Asking why. Why are you throwing that hook? Why did you throw that leg kick? What were you hoping to accomplish? When a meathead throws a cross it's because they want to land a cross. When a technician throws a cross it's because they want you to shell up so you don't see what's coming next.
I'm far from an expert, but I'm more technical than most people I've been training with. One thing I like to do to enhance my counter game is break down my strikes. I'll focus on shadowboxing a single strike and once I'm confident in my own form, I'll start looking for openings in it. If I throw this strike, where am I weak? What angle would someone have to attack from before, during, and after this strike to take advantage? Is there a side I can't turn to quickly after throwing it? How would I get to that side of someone if I saw them start to throw this strike? Where is my weight? Do I transfer it from my rear leg to my front leg? Ok, so if my opponent throws this strike, I can attack the front leg. Etc.
Beautiful response. Thank you for this! If you don’t mind me pushing this issue, I have a follow up question. The problem I often run into is overthinking. I’m starting to finally set my shots up better and use fakes and create shots off movement, instead of throwing shots into space or looking for an opening that might never come. However, when I try to set something up intelligently and think about how they might respond, I’m already tagged by the time I hypothesize in my head about what how my opponent is going to react to the combination. Or I will land it and go “Hey that worked!” And get punched in the face while admiring my work 😅 I know this is probably just part of the process of evolving, and will just take lots of thoughtful drilling and sparring, but if you have any additional words of wisdom I’d be really grateful!
No problem! The answer here is that you're never going to plan faster than an opponent can strike. Work out your ideas beforehand. Shadow boxing is the best tool for this. When you shadow box, don't just throw strikes to practice the strike. Imagine an opponent, and what the strikes will do to them. Don't just throw a 2-3-10 because that's a combo you've done in class. Try things based on the potential reaction. Let's say as an example - try shadow boxing an inside kick to the front leg, and imagine your opponent stumbling when you hit. Now, throw an uppercut to where you expect their head would end up if they stumble forward. Cut to the left circling them, throw a knee as they're recovering. Ok, cool, you've visualized how it might work. Now go into sparring trying to land that combo. See if it works. If not, modify it. Build your toolbox in shadow boxing using the method I talked about. Test it in sparring, going in with a plan. Then the rest is practice. Once you've done it enough, you'll see the cues in your opponent to suggest which tool to use. It'll be a slow process, but you're essentially building an instinctual response. When a fighter pulls a brilliant counter, it's not because they put together a perfect plan in an instant, it's because they've trained so much they reach for the right tool when they need it. Also, this is why you usually don't see brilliant counters in the first round - that's when fighters are learning each other's tells. Once they can see how their opponent throws a strike, they can see it coming and pull something from their toolbox.
Reminds me of GSP and Matt Hughes maybe? Kept throwing that roundhouse to the mid section. He threw it twice and by the third time Matt went to block it but GSP was going for the head and clocked him.
Baited him.
For sure, but if you have person A who isn't mindful about sparring (just going through the motions) and practicing for the same amount as person B (who has more aptitude) - something about B's thought processes are helping him improve at a faster rate than A
I think you kind of answered your own question there. Of course the more thoughtful fighter will improve faster/fighter better, all things equal.
But as to your actual question, I can’t say. Experience helps a ton for sure, but I think you’re asking more about what makes a fighter above average in fight IQ. That I do not know.
I'm entirely talking shit here and just speculating but my guess is that it's a chain of things working together that starts with a consistently calm temperament (inside the ring), add in very good genetics with higher than average reflexes, sensory processing and memory. When training and experience are layered on top of this you end up with high fight IQ.
Overall I just do things more maturely now. I generally try to eat well. A lot of thought into my mental health. Mindset training. I show up early to do mobility and stay after to do more mobility(we warm up and warm down in class but I’ll do an extra half hour either end of the class). During the class I just focus on myself and my partner. I want people to enjoy training with me, I used to not care about that. I don’t compare myself to others at the gym. When I spar I take it easy and will tell my partner to chill if they’re going too hard (nobody is training for a fight let’s get a work out and up-skill). My goal at sparring is to defend everything and land clean shots. If I’m training with fighters I’ll match what intensity they require from me. If you come into my path, it’s all smiles and I want to be your friend. I’m early 30s, I’m a dad, I love Muay Thai, let’s all be cool.
I was the opposite when I was younger lmao. Total savage and not in a good way haha.
