MMA, commonly called Ultimate Fighting, has evolved through various stages. Initially, Royce Gracie inspired an explosion where all fighters absorbed as much Jiu Jitsu as they possibly could. This move to ground fighting made champion wrestlers confident that they could excel in MMA. Wrestlers like Kevin Jackson proved the theory correct. He was very effective during the early 1990's. Wrestling tactics will allow a fighter to control his opponent, however; they need to be modified to be truly effective in MMA where the desired result is to finish the opponent by knockout or submission. Pure wrestlers have failed to succeed in MMA on a grand scale due to the ingrained training that is drilled into their heads from the first day they step on a wrestling mat. The biggest challenge that wrestlers face in MMA is the fear of having their backs or shoulders on the mat. Every wrestler fights to stay off of his back. It's in our blood. Champion wrestlers have conditioned themselves to keep from going to their backs without having to think about it. We make it become a reflex action. In a wrestling match, a competitor risks giving up points or getting pinned when his shoulders are exposed to the mat. This is not the case in MMA where the competitor on his back can actually have the advantage, and finish the match. Wrestlers who wish to excel in MMA need to stop thinking like wrestlers, and start thinking like fighters. It will be a challenge for those that have spent years honing skills to championship levels; instinct takes over. But, the same strong mind that makes one a champion can adapt and make some modifications that can transform the champion wrestler into the most devastating MMA competitor. A wrestler with decent skills can nullify the skills of a world champion boxer or martial artist with one simple take down. Once on the ground the entire arsenal of a stand up fighter is depleted and the expert is relegated to an ordinary fighter with no training. Instinct will take over, and since there has been no training; the results will be that of an ordinary unskilled fighter. The wrestler, even just an average one, will have an enormous advantage and should dominate the fight. If wrestlers can adapt the traditional moves that are taught with slight modifications focused on submitting, punishing, and finishing their opponents; they will excel in MMA and take the sport to the next level. Wrestlers starting out today that desire to one day compete in MMA should prepare for both sports at the same time so that they will not have to retrain their minds to lose the fear of exposing their backs to the mat.
It was originally a Native American tool, but the first European colonists decided to start using tomahawks too. Tomahawks also made good weapons if you knew the right tomahawk fighting techniques, which can even involving throwing the weapon.
Native American Tomahawks were first made from stone. Polished soapstone was popular, for example. The handle and blade would often have intricate designs. Natives would also make tomahawks from the jawbones of large creatures, flint rock, and deer horns.
The hatchet is an age-old design that's been adopted by many other cultures. Different kinds of hatchet tools and weapons can be used with techniques that are very much like the Native American tomahawk fighting techniques.
The Vikings were long known for their proficiency in the use of an axe as a weapon, the French had the fransica, and the British had the familiar belt axe.
Tomahawks were multipurpose. Not only could they be used as weapons and tools, they could also be used for smoking some tobacco. The natives built the blade such that there were a pipe bowl in the opposite side.
This dual purpose was in fact highly appropriate, given the state of relations between the Native American tribes and the European settlers at that time.
The tomahawk could be used to offer peace (which was symbolized by smoking), or it could just as easily be turned into a weapon to kill a friend-turned-enemy if things went sour (and they often did).
The tomahawk can be used by itself, or it could be complemented with another weapon. The second weapon would usually be a long bladed knife. This is an effective and deadly combination that works for a variety of combat situations, and also against either single or multiple opponents.
The tomahawk works equally well as a defensive and an offensive weapon, and a number of tomahawk fighting techniques have been identified as key components to these roles. Tomahawks can be used to chop, slice, cut, rake, catch and pull, punch and even deflect oncoming blows from opponents.
Both Raymond Mardo Mardo & Trevelyan Kian are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Raymond Mardo Mardo has sinced written about articles on various topics from Martial Arts. Ray Mardo, a champion freestyle wrestler and coach, has modified wrestling techniques as MMA finishing and submission maneuvers. He's webmaster of