Boxing for MMA Competition
Boxing skills are absolutely essential for anyone who wants to compete in mixed martial arts. You simply cannot step into the ring or cage with the well rounded fighters of today if you are missing this important part of the mixed martial arts puzzle.
Although there are many differences between how you would regularly box and how you would box in MMA, they do remain small differences. For the most part you can take the skills you learn as a boxer and directly apply them to mixed martial arts. There only needs to be a little tweaking.
Some things that are universal regardless of whether you are stepping into a ring to just box or stepping into a cage for a MMA fight are…
- Hands up and chin down - Always protect yourself by keeping your guard up. A chin tucked down next to your shoulder is a lot harder to hit than one that is sticking out.
- Circle to the opponent’s blindside - This ensures that you stay away from his power hand and/or power leg. It also gives you less weapons to deal with because he can only reach you with lead hand/leg attacks.
- Stay light on your feet - Mobility is vital for both kinds of fighter. This is what keeps you in range to strike and what keeps you out of range to not be struck. The ability to use your techniques effectively is largely determined by how good your footwork is. Staying mobile also makes it harder for your opponent to set up a planned attack.
- Throw your punches in combination - Very simple, one punch is easier to defend than two, three or four. It also makes it harder for you opponent to counter strike, because he is on the defensive.
- Punch with your whole body - By coordinating the movement of your body correctly, you can put the power of your entire mass behind each punch. This is done by using they legs to power the rotation of the hips and shoulders, which in turn puts more power into your arm and the punch.
- Be well conditioned - If you are in a fight and you run out of gas, whether you are a mixed martial artist, boxer, wrestler or submission wrestler, you will be finished. Literally.