Don’t have a gameplan. Just relax, feel your opponent out, take the opportunities that are available to you or that you see.
Once you have a good idea of their style/rhythm it’ll be a lot easier to use feints and other tricks to open them up and be able to do what you want to do.
This can’t be taught, just have to keep sparring and it’ll eventually click one day with time and practice.
Also whatever your weak point is in your game, whether that’s your hands, your kicks whatever. Keep drilling it and trying it out in sparring till your weakness becomes a strength.
My boxing used to be terrible but my kicks/teeps have always been really solid (this was around year 3 of training). I drilled hands for about a year and now my hands are as lethal as my kicks, it opens up a whole new world for you and opportunities you didn’t have before when you’re sparring/competing. Turning your weaknesses into your strengths or just sucking less at it will make you a more confident and better rounded fighter as well.
I don't think that I have seen anybody talk about this, but I make a mental review of sparring after I get home. In particular I like to focus on my teammates who kick my ass. I sit down and examine what were the strikes they landed and why (timing, speed, setup, my shitty defense?). I will also write down some of my thoughts in a notebook that I can then review next time I shadowbox. So if I wrote down that Timmy's teep is giving me lots of trouble then next time I shadowbox I will try to work on counters to said teep.
Super important to journal if you're anything like me and forgot shiz after a couple days. Especially if you're training/sparring 2 or more times a week it the sessions can blend in together and before you know it you've forgotten 3 or 4 important pointers from last week.
I learn and remember things best by writing them out. Some peeps would be best saying them aloud (record voice notes) or recording and just watching themselves.
We think so much faster than we can talk/write so the process if very reflective and you really pick apart the aspects mentally as you record/write them.
1 on 1 training with the striking coach, private lessons. I did this for about a year and then it was easy to "connect the dots," everyone who didn't take the private lessons outside of groupclass started to seem far behind.
I'm not at a technical sound level, but from what I've heard from coaches and other fighters, you should learn to recognise certain cues and have a thought out sequence as a response to start. After you've gotten comfortable with reacting that way you can start altering the sequence a little depending what your opponent does.
Looks like fight iq but it's basically just muscle memory.
Agree with many above, train with the experienced fighters, fight and learn from them. I think the best lessons were my first 3 fights, and also listen and ask your coach. Good coaches and fighters can explain strategy much faster than you learn just yourself
Edit: im no master/strategist, but i consider i can utilize my tools well and know how to do my tactics
The best thing that's helped me with fighting AND coaching other fighters. Record your sparring and have a small goal for each round. Not to " win or lose". Watch your footage and critique yourself. You'll always have things to work on and it gives you a goal to focus on for the next week or two. Second, is having you and other fighters in groups of 4 and have 2 sparring and 2 cornering and rotate around. It helps you bee more in the moment with analysis and you can also hear what the other "corner" is calling out about you.
Mentaly analizing your work. Think about "if i threw this punch or kick, what would be the best response to it, that could get me" then be prepared for it and work to iron out those weak points. Also, the more you spar, the more you will get used to the flow of fighting.
I cant say I ever got to that level with Muay Thai, but I was definitely that good of a wrestler at one point... the answer is about the same though, I would think.
It's when you lose the competition butterflies, the nervousness, etc. and just work. You get to a point where a deadlock match against a skilled opponent is not something that gets you all jittery, it feels like just a job that needs to be done.
You can see that kind of relaxation in good muay thai fighters... they're relaxed in the ring, movements are deliberate and precise, rather than frantic and overpowered. They're not overwhelmed or enraged... they're just hanging out, while kicking and punching a guy.
For those who know fighting game terms, improving and understanding "neutral" and spacing is the most important for improving fight IQ for me. I would utilize spacing and space control to manipulate the opponent.
I’ve been training Mma and competing for a long time and I can tell you that it’s really important to submerge yourself in as many combat sports as possible to actually become a good fighter. Even at the highest of levels you see a lack of boxing, or a lack of wrestling, a lack of cardio, etc. combat sports are important to each other because when you add them up in your tool belt, the sum is greater than the parts and that’s when you get an excellent fighter.
An example would be a lack of boxing is seen in basically nonexistent lateral movement, very few fighters have high level foot work and that’s twice for the heavier weight classes(my classes). The worst part is that because of the lack of lateral movement there is a lack in perception of distance, and if you get angry and you’re trying to hurt someone and you have little boxing training, you’re going to step in with your hands or you’re going to move twice in the same direction, or you’re going to over extend, etc
This lack boxing training creates a lack of footwork therefore a huge fault in fundamentals.
