Randy Couture is one of the greatest mixed martial arts fighters of all-time. He’s simply a living legend in the sport. So when he gets knocked out by someone, it’s remembered. In accordance with this, you’ve got to believe that the jumping front kick Lyoto Machida used to defeat Couture at UFC 129 will be remembered on another level. We’re talking about a victory due to something out of a traditional Shotokan karate manual; it will be talked about for years to come. In fact, it reminds, albeit with a little more flare due to its’ jumping nature, of the recent front kick that Anderson Silva used to fell Vitor Belfort at UFC 126.
How do these Black House guys do it?
Theory 1- Steven Seagal: It’s widely known that the high level Aikido black belt and martial arts movie actor is very good friends with both Machida and Silva, and has been working with them in camp. Speaking to that, Seagal told MMAFighting.com’s Ariel Helwani that “we worked very hard on that kick for a long, long time,” following Machida’s UFC 129 victory. “I really, really worked hard on that kick and I wanted him to do that kick; and he wanted to do it and he knew he could and he did.”
Of course, there was recently some talk of Seagal taking credit for inventing the front kick to the face (following Silva’s victory over Belfort), a kick that has been taught in traditional martial arts schools for years. Seagal, however, answered the critics.
“I didn’t invent anything,” he said. “I modified them in such a way that I can think I can make my students and myself in a real fight land them and hurt people.”
Regardless, it’s hard to ignore the fact that both Machida and Silva have given Seagal credit for helping them.
Theory 2- Machida and Silva’s Traditional Background: Let’s face it, there are a lot of fighters, trainers, and fans traveling in MMA circles that believe the traditional martial arts styles hold no worth in an MMA cage (or in the street, for that matter). Of course, Machida is the embodiment of the opposite of that philosophy, with his Shotokan karate background. What’s more, Silva, albeit on a lesser scale, started his martial arts training in Tae Kwon Do and Capoeira. Thus, their ability to hit home with more traditional kicks, etc., might simply be due to their training backgrounds.
But in the end, it’s probably not either one of these things in isolation. Seagal by himself probably couldn’t help the majority of MMA fighters in any way. After all, you have to be open to hearing things from a traditional stylist, which the far majority of MMA people aren’t. Of course, the fact that Machida (especially) and Silva have a background in the traditional styles already makes the types of strikes and kicks they’re hitting home with in matches possible. But their mindset in training is what allows them to open themselves up to someone like Seagal.
These Black House guys do it because they’ve been doing it and are open to doing it. Can’t wait to see what happens next- maybe Chuck Norris will get involved.
Steven Seagal Helped Anderson Silva Learn The Front Kick That Defeated Vitor Belfort
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Hi, David. I don’t think I’m going to be able to go to sleep if I don’t type a follow up answer to your viable explanation, hehe. The main difference between your explanation and mine is that I saw in Machida’s kick an intelligent strategy, and your explanation is one that Machida would have pulled off with a preponderance of brute force.
The thing is, I watched the lead up to the attack and the attack carefully about twenty-five times that night, and he definitely was using finesse, not brute force. He really did use the multiple hand feints. He really did use a left footed stomp (a form of balestra). And then he really did completely relax his body to look like he was done.
All these are measures taken by someone using strategy, intelligence, guile and finesse. I really don’t think it was Randy being afraid of a knee that let him get hit by the front snap kick. I think Machida really used feints.
That said, I’m not Machida. I only know what I saw and not what he thought.
*bows*
Hello, David. I honor your humility, perspective and wisdom.
@Guillermo Lande
Not at all to disagree with the great analysis, but to add another potential perspective…
Before the KO, Machida had hit Couture with two left-knees. The winning kick technique began with a motion that likely looked to Couture like the beginning of another left-knee. You can even see Couture react to the left leg/knee movement as if he’s preparing for a knee — he covers himself with his arms and slightly lowers his head. Instead the left leg/knee movement served to close the distance for the right front-kick to the chin.
ps. The kick technique is the culminating strike of the Shotokan kata Kanku Dai; see the 1:40 mark in this clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FX7AIbN4H_E
All things old, become new again. Yes ! It is great to see there are traditional techniques that are applicable and relevant. The front kick, jumping or sliding with rear or front leg is as old as dirt. It will only be a matter of time in which we will see, more of these basic traditional ( yes Karate ) techniques enter. For example, Did anyone pay attention to the Knockout on the undercard with a stepping spinning back hand. That same fighter threw, a step up hook kick and a front leg side kick. These kicks will work, but take time or a super good athelete , someone like John Jones to work. Think about it, Up into this point a high round kick to the head was only called a head kick. Virtually all kicks can be done to the head. Yes, all must be open to the possibility that it can work and not dismise it because it comes from Tradition. Late.
