Fundamentals of BLOCKING

First: structure. This means that you must put something out there that will not collapse against the
incoming force. How do you have to hold your arm to create this? Figuring where this is and always
getting into that pose takes practice.
Second: position. You must put it in the path of an incoming force. Not necessarily directly in front of
that force, but, like a pebble to the skateboarder, close enough to affect the direction the force is
heading. Where is this place?
Third: turn your body. Slight changes in your body's pose change a block into a deflection. This also
moves you off line. Now how much do you need to move your arm when you are also turning your
body? It's not as much as you think. Refining the skill of moving an incoming blow by feet, while your
combined motion is only a matter of inches of each element is something that you seriously need to
investigate.
Fourth: step out of the way and into a strategically advantageous position. By definition, an attack is
heading right for the spot where you are standing. As such, it behooves you to move out of that spot. It
seems stupidly obvious, but you'd be amazed how many people try to block while standing at ground
zero. Well, if you watch how many people get punched for not moving, no it really isn't that amazing
after all. The effect of this movement when combined with fundamentals 2 and 3 has incredible effect
on you not getting hit!
Fifth: move into a tactical position where you can hit him, but he can't hit you.
Sixth: Know and understand the defensive application of every aspect of the block. The block doesn't
'occur' at the end of the move. The block occurs during the process of moving into that pose. A lot of
what people think as preparatory movement for the block, is in fact, potentially defensive. You're not
just winding up for the block that movement should either assist the next part of the block by starting
to deflect the incoming attack (especially useful against punches that come in faster than the last part
of the block can get there) or serve as an effective defense by itself. Let's hypothetically say that a
particular block has three parts. A lot of the time you're going to need all three to keep from getting
hit. However, every now and then you achieve your defensive goal in one move. Should you throw
those next two away? Of course not, by all means apply them offensively (they work great). But don't
try this until you have achieved the first criteria of a block, DON'T GET HIT! Understanding "If you
achieve your defense in two, go ahead and use part three as an offense" is wildly different than
categorically stating "your block should be a hit" That's because the people who say that don't
understand that the block occurs getting into that end pose. It isn't the pose.

Angles In Martial Arts and Defensive Tactics

Angles allow a smaller, weaker person to defeat a larger, stronger, charging opponent. This is because the
person using angles is not contesting the larger person's advantages. It's rendering those advantages
meaningless. It isn't just refusing to play the larger person's game, it's taking away those advantages.
You are literally faced a choice, blindly hit someone blindly five or six times (and hope he retreats) or
accurately hit him once on an angle and
a) secure your defensive perimeter
b) disrupt his ability to attack you
c) set up your next offensive move
When you understand angles, you can accomplish three things with one move. If you maintain this ratio, you
can accomplish in three moves what other people hope to achieve in nine moves -- but seldom do. That's
because very seldom will your opponent stay still for you to complete nine moves. This is especially true if
he is still capable of resisting up until your fourth move.
Researching how to render your opponent incapable of resisting before you find yourself in a situation
requiring control and restraint techniques, will save you massive amounts of hard work, & frustration.
Introduction to Using Angles
In a physical conflict, a sure sign of someone using brains is that he/she uses angles to quickly and
effortlessly end the conflict. Not only does this prevent the younger, stronger opponent from effectively
deploying his own strengths and advantages, but it almost looks like he tripped/slipped/fell down. When
someone is very good, there is not a big flashy show of whirling fists and feet, just a slight movement, a thud
and the attacker is on the ground.

The essence of Karate is expressed in the 45 degree angle. Forty-five degrees is an angle so crucial to every
martial art in existance (chiefly the defensive ones like Karate) that thoroughly understanding it, along with
its practical applications and cousin angles, is virtually a golden ticket to becoming what most people
would consider a master of the art.
That should say something about the importance, as well as the difficulty, in understanding the principles and
applications of combative angles.
(Which is not to denigrate having knowledge of stuff like the location, tool, direction, amount of applied
force et cetera in the techniques of any given situation along with understanding the general characteristics
of the anatomical struture(s) you are attacking/defending).
Do a block - it is based upon the precept of 45 degrees. Why? Because if it wasnt, it would not exist.
Because this is the angle of deflection and evasion.
Heres actually a great test you can do: With a partner standing in front of you, place your arm in a 45
degree position diagonally over his/her chest and neck. You should have a 45 degree angle in the crook of
your elbow, as well as in your armpit. Then, have your partner grab a hold of you (front bearhug) and just try

to squeeze you together. Your job is simply to hold him/her away with the arm that is between you. Pay
attention to the angles. The truth is, when you partner starts to squeeze you, as soon as you get under 45
degrees you will collapse. To make it even more epicer, (yes, epicer) try the same with 90 degree
angles and feel the difference.
This exercise is very simple, but teaches many valuable lessons. One of the biggest being; force must never
be met head on, but deflected and spread out (and subsequently taken advantage of). And believe me, this is
but one of the many purpose of utilizing 45 degree angles in combat. Moreover, using the principle of 45
degrees makes even a very small person capable of standing a chance against someone big, assuming she
knows her angles, so to speak
Club 45.
But dont be fooled by the simplicity of 45. The really hard part, as I see it, lies in understanding, and
correctly applying, the connection between 45 degrees, 90 degrees (its evil step-brother) and how they
ultimately merge in the circle (the father of the family).
Actually, perhaps this is best understood by examining the kote gaeshi (lit. wrist turn), one of the most
common joint locks in any martial art (but most prevalent in ju-jutsu and aikido), which is literally a perfect
textbook example of the both transitional and interchangeable application of the aforementioned angles. And
everything in between.

