Best for UFC/MMA?

[fighter_not_a_lover]

its crucial to have ground defence but i think kickboxing is very effective, chuck liddel for example. you all seem to be forgetting, its not the fighting style its the fighter.

[White Warlock]

you all seem to be forgetting, its not the fighting style its the fighter.

you all?

[SubGrappler]

its crucial to have ground defence but i think kickboxing is very effective, chuck liddel for example. you all seem to be forgetting, its not the fighting style its the fighter.

If that statement were to be true, than that means that something like Tae Kwon Do, with its immese popularity throughout the world, would have countless numbers of represenatives in mixed martial arts events. Far more people practice Tae Kwon Do and Karate than do Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.

In today's mixed martial arts venue, yes, its the fighter, and not the style, because everyone is crosstrained. If you have training in only one particular style, then that means a lot. You're not going to know how to wrestle if you've only trained in TKD, likewise you're not going to know how to throw your hands if you've only wrestled.

MMA popularized specific styles, but take it a bit further, theres nothing drastically special about those styles other than the fact that they train full contact very often. By using the same training techniques, any style you train in could be proven effective.

[Goju_boi]

"any style you train in could be proven effective"

even Tai chi?

[CagedWarrior]

Not unless by "any style" you mean what ends up becoming (kick)boxing and JiuJitsu/wrestling. There are only so many ways to punch that are worth learning and doing- call it karate, boxing, or swick fu (if you don't know what I'm referring to, don't worry about it), in the end, if you're training to fight, it's all almost the same thing.

[UseoForce]

Someone may have said all of this, but I've read countless threads like this and hear the same points over and over.

1. You can only strike with confidence if you have grappling training (And vice-versa). Liddell is a proficient grappler and wrestler. He can strike powerfully because he has the knowledge to defend takedown attempts should he expose himself.

2. For any style to be effective in the cage, it needs to have full contacts training: Wrestling, BJJ, (kick)boxing, Muay Thai, etc.

3. A striking art practiced by the MMA fighter becomes kickboxing. I'll use Liddell again. He's a forth degree kempo karate blackbelt, but his style is known as "kickboxing." This is because of the tough training methodology the fighter must develop. For that training to happen, some techniques and strategies have to be abadoned to conform to rules, and other techniques and strategies must be added for common sense. Therefore, all striking styles begin to look very similar. It is much more about the fighter's technical preference than the particular style.

[Goju_boi]

so tai chi in the octagon can be made out to look like kickboxing?

[wer]

"any style you train in could be proven effective"

even Tai chi?

Just curious, have you ever trained with a tai chi teacher who's also a serious martial artist in the external arts instead of one of those "new age" tai chi teachers who do just as chi gong or like dance? I do, and there's a big difference between my tai chi teacher and the "new age" ones. Because the principles are exactly the same as in the fighting arts; you just wouldn't do them tai chi speed in the ring/cage, and you should expect to be able to fight if the only training you've done is at tai chi speed.

But there doesn't seem to be anything written in the books that says you're never allowed to move fast when working on your tai chi techniques; you just train slow to ingrain the movements and develop your internal energy.

Jason DeLucia calls tai chi "Chinese Aikido," and as you've probably heard he considers Aikido effective in MMA.

so tai chi in the octagon can be made out to look like kickboxing?

I'd say that IF you trained seriously in tai chi in such a way that you had not only absorbed the moves but also knew how to apply them full speed against full resistance, then yes. Of course, there's still that groundwork problem. I don't know of any tai chi groundwork techniques, so if you get taken down you'll be in trouble unless you've crosstrained in a grappling art -- but if you have, your tai chi body dynamics will help you be more effective.

[Goju_boi]

gotcha,well I haven't trianed in tai chi befoe,but I've seen a few good sifus in my town.one more question,how do u use aikido in the octagon?I thought it was ment to bring peace.

[Jason DeLucia]

gotcha,well I haven't trianed in tai chi befoe,but I've seen a few good sifus in my town.one more question,how do u use aikido in the octagon?I thought it was ment to bring peace.

imagine if you will one man intent on only taking ukemi at the point of contact or near contact .as a single pillar form your aikido would be effective and within the peaceful edicts of the founder ,though the promoters might not want you back unless it appealed to the audience by the way it was done ,and didn't draw a foul for stalling and being defensive .it would be aikido and tai chi .

the martial aspects of aikido are meant to bring an end to confrontation ,peacefully if possible ,but never think you should not resort to your utmost as an aikidoka if need be .there is enough film of mr ueshiba dropping sword hands on an opponent who has already been pinned (daito ryu style) ,and of his own admonition aikido encompasses all styles done in the spirit of aiki .that is non-resistantly ,using the opponents' strength against themselves rather than opposing their strength .every base technique has an inherent purpose , i.e. the purpose of a reverse punch is to down an opponent .if you land it as he comes forward and he goes down ,aikido .if you land it while he's retreating then it becomes the ikkyo for an entering throw ,aikido .