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Lords of the Ring

Speed, power, and accuracy of techniques by Gary Turner

(Picture courtesy of www.muaythaionline.net - thanks Dan Green!)

Every time you throw a technique it must have a defined purpose. This way energy is not wasted and all techniques are executed with maximum effect. Giving them a purpose removes wasted time and energy, and makes you a more efficient fighter.

This principle is linked to thinking was fighting. If every move has are defined purpose, then you are thinking about everything you're doing. This means that that you can adapt and alter your fight plan and make the correct moves as necessary. Everything you do it must be as a result of conscious thought. This is whether it is a reactive or planned response. Each individual move must be broken down and executed for specific effects.

It is possibly simplest to start with footwork. Every step you take has to have a purpose. This maybe to move forward into an opponent to force an engagement, move away from his strikes, or even just to take a rest. You may even advance your lead foot before quickly withdrawing it, to utilise footwork as a feint.

Even when standing still, you must move with a purpose. Your feet may be still, but your body should not. You should be twitching and slipping, fainting and probing, with your heads as well as your feet, to cover any move you may be about to make an to confusion opponent. Remember - the more you can force your opponent to think, the more tired he will be.

If you throw a technique without it having a purpose, I feel we have wasted energy for no effect. It doesn't matter if you throw it into the air, Miss, or hit the guard, as long as it has a purpose. In 1996 I fought a professional fight in Macedonia. I threw my left leg ground kick about 8 to 10 times a round, but never hit my opponent. The recent wars I had torn ligaments in my ankle, and didn't want to hit him for fear of causing more damage! I instead used the technique to make him think I could kick him from that side, and not to show weakness in my arsenal. I also used it to position him, as he moved away from the kick every time I threw it. Other reasons to throw techniques into the air could be to see how he reacts, or even to keep your kick count up during a full contact bout.

The obvious reason that you throw a technique is to hit your opponent to score. To do this you must hit a legal target area. You then have to think about the purpose of that shot. Is the purpose to damage, surprise, or move your opponent? Think of the front kick. The snap front kick is used as a dagger, snapping into the target and pulling away quickly. The thrust front kick is used to power in to and through an opponent. The main purpose of a push kick is to displace your opponent and move him back. One technique, three different purposes. And remember, this is just basics. A further example is the round kick. A snap round kick to the jaw could cause a flash knockout, as it is a fast technique and might not be seen. A Thai round kick is slower but is delivered with much more power causing damage to an opponent and displacement to his position.

 You may want to disable your opponent. If I am fighting someone with a fast jab, a will constantly kick my opponent in the arm to deaden it and take out one of his more useful weapons, fully aware that if I hit the guard are not scoring in the judges' eyes.

 If an opponent has a good guard I may even hit his arm to move it out of the way to get a second punch through to score. Here I usually use a lead arm hook to move the guard followed up by a right cross into the space left.

Even moves that react to an opponent's strike have a purpose. If a jab is coming towards your face and you close your guard to block it, then you have moved with a purpose. Even though you probably reacted from your training, rather than thinking about it when it happens, the technique had purpose.

To summarise, everything you do whilst fighting is to have a purpose.

Let's say you want to hit your opponent hard. To do this you need power in your technique. Going back to basic physics, force equals mass times acceleration. The quicker you get your techniques moving the more force behind them. But then you also need movement to insure your whole body weight is behind the shot. And then you need all over force created to pass through the target.

When throwing a technique for power, make sure you can Mitchell body weight - or lose out on almost all of the available power. My fighting weight is about 90 kg. If I step forward into a strike I have 90 kg of weight moving into the target behind the actual technique. If you watch Prince Naseem Hamed, Herol Bomber Graham or even the great Mohammed Ali then you'll see them take body movement to the ultimate, and we really commit themselves behind the punches.

You also want to maximise this body weight moving forward. Make sure your supporting posture is planted to the ground. For example, when throwing a right cross make sure that your back third foot is on the ground. Otherwise part of the power in the punch will go to pushing this foot at back into the ground, before moving through the target.

It's worth remembering that if you commit to forward movement, then it is harder to reverse a movement and get back out again. Therefore, if you are fully committed behind a technique you must have a contingency - whether clinch ing, lateral movement, or just battling away where you end up!

Mind you, we could go a stage further. We can increase the power of a technique by getting your opponent to be helpful and throw himself onto the end of your strike. Bill Superfoot Wallace is a master of this, making his opponents run onto his super-fast kicks. Practise your footwork, a feints, and combinations that position your opponent where you want him.

In training I often see students making the mistake of hitting pads when trying for power. Instead of hitting the pad, they should be aiming to hit the target holding the pad. The force of the strike should continue through the pad and not just hit the surface. When striking for power make sure that you go through the target.

Commitment with a technique can result in problems - you must be made aware of this. If you allow all of the power to be correctly thrown with a technique, then it will tend to travel further. This can result in gaps in your guard for longer, so check for possible openings that your opponent And Counter. With Punching, ensure the that you don't drop your guard at the end of the punch - if your hands dropped, especially at the end of the technique, you will be vulnerable. Be careful not to over commit. A and important role is not to read ‘sloppiness’ instead of ‘power’.

Remember as well, to check the efficiency of your body mechanics. Any necessary movements, will reduce the power of your technique. Example of this is throwing a straight punch such as a jab or cross, with the elbow lifting excessively. This upward movement is not towards a poem at a an opponent, therefore final power is lost. Check your are rotating correctly, your feet position and footwork does not hinder your movements, your body is behind the strike, your hips do not block power from your kicks in, end you are committing your technique appropriately.

Think about a baseball bat. You can stay still and swing the bat. You can hold a bat out straight and run towards a person and let it bounce off him. You can run towards this person and swing the bat. Or, if he's really stupid, you can run towards him, swinging the bat, and get him to run into it too! This baseball bat principle applies to all strikes. Leave out components of a strike, and you leave out potential power.

If you want to increase the speed of a strike you need similar principles to those above. Unnecessary movements should be removed and all movement it directed towards the target. The quickest way to a target is in a straight line. Any deviations, such as elbows lifting on straight, punches cause a slowing of the technique.

If you have fast footwork, or efficient footwork, your techniques will be delivered with greater speed. It will take less time to cover the distance between you and your opponent to hit him.

You can train for optimum speed by working on explosive power. Plyometrics is the best way all developing this.

Perceived speed of a technique is different to actual speed. By using other skills covered in this book such as triggers, your reaction times will appear to increase. Also, techniques can be hidden and therefore be used to surprise an opponent.