Basic Karate Grappling and Submission Techniques

Headlock
This is a very basic grappling technique. The aim is to force the opponent into submission by putting
pressure on their head and neck. Place your arm around their head or neck. They should be trapped in the
bend of your arm, between your arm and body. Apply pressure by bringing your forearm closer to your
biceps. You may also place the other arm on the back of their head to increase pressure. The headlock is easy
to execute and can force an opponent into submission. When grappling be aware that your opponent may use
a headlock on you at the same time.

Arm Bar
This grappling technique works very well after throwing. We can use the example of a shoulder throw (click
here for more on throwing). Block your opponents strike and throw them. After throwing an opponent,
deliver a punch or kick. Keep holding onto their arm as you move from sparring to grappling. Place your legs
across their chest. Their arm should be between your legs. Bend their arm against the elbow, over your hip.
The pressure will eventually break their arm. Be careful not to do so during training.

Wrist Lock
This is a form of grappling submission which targets the opponents wrist. The benefit of this technique is
that it can be performed from standing. Stand above your opponent after throwing them. Hold their wrist in
the bend of one arm. Use your legs to keep them stationary and on their side. Your hand then folds theirs
down. Their palm should move towards them. A grappling submission technique without the need to grapple.

Leg Lock
The mechanics of this submission are simple. This is basic karate grappling after all. You take hold of the
opponents leg to begin. Your legs and feet go on either side and hold theirs in position. Add pressure as if
you are bending the leg against the joint (the way it is not supposed to bend). If you push too hard, their leg
will break, so be careful. Below is an image demonstrating the general idea of a leg submission. Why is he
doing it the wrong way round? Leg submissions in grappling can be performed either way. Their knee can
face towards or away from you. If it faces towards you, hold their leg straight and push the knee with your
hips. If the knee faces away, hold it in place with one leg and push their lower leg away.

Ankle Lock
This is karate grappling basics, so I will go over the fundamental aspects of an ankle lock. Keep the
opponents leg static. This means that it cannot move. Rotate or push their foot so that it puts pressure on the
ankle. You can bend the foot towards their shin, to the side or rotate it to the left/right.

Glossary MMA Terms:

A
Achilles Lock: A popular submission foot lock/hold that can take many variations, but is ultimately
dependent on manipulating and applying pressure on the heel and Achilles tendon.

Americana: similar to the keylock and kimura is the Americana. This move involves creating a
triangle with your opponents arm and your own. With your opponents arm bent at the elbow, palm
up, near or above his head, your arm goes underneath from the bottom and grabs his wrist, 'painting'
downwards.
Anaconda choke: otherwise known as an arm triangle, the anaconda choke consists of trapping one
of your opponents arms with an underhook and clasping hands on the other side of his neck,
squeezing his neck and arm together to cut off air supply. It is most effective when you are on top of
your opponent to the side of his trapped arm, with the reverse being called the D'Arce (Dark) choke.
Ankle lock: A technique that requires the control of an opponents leg/ankle in order to manipulate the ankle
to force the opponent to submit.
Arm Bar: A finishing hold where a competitor puts pressure on his/her opponents elbow joint by attempting
to bend it the way it does not naturally bend. The competitor situates himself so that the opponents arm is
between his knees, enabling him to use his hips to intensify the pressure.
Arm Drag: A move common in amateur wrestling, this act requires an attacker using two hands to control
the wrist and tricep of their opponent and then pulling them into position to gain control of the side or back.
Arm Lock: A technique that requires the control of an opponents arm in order to manipulate the shoulder or
elbow to force the opponent to submit.
Arm Throw: The idea of gaining control of your opponent's arm and using it as a lever to pull the rest of
their body over your center of gravity in order to complete a high amplitude takedown.
Arm-Triangle Choke: A submission hold whereby a person is choked with their own arm on one side and
the attacker's arm on the other side of the neck.
Ankle Pick: A variation of the single leg takedown commonly featured in freestyle/folkstyle wrestling. In
order to perform an ankle pick, the attacker grabs and elevates their opponent's ankles off the mat, before
either lifting or driving through.
Axe Kick: A kick executed by a standing fighter, frequently against an opponent who is on the ground, also
known as a downed opponent. The standing fighter raises one leg straight in the air and brings it straight

down, like the motion of an axe. It is the heel that usually makes contact with the opponent.