I read somewhere that Chael Sonnen trained with Mel Gibson and Charlie Sheen -.-. What do you have to say to that, huh hotshots ? Anyways, yes, Machida is awesome. Period. The Rashad Evans fight was a showcasing of timing and distance. Machida is the Oxford’s or Webster’s equvalent of martial arts knowledge. The fact that he can combine so much stuff effectively from so many sources just goes to show that there are few at his level, in MMA, or in the world. MACHIDA FTW !!!!
Robert,
Your analysis is right on. Brilliantly executed by a true martial artist.
I’m always learning a lot of useful information reading this web site and its comments, so I’m grateful for the articles and the access to the wide range of knowledge. Thanks for the articiles and information, Robert and everyone else.
I’d like to comment on reference to whether Steven Seagal really should get credit for a kick which his students have been doing their whole life.
Many years ago I read a 1600 page book called Musashi by Eiji Yoshikawa about the author of Go Rin No Sho. One of the main points I got from the excellent novel is that after 60ish duels Musashi figured out that all sorts of arts (martial arts, caligraphy, painting, etc.) always circle back to the basics. You start learning the basics, then you learn lots of complex moves, and then true mastery comes when you return to the basics and perfect those.
This is highly relevant in Anderson Silva’s and Machida’s front snap kicks. Yes, they’re the basics and possibly the first thing they learned. Yes, they have then moved on to learn much more. But to come back and master that most basic move is to master the martial art.
My understanding is that this is what Steven Seagal helped those two do. He helped them return to the most basic attacks and master them, and that is a much higher mastery than the most esoteric and complicated moves.
This is also relevant in the concept of which is better, traditional martial arts or MMA. I say that in real life a perfect and simple attack that does not expose you unnecessarily is far superior to the most complex attack, and MMA has a lot of complex moves. If you’re fighting 3 or more people at once, the fast upright attacks are much better than the ones that take you to the ground or take very long. The sport of MMA is a very contrived situation that only sometimes happens in real life, but more commonly you’re in a bar or a street with many unknowns. So the perfect snap kick or straight punch is extremely important to master.
That’s my humble opinion.
Thanks for the breakdown on the set up, Guillermo….very well done. The front kicks themselves (Silva, Machida) are seen in a lot of different traditional styles, I believe. Tang Soo Do teaches such kicks as well. In fact, the one that Silva executed is taught by even more traditional styles (Goju Ryu, for example). Regardless, Seagal is getting a lot of credit from Machida and Silva for these recent Black House successes. Thanks for reading everyone!
The jumping & non-jumping front-snap kick that both Lyoto & Silva used are also found in TaeKwondo. The key is to thrust your hips forward as you execute the kick to get the most power. It is also correct that this kick must be timed between striking & kicking feints & VERY effective footwork. Actually, the problem with wrestlers in the UFC is that as they are not trained in traditional Martial Arts…they do not have effective footwork. I think that as time goes on, you will see more & more traditional martial arts practiced & effective in the UFC.
The movement used by Machida is the Mae Tobi Kondi Geri a tradional movement from Shotokan Karate Do.
It is part of brown belt kihon (form training) and this movement is present in some black belt katas like Gankaku that reproduces movents from a krane in a stone.
Obviously was made after an amazing set up described perferctly in the previous coment. So Seagal has the credit to ask this fighters to try this movent. I trained with Lyoto’s father in Brazil and Yochizo loves mae geri (front kicks) because it is a bread and butter moving in Shotokan Karate. Take care!
Hi, Robert.
Last night I watched the second round of the Machida vs Couture fight very, very carefully. The way Machida set up the kick was:
1. Randy’s hands were a little too close, so Machida did numerous right hand, left hand, right hand, left hand, etc. feints to get Randy to both think high and part his guard a little.
2. Then Machida feinted with his left leg but was obvious with the feint to make Randy think he wasn’t serious about the kick.
3. Then Machida feinted that he was stopping, and he relaxed his whole body (this was the key–he effectively looked like he was done attacking).
4. Machida took a small step like he was going to walk.
5. Machida immediately converted the step into flying front snap kick.
Machida didn’t throw the snap kick out of the blue, but he very, very effectively set it up with numerous feints to make Randy not think it was coming. He did lots of activity with hands high. He used his left foot as a blatant fake. He relaxed his body. And then he threw the attack.
Remember, a lot of MMA fans and fighters think there’s magic in certain attacks, but they’re wrong. There’s no magic. They must all be set up well and then executed correctly. Without the setup even a good execution will fail.