Hey guys,
It's been a while since I've updated because I've been mega busy. I will check in with a full update of everything I'm up to later in the week but for now, here is a BIG piece I wrote over at Bloody Elbow.
Cheers,
Jack
Ahead of Dan Henderson's meeting with Jon Jones, I want to take a detailed look at what we are more than likely to see in the bout. Henderson's way to win is obvious to all - crowd Jones and catch him with a right hook or straight. Jones' ways to win are what we will look at in this article. While we will keep Jones in mind throughout this piece, most of the strategies discussed can be used by just about anyone against a dangerous right hand puncher like Henderson.
Dan Henderson has had one of the greatest career resurgences in mixed martial arts history, coming back from the middle of the middleweight mix to stop some huge names in the light heavyweight division. What many people fail to realise is that Henderson's career revival has been less to do with him and more to do with his opposition. Henderson hasn't changed; the right hand has always been there, as have the other Henderson trademarks such as the crucifix off of the single leg defence, punching on the guard pass etc - he simply hit a streak of opponents who were vastly overconfident in their striking or lacked the fight IQ to give Henderson the respect he deserved.
Mauricio Rua showed amply what a misplaced belief in speed and boxing ability does against a dangerous puncher such as Dan Henderson. Fedor Emelienenko also lost to Henderson not as much through Henderson forcing his game on the Last Emperor, but through Fedor rushing Henderson overconfidently and giving Henderson the hole through which to connect his power. Rafael Feijao is another excellent example of an overconfident striker - as with Murillo Rua, people are convinced that his striking must be great based on his training partners, and in truth he is even more limited to his right hand than Henderson is on the feet. You cannot make a mistake against Dan Henderson because no-one can change the direction of a fight with one punch as well as Hendo. Unlike most opponents it is not a case of if a mistake will be capitalised on, Dan Henderson always capitalises on mistakes.
What can't be denied is Henderson's ability to knock out just about any man alive. If any of Henderson's opponents fail to make specific preparations for Henderson and believe that the polish on their striking fundamentals will protect them from him they are very much mistaken. Striking IQ is what is needed to defeat Henderson on the feet, and that is something that Mauricio Ruanever had and that Fedor Emelianenko abandoned in 2009.
To summarize the strategies in today's Judo Chop they will be:
- Circling Away with Punches
- Outside Low Kicks
- The Jab
Circling Away with Punches
Henderson's power is all in his right hand; he stands almost side on and cannot throw a strong jab or a left hook out of his stance. I'm sure many will remember the left hook that Henderson knocked Wanderlei Silva out with, but this was thrown AFTER using his right hand to square up - while Wanderlei was standing and trading with Henderson.
When one fights an opponent who is side on it is advisable to circle away from their rear hand, when one fights an opponent who is square on it is advisable to circle away from their lead hand. A square fighter may have a powerful right hand, but it will be an arm punch, and the same applies for the lead hand of a side on fighter such as Henderson.
Mechanics simply dictate that the side with less potential to swing from the hips will have less power. This rule almost always rings true. Felix Trinidad, Quinton Jackson, Paul Daley - all in love with their left hook, but you could know that within a moment of engaging them because they stand so square on. Dan Henderson, Gene Fullmer, Rocky Marciano, Butterbean, Rashad Evans - all stand / stood side on because they are / were in love with their rear hand.
It's not hard to note someone's strong punch even if you've never met them before, it's not even especially hard to circle away from it. What is hard is convincing experienced brawlers like Mauricio Rua or Rafael Feijao that they need to. Career longevity depends not on fancy footwork, but the ability to move away from an opponent's power consistently.
Notice in this still from the opening seconds of Henderson's bout with Jake Shields just how side on Henderson (back to the camera) is. His right hand is forward to somewhat disguise how side on he is, but a quick look at his right hip will reveal that it is pointing almost back towards the camera. When Henderson lunges onto his lead leg he swings his right hip all the way through and allows his shoulder to follow and his fist to complete the motion after everything else. This is where his incredible punching power comes from, not his musculature - which is hardly uncommon at light heavyweight and middleweight. You will notice however that Henderson's left hip is so far forward that he cannot rotate it forward any more to put power on a jab or lead hook.
Dan Henderson has had one of the greatest career resurgences in mixed martial arts history, coming back from the middle of the middleweight mix to stop some huge names in the light heavyweight division. What many people fail to realise is that Henderson's career revival has been less to do with him and more to do with his opposition. Henderson hasn't changed; the right hand has always been there, as have the other Henderson trademarks such as the crucifix off of the single leg defence, punching on the guard pass etc - he simply hit a streak of opponents who were vastly overconfident in their striking or lacked the fight IQ to give Henderson the respect he deserved.