B
Back Control: A position where one competitor gets behind the other and controls him by wrapping his legs
around the back of his opponent and placing his heels (also known as hooks) inside the opponents thighs,
while also controlling the torso and arms from the back. Having back control is considered to be very
advantageous. This is because the person who is being controlled cannot defend well, especially if the person
with control is on top of the other person, both people face down.
Back mount: Dominant position in which your chest is to your opponents back and your arms and legs are
locking him down.
Bantamweight: The weight class that contains fighters with a maximum weight of 135 lbs/61 kilograms.
Base: The term used to describe a strong and stable position.
Belt: The area between the belly button and hips where it is deemed illegal for a punch to land.
Bodylock: AKA the 'bear hug'. From an upright position, a fighter's arms are wrapped around the torso of
their opponent and then connected around the other side in order to set up a potential takedown.
Body slam: Competitor picks up his/her opponent and slams the opponent to the ground.
Body Triangle: The act of controlling an opponent's body by wrapping one's legs around the torso. The
ankle secures the lock when fitting under the knee of the other leg, thus producing a triangular shape created
by both legs.
Break fall: safely absorbing the impact of a fall to prevent injury.
Bridge: A bucking movement against a mounted opponent. Feet are planted; hips and body are thrust up and
to the side.
Butterfly guard: full guard, but your feet are planted on your opponents thighs, preventing him from
posturing up and getting past your guard into a more dominant position.

C
Can-opener: virtually the only submission that can be applied in your opponent's guard, a can-opener entails
putting both of your hands behind his neck as with the Thai plum, and pulling his head towards you. This
submission is usually applied to open your opponent's closed guard, though it can lead to a submission
against an injured, tired, or inexperienced fighter.
Catch weight: This refers to a weight between two weight classes that fighters agree upon prior to an
upcoming bout. Catch weights usually come into play when fighters primarily fight in two different weight
classes.
Catch Wrestling: A form of wrestling that incorporates submission holds and tends to favor "catching" an
opponents limb for the submission over gaining dominant position.

Centerline: The centered alignment of you in relation to your opponent.

Chain fighting: A series of techniques performed with each separate movement setting up the next
technique or hold.
Championship rounds: This term is used to describe the fourth and fifth rounds of a fight to decide a title or
championship; a non-title fight is typically only three rounds.
Choke: A finishing hold that cuts off the blood and/or the oxygen to a mixed martial artists brain. A player
who does not tap to a well-executed choke will pass out. There are different kinds of chokes, some that use
the forearms or biceps to put pressure on the arteries in the neck and/or the windpipe, and others that use the
legs around the head and arm.
Clinch: A position where competitors try to control each others bodies by wrapping their arms around one
another, fighting for good arm and hip position, frequently as a precursor to a takedown attempt. The clinch
looks a bit like hugging, but is not affectionate.
Clinch Maulers: Clinch maulers typically utilize the clinch to stifle an opponents strikes and tire them out.
In the process, these Maulers will strike with "dirty boxing," knees and elbows, and possibly go for upper
body takedowns similar to Greco Roman wrestling. Clinch maulers tend to employ a combination of
underhooks and the Thai clinch, which have been tweaked to be more effective in MMA style competition.
Several Greco Roman wrestlers have found success with this style, thanks in part to their background in the
extremely taxing style of wrestling. Popular clinch maulers are Anderson Silva and Randy Couture.
Closed guard: The holding of an opponent by interlocking feet behind the opponent
Collar Choke: Might see this referred to as x-choke, lapel choke, cross choke, jujime. A choke accomplished
by gripping the collars of your opponent with opposite hands, which provides additional leverage the actual
choke comes from your wrists pressing against their neck.
Collar tie (single/double): grasping the back of your opponents neck; a double collar tie, otherwise known as
a Thai clinch or plum, involved clasping your hands together behind your opponents trapezius muscle.
Where your opponents head goes, his body follows, making the double collar tie a valuable grappling hold. A
double collar tie is especially useful in pulling your opponents head down for knee strikes, effectively
doubling the force of the knee.
Control: The term used to describe the fighter who is in a position to maintain power over his opponent.
Corner: A fighter's "corner" is the section outside of the ring occupied by individual who will assist the
fighter during the bout. A fighter's corner usually consists of the fighters trainer, training partners, a cutman,
and potentially other motivators. The fighter's corner is responsible for giving a fighter advice during the
fight, and fixing a fighter up during rounds. If a cut or other injury is sustained during the bout, it is the
responsibility of the corner-men to fix it up to the best of their abilities.
Counter-Punch: When a fighter evades or blocks a strike and then immediately returns with a punch of their
own.
Crackhead control: BJJ legend Eddie Bravo calls mission control with two hands instead of one crackhead
control. Many of these names are deliberately bizarre so they can be called out by coaches during a BJJ
match without the opponent recognizing them.

Crank: A term used to describe submissions that operate by twisting parts of the body into abnormal
positions in order to cause pain. Cranks tend to be crude and rely on brute force, in comparison to
submissions like chokes and armbars. Due to the increased risk of serious injury, particularly to the neck and
spine, cranks are often either frowned upon or outright banned. A typical example is the 'can opener',
performed by grabbing behind the head and pulling it towards you while in somebody's guard. Note that
there can be a grey area, especially between certain chokes and neck cranks, such as the guillotine choke.
Crank may also be used to describe the process of locking on a submission: e.g., "she cranked that armbar".
Crucifix: from side control you pull your opponents arm between your legs and cross your legs, locking it
there, and with one hand you pin down your opponents other arm, allowing your free arm to punch and
elbow his unprotected head.

