Lyoto Machida, the former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion, is one of the most elusive fighters ever to fight in Mixed Martial Arts. When Machida won the Light Heavyweight Title in 2009, he had defeated all 13 of his opponents and eight of those were by decisions, meaning he went the full rounds, yet he still took less hits than almost every other fighter in MMA that year except Fedor Emelianko who knocked out or submitted every opponent in the first round. Machida’s ability to avoid punishment while waiting for the smallest openings in which to strike has earned him this title of “most elusive fighter” and allowed him to defeat some of the toughest guys on the planet. Machida attributes his elusiveness to his Shotokan karate background that has taught him the footwork and counter striking to allow him to be so successful in MMA.
Within our system of karate are the same principles that allow a practitioner to develop the skills to be a more elusive fighter. The concept of moving or shifting your body in karate is called Sabaki. “Tai Sabaki” means to make a body decision in time and space that puts you in a position to apply your strength to your opponent’s weakness.” (Rowell, 2011) In short, it is “body management.” Footwork, distance, and timing are all important in the application of Tai Sabaki and allow the karateka to cause their opponent to miss their intended target while still being able to counter-attack right away before their opponent has time to react.
Footwork
Ashi Sabaki – Ashi (Leg/Foot) + Sabaki (Manuvering) – is the utilization of footwork to position yourself. There are eight directions that a person can move in relation to their opponent. This can be seen in the diagram below. With these eight directions in mind, a karateka can utilize footwork to position themselves to attack their opponent, avoid a strike or kick, or to counter strike after an attack. Stepping, shifting, sliding, pivoting, or even jumping are all footwork applications that a karateka can choose to position themselves as they transition from stance to stance. “Good footwork is achieved by ensuring your feet, hips, shoulders, and hands work in concert, enabling you to evade strikes, to defend without opening your guard and to get in position to strike from angles that are difficult for your opponent to defend.” (McCann, 2012)
Distance
Distance is a critical component of evasion. “Distance from the opponent is dynamic and constantly changing. Ma-ai (often just referred to as Ma) is the Japanese term describing the interval between you and your opponent.” (Rowell, 2011) This is known as the Engagement Distance. Every technique has a certain distance that allows the karateka to perform that technique. For instance, the distance required to land a kick could be too far to apply a punch. Conversely, at a grappling distance you would typically be too close to apply most kicks. Blocking and evasion also require the proper understanding of distance as the karateka chooses how to manage the placement of their body and selection of techniques.
Timing
Like music, combat has rhythms. This idea of rhythm, or timing, is called Hyoshi in Japanese. The goal of any combative encounter is to apply your strength at the precise moment of your opponent’s weakness to prevail in that situation. This is best accomplished by being able to change your timing to be opposite or different from your opponent. Being in the same rhythm as your opponent is keeping their strength against your strength, which will not allow us to be successful and exploit their weaknesses. The application of the right footwork and proper distance can be negated with poor timing.
Kata and Kumite
Kata has within it the concepts to teach the karateka the footwork to apply Tai Sabaki in combat. The repetition applied through kata training conditions the body and mind to enable the karateka to quickly utilize footwork to evade and counter strike. Kumite refines distancing and the proper timing to go along with footwork to equip the practitioner with all they need to be much more elusive.
References
Edge MMA, “Lyoto Machida.” Fandom, 2021. www.mixedmartialatrs.fandom.com
Genaur, Rami. “Forced Admiration for Lyoto Machida.” MMA Fighting, 27 Jan 2009, www.mmafighting.com/2009/01/27/forced-admiration-for-lyoto-machida.
McCann, Kelly. “Mil-Spec.” Black Belt, December 2012.
Rowell, Richard. Budo Theory: Exploring Martial Arts Principles. Rowell, 2011.
