There are a lot of techniques in martial arts to choose from, and people will spend countless hours that bear little actual result in their overall fighting ability. Look at arts like Aikido that claim to have as many as 10,000 technique variations yet most practitioners can’t actually defend themselves. So it’s important to master high percentage dependable techniques to be a truly successful fighter and martial artist. So here is the 5 most important techniques to master if you want to be capable.
The Jab Cross - There is nothing more dependable than a good 1-2. Fighters have built careers off of it and a master of the jab cross is a force to be reckoned with in the ring or in self defense. You can control range, counter, and KO all while keeping safe. Mastery of the Jab Cross also means mastery of everything that goes into it, from a tight guard, footwork, head movement, built in defenses while throwing the punches, breathing, and angles. So someone who becomes excellent at the jab cross must really be excellent at a lot of other skills as well.
The Front Kick - It’s versatile, powerful, deceptive, and anyone can do it. You can create level changes, attack the body, set up other strikes off of it, and teep someone back. Someone who is master of the front kick can finish a fight quickly and it ties in really well with the other techniques we describe here.
The Single Leg - The ability to take your opponent down is unparalleled in its use. You can control where the fight takes place, and if the fight goes badly you can always shoot and gain dominance.
The Guard Stand Up - In any guard there are 4 basic things you can do: sweep, submit, take the back, and stand up. You can do an awful lot of ground defense with very little training if you learn how to safely get back up. It’s the most bang for your buck so to speak in ground defense. Like the other techniques here, it also means that you must master other aspects like hip escapes, posture control, underhooks, framing, and a whole lot of other important techniques to get good at the stand up. But once you can do it, you can keep the fight on your terms and since one of the most dangerous things that can happen in a fight is having someone get on top of you, this skill is vital.
The Chin Frame - This one may surprise people but learning how to frame and turn away the chin is an underrated skill. You can defend a lot of basic self defense with it, stop a lot of takedowns, clinches, wall clinches, and even a lot of inferior ground positions. It ties in with an awful lot of positions and is a simple thing that any beginner can learn.
Now go train! Or at least watch some content about training if you are at home, if you need a recommendation, you know where to go.
Greg Koval
Devil Dog Martial Arts
Bedford Hts, OH
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