D
D'arce choke: An arm lock named after fighter Joe D'arce, resulting in a kind of choke hold similar to the
Anaconda choke.
De La Riva Guard: A variation of the guard and one popularized by Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt. To utilize
this guard, one leg is hooked behind a standing opponent's legs from the outside, while the initiating fighter
controls the ankle with a hand on the same side. The other hand holds the sleeve of the opponent.
Dirty Boxing: A combination of wrestling and boxing techniques that enables a competitor to close the
distance between himself and his opponent and execute punches and elbows from the clinch.
Double Leg Takedown: A takedown that is accomplished by driving an opponent up and forward by
grabbing both of his legs (or ankles), which leads to both contestants going to the ground. An alternate
version is the single leg takedown
Draw: The result of a fight that is tied by the judges score and does not have a decisive winner.
Duck Under: A common wrestling maneuver performed while standing in or close to a clinch position. The
idea is to gain an advantageous position on an opponent by driving one's head under their elbow/tricep and
moving to the side or back.

E
Elbow Strike or Elbow: A blow to the opponents body or head using the point of the elbow. Elbow strikes
are painful, and they can also open cuts. The use of elbows is generally heavily regulated. For instance, a
competitor may not raise his elbow straight in the air and bring it straight down upon his opponent. Elbows
must come in at an angle.
Ezekiel Choke: Might see this referred to as forearm choke, sleeve choke or Ezequiel choke. A choke
performed using the inside of the sleeves for grip, with a forearm on either side of the neck. From what I've
gleaned from the net, this technique was named after a Brazilian judoka known as 'Ezequiel' (full name
Ezequiel Paraguassu, I think), who apparently had great success with it against BJJers.

F
Featherweight: The weight class that contains fighters with a maximum weight of 145 lbs/66 kilograms.
Fireman's Carry: A wrestling takedown performed from a tie-up position. To complete the move, an
attacker holds on to their opponent's arm, ducks under and drops to both knees, while shooting their other
arm through the opponent's legs and pulling them over their shoulders and on to their back.
Figure-Four: also written as figure-4. When used on an arm, also known as a double wrist lock. A hold in
which the positioning of the limbs resembles the number '4'. For example, used in the AMERICANA and the
KIMURA.
Fish-hooking: The act of "hooking" a finger into an opponent's mouth or ears and pulling, much like a fish
on a hook. This move is illegal in all Mixed Martial Arts contests.
Flattening out: your opponent can ground you by taking your back and then flattening you out. He does so
by jumping onto your back and snaking his feet inside your legs and around your thighs. By stretching out
his body he is able to spread your legs and put pressure on your upper body, eventually leading you to fall to
the mat and possibly lay flat on your stomach with your legs outstretched. When the fight goes to the ground
it becomes a war of positioning. Some positions are much more advantageous than others, but it all depends
on the skill, experience, and comfort level of the fighter. The following are the typical ground positions in an
MMA fight:
Flower Sweep: also known as pendulum sweep and see-saw sweep. Performed mainly with the legs. Note
that there can also be a slight difference between terms: some people use 'pendulum' to describe the sweep
where they raise their knee first, whereas the flower is initiated by grabbing their lower pant leg.
Flying Knee Strike: The fighter jumps up or takes step, springing off one leg and in mid-air switches to the
other knee to strike.
Flyweight - The weight class that contains fighters with a maximum weight of 125 pounds/57 kilograms.
Front Kick: A linear kick performed by lifting the knee straight up, straightening the leg and then thrusting
the ball of the foot at a target.
Full guard: you are on your back with your opponent between your legs at waist level, sometimes known as
the missionary position. The most important part of this position is holding onto the back of the neck, the
wrists, or bear hugging your opponent to control his movement. It is essential to keep him from improving
his position because otherwise you will leave yourself open to ground and pound attacks and possibly
submission attempts. A "closed" guard means your legs are crossed at the ankles over his back, while "open"
means your legs are not entangled.
Full mount: the most dangerous position for the bottom fighter to be in. Your opponent is sitting on your
chest straddling you with one leg to each of your sides. Low mount is when he is sitting on your abdomen,
high mount when his knees are in your armpits. What makes the position dangerous is that it is difficult to
buck your opponent off, roll or sweep him. In the meantime he will likely come down with hammerfists and
elbows, or work for a kimura, arm triangle, armbar, or choke hold.

G
Gable Grip: Named after legendary Iowa wrestling coach Dan Gable, this move places emphasis on a palmto-palm clasping of the hands with thumbs at the side of each hand, as opposed to intertwining them.
Grapevine: The concept of using one's legs to intertwine with those of an opponent in order to maintain
control while on the ground.
Ground and Pound: A strategy where a competitor takes his opponent to the ground and unleashes a flurry
of punches and elbows to try to finish a fight.
Gogoplata: more from wikipedia: "it is usually executed from a rubber guard, where the legs are held very
high, against the opponent's upper back. The fighter then slips one foot in front of the opponent's head and
under his chin, locks his hands behind the opponent's head, and chokes the opponent by pressing his shin or
instep against the opponent's trachea."
Guard: A grappling position where one player is on his back and has his legs around an opponent, who is
either standing or kneeling. A competitor who is in someones guard may try to pass the guard and get to side
control or the mount, both of which are more offensive positions, though the competitor may also try to land
blows from the guard. A competitor who has someone in his guard wants to prevent his opponent from
passing, and avoid getting punched or kicked.
Guillotine Choke: A choke a competitor executes by positioning himself in front of his opponent, wrapping
his arm around the top of the opponents neck and under the chin, and applying pressure on the neck and
throat. The guillotine can place a lot of pressure on the neck as well as render an opponent unconscious.