Mauricio Rua showed amply what a misplaced belief in speed and boxing ability does against a dangerous puncher such as Dan Henderson. Fedor Emelienenko also lost to Henderson not as much through Henderson forcing his game on the Last Emperor, but through Fedor rushing Henderson overconfidently and giving Henderson the hole through which to connect his power. Rafael Feijao is another excellent example of an overconfident striker - as with Murillo Rua, people are convinced that his striking must be great based on his training partners, and in truth he is even more limited to his right hand than Henderson is on the feet. You cannot make a mistake against Dan Henderson because no-one can change the direction of a fight with one punch as well as Hendo. Unlike most opponents it is not a case of if a mistake will be capitalised on, Dan Henderson always capitalises on mistakes.
What can't be denied is Henderson's ability to knock out just about any man alive. If any of Henderson's opponents fail to make specific preparations for Henderson and believe that the polish on their striking fundamentals will protect them from him they are very much mistaken. Striking IQ is what is needed to defeat Henderson on the feet, and that is something that Mauricio Ruanever had and that Fedor Emelianenko abandoned in 2009.
To summarize the strategies in today's Judo Chop they will be:
- Circling Away with Punches
- Outside Low Kicks
- The Jab
Circling Away with Punches
Henderson's power is all in his right hand; he stands almost side on and cannot throw a strong jab or a left hook out of his stance. I'm sure many will remember the left hook that Henderson knocked Wanderlei Silva out with, but this was thrown AFTER using his right hand to square up - while Wanderlei was standing and trading with Henderson.
When one fights an opponent who is side on it is advisable to circle away from their rear hand, when one fights an opponent who is square on it is advisable to circle away from their lead hand. A square fighter may have a powerful right hand, but it will be an arm punch, and the same applies for the lead hand of a side on fighter such as Henderson.
Mechanics simply dictate that the side with less potential to swing from the hips will have less power. This rule almost always rings true. Felix Trinidad, Quinton Jackson, Paul Daley - all in love with their left hook, but you could know that within a moment of engaging them because they stand so square on. Dan Henderson, Gene Fullmer, Rocky Marciano, Butterbean, Rashad Evans - all stand / stood side on because they are / were in love with their rear hand.
It's not hard to note someone's strong punch even if you've never met them before, it's not even especially hard to circle away from it. What is hard is convincing experienced brawlers like Mauricio Rua or Rafael Feijao that they need to. Career longevity depends not on fancy footwork, but the ability to move away from an opponent's power consistently.
Notice in this still from the opening seconds of Henderson's bout with Jake Shields just how side on Henderson (back to the camera) is. His right hand is forward to somewhat disguise how side on he is, but a quick look at his right hip will reveal that it is pointing almost back towards the camera. When Henderson lunges onto his lead leg he swings his right hip all the way through and allows his shoulder to follow and his fist to complete the motion after everything else. This is where his incredible punching power comes from, not his musculature - which is hardly uncommon at light heavyweight and middleweight. You will notice however that Henderson's left hip is so far forward that he cannot rotate it forward any more to put power on a jab or lead hook.
The disciplined fighter will circle around towards Henderson's lead side, because anything Henderson throws from his left will be an arm punch. Henderson could attempt to turn his hips to the front to allow him to turn them back in a hook but this would be incredibly slow in an area of the fight game where split seconds count. Instead, Shield's threw jabs while circling into Henderson's right hand. This was, of course, foolish - yet Feijao and Shogun circled the same way and got beaten up just the same.
Dan Henderson's side on stance greatly inhibits his ability to pivot or stop his opponents from circling to his left side. For lack of a better diagram online I will use two paint images I used way back in February to describe angles on Head Kick Legend. These diagrams represent a top down look at two fighters.
Standing in front of an opponent is a 50 / 50 proposition. Both men can connect just as easily as each other and more often than not a man with a granite chin and a big punch will win here. This is Dan Henderson's world and no amount of sparring, training on the pads or hitting the heavy bag will take away the tit-for-tat dynamic of head on exchanges. Good striking is about not getting hit, therefore head to head exchanges are not good striking.
In an ideal world, this is what one wants to do against a stronger, tougher opponent. The top fighter has circled towards the bottom fighter's weaker, leading side. Notice how far the bottom fighter's right hand would have to travel to connect - a distance which it is impossible to cover with any power or weight behind the punch. Meanwhile the top fighter is in perfect position to throw both of his hands on target. Punches may also be executed during the step to the angle - such as the left hooks that we looked at earlier in the week from Ray Robinson and Joe Walcott.
In reality a fighter will almost never get a perfect angle, because the opponent will turn to face the fighter who has cut the angle, but this is just as much of a victory - because while the opponent is turning, he is essentially on one leg. No-one in the world can generate their full power while turning - it is simply mechanically impossible. After claiming a slight angle, a fighter may charge in with a flurry that looks like an ugly bum rush, but because the opponent is turning it is not a 50/50 exchange at all. Here is a look at Lyoto Machida taking an angle on Thiago Silva, then running in as Silva turns to face him.
Continues at: http://www.bloodyelbow.com/2012/8/19/3249011/UFC-151-judo-chop-defusing-the-h-bomb#storyjump
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