little gloves get through everything.

so if you're good at it enough (examples being mirko and gomi), it's actually a technique you can't go wrong with. ofcourse it also depends on who you're fighting.

Yeah, true, I think Franklin might be the most successful I've seen in the UFC with weaves. But they're always short weaves, he doesn't get too low.

Covering up with 4 oz. gloves for anything longer than a moment (to get out of a bad situation) is pretty stupid. The Tito precedent has already been cited. I also think Evan Tanner does it too much. He wasn't really punished for it until he fought strikers of Franklin's and Loiseau's caliber.

 

[Richard Emling]

They're called knees.

ding ding ding we have a winner!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Tri-StateTerror]

you dont want to stay too wide in your stance as yoru front leg would be devistated by leg kicks.