H
Half guard: similar to full guard, but your opponent has one leg to your side, with the other between your
legs.
Hammerfist: A punch where the competitor brings the bottom (pinky side) of his closed fist into contact
with his opponent with speed and force.
Haymaker: A wild, fight-changing power punch.
Head and Arm Throw: An amateur wrestling takedown that requires an attacker using their opponent's head
and one arm to throw them to their back.
Headlock: wrapping one arm around the neck of your opponent and holding his head between your side and
arm. By grabbing your other hand you can tighten the lock, possibly achieving a blood or air choke. On the
mat a headlock can turn into a guillotine choke either from your back or in the mounted position.
Heel Hook: A popular and dangerous submission hold, which is applied on the heel and then fully
accomplished by twisting the knee at the joint. Can cause numerous injuries, including the ripping of various
tendons in the legs.
Hip escape: A motion executed by moving to one side and thrusting out the butt to move away on the mat.

Hip Throw: A hip throw is a popular Judo and Collegiate Style wrestling maneuver where a practitioner
uses leverage and balance to throw their opponent over their hips. This is done by achieving a lower center of
gravity than the opponent, and getting inside their base. A hip throw is often referred to as an "uchi-mata" by
Judo practitioners.
Hook: A punch where the competitor cocks his arm at a 90-degree angle in front of his body, with the force
coming from the side rather than straight on or from underneath. Not to be confused with hooks, below.
Hooks: The feet, specifically when a competitor takes an opponents back and has anchored his heels around
his opponents legs. The act of getting ones heels around ones opponents legs is called putting in the
hooks.

J
Joint Lock: This describes any technique used to make a joint suffer unnatural movement or contortion, thus
causing pain, discomfort, damage and potentially a submission.

K
Kesa-gatami: A position like the side mount except the top player is turned more towards the bottom player,
and the top player's arm is wrapped around the bottom player's head.
Keylock: a keylock can apply pressure to the shoulder or elbow of your opponent, depending on how it is
applied. It involves holding the forearm and using it to twist the arm. Depending on the direction the arm is
twisted in, the standard keylock can become a reverse keylock.
Kimura: similar to the keylock is the kimura, which is a very basic submission hold that everyone knows. It
is simply bending your opponents arm and pulling it in an unnatural direction, putting intense pressure on the
elbow or shoulder joint. The hold can be applied from a variety of positions, but is mostly done in side
control. The hold is named after the Judoka who originated it.
Kneebar: A submission hold that hyper-extends the leg at the knee. Similar to an armbar, but focused on the
knee.
Knee Strike: Fighter thrusts a pointed knee straight upwards toward the opponent.
Knee Tap: A freestyle/folkstyle wrestling takedown that requires an attacker placing one hand on the outside
of their opponent's knee to prevent movement, while they drive in that same direction.

Lay and Pray: Lay and pray is similar to a ground and pound style, but instead of striking on the floor the
fighter utilizes position and smothering techniques to ride out a decision. Many top wrestlers emphasize this
style, oftentimes due to their inability to adapt to MMA rules. Many fighters with a double background in
wrestling and Jiujitsu employ this style to the fullest, as their dominating ground games are light years ahead
of most competitors. "Popular" lay and pray fighters include Ricardo Arona and Sean Sherk.
Leg Kick: A kick a competitor lands on his opponents leg. Multiple leg kicks can cause accumulated
damage and fatigue and disrupt an opponents balance.
Leg Lock: A finishing hold where a competitor isolates part of the opponents leg or foot to put pressure on
the knee, ankle, or toes. The pressure from some leg locks such as the kneebar or the heel hook can come on
quickly, and frequently by the time the recipient feels pain from these leglocks, damage has already been
done to the knee joint.
Level Change: When a fighter moves from an upright stance to a lower stance, by dropping down to the
waist or legs of their opponent, in order to elicit a reaction or shoot for a takedown.
Lightweight: The weight class that contains fighters with a maximum weight of 155 pounds/70 kilograms.
Liver shot: A hook punch combined with an upper cut to deliver a painful strike to the liver.
Lockdown: entangling a leg from the HALF GUARD, by bringing one leg over theirs, hooking under your
other knee, then with your other foot, hooking under their trapped leg and straightening it out. This is often
used as a stalling position: while beginners may find it a cause of frustration, it is relatively easy to escape.
Simply follow Kev's advice.

M
Mission control: like rubber guard, only you cross your other hand across your opponent's back and grab
your ankle.
Mount: A ground position where a competitor is on top of his opponent with his legs around the opponents
body. The opponent is on his back, and the competitor is facing him, driving his hips forward to maintain
pressure. People who are competing may take the mount or may be mounted. This position is very
advantageous for the person on top and very dangerous for the person on the bottom.
Muay Thai clinch: A common technique where the attacking fighter takes control of his opponent behind
his head with both arms in order to attack him using strikes (most commonly from the knees).

