A note on finishing

One of the rare skills in any combat sport is the ability to finish. Not just finishing strong, but literally finishing the fight. For the sake of this blog we'll take a very, very small look at finishing via strikes.

For most, the idea of being a strong finisher is tied to a fighter's ability to be aggressive. This might be the single most important factor, but wanting to KO or TKO an opponent doesn't always lead to that. In fact, most times a fighter's over-aggression can lead to many problems among them: tiring out, being open to counter-striking, deviating from a game plan, loss of control, not getting off first, frustration, injury, etc.

Instead, what may be more accurate would be that one of the keys to being a finisher is to be able to mix aggression with know-how. Among the many different components of ending a fight are the concepts of power, speed, and accuracy. While most see damage as a result of power, what is often overlooked is the ability to hurt an opponent with a rapid succession of strikes and with the well-timed placement of a single strike. Beyond that is the idea of mixing all three. An example of how this is NOT done: rocking an opponent with a single shot and then throwing nothing but wild, hard punches that are easily evaded(or lead to being tied up or taken down), working too much on combinations and not following up with heavier shots (in a headhunter's sport such as MMA we often see where a more technical striker outpoints an opponent but gets caught in the end because they did not finish), not throwing any strikes at all in hopes of waiting for a perfect opportunity (no offense is no offense).

So if we take lessons from the previous examples: if you stun an opponent, work on connecting a follow-up strike that in actuality won't require as much force as the initial blow to finish; if you're landing in combinations that open up an opponent's defense or put them off balance look for the opportunity to land a more powerful shot; be active with either of the previous approaches to encourage an opponent to open the door for you.

Last and perhaps most of all: Don't try to knock people out. Don't try to knock people out. Work hard and be assertive. Don't try to knock people out. Finishing is an incredibly rare gift. By some accounts finishing in a natural born talent. Some champion strikers with great and successful careers don't ever develop the ability to KO people. Some low-lever fighters with lackluster skill and losing records will in contrast, or perhaps in compliment, go there entire careers with the other gift of a granite chin. Let's not also forget that finishing via strikes is a very one-dimensional approach when you consider the wide range of options in MMA. Don't be greedy and instead find your own strengths. KO power is another topic altogether (to be discussed in the future) but don't try to knock people out.