Why do strikers let opponents stand? My theory, they're dumb (or arrogant). When the dude is down kick him!!!!!!! I know you can't kick the head on the ground, or throat or back or pelvic area anywhere, or stomp (in most MMA) but dammit kicking in the gut or side still hurts like hell. When strkiers allow a guy they rocked to stand up it's just bad tactics, they're being way to prideful and stupid in my opinion. Who cares about a butterfly guard or sweep I'm sure it's way easier to circle a grounded guy than a standing guy. Kick'em in the thigh or side if your too slow to pass their kicks and sweeps. You don't just have to strike you might be able to slam them or catch them in a hook in a up/down position too. So why do strikers let their opponents stand back up.
I don't think it matters all that much. mny strikers are trained not to hit people when they are down. That probably the simplest answer.
Not all good strikers are good at punishing an opponent who lays on his back, or ground and pounding in particular. If you think you have a your most significant strategy edge on a guy standing, then you want him standing with you for as much time in the fight as possible, and letting him right back to his feet is the fastest way to get that done. Additionally, if your ground game is extremely poor, there is no reason to take the chance of getting tripped, swept, sucked into guard or taken down by moving in on someone laying there. Also, you will see guys who are gassed or taking damage go to their back for a rest, and often they are perfectly willing to take leg kicks from you, while they get their wind back. Making them stand back up further drains their energy.
There is a reason, not sure what it is but these fighters LIVE for fighting. Maybe they would rather knock someone out, or possibly it is to easy to get penalized, or perhaps they rish being brought to the ground. I assume proffesional fighters know more about fighting than I do, and thus I assume that they know what theyre doing..Maybe Im wrong.
because there are plenty of grapplers who are capable of grabbing that leg and slapping on a leglock. ive seen people do it. with guys like Mark Hunt and Cro Cop they often let guys stand up because they -know- they can win the fight standing up.
And it doesn't take that much skill either - there are sub-ameteur level guys who will take you down in a heartbeat if you try to take them down, and the leglock isn't the only thing you have to worry about at that point.
One striker who plays the game very well is Wanderlei Silva. His attacks on a grounded opponent are legendary. The fact is, though, that attacking a grounded opponent carries dangers of its own and for people like Cro Cop he can't afford to spend too much time training on his attacks to the ground and still maintain his vast superiority over the majority of PRIDE fighters in striking. Having his opponent get back up places the fight back into his comfort zone
IMO, if you just rocked a guy and got him to fall on the ground, a few painful kicks to the side or thigh won't do anything in helping you knock him out, but if you let him stand back up right away, you've got a higher percent chance of knocking him out and ending it, not just doing something that "hurts like hell."
Irishstomp has hit the correct with a painful thigh kick All it does by forcing someone to lie there and defend kicks is allow them to recover & regain their senses. If you haven't got the skills to follow them down and finish them, what other option have they got?
Aside from possible submissions, its extremely difficult to simply kick a guy in the head- just as if you were on the ground, you have to get past his guard before you can really effectively attack him. As far as simply kicking an opponent while hes down, bear in mind that if you're kicking as his thighs, you stand a good chance of hitting his knee or his shins, which are much harder than your feet. So besides the chance of a possible leg lock or sweep, you can also hurt yourself by constantly trying to kick a downed opponent. Also take this into account- many BJJ fighters will sit to guard after a strong strike to regain their composure- by trying to kick at them on the ground, they can defend until they gather their wits and eventually stand up- By immediately allowing the ref to stand them up, you rob them of recovery time on the ground, giving you a better chance of knocking them out once you're restarted on the feet.
I do, anytime I see guys continuing the attack without getting caught in the guard they usually win, like when Andrei Arvloski beat that other Russian dude. Saw some Pride fight on youtube where some dude (sorry forgot the name and the link ain't there anymore) kept hitting the dude forcing the guy into the turtle position and kept hitting from there. I just think too many people are too worried about the guard or a sweep. Still think up/down position (is that the right name?) favors a good striker. I've personally never been sweeped, leglocked or caught in a submission whenever I started kicking them on the ground. You just gotta watch the dude your kicking. Maybe a gut or thigh kick won't hurt as much as a head kick or stomp but I still think they hurt a lot. I agree.
A strong striker bringing his (presumably weaker) opponent back to his feet is no different to watching the Gracies (in bygone days), lying on their backs, refusing to stand up and taunting their opponents for not coming to ground. Gracie standup wasn't worth discussing but their ground game was formidable. End result? They would simply shoot for guard, or drop their knees to the ground during a take down "attempt" etc. and force the striking opponent into a state of weakness (ie. onto the ground and into the world of grappling). They would even lie on their backs and refuse to get up following their own failed takedown attempts. Hoping that their jeers and taunts would bring the striker to the ground. Odd thing is, when strikers with limited ground skills started doing the same (i.e. forcing strong grapplers into a state of weakness [onto their feet]) everyone started complaining... "Why doesn't he go to the ground!!???!!! Aaarrgghhhh...!!! This is MMA!!!" I always found that confusing. This is MMA. That means, the dominant fighter gets to call the shots. This means, grapplers are MADE to confront strikers. Strikers are MADE to confront grapplers. With time, we've regressed (and in doing so progressed) to a state where most of today's fighters can hold their own in all three combat zones. The basic strategy of MMA isn't complicated; - Utilize your strengths. - Limit your opponent to the constraints of his weaknesses. In an ideal world, all MMA fighters would be good "all round fighters" but, of course, most come from a specific background (kickboxing, bjj etc). That's changing. However, ultimately, if a fighter notes that an opponent is weak in a given area - that's where they take him on. Sound strategy indeed. He's weak on the ground... ...take him there. He's weak on his feet... ...make him standup. Can't clinch for toffee... ...bung him around like a cheap rag-doll. But certainly don't feel obligated to follow an opponent into his areas of strength! If a solid grappler wants you on the ground... ...it's up to him to get you there. The fight starts standing up... ...not lying down. K-eep I-t S-imple S-tup... -V-