N
Neck crank: Spinal lock applied by manipulating the neck beyond its natural range of motion.
No contest - This describes the result of a fight that ends before the scheduled duration. The result excludes
knockouts and technical knockouts. In most cases, an unintentional foul will have occurred and caused a

severe injury to one of the fighters. In other circumstances, an instance will have occurred that was out of the
fighters control to prevent the fight from continuing. In either of these circumstances, the fight will be
stopped and considered no contest, meaning the fight is not added to either fighters record.
North/South position: your opponent is chest to chest with you but in reverse, with his head facing your feet
and your head facing his feet, sometimes known as 69. The point of this position is that your opponent can
try to sink in a choke directly or use a "[alli]gator roll" to get his arms around your neck (and arm).
No holds barred - The term used to describe early mixed martial arts competitions. This term was coined
because there were very little rules or regulations in early MMA.

O
Omaplata: this is a more advanced hold that I'll let wikipedia explain for me: "by placing one leg under the
opponents armpit and turning 180 degrees in the direction of that leg, [the leg] moves over the back of the
opponent and entangles the opponents arm. By controlling the opponent's body and pushing the arm
perpendicularly away from the opponents back, pressure can be put on the opponent's shoulder."
Open guard - The position when a fighter is flat on his back without having wrapped his legs around his
opponents midsection.
Open weight - A weight class with no maximum or minimum weight limit.
Overhand punch: A punch executed by swinging the fist up and over.
Overhooks (single/double): putting your arm over your opponents arm, typically at elbow level, and holding
his midsection or upper body; two overhooks is called double overhooks and clasping your hands together
can lead to a bear hug. Generally, overhooks are less advantageous than underhooks and are primarily used
as a defense mechanism against double underhooks.
Over-under position: Also called the "50/50" position, it's considered to be the most common clinch
position in MMA in which both competitors have one overhook, and one underhook.

P
Pankration: Greek for "All Powerful", a martial arts sport introduced at the Greek Olympics in 648 B.C.
which combines boxing and wrestling elements.
Parrying: Using the hands (and sometimes arms) to deflect incoming punches.
Pass: Transitioning from one position to another. For example, passing an opponents guard and establishing
side control.

Passing the Guard: also known as passando a guarda (Portuguese) and hairigata. The process by which the
person 'in the guard' (between the other person's legs) gets their legs past, commonly moving into SIDE
CONTROL or MOUNT.
Peruvian necktie: A fighting maneuver used when an opponent shoots in on an opponent's legs for a single
or double-leg take-down.
Pinch grip tie: one of your arms goes under your opponents arm, the other over his shoulder, with both
hands clasped together behind his back, also known as the over-under body lock. Both grapplers can achieve
this position simultaneously. It is useful for bullrushing and forcing your opponent down onto his back. The
over-under position is the same as the pinch grip tie, except without having the hands clasped.
Pluhm clinch: See Muay Thai Clinch.
Position: A generic term for various positions that a fight goes through. Includes "standing", "mount," fulland half- "guard," among many others.
Post: used as a verb, posting. A term which refers to placing a part of your body on your opponent or the mat
in order to gain stability and prevent or set up movement. For example, if someone is attempt to use the UPA
to escape your MOUNT, you can 'post' your arms to the relevant side in order to prevent being swept.
Posture: One's ability to keep their torso perpendicular to the floor, especially useful when looking to avoid
chokes in an opponent's guard.
Pulling guard: Jiu-Jitsu fighters are often more comfortable fighting off of their backs than anywhere else.
Sometimes instead of engaging their opponent in a stand-up war, or attempting to take their opponent down
and mount them, they pull guard. Pulling guard means to grab onto your opponent and pull him down into
your full guard. This is uncommon in MMA as it practically requires cooperation on the part of your
opponent to get into this position.
Pummel: Fighters will pummel when battling for position of the arms and torso while in the clinch, with the
aim of getting both arms on the inside and around the opponent's mid-section.
Push Kick: A variation of the Muay-Thai front kick, this move requires the ball of the foot moving forward
in more of a linear motion, sometimes resembling a stomp. At times referred to as a teep.
Push Sweep: Also known as the 'stupid simple sweep'. Similar principle to a SCISSOR SWEEP, except that
you push on the top of the knee rather than chopping with your leg and don't necessarily have a shin against
the stomach. Aesopian notes it can work off a failed scissor sweep as well.

R
Rash guard: A tight-fitting piece of clothing used to prevent rashes, skin disease, and other injuries.
Rear Naked Choke: A choke executed from back control where a competitor wraps one bare arm around the

opponents neck (hence the naked) and reinforces that grip with the other arm to force a tap out.
Rear mount: A mount position in which the top fighter is on the bottom fighter's back.
Rear naked choke: A kind of choke taken from behind the opponent.
Reversal: Fighter moves from an inferior to a superior position.
Reverse mount: Also known as "north-south mount", a position in which the fighters' heads are facing
opposite directions.
Roundhouse Kick: A roundhouse kick (also known as a round kick or turning kick) is a kick in which the
fighter swings the leg around in a semicircular motion, striking with the front of the leg or foot
Rubber guard: full guard, but you twist your leg so your foot is facing your opponent, and you grab your
ankle with the hand on the same side, trapping his arm and shoulder between your arm and leg. An effective
rubber guard can lead to omaplata and gogoplata submission holds.
Rubber match: A fight to decide who the better fighter is between two fighters who have previously fought
and beaten each other.

