I've said Holly Holm has basic and fundamental flaws in her striking technique that get exploited when she fights high level strikers like Valentina Shevchenko and Germaine De Randamie. I'll try to elaborate on why I think this is true.
The main flaw I think Holly has is in the way she moves her feet. Footwork is Holly's biggest flaw & the main area De Randamie and Shevchenko consistently out-technique Holly in a way that allows them to consistently win rounds over her.
If we're discussing movement, first it might be good to define differences between good footwork and bad footwork. What are traits of both?
I would say good footwork & movement is defined by minimizing the amount of time someone's foot spends in the air when moving, adjusting or re-positioning. As long as someone's foot is in the air, they can't use it to redirect, move or generate power in strikes. One goal of technique with footwork is to minimize this.
Watching fighters with very good technique like Demetrious Johnson or Fedor Emelianenko, one might notice that no matter how much they move, their feet are almost always on the ground. Always ready to re-direct, move or generate power for strikes. Very seldom are their feet in the air. This gives them a huge advantage over opponents.
Example, Fedor. Watch how many adjustments he makes with his feet. No matter how much he moves, his feet seem as if they're always on the ground, always ready & in a position to make the right move.
I couldn't find any good Demetrious Johnson gifs. But if you ever watch him fight watch his feet. If there's any advantage he has over his opponents his footwork and technique have a lot to do with it.
Ok. Now Holly Holm. Notice how much time her feet spend in the air when she's moving & how far off the mat her feet get when she takes a step.
I would say that's bad technique and a good part of the reason why Germaine and Valentina beat her.
Whenever Holly's foot is in the air, 3 inches off the mat she's not in a position to generate power in her strikes or move. That's the flaw in her technique that give De Randamie and Shevchenko an advantage when they fight.
It isn't the only flaw in Holly's kickboxing technique. But it is the most obvious and blatant one imo.
...
Long story short, whenever someone's foot is in the air they can't
-Generate full power in their strikes
-Redirect or move to another position
Good technique in footwork implies minimizing the amount of time feet spend in the air when moving.
:thumbsup:
The main flaw I think Holly has is in the way she moves her feet. Footwork is Holly's biggest flaw & the main area De Randamie and Shevchenko consistently out-technique Holly in a way that allows them to consistently win rounds over her.
If we're discussing movement, first it might be good to define differences between good footwork and bad footwork. What are traits of both?
I would say good footwork & movement is defined by minimizing the amount of time someone's foot spends in the air when moving, adjusting or re-positioning. As long as someone's foot is in the air, they can't use it to redirect, move or generate power in strikes. One goal of technique with footwork is to minimize this.
Watching fighters with very good technique like Demetrious Johnson or Fedor Emelianenko, one might notice that no matter how much they move, their feet are almost always on the ground. Always ready to re-direct, move or generate power for strikes. Very seldom are their feet in the air. This gives them a huge advantage over opponents.
Example, Fedor. Watch how many adjustments he makes with his feet. No matter how much he moves, his feet seem as if they're always on the ground, always ready & in a position to make the right move.
I couldn't find any good Demetrious Johnson gifs. But if you ever watch him fight watch his feet. If there's any advantage he has over his opponents his footwork and technique have a lot to do with it.
Ok. Now Holly Holm. Notice how much time her feet spend in the air when she's moving & how far off the mat her feet get when she takes a step.
I would say that's bad technique and a good part of the reason why Germaine and Valentina beat her.
Whenever Holly's foot is in the air, 3 inches off the mat she's not in a position to generate power in her strikes or move. That's the flaw in her technique that give De Randamie and Shevchenko an advantage when they fight.
It isn't the only flaw in Holly's kickboxing technique. But it is the most obvious and blatant one imo.
...
Long story short, whenever someone's foot is in the air they can't
-Generate full power in their strikes
-Redirect or move to another position
Good technique in footwork implies minimizing the amount of time feet spend in the air when moving.
:thumbsup: