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Posted By Mike Smith
Many mma fighters are starting to use more boxing techniques and strategy inside the cage. Boxing blends well with the three other main styles of mma. Which are muay thai, wrestling, and jiujitsu.
If you are a wrestler you can use the boxing jab and footwork to set up your shot or clinch. If you are a jiu jitsu guy, the boxing head movement and feints can be use to get you to the clinch safely without taking a big hit. A muay thai stylist can use boxing combinations to set up his kicks and knees. Traditional boxing techniques has to be modified a little bit to be effective in the cage environment. Here are a few I things to keep in mind when using the sweet science in the cage :
Lower your stance:
In mma you have to bend your knees so you can defend the take down. If you stand tall you are easy pickings for a grappler. (Watch the old Chute Boxe guys, Pele, Wanderli Silva, Ninja you will get a idea of what I’m talking about).
Square up your stance:
In boxing a square stance is not encouraged because it leaves to much of your midsection open for attack. In mma the game is different, the square stance is effective because its neutral. Meaning you can transition from one technique to another with out alerting the opponent (Low kicks, punches, sprawling, shooting in etc flows better from this stance).
Do not pivot when you punch:
I know what your thinking all my boxing coaches told me to pivot on my front foot for a hook, and on my back foot for a right hand. But remember this is not traditional boxing your fighting in a cage with take downs. When you pivot you leave your body off balance when you miss and its easy for the grappler to take you down (Watch Renzo Gracie vs Frank Shamrock , Renzo took Frank down at will every time he missed a punch).
There are a few more things a mma fighter has to do to use boxing in the cage. But I can’t tell you everything in this article you have to come to the gym for that…