S
S-mount: A high top mount where one of your knees is down and youre sitting out on the other side.
Sambo: A Russian martial art that combines elements of wrestling and Japanese Judo. Sambo is especially
vaunted for its leg submissions. One of the most famous practitioners of Sambo is Fedor Emelianenko.
Scarf hold: A method of side control where youre sitting on the side of a downed opponent with one arm
wrapped around the opponents neck or under the arm.
Scissor Sweep: also known as hasamigaeshi. A sweep partly accomplished by applying force with a leg on
either side of your opponent, hence the 'scissor' description.
Shoot Fighting: A term that refers to "real" fights (as opposed to matches that are "worked" or have a
predetermined outcome). "Shoot Fighting" also refers to a hybrid fighting style that incorporates the best
elements of other martial arts. One of the most famous fighters to claim "Shoot Fighting" is Ken Shamrock.
Shrimping: A grappling technique utilized by a mounted fighter, who will look to turn to their side, pull
their knee through to the chest and secure a more positive half guard position.
Side Control: A position where a competitor immobilizes an opponent by lying perpendicularly across the
other player, who is on his back or side, controlling the head and hips.
Side Mount: otherwise known as side control, your opponent is chest to chest with you with both of his legs
to one of your sides.
Single-/double-leg take down: in wrestling, a single-leg take down is, simply, grabbing one of your
opponents legs at the thigh with both arms and driving forward, knocking him onto his back. The double-leg

take down is more effective, with your arms wrapped around both his thighs, pulling his legs together and
knocking him over as you drive forward. Lifting while performing this take down can increase effectiveness
and also helps to direct your opponent towards where you want to go, be it towards a cage wall or into the
middle of the fighting area. Some fighters like to lift their opponent onto their shoulder using the double-leg
maneuver and then slam them. Small Joint Manipulation. Any variation of submission holds which consist of
twisting, popping, or hyper-extending a small joint, such as the fingers or toes. Such holds are illegal in all
Mixed Martial Arts contests.
Sit-Out: this move occurs when a fighter claims their opponent's back in a sitting or standing position, only
for the position to then be reversed when the fighter in the disadvantageous position reaches back between
their foe's legs to grab a knee and switch positions.
Sit-Up Sweep: also known as chest to chest, hip bump and hip heist. A sweep from the guard where you
open your legs, sit up (pushing off an arm), isolate an arm by the elbow, raise your hips, then swivel in place
to end up in mount.
Slick Submissions: Slick submission fighters are all about getting the fight to the ground, and they dont
care if they have to pull guard to do it. Most slick submission fighters are just as comfortable off their backs
as they are in top position, and they are certainly just as dangerous. Grip control, sneaky submission
transitions, and fluid sweeps all play major factors in a slick submission fighter's success.
Sliding Choke: A choke in which one forearm is pressed against the neck gripping a collar, while the other
pulls down on the remaining lapel, the additional leverage of which results in the choke.
Snake: See hip escape.
Spider guard: A type of guard performed by putting your feet on your opponents hips and controlling the
opponents arms with your hands and flared out knees.
Spike: Any attacking move that is perceived as being an intentional attempt to slam an opponents head into
the mat. Spiking is an illegal move in mixed martial arts.
Spinning Back-Fist: A punch where a competitor starts out facing his opponent and then spins around
quickly with one fist outstretched, using the momentum generated from the spin to put force behind the
resulting contact, which occurs when the spin comes full circle.
Spinning Back-Kick: A kick executed in a manner similar to the spinning back-fist.
Sprawl: A response to a takedown attempt, where the competitor jumps back, drops his hips, and drives his
weight into the opponent who is attempting to take him down.
Sprawl and Brawl: Fighters more comfortable with striking prefer this style of fighting. Unlike standard
striking styles the fighter must adapt their techniques to actively defend takedowns and avoid the ground
game. Due to this many strikers practice short combinations of three strikes or less, usually power shots, as
well as takedown counterstrikes. Some of these, such as a flying knee or rising kick, result in a KO if a single
shot connects. Lately many good wrestlers have learned to strike and used this style effectively, due to their
heightened takedown defense. Popular sprawl and brawl fighters are KJ Noons, Chuck Liddell, and generally
anyone with professional striking experience.
Square stance: A type of fighting stance where both of an individuals legs are aligned without a lead leg.
This is typically a defensive stance.

Stack: Smashing an opponents legs back into his body.

