MMA Art Training Mma
MMA fighters and their first martial art?
Do you believe that MMA fighters, despite cross training in many martial arts, still present a strong presence of the first martial art they learned in competition? For an example, Anderson Silva first began martial arts in Taekwondo. Do you see any taekwondo influence in SIlva’s fighting style?
Another example would be GSP. His first martial art, I believe, was Kyokushin Karate. Do you see any Kyokushin Karate influence in his fighting style?
Many times, yes. In the ones you’ve listed, Silva’s stance, right/left switching, side kicks and spin kicks could all be attributed to his TKD training.
With GSP, his stiff jab seems characteristic of fighters with “traditional” backgrounds; his spinning back kick and snappy lead-leg round kick also seem much more Kyokushin influenced than influenced by traditional Muay Thai.
How strong is that influence? MMA is ultimately its own animal. Every system has to be modified for MMA competition. We’re not going to see Silva or GSP performing exactly like they would in a TKD or Kyokushin competition. Besides technique, overall strategy influences how they fight. GSP has relied more on his wrestling/grappling in recent outings, for example.
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