Skeptical of “complex” martial arts? Keep it simple!
During my days of managing an MMA academy, I’ve spoken with plenty of first-time students about their apprehensions to starting their training. Of course, these concerns sometimes have to do with how friendly the other students are, how much a membership package will cost, etc. But I find that once a student has decided in his or her own mind that they’re definitely going to give martial arts a serious try, they’ll eventually ask how complicated fighting can get, and they’ll wonder if they’re suited for that complexity. These folks have often watched fight highlights involving cool spinning submissions, awesome fake-outs and Hollywood-worthy kicks, and takedowns that the pros seemingly pull out from nowhere. However, I want to highlight the refreshing truth that your martial arts endeavors don’t need to be complex. In fact they shouldn’t need to be complex at all to be effective, and that’s what we can learn from Magomed Ankalaev’s recent front kick knockout win against Dalcha Lungiambula at UFC Fight Night 163 last Saturday.

Check out out this one-minute highlight of the fight here. In it, you’ll see that Ankalaev’s striking doesn’t have any fancy showmanship to it. It’s certainly not a knock-down, drag-out war that’ll go down in history like Don Frye vs Yoshihiro Takayama, and it doesn’t feature a Matrix-quality ninja wall-jump head-kick like Anthony Pettis vs Benson Henderson! In fact, most of the moves performed by both fighters are quite basic. A student could even perform most of these moves during their first week of training!

So in that case, what distinguishes a first-timer from a professional, or a beginner student from an advanced student? The answer has much to do with timing and discernment. With some basic Muay Thai training, you could be throwing an Ankalaev front kick sooner than you think. However, the art of using this technique during bag-work, light sparring, or in a fight, will be a lifelong journey of constant improvement.
Bruce Lee said “I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times.” High-level fighters like Ankalaev, Anderson Silva, and Lyoto Machida have held to this philosophy to garner amazing wins. If you’re new to martial arts, you can use this philosophy to develop clean technique, get an incomparable workout, and grow confidence in your self-defense skills!
Come train at NJ United Mixed Martial Arts and take advantage of our 7-day free trial offer! Whether you’re an aspiring competitor or casual student, you will benefit from training in our friendly, professional, and ego-free environment. Call us at 973-638-1570 to schedule your first class, and visit us on the web at http://www.njunitedmma.com/ for more info.