Jeff KO's Nuri Shakir at 2:15 into the 1st Round (First person to KO Nuri in 25 Fights)

A well thrown cross is almost impossible to see coming. It will knock your opponent down to the mat quickly when it’s thrown with leverage, speed, and perfect technique. Of course it has to be accurate and well timed so that it lands on it’s intended target as well.

Many people think that by trying to punch hard they can knock someone out. That’s not true. In fact the opposite is true. A punch that is thrown quickly while incorporating the details I share with you in the video below doesn’t need to have anger or immense effort behind it to get the job done.

After it lands, since you were so relaxed throwing it, you’ll be wondering where you’re opponent went. Looking down you’ll notice them asleep on the floor or dazed enough that you can move in for the TKO finish. The cross is one of my best punches and I’ve used it to score the KO many times throughout my career.

This video will help you do the same:

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A great mount position will enable you to wear out, frustrate and finish your opponents with strikes and submission holds.

In order to develop a great mount, you’ll need to develop skill with the many different techniques designed to shut down all of your opponent escape attempts.

It’s best to practice those fundamental techniques first against a non-resisting opponent and then once you feel ready, against someone who is REALLY trying to escape.

Here’s a breakdown of one drill that I have my students do often to improve their ability to attack from and escape the mount position:

1) First, start off in the mount position atop of your training partner.

2) Set a timer (something with an alarm to sound the end of the round will work best)  for 1 minute and start the round.

3) For the entire duration of the round, try to maintain the mount position while your opponent gives their best effort to escape. An escape is completed anytime your partner establishes their closed guard on you or rolls you over and gets on top.

4) When time expires, switch positions with your partner and reset the timer. It then becomes your turn to escape as many times as you can during the timed round.

When the second round is over, take a short break (1 minute should suffice) and then repeat the drill several times, switching partners every round  if you have the option to.

Once you’ve got a handle on the above sequence you can make things more challenging by making any of the following adjustments to the drill:

Adjustment 1: Top person can apply submission holds.

Adjustment 2: Bottom person only needs to get back to 1/2 guard to score an escape. It becomes so that any guard position (full, spider, butterfly etc.) equals an escape.

Adjustment 3: Increase the length of time that each of you spends on the bottom position.

Adjustment 4: Keep Track of Points (1 point per per escape/submission) and have the athlete with the lower point total at the end of the round do a set amount of pushups (or some other exercise) depending on the score differential (ie. with a score of 5 to 2, the losing athlete would do 5 push-ups per point differential = 3 x 5 pushups = 15 pushups)

With an equally skilled training partner, this drill becomes very challenging and fun!

You’ll find that if you lack solid mount control skills you’ll find that it’s actually easier to escape then it is to hold down or submit your training partner from the top.

Make your mount a NIGHTMARE for the bottom person when doing this drill by learning the 24 techniques in my new –> “Dominate from the Mount : Killer Control” video set

This first video, of several that I’ll be making of attacks/defenses in that fight, breaks down the 2 arms low jab. The same type of punch that Silva dropped Okami with during their exciting fight.

The 2nd video is a variation of the technique, which I call the “Lead Arm Low Jab”, that I use all the time in training and during my fights –especially during my bouts against Josh Koscheck and Nuri Shakir — with much success.

I hope the 2 videos help you smack people around with your jab more effectively because they are both very fun techniques to land on an opponent.

Here they are:

Technique 1 – “2 Arms Low Jab”

and here’s the variation of the above technique that I find effective as well:

Technique 2 – “Lead Arm Low Jab”

In the videos below I show a basic way to slide into the mount position from side control both in breakdown form and in action. I use this technique in Gi training, no-gi action and mixed martial arts as well. It’s definitely a fundamental Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu technique that use it all the time.

First, a video showing a time that I used the movement during a pro-fight.

Now here’s the technique breakdown to help you use it as well:

Want a kick-ass mount position? Download my free ebook “9 Tips of Dominating from the MMA Mount” here –> CLICK

Too long since I posted a new MMA technique. I’ve been so busy with the new “Slammer in the Hammer” mixed martial arts event I’m promoting –on June 17th at Copps Coliseum in Hamilton– along with all of the other coaching I’ve been doing.

But I’m back and I promise to be back posting new, cool and useful stuff regularly.

In this video I show one way that I use often to work my way back to my feet from the closed guard position.

Check it out!

This drill requires the help of a friend or coach but is still very simple to practice.

Here it is…

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I actually missed the Strikeforce fight card this weekend because I was away with my wife in Niagara Falls for her birthday.

We stayed in room 3201 in a hotel that only had 31 floors. Figure that one out . We had to take the elevator to floor 31 and then walk up 20 more steps to get to the only room that was up there. Strange and I’ll admit a little bit scary.

Anyways, upon returning home I was sent a video of the Diaz/Cyborg fight. (Thanks John!)

As a fight fan, I always love when Nick Diaz hits the ground during his fights because he always seems to do something interesting while down there.

He’s done a great job over the years of adapting his Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu game to meet the demands of mixed martial arts competition, making small adjustments to his technique arsenal so that he can apply his attacks and defenses regardless of the fact that strikes are begin thrown at him.

Sometimes, skill on the mats in sport Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu doesn’t fully translate into success within the cage. Not for Diaz though as he has been very successful in both arenas.

Last weekend, when his fight with Evangelista “Cyborg” Santos hit the ground, his BJJ skills were immediately put to the test. They passed with flying colours as he slapped on a beautiful arm lock from the guard position.

After watching him apply that technique –one that contained many small but important details–, I decided to make a video breaking down the fundamental BJJ attack.

Here it is…

Someone posted the actual arm lock on youtube as well:

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I’ve been wanting to share this drill with you for a while and this week I finally had a chance to get it ready. I’m excited because I know that it will really help you in your training.

Do this drill and you’ll punch with much more power while using less effort; Your punches will land more often because you won’t be telegraphing your attacks before you do them; Plus your defensive abilities will improve especially when up against an opponent that throws a lot of body kicks and body punches.

How so?

Because it will train you to keep your elbows in close to your body before, during and after your punching attacks.

Try it out and let me know what you think.

Train hard!

Master the basics and jump start your training with my MMA QuickStart training program.

If you want to receive many other training tips, videos and my FREE “Developing the KO Punch” EBook sign up for my “Fight Crew” Mailing list. Just enter your name and email address in the box located on the top right side of this page =======>”

At times, the exercise can seem a little repetitive, especially when done daily as part of a workout routine. Mixing in different motions and tricks can spice things up and offer even more of a challenge.

Over the years I made sure that anytime I came across a new trick with the jump rope, I’d spend the time to learn it so that I could incorporate it into my training as soon as possible.

Here’s one of 18 that I teach within my new MMA QuickStart Training Program.

Try it out and let me know what you think…