MMA Workout 3/16/08

by Mike

Theme: Now that we've got a couple months until Jim's next fight, we're able to try to work some new techniques into his game. Ideally, the theoretical bits of this workout should carry over into other parts of his game. Specifically, keeping hips low, maintaining pressure on the opponent when in a dominant position and keeping mobile despite the semi-awkward position. Also some strategic decisions and worked the "Ettish" and Downed Guard.

Warmup:

With little time, we hopped right into pummeling for position.

Worked from this to pummeling to takedown and passing to dominant position.

A little bit of dirty boxing and we were off to

The Fun Part:

One of my favorite techniques is to hold someone in my guard and then let them out. When they stand (either to slam or pass), I like to break my guard and bust out the Silat, getting something like the Saddle and then working for a heel hook or forcing a takedown into a very strange position to allow for some ground and pound.

This is easily accomplished if someone has their hips high. If they're slightly more clever and following BJ's advice in the MMA Book of Knowledge, you need to get tricky as well.

Staying in the shell/downed guard is kinda boring and doesn't let you do too much except stall and force a standup or wait for the opponent to kick the hell out of your legs and/or try a low-percentage but fun cartwheel pass or even the vaunted somersault pass.

Will probably never work for you, but the crowd sure loves it!

In the interest of staying mobile on the ground, forcing a standup and/or training your opponent to abandon the ground game, we worked on what we call the "Ettish."

Affectionately named after the ill-prepared kareteka from UFC 2, the position is a basic one taught in martial arts schools all over as a "self-defense" technique but derided due to Fred Ettish's not-quite-enough attempt to use it - it may be more familiar to Jiu-Jitsu players as the butt-scoot. But now you get to kick and maybe even roll into a takedown.

We'll cover the Ettish in-depth in the future, but needless to say, the last thing you're expecting someone lying on the ground to do is kick you in the face. Especially when you're about six inches taller than they are and you know for a fact that they can't kick above their waist.

It's a surprisingly strong position, much like the kick is a surprisingly strong kick.

Getting back to the workout:

Working the shell

Moving in on the shell

Working the Ettish

Moving in on the Ettish to pass

Once some basic principles are understood, it's surprisingly easy to pass the downed guard, while it's possible but frustrating to do so to the Ettish.