Easy way to Shoot?

[gwmma]

ive been doing mma for about 2yrs now and i still dont like to shoot in for the takedown

all i the guys i train with are good strikers (we all come from kickboxing/taekwondo/muay thai backgrounds) and i dont feel comfortable shooting in on them

so right now ive been setting up a clinch with some punches and kicks then get underhooks and leg sweep

i was just wondering if i should suck it up and not be a [Word Deleted by Admin] or if someone has some tips on how to shoot in???

any help would be great

thanks alot

[Jeff C.]

Garrett, welcome to Budoseek!

I deleted a word out of your post that was inappropriate for this forum. Please do not do that again. Thanks!

At your age, my only suggestion for you regarding your questions is to find a qualified instructor, and do not train on your own.

Jeff Cook
Wabujitsu

[TonyU]

Easy way to Shoot?

Line up the three dots, center of the target....

[Erik]

You can try several hits to the head so his attention will be up there, then go low and shoot.

Remember - if you cannot touch the guy's head with your hand, you're too far away for a leg takedown. That might be part of your problem.

But your sweeping from clinch is not a bad approach, either.

[Andrew Green]

You got to set him up.

A very simple way that was a "Gracie Special" back in the day was keeping the head exposed and chin up. Giving them a nice target to move in for. When they do, drop under and take your shoot.

But it all depends on how your opponents are fighting. If they throw kicks, get them to kick and shoot then. On one foot they can't sprawl... If they counter punch, go in and shoot when they counter.

You just have to learn to make the other guy do something that you are ready for and expoit it. Pattern recognition goes a long way in fighting ;)

[Cliff Hargrave]

Easiest way to shoot.......join the wrestling team at school if you have one.

For MMA Andrew is dead on. You need to shoot at the right time, after a set up.

A good way is to make sure their weight is on their back leg and not the front. That is where the "Gracie" fake kick comes in. Not really a kick to hurt, just to measure distance and get them to shift most of their weight back. With their weight back they cannot sprawl as quick or throw very hard punches.

[mateo]

All good advice above.

I wonder if you might be having trouble getting close enough (arm's length) because you are getting struck when you are this distance?

Perhaps you have to work on footwork and defensive skills for evading strikes to set up your shoot. Also, perhaps you have to start watching your opponent's timing carefully and make sure you are entering during the 'negative' of his strike.

Other tactics like getting him 'back leg weighted' or striking high and suddenly dropping level for the shoot are all good.

Mr. Hargrave's advice was the best though. Most shoots fail because of wrong timing and a low degree of mobility and explosive movement from the low crouch a shoot often begins from. Time spent drilling shoots over and over again at a wrestling club will give you both the timing and the leg strength required for fast mobility with this technique.

Rather than watching how the Gracies, who are the masters of many other aspects of the fighting game, do their shoots I think the real masters of this particular technique are people like Mark Shultz, Matt Hughes, Kevin Jackson etc. Shoots are these guys main game. Coleman and Randleman can shoot explosively from the other side of the city and still get their man. Watch how they set up their shoots and the athletics necessary to make their game win.

In my opinion, BJ Penn knew he couldn't beat Hughes' shoot so right from the bell he closed the distance, slipped off the centreline to the left and filled Hughes in with hooks continuously keeping him off balance, never once letting Hughes 'reset' and never allowing himself to be straight in front of him (on his feet) for the duration of that very short bout.

I'm not saying that the Brazilians aren't good at setting up a shoot. I just think that the shoot is where these wrestlers 'live' 24/7.

[gwmma]

thanks for the tips guys

i hated that bj v hughes fight lol

[kozak]

You've got to master down the technic first and then learn when to get in. If you hesitate all the time, you'll never get it. Just do it; make sure your not too far away, and try to fake if you start, or enter in on a counter-attack.