5 Ways to Improve Your Pocket Shots for MMA
7 mins read

5 Ways to Improve Your Pocket Shots for MMA


The pocket is one of the most dangerous distances in MMA. From the pocket, both fighters can unleash their full arsenal of strikes and holds. Some of the most exciting moments in MMA come from exchanges in the pocket. Today, Evolve Daily is happy to share five ways to improve your MMA pocket shots.

1) Manual combat

Hand sparring occurs whenever the hands or arms of you and your opponent come into contact, whether through a strike or a grab.

Trapping, parrying, and pinning are elements of hand combat that can help you land punches without taking damage.

Vasyl Lomachenko is a perfect fighter to study when it comes to trapping, parrying and blocking. Combined with fluid and efficient footwork, Lomachenko is able to take angles on his opponent and strike them, all while staying out of his opponent’s line of fire. The video above shows Lomachenko’s skill in his fight against Jason Sosa.

Notice how frequently Lomachenko uses hand fighting to control Sosa’s posture as he performs his signature step sequences. Training just a few of these techniques can give you a significant advantage over an opponent who is not trained to deal with them. Watch coach Icy Mike from Hard2hurt explain and demonstrate the basics of hand fighting in MMA.

2) Remote management

Distance management may be the most important concept for any combat sport. Your ability to manage distance is directly related to your ability to get in and out of the pocket safely.

The concept of distance management can be complicated due to the differences present in each fighter. Some fighters are taller for their weight class, while others are shorter. Taller fighters do not necessarily have greater reach, although this is often the case. Alexander Volkanovski is an example of a shorter fighter who has a very long reach compared to other fighters in his weight class.

To improve your distance management, you must first determine your fighting strategy. If your goal is to enter the pocket and stay there for the entire fight, your distance management tactics will be different than a fighter who enters the pocket only to land combinations.

Head movement is another tool you can use to keep yourself safe while entering or exiting your pocket. Be especially careful not to slide too deep like boxers do; the threat of kicks and knees makes him too much of a risk in MMA. Watch Cory “The Sandman” Sandhagen explain head movement at close range in the video above.

3) Riveting

Learning to clinch is a critical part of an MMA fighter’s game. Clinching gives you control of your opponent’s posture when you are at close range, allowing you to land your strikes more effectively while remaining safe from your opponent’s attacks.

Sensitivity and striking in the clinch are an art in their own right: Roberto Duran was a master of it in his prime. Duran would gain a superior clinch position by pushing his head to the side of his opponent’s collarbone.

Duran preferred to take an inside position, where his arms were inside his opponents. This gave him full access to his opponent’s body and head from a position where his own head was hidden.

4) Footwork

Footwork inside the pocket is another key element that dictates the pace of the fight. A mistake many beginners make is moving too much with each step. Combat is a game of inches and milliseconds; too big a step can keep you safe, but it also puts you out of position to move forward.

One way to prevent this bad habit is to drill it while shadowboxing with a partner or with an object on the floor in front of you. You can use your partner’s front foot as a distance indicator: you want to be at a distance where you have time to react, but close enough to land your markers.

When practicing it with a partner, you both need to maintain correct form. Since this exercise is mostly stationary, it’s easy to overdo the punches or get lazy with the defense.

Always make sure both you and your partner take small steps, keeping your core engaged in your fighting position. Doing this continuously is both physically and mentally taxing, but it will greatly increase your ability to stay focused during a fight.

While facing your partner, take a small step to the side, in both directions. Your partner should synchronize with you, preventing you from taking a different position. Repeat this exercise several times, until you have gone in a circle, then switch roles. Watch coach Icy Mike of hard2hurt delve into footwork for the pocket in the video above.

5) Timing

The importance of timing in MMA cannot be overstated. Without timing, you won’t be able to land significant shots. It can be difficult to develop correct timing, but once you understand the concepts, you will still have to adapt to each fighter’s speed.

Being able to time your jab is one of the most important fundamental techniques in combat sports. Landing your jab while reading your opponent’s rhythm allows you to form a game plan.

If your opponent is aggressive and pressing forward, you can time your jab so that it lands right before his front foot hits the ground as he approaches you.

If done correctly, your opponent will feel “stuck” and you will almost always land your jab. This is due to the precise moment you threw the jab.

Conversely, when you pressure your opponent, hit him until his weight is on the back foot. As their weight shifts to their back foot, they will become “stuck” for a moment. This is your chance to land a clean, powerful blow. Watch coach Trevor Wittman explain this concept in the video above.

Conclusion

Hitting from the pocket is an art in itself and we hope these tips help you in your practice! Train hard and fight!

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Evolve Mixed Martial ArtsĀ® is Asia’s leading martial arts championship brand. It has authentic world champions in Muay Thai, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, mixed martial arts, boxing, wrestling and No-Gi Grappling. Named the #1 martial arts organization in Asia by CNN, Yahoo! Sports, FOX Sports, ESPN StarSports, Tokyo Times and many other leading authorities, Evolve MMA aims to provide the best martial arts instruction available anywhere on the planet.





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