Stalemate: When two fighters cannot advance position or gain success in a sustained grappling position.
Straight punch: Reverse hand punch aimed straight toward the fighter's target.
Strawweight: division in mma generally refers to competitors weighing between 106 and 115 lb
Superman: A punch where a competitor fakes a front kick and then draws the kicking leg back quickly,
while simultaneously throwing a punch with the same side fist. The force of the kick is transferred to the
punch, and the supporting foot leaves the ground.
Suplex: An amateur wrestling throw commonly obtained through a bodylock position from an opponent's
back .The aggressor uses the bodylock to lift their opponent up and over in a back arching motion so that the
opponent lands on their shoulder blade area.
Sweep: A move where a competitor who has an opponent in the guard takes away the opponents balance,
turns him over, and ends up on top, frequently in the mount. Sweeps are dependent upon the sweepers
ability to remove all of the opponents supports on one side, by making it impossible for the opponent to
base out with a hand or a foot.
Swing for the Fences: An expression indicating that competitors are giving it everything theyve got in the
final seconds of a round or a match. (e.g., Hes swinging for the fences to try to get the decision.)

T
Takedown: A method for getting an opponent on the ground and getting on top of him, borrowed heavily
from wrestling. Competitors can shoot in for a takedown or attempt one from the clinch.
Tap Out: The way to submit to a finishing hold because it is on securely and the opponent is in pain or in
danger of being put to sleep. Competitors who tap out literally tap the mat or the opponent to signal that they
want the opponent to stop.
Take the back: Transition to behind the opponent, your chest to their back and controlling their movement.
Technical knockout (TKO): The result of a fight when the referee determines that one fighter cannot
adequately defend himself or is in danger of serious injury.
Technical Mount: also known as seated mount and sitting mount. This is generally a transition from
MOUNT, when your partner attempts to turn onto their side. Your knee shifts up towards their head, while
your other leg steps across, the foot staying tight to their hip. It is common to attack with chokes and armbars
from here.
Teep: A type of Muay Thai style front kick, also known as the 'push kick'.
Throw: there are a variety of throws in MMA and martial arts in general. The most common is the hip toss,
which is similar to the trip. You hold onto your opponent and step into him, partially putting your back to
him while twisting. As you do so you pull your opponent over your outstretched hip, sending him spiraling

over your midsection and onto the ground on the other side of your leg. Advanced practitioners don't let go
of their opponent during his motion and can transition seamlessly into an armbar or another similar
submission position. Some MMA fighters utilize Judo throws, but the issue with Judo in MMA, similar to
Jiu-Jitsu, is that the gi is not permitted. Many Judo and Jiu-Jitsu techniques rely on being able to grab onto
your own gi or your opponents. Some fighters have trained in these disciplines extensively without gi's in
order to overcome that obstacle.
Tie/Tie-up: A technique where one or both of a fighters arms are used to control the position of an
opponent.
Toe hold: like the heel hook, but with a focus on the foot and ankle, directly twisting the foot by holding it
with one hand at the toes and the other at the achilles tendon
Top mount: A dominant position where an opponent on his back is straddled by an opponent on his knees.
Triangle choke: you'll usually see the triangle choke applied from guard, where the man on the bottom traps
his opponents head and one arm between his legs, with one leg tightly overlapping and trapping the other at
the back of the knee. One or both of the hands can be used to pull down on the head of the opponent locked
in the hold to increase pressure.
Trip: the most common trip you will see occurs when your opponent has you in a body lock. He will step
forward, putting his front leg behind your leg, and trip you up with it, sending you falling backwards with
him chest-to-chest while you tumble. Sometimes your opponent will fall forward in order to ensure you will
trip over his outstretched leg and foot.
Turtle mount: Also called "rear mount", the back mount position when the fighter's opponent is on "all
fours" and the top fighter wraps his or her legs around the opponent's hips for stability.
Twister: a cross between side control and half guard, twister involves facing your opponents feet while in
half guard, putting your hand on your opponents knee and creating space to spin into full mount.
Two on One: when one fighter grips their opponent's forearm/wrist area with two hands.

U
Undercard: Fights preceding the main event.
Underhooks (single/double): putting your arm underneath your opponents arm and holding his midsection
or upper body; two underhooks is called double underhooks and clasping your hands together behind your
opponent's back is called a body lock. Using double underhooks enables you to maneuver your opponent and
possibly slam him.
UPA: See bridge.
Uppercut: A punch the competitor executes by bringing the fist up sharply and quickly, into the face or the
body of the opponent.

V
Vale Tudo: Portuguese for "anything goes." This term is made in reference to the "no holds barred" fighting
events that began in Brazil. Vale Tudo events are now illegal in Brazil, for the most part, and are looked upon
as a bygone era of our developing sport.

W
Wild Brawlers: Wild brawlers employ a bolo-swinging, cage slamming style similar to how you would fight
in prison or on the street. Their go-for-broke style is usually due to a lack of training, but many wild brawlers
fight this way as a matter of choice rather than a consequence. This overwhelming style works to their
advantage most times, as opponents can't find a rhythm to counter. Sometimes, usually in the face of a calm
technician, this style falls apart rather easily. Popular wild brawlers include Charles "Krazy Horse" Bennett,
Tank Abbot, and Thomas Denny
Wrap: Wrapping an opponents arm behind his own head to disable its use.

X
X Guard: It is either a form of the open guard or the half guard, depending on your point of view. You end
up here a lot when you use the butterfly guard, especially when your opponent posts his foot to stop your
sweeps