MMA

Small joint manipulation

saad2992 — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 13:54:52 +0000

Small joint manipulation refers to twisting, pulling or bending fingers or toes to cause joint locks in the various joints in those appendages. Joint locks on fingers and toes are respectively referred to as finger locks and toe locks.
Details:-
The leverage needed for such joint manipulation is comparatively small, since grabbing a finger or two with one or both hands creates a distinct advantage, and means that a weaker person can possibly control a stronger one. Grabbing only one finger may lead to the opponent being able to pull it free, while grabbing three or more reduces the leverage advantage considerably, and hence it is sometimes advised to grab two fingers for maximum effect.Small joint manipulation is an illegal technique in most combat sports that feature joint locking such as Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Judo, Mixed Martial Arts and Sambo, since unlike standard joint locks, there is less of an opportunity to “tap out” or submit before the small joint breaks. It is however sometimes taught as a self-defense and pain compliance technique, for instance in Chin Na, Aikido, Kenpo, Jujutsu, and especially in ‘Small Circle JuJitsu’. It is also an important part of koppo-techniques, e.g. in ninjutsu.

Headbutt

saad2992 — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 13:53:52 +0000

A headbutt is a strike with the head, typically involving the use of robust parts of the cranium as area of impact. Effective headbutting revolves around striking a sensitive area with a less sensitive area, such as striking the nose of an opponent with the forehead. It is known as a risky maneuver: a misplaced headbutt can cause more damage to the headbutter than the headbuttee.From French boter = “to push or strike”. Rams are well known for butting with their heads and horns. From this the terms battering ram and hydraulic ram are derived. Many males in various animal species employ butting during courtship.Headbutt Technique is quite popular in MMA and it was recently used by Brock Lesnar in his debut Match in UFC 81.

Eye Gouging

saad2992 — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 13:52:27 +0000

Eye-gouging is the act of pressing or tearing the eye using the fingers, other bodyparts, or instruments. Eye-gouging involves a very high risk of permanent eye injury, such as visual impairment.It is disallowed in combat sports, but some self-defense systems teach it. Training in eye-gouging can involve extensive grappling training to establish control, the eye-gouging itself being practiced with the opponent wearing eye protection such as swimming goggles.In films, characters are sometimes killed after suffering eye damage, although this is unlikely in the real world unless extensive bleeding or brain damage is caused (such as in the film, 28 Weeks Later).It is also popular in Mixed Martial Arts!

As a winning outcome

saad2992 — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 02:51:48 +0000

In boxing, a knockout occurs when a fighter is knocked down and does not get up within 10 seconds, as counted by the referee.In mixed martial arts, the definitions of knockouts and technical knockouts vary according to organization and jurisdiction. According to its publicized rules, the Japanese PRIDE FC promotion does not declare ‘knockout’ as an official type of victory, but rather only technical knockouts when the referee considers a fighter unable to continue.Under New Jersey’s Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts, which has become the de facto standard of MMA rules in the United States, a knockout is defined as a “failure to rise from the canvas”.In Pancrase, a knockout is declared when the competitor loses consciousness, and a technical knockout when the referee or judges consider a fighter unable to continue the match.

Physical characteristics

saad2992 — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 02:50:07 +0000

There is actually very little known about what exactly causes a knockout but many agree it has to do with minor trauma to the brain stem. This usually happens when the head rotates sharply, often caused by a strike. A common misconception is that a knockout is caused by compression put on the carotid arteries in the neck restricting blood flow, but this is in fact how a choke out works.A basic principle of boxing is to defend against this vulnerability by keeping both hands raised about the face.A fighter who suffers a concussion and becomes unconscious from a strike with sufficient knockout power is referred to as having been knocked out or kayoed (KO’d). Losing balance without losing consciousness is referred to as being knocked down (”down but not out”). Repeated blows to the head are known to gradually cause permanent brain damage, with Alzheimer- or Parkinson’s-like symptoms, and in severe cases may cause strokes or paralysis. This is commonly known as becoming “punch-drunk”. Because of this, many physicians advise against sports involving knockouts.

Knockout

saad2992 — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 02:49:09 +0000

A knockout (also referred to as a K.O.) is a winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, mixed martial arts and others sports involving striking. A knockout is usually awarded when one participant is unable to rise from the canvas within a specified period of time, typically because of fatigue, injury (serious or temporarily incapacitating, e.g. a bleeding cut above the eye can blind a fighter), loss of balance, or unconsciousness. A technical knockout (also referred to as a T.K.O.) is often declared when the referee or other judges (such as official ring physician, the fighter himself, or the fighter’s cornermen) decide that a fighter cannot continue the match, even though he did not fail the count.British records refer to TKOs as either “retired”, if the fighter refuses to continue, or “R.S.F.”, for Referee Stopped Fight.

Freestyle fighting

saad2992 — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 02:45:29 +0000

Freestyle fighting is a synthesis of various styles of martial art such that the practitioner is free from only one style and able to use whatever is necessary to defeat the opponent. It varies from practitioner to practitioner in both technique and effectiveness, and has become very popular in today’s mixed martial arts or no-holds-barred fighting competitions.Freestyle fighting does not imply an absence of style in full. It is instead a joining of any technique, style, or concept/philosophy, similar to Bruce Lee’s Jeet Kune Do. Like Jeet Kune Do, the term freestyle is also generic and can be used by anyone at any time.The name is thought to mean the same as Mixed Martial Arts(MMA), which refers directly to combat sports, but MMA is a coined phrase for competition and not a style, hence there are no athletes who claim to be simply a “mixed martial artist” when competing. Freestyle fighting can refer to using anything possible, including things which are not allowed in competitions like biting or striking the throat which gives its name distinction from “Mixed Martial Arts”.The name “freestyle fighter” may be used by anyone who chooses to use it. A Karateka may use freestyle fighting if he prefers because it is a generally open term though usually when someone is a freestylist, they emphasize independently observing techniques to learn how they are used. In Puerto Rico, freestyle Goju-ryu is commonly practiced by Goju-ryu pracititioners who felt the art was too crystalized or too linear and began to research it themselves to find what is practical. This is one example of freestyle fighting.

