moment, that’s about the only thing between me and being submitted, and we both know it. On the plus side I’ve avoided being quickly beaten, which means that things are bad but I’m still in the fight… and as long as I’m in the fight then I’ll be trying to win it.
The psychological dimension must be used with care to avoid doing more harm than good, but mental conditioning can be built into the fighter’s training at every level. Fitness work, even technical drills can be set up to build the habit of pushing on through to the end, even when things are bad. This is important, because nothing ever goes according to plan and sometimes the margin between defeat and victory is simply the fighter’s own willingness to keep at it when someone else might have given up.
How to Attack the Human Body
The human body is a marvelous thing; incredibly robust in some ways yet vulnerable in others. Race drivers have been seen to climb out of the wreckage of a 200-mph crash, kick a tire in disgust, and walk away… and yet people have died from slipping in the shower. Thus an attack can be devastating if it hits the right spot, or merely annoying if the aim is off. Most of the “pressure point” techniques taught in martial arts are unworkable in a real fight, as it is difficult to hit just the right spot. So as a rule, it is better to strike at large targets that will get you at least some benefit, rather than to try for that perfect one-shot knockout and risk achieving nothing.
It is not usually possible to attack small areas of the body with great precision in the chaos of a fight, though precision can be achieved if a measure of control can be exerted over the opponent. Although most wrist-catching martial arts techniques are virtually useless against an opponent who is moving around and throwing punches, it is possible to apply a Kimura, a locking technique that requires the fighter to hold his opponent’s wrist. Is this a contradiction? Not really.
The answer, obviously, is that once the opponent is under control, e.g. is held or pushed up against something, then it becomes easier to apply precise techniques. A clean hit to the jaw may well drop an opponent and win the bout by knockout, but landing that shot is problematic. Most fighters have to settle for hitting hard to the head in general. You might get lucky, hit “the button” and end the matter then and there, but if not then each blow will still rattle the opponent and wear him down.
Let us not forget that every time you hurt an opponent’s body, you also attack his will to win the fight. Pain, fatigue, disorientation from repeated blows to the head, and the general feeling of being overmatched can cause an opponent to “lose the fight in his head” and give up or at least start trying not to lose rather than fighting to win. Once he is defensive, he is well on the way to defeat.
There are only so many ways to attack an opponent. These include direct impact (e.g. strikes, knees and kicks), secondary impact (e.g. throws and takedowns that cause the opponent to land hard), joint locks, and chokes/ strangles.
Direct Impact
In a sport fight, the rules will dictate what is permitted, for example it may not be legal to knee to the head or to strike the head while the opponent is on the ground. Outside the sporting arena, there are no rules for this sort of thing, but actions must be lawful to avoid criminal charges. This is covered in the next section.
It is generally a bad idea to strike hard targets (e.g. the head) with fists unless you are wearing gloves. Even then, injuries to the hands are not uncommon. For the “street,” the head is best attacked with open hands (e.g. palm strikes) or hammerfists. However, a punch that drops an assailant and prevents you from being seriously harmed is still a “win” even if your hand is damaged. A properly formed, tight fist will help prevent damage to the hand but the risk is always present. With gloves, even light MMA gloves, the hazards are significantly reduced.
The head is most definitely the primary target for direct impact techniques. Even a glancing head strike can cause “brain shake” that can disorient an opponent or knock him out. There is also the possibility of inflicting cuts, causing eyes to swell shut, and so forth. Injuries may cause a sport bout to be halted on medical grounds or simply reduce an opponent’s performance.
It has been wisely said that: “Head shots hurt. Body shots hurt the whole fight.” A good body shot might put the opponent down, so badly winded or hurt that he simply cannot carry on, but even if it does not, blows to the body can weaken the opponent in various ways. Most movements use the muscles of the body, and strikes can weaken these. The most important effect is on breathing. Even if he is not put down by a body shot, an opponent will be feeling it for a good while and every time he takes a breath. Body shots thus reduce his ability to get air in, and that translates to reduced performance.
Attacks to the arms are of limited value at best, but the legs are a good target. Many fighters condition the outer part of their thighs and can take a solid kick or two, but you can chop down the toughest fighter eventually. Kicks to the inside of the leg are often more effective as it is hard to condition these areas. Either way, leg kicks can cause an opponent to stagger even if he is not seriously hurt, and while he’s staggering, he’s not hitting you.
Punches are not thrown “to” the target, they are thrown “through”and out the back. A pad or bag should dent or crumple under a properly delivered strike.
Knee strikes are best thrown from a clinch, and are almost always thrown from the trailing leg for maximum impact.
A knee strike may or may not disable the opponent, but it will certainly weaken him and enable a follow-up attack to be made.
As a general rule, forget about flashy techniques like spinning kicks and backfists, and stick to basic, vanilla-flavor pounding. Attacking the head, body and legs allows you to keep the opponent guessing and to find an opening (or make one) if he’s got a good defense. Leg or body shots may pull the opponent’s guard down (or crumple him up, which can have the same effect), allowing a clear shot at the head.
Hand strikes are normally thrown at the head and body. Straight-on hand strikes to the body are less effective than shots that come in from the side, ideally into the diaphragm or kidney regions. Striking slightly upwards under the ribs works better than hitting downwards.
Kicks are best thrown at the legs and the body. Head kicks are awesomely potent when they land but they need to be set up and can compromise your balance. They can be a useful tool for MMA but are best added after you have a solid base of more widely useful techniques.
Knees and elbows are the premier striking tools for demolishing an opponent. They are best used from a clinch or another hold rather than “free” and require you to be at close quarters. Knee strikes will normally target the body or legs, but you can pull an opponent’s head down onto a knee if you can get him under control. Elbows are normally thrown to the head but can target any other area within reach, especially on the ground.
An effective fighter makes good use of his environment. Something as simple as a good hard push becomes a lot more potent when you slam the opponent into something…
… and not only does it hurt, but it can open up the opponent for strikes if his arms splay out when he hits the wall.