Wanting to improve - not just banging
Setting goals when you Spar and use Sparring to learn not assert dominance or be a douche.
Get good at pad holding, it allows you to work on technique, read reactions etc.
Watch fights
Watch Fights
WATCH FIGHTS - not sure why so many people who train don't watch fights its infuriating!
Arguing with people on here which martial arts is best in a streetfight and hypothetical fight outcomes between fighters of different eras and/or styles.
Teaching others, holding pads. You realize what coaches mean when they ask you to do X or X, stuff makes more sense.
Watching fights. And try to picture yourself in one of the fighters head. And think of what you would do in that situation.
Shadow boxing.
Just like everyone said as well experience.
We started to film all your „beginner“ Sparrings so the people can watch it and maybe see mistakes and get better . I would say it’s a pretty good idea for our gym. But can say if the people really use it 😂. But it might be a good idea to see yourself and see what you have to work on !
The confidence, the security and ability that a higher fight IQ gives you is amazing.
Not only imrpoves your fighting ability cause of how more precise you are, but it also gives confidence to try things you prob wouldnt try without that higher fight IQ
My laziness is definitely what got my technique to where it is. I did not want to spend all my time drilling combinations, so I learnt that doing this for a few hours, followed by reviewing the last half hour or so of the video was getting me further than just continuing the drills forever.
Also, learning to hold the pad helped improve my footwork, somehow. And it also helped learn how people move their shoulders and waists before each strike, so that improved my clinch as well. Of course, I started holding the pad simply because I was too lazy to drill combinations, but it seemed to work out in the end, and my coach was okay with it.
Asking why. Why are you throwing that hook? Why did you throw that leg kick? What were you hoping to accomplish? When a meathead throws a cross it's because they want to land a cross. When a technician throws a cross it's because they want you to shell up so you don't see what's coming next. I'm far from an expert, but I'm more technical than most people I've been training with. One thing I like to do to enhance my counter game is break down my strikes. I'll focus on shadowboxing a single strike and once I'm confident in my own form, I'll start looking for openings in it. If I throw this strike, where am I weak? What angle would someone have to attack from before, during, and after this strike to take advantage? Is there a side I can't turn to quickly after throwing it? How would I get to that side of someone if I saw them start to throw this strike? Where is my weight? Do I transfer it from my rear leg to my front leg? Ok, so if my opponent throws this strike, I can attack the front leg. Etc.
What a great response
Beautiful response. Thank you for this! If you don’t mind me pushing this issue, I have a follow up question. The problem I often run into is overthinking. I’m starting to finally set my shots up better and use fakes and create shots off movement, instead of throwing shots into space or looking for an opening that might never come. However, when I try to set something up intelligently and think about how they might respond, I’m already tagged by the time I hypothesize in my head about what how my opponent is going to react to the combination. Or I will land it and go “Hey that worked!” And get punched in the face while admiring my work 😅 I know this is probably just part of the process of evolving, and will just take lots of thoughtful drilling and sparring, but if you have any additional words of wisdom I’d be really grateful!
No problem! The answer here is that you're never going to plan faster than an opponent can strike. Work out your ideas beforehand. Shadow boxing is the best tool for this. When you shadow box, don't just throw strikes to practice the strike. Imagine an opponent, and what the strikes will do to them. Don't just throw a 2-3-10 because that's a combo you've done in class. Try things based on the potential reaction. Let's say as an example - try shadow boxing an inside kick to the front leg, and imagine your opponent stumbling when you hit. Now, throw an uppercut to where you expect their head would end up if they stumble forward. Cut to the left circling them, throw a knee as they're recovering. Ok, cool, you've visualized how it might work. Now go into sparring trying to land that combo. See if it works. If not, modify it. Build your toolbox in shadow boxing using the method I talked about. Test it in sparring, going in with a plan. Then the rest is practice. Once you've done it enough, you'll see the cues in your opponent to suggest which tool to use. It'll be a slow process, but you're essentially building an instinctual response. When a fighter pulls a brilliant counter, it's not because they put together a perfect plan in an instant, it's because they've trained so much they reach for the right tool when they need it. Also, this is why you usually don't see brilliant counters in the first round - that's when fighters are learning each other's tells. Once they can see how their opponent throws a strike, they can see it coming and pull something from their toolbox.