Rules

saad2992 — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 11:27:32 +0000

The rules for most mixed martial arts competitions have evolved since the early days of vale tudo. As the knowledge about fighting techniques spread among fighters and spectators, it became clear that the original minimalist rule systems needed to be amended.One of the main motivations for these rule changes included the protection of the perceived health of the fighters—this was motivated by a desire to clear the stigma of “barbaric, no rules, fighting-to-the-death” matches that MMA obtained because of its vale tudo and no holds barred roots. It also helped athletes avoid injuries which would otherwise hamper the training regimens that improve skill and ability and lead to better fights in the future. The changes were also made for entertainment value—they promoted good fighters involved in action-packed fights rather than unskilled “street brawls.”Weight classes emerged when knowledge about submissions spread. When more fighters became well-versed in submission techniques and avoiding submissions, differences in weight became a substantial factor. Weight classes can vary widely between organizations.Headbutts were prohibited in many MMA organizations because it was a technique that required little effort and could quickly turn the match into a bloody mess; in short the visible cuts created were disproportionate to the amount of actual damage. Headbutting was common among wrestlers because their skill in takedowns allowed them to quickly transfer bouts to the ground where they could assault opponents with headbutts while not being required to alter their position.Small, open-fingered gloves were introduced to protect fists in punches. Although some fighters may have well conditioned fists, others may not. The small bones in an unprotected and unconditioned fist are prone to injury when it hits a torso or forehead with power. Gloves also reduce the occurrence of cuts (and stoppages due to cuts) and encourage fighters to use their hands for striking, both of which enable more captivating matches.Time limits were established to avoid long fights on the ground with little perceivable action. Matches without time limits also complicated the airing of live events. Similar motivations produced the “stand up” rule, where the referee can stand fighters up if it is perceived both are resting on the ground or are not advancing toward a dominant position. In the U.S., state athletic and boxing commissions have played a crucial role in the introduction of additional rules because they oversee MMA in similar ways as they do for boxing. Small shows usually use more restrictive rules because they have less experienced fighters who are looking to acquire experience and exposure that could ultimately lead them to getting recruited into one of the larger, better paying promotions.In Japan and Europe, there is no regulating authority over competitions, so these organizations have greater freedom in rule development and event structure.In general, a balanced set of rules with organization-specific variances has been established and is widely used, and major rule changes are unlikely, allowing for fighters in one organization to transition to others easily.

Strategies

saad2992 — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 11:25:31 +0000

The following are various nicknames applied to different fighting styles. Apart from the fact that fighters are usually much more versed in one particular fighting style such as Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, judo, Muay Thai, wrestling, or other martial art, the following terms are used to describe how a particular fighter is attempting to accomplish a particular victory. For instance, BJ Penn and Fedor Emelianenko score victories by striking, “ground and pounding,” and submitting, depending on the strengths of their opponents. Note that some of these are not complete styles; rather, they are merely phases in a fighter’s game.
Sprawl-and-brawl
Clinch fighting
Ground-and-pound
Submission grappling

Training

saad2992 — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 11:23:48 +0000

Today, mixed martial artists train in a variety of styles that have been proven effective in the ring, so that they can be effective in all the phases of combat. Although fighters will try to play to their particular specialties, they will inevitably encounter all kinds of situations; a stand-up fighting specialist will probably get taken down at some point and a submission artist might need to fight standing-up for a while before he can execute a takedown. A mixed martial artist might train in a particular style to enhance his or her skills in the phase of combat that that style targets. Typical styles, known for their effectiveness, that have been trained prior to the mixed martial arts career, and that are trained individually to enhance a particular phase of combat, are:

* Stand-up: Various forms of Boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, and/or forms of full contact karate are trained to improve footwork, elbowing, kicking, kneeing and punching.
* Clinch: Freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling, Sambo, and Judo are trained to improve clinching, takedowns and throws, while Muay Thai is trained to improve the striking aspect of the clinch.
* Ground: Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, shoot wrestling, catch wrestling, Judo, and Sambo are trained to improve submission holds, and defense against them. These styles are also trained to improve and maintain ground control.

Many styles have to be adapted slightly for use in the sport. For example, several boxing stances are ineffective because they leave fighters vulnerable to leg kicks or takedowns. Similarly, Judo techniques have to be adapted to an opponent not wearing a judogi. Usually, modern fighters do not train in any particular style, but either train in multiple styles with multiple coaches, or train in teams with other athletes focusing specifically on competition. Energy system training, speed drills, strength training and flexibility are also important aspects of an MMA fighter’s training. Mixed martial arts competition is very demanding physically, and the athletes need to be in top condition to be successful.

While mixed martial arts was initially practiced almost exclusively by competitive fighters, this is no longer the case. As the sport has become more mainstream and more widely taught, it has become accessible to wider range of practitioners of all ages. Proponents of this sort of training argue that it is safe for anyone, of any age, with varying levels of competitiveness.