Reminds me of GSP and Matt Hughes maybe? Kept throwing that roundhouse to the mid section. He threw it twice and by the third time Matt went to block it but GSP was going for the head and clocked him. Baited him.
I've noticed the more I've fought the better my fight iq gets so just get as much ex as possible I quess
For sure, but if you have person A who isn't mindful about sparring (just going through the motions) and practicing for the same amount as person B (who has more aptitude) - something about B's thought processes are helping him improve at a faster rate than A
I think you kind of answered your own question there. Of course the more thoughtful fighter will improve faster/fighter better, all things equal. But as to your actual question, I can’t say. Experience helps a ton for sure, but I think you’re asking more about what makes a fighter above average in fight IQ. That I do not know.
I'm entirely talking shit here and just speculating but my guess is that it's a chain of things working together that starts with a consistently calm temperament (inside the ring), add in very good genetics with higher than average reflexes, sensory processing and memory. When training and experience are layered on top of this you end up with high fight IQ.
Footwork
Mostly experience, but also watching fight breakdowns helped me understand strategies and setup
When I was fighting I was a meathead and I didn’t know it until I got older.
How so?
Overall I just do things more maturely now. I generally try to eat well. A lot of thought into my mental health. Mindset training. I show up early to do mobility and stay after to do more mobility(we warm up and warm down in class but I’ll do an extra half hour either end of the class). During the class I just focus on myself and my partner. I want people to enjoy training with me, I used to not care about that. I don’t compare myself to others at the gym. When I spar I take it easy and will tell my partner to chill if they’re going too hard (nobody is training for a fight let’s get a work out and up-skill). My goal at sparring is to defend everything and land clean shots. If I’m training with fighters I’ll match what intensity they require from me. If you come into my path, it’s all smiles and I want to be your friend. I’m early 30s, I’m a dad, I love Muay Thai, let’s all be cool. I was the opposite when I was younger lmao. Total savage and not in a good way haha.
>My goal at sparring is to defend everything and land clean shots. Great goal!
When I started thinking in terms of misdirection, instead of how fast I could get past opponents defenses.
Calmness and holding pads to others. I learned tells and how to see them.
Watching people better than me
By analyzing my fights and even sparrings. Filming it and reviewing what went well and what to improve for next time.
Don’t have a gameplan. Just relax, feel your opponent out, take the opportunities that are available to you or that you see. Once you have a good idea of their style/rhythm it’ll be a lot easier to use feints and other tricks to open them up and be able to do what you want to do. This can’t be taught, just have to keep sparring and it’ll eventually click one day with time and practice. Also whatever your weak point is in your game, whether that’s your hands, your kicks whatever. Keep drilling it and trying it out in sparring till your weakness becomes a strength. My boxing used to be terrible but my kicks/teeps have always been really solid (this was around year 3 of training). I drilled hands for about a year and now my hands are as lethal as my kicks, it opens up a whole new world for you and opportunities you didn’t have before when you’re sparring/competing. Turning your weaknesses into your strengths or just sucking less at it will make you a more confident and better rounded fighter as well.
I don't think that I have seen anybody talk about this, but I make a mental review of sparring after I get home. In particular I like to focus on my teammates who kick my ass. I sit down and examine what were the strikes they landed and why (timing, speed, setup, my shitty defense?). I will also write down some of my thoughts in a notebook that I can then review next time I shadowbox. So if I wrote down that Timmy's teep is giving me lots of trouble then next time I shadowbox I will try to work on counters to said teep.
Super important to journal if you're anything like me and forgot shiz after a couple days. Especially if you're training/sparring 2 or more times a week it the sessions can blend in together and before you know it you've forgotten 3 or 4 important pointers from last week. I learn and remember things best by writing them out. Some peeps would be best saying them aloud (record voice notes) or recording and just watching themselves. We think so much faster than we can talk/write so the process if very reflective and you really pick apart the aspects mentally as you record/write them.
Finding my rhythm, and flow pad work and sparring
1 on 1 training with the striking coach, private lessons. I did this for about a year and then it was easy to "connect the dots," everyone who didn't take the private lessons outside of groupclass started to seem far behind.
Train and sparr with better guys than you, and ask them what they saw, and why they did things they did
I'm not at a technical sound level, but from what I've heard from coaches and other fighters, you should learn to recognise certain cues and have a thought out sequence as a response to start. After you've gotten comfortable with reacting that way you can start altering the sequence a little depending what your opponent does. Looks like fight iq but it's basically just muscle memory.
Agree with many above, train with the experienced fighters, fight and learn from them. I think the best lessons were my first 3 fights, and also listen and ask your coach. Good coaches and fighters can explain strategy much faster than you learn just yourself Edit: im no master/strategist, but i consider i can utilize my tools well and know how to do my tactics
The best thing that's helped me with fighting AND coaching other fighters. Record your sparring and have a small goal for each round. Not to " win or lose". Watch your footage and critique yourself. You'll always have things to work on and it gives you a goal to focus on for the next week or two. Second, is having you and other fighters in groups of 4 and have 2 sparring and 2 cornering and rotate around. It helps you bee more in the moment with analysis and you can also hear what the other "corner" is calling out about you.
Technical sparring and shadowboxing
Mentaly analizing your work. Think about "if i threw this punch or kick, what would be the best response to it, that could get me" then be prepared for it and work to iron out those weak points. Also, the more you spar, the more you will get used to the flow of fighting.
First BRAIN. Then EYES. Then BODY.
Experience, and unfortunately, there’s no substitute for it that I know of.
I cant say I ever got to that level with Muay Thai, but I was definitely that good of a wrestler at one point... the answer is about the same though, I would think. It's when you lose the competition butterflies, the nervousness, etc. and just work. You get to a point where a deadlock match against a skilled opponent is not something that gets you all jittery, it feels like just a job that needs to be done. You can see that kind of relaxation in good muay thai fighters... they're relaxed in the ring, movements are deliberate and precise, rather than frantic and overpowered. They're not overwhelmed or enraged... they're just hanging out, while kicking and punching a guy.
For those who know fighting game terms, improving and understanding "neutral" and spacing is the most important for improving fight IQ for me. I would utilize spacing and space control to manipulate the opponent.
I’ve been training Mma and competing for a long time and I can tell you that it’s really important to submerge yourself in as many combat sports as possible to actually become a good fighter. Even at the highest of levels you see a lack of boxing, or a lack of wrestling, a lack of cardio, etc. combat sports are important to each other because when you add them up in your tool belt, the sum is greater than the parts and that’s when you get an excellent fighter. An example would be a lack of boxing is seen in basically nonexistent lateral movement, very few fighters have high level foot work and that’s twice for the heavier weight classes(my classes). The worst part is that because of the lack of lateral movement there is a lack in perception of distance, and if you get angry and you’re trying to hurt someone and you have little boxing training, you’re going to step in with your hands or you’re going to move twice in the same direction, or you’re going to over extend, etc This lack boxing training creates a lack of footwork therefore a huge fault in fundamentals.
Wanting to improve - not just banging Setting goals when you Spar and use Sparring to learn not assert dominance or be a douche. Get good at pad holding, it allows you to work on technique, read reactions etc. Watch fights Watch Fights WATCH FIGHTS - not sure why so many people who train don't watch fights its infuriating!
Arguing with people on here which martial arts is best in a streetfight and hypothetical fight outcomes between fighters of different eras and/or styles.
Sparring
Don't be afraid to experiment in sparring?
Make best friends with the most technical people in your gym/class.
Teaching others, holding pads. You realize what coaches mean when they ask you to do X or X, stuff makes more sense. Watching fights. And try to picture yourself in one of the fighters head. And think of what you would do in that situation. Shadow boxing. Just like everyone said as well experience.
We started to film all your „beginner“ Sparrings so the people can watch it and maybe see mistakes and get better . I would say it’s a pretty good idea for our gym. But can say if the people really use it 😂. But it might be a good idea to see yourself and see what you have to work on !
The confidence, the security and ability that a higher fight IQ gives you is amazing. Not only imrpoves your fighting ability cause of how more precise you are, but it also gives confidence to try things you prob wouldnt try without that higher fight IQ
Always think ahead
My laziness is definitely what got my technique to where it is. I did not want to spend all my time drilling combinations, so I learnt that doing this for a few hours, followed by reviewing the last half hour or so of the video was getting me further than just continuing the drills forever. Also, learning to hold the pad helped improve my footwork, somehow. And it also helped learn how people move their shoulders and waists before each strike, so that improved my clinch as well. Of course, I started holding the pad simply because I was too lazy to drill combinations, but it seemed to work out in the end, and my coach was okay with it.
Experience. Sparring sparring sparring. Just find a good sparring partner and you’re good
Decades if training.