Techniques Introduction:
Certain individuals
were generally not familiar with the technical aspects of MMA and viewed the vast arsenal of the technical elements of the sport of MMA as confusing and in some cases “barbaric”.
However, MMA techniques by their definition come from a wide variety of
recognized martial arts and combat disciplines, some that are currently in use in the prestigious Olympic Games – such
as Judo, Boxing, Wrestling and Tae Kwon Do to some degree, as well as other martial disciplines that have a history of athletic
practice such as Muay Thai (Kickboxing), Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Sambo, and other arts, that are routinely practiced throughout
North America and around the world with many different cultures. The emphasis
being that many of the techniques associated with MMA are routinely utilized
and practiced in other combat sports disciplines on an international level and they have been practiced safely.
Legal Techniques
Many of the techniques
listed below have multiple names or translations depending upon style or culture. It
is the responsibility of the Commission to recognize the similarity or distinction between the various techniques, and to
become familiar with the techniques in general.
Striking
All punches
Kicks
Knees
Elbows
Forearms strikes
Shoulder strikes
Hammer fists
Spinning back
fists
Throws-Takedowns
Duck Under
Single Leg
Double Leg
Arm Drag
Ankle Pick
Inside Trip
Outside Trip
Body Lock
High Crotch
Suplex
Osoto Gari
Uchi Mata
Hip Toss
Tai Otoshi
Power Bomb
Seoinagi
Iranian Lift
Whizzer
Switch
Submissions:
Armbar
Double Armbar
Kimura / Double
Wrist Lock
Arm Triangle
Americana / Keylock
Omoplata
Gogoplata
Rear Naked Choke
Guillotine Choke
Anaconda Choke
Darce Choke
Eziquel or Front
Choke
North / South
Choke
Bar Arm Choke
Toe Hold
Triangle Choke
Ankle Lock
Ankle Lock from
back control
Reverse Triangle
Choke
Heel Hook
Inverted Heel
Hook
Knee Bar
Twister
Head & Arm
Shoulder Lock
Head & Arm,
Arm Lock
Peruvian Neck
Tie
(All of the above are legal
techniques except when used against a prohibited target)
MMA Technical Definitions:
The following
are abbreviated definitions found within the sport of MMA. These definitions
are designed to be used as an aid to Athletic Commissions, Commission personnel, athletes, and coaches to bring clarity on
many of the MMA technical applications found within competition.
Takedowns:
Duck Under
A grappling
move in which a fighter “ducks under” the opponents arm in an attempt to get behind him, to position him for a
lift, throw, trip, takedown or other MMA attack.
Single Leg
A move in
which a fighter takes the opponent down by lifting and controlling one of the opponent's legs.
Double Leg
A driving
takedown which is executed when a fighter engages another fighter by grasping both of the fighter’s legs, generally
gripping the back of the fighters knees and lifting to displace balance.
This takedown
is known as Morote Gari in Japanese (Judo) and Baiana in Portuguese (BJJ)
Arm Drag
A method
of grabbing, pulling and controlling an opponent’s arm in an attempt to throw him off balance and gain positional control.
Ankle Pick
A move in which a fighter takes the opponent down by the grabbing or lifting of the ankle of his opponent
forcing him to the ground.
Inside Trip
Is a sweeping
motion applied when one fighter sweeps or hooks with his leg, the inner leg of his opponent in an effort to displace their
balance and bring them to the ground.
This takedown
is also known as a O Ouchi Gari – “major inner reap” in Japanese (Judo)
Outside Trip
Is a hooking
motion applied when one fighter hooks with his leg the outside leg of his opponent in an effort to displace their balance
and bring them to the ground.
This takedown
is known as Kosoto Gake – “minor outer hook” in Japanese (Judo)
Body Lock
A hold in
which a fighter locks his arms around the opponent's body as a method of control and from this position may take him to the
ground
Osoto Gari
Japanese (Judo) which translates as a “major outer reap”, which accurately describes the throw. Osoto Gari is throw where a fighter steps to the outside of the opponent, pushing the oponent
off balance while at the same time sweeping the opponent’s leg out from
under them
Uchi Mata
Japanese (Judo) which translates as “inner thigh”, which describes the action of the throw. It is throw common to grappling arts where a fighter uses both the action of the hip and leg to to displace
an opponents balance.
Hip Toss
A forward throw common to most grappling disiciplines where one fighter is thrown over the other fighters hips.
Tai Otoshi
Japanese
(Judo) which translates as “body drop”. A throw common in grappling
arts which is quickly executed and must be well timed. An attacking fighter will off balance the opponent and at the same
time pivot away from the opponent in the same direction of the opponent’s feet. The attacking fighter will extend his
leg in front of the opponent so that the back of his calf is practically touching the opponents shin. At this time the attacking fighter will pull the fighter over the extended leg, resulting in a trip as
the opponent falls forward.
Power Bomb
A lifting technique generally used, when a fighter is stopped during a double leg takedown attempt. The athlete grabs their opponent by the waist and uses a swinging motion while simultaneously elevating
their opponent. The athlete performing the move steps back and throws their opponent
onto the mat usually causing the opponent to land flat on to their back and shoulder area.
Seoinagi
Japanese
(Judo) meaning shoulder throw. A throw common to many grappling disciplines. It
is a forward throwing technique in which one fighter is thrown over the other fighters shoulder.
Iranian Lift
Wrestling technique used when an athlete has pushed his weight too far forward
when their opponent attempted a takedown. Usually preformed from the knees the
athlete will raise their back straight up while holding their opponents legs causing their opponent to be inverted
Whizzer
Defensive technique used to prevent a single leg takedown attempt.
Switch
Defensive technique used against a single leg takedown attempt to switch the
position and gain control.
Submissions:
Armbar
A straight arm lock technique that attacks the elbow hyper-extending the joint.
Double Armbar
Attacks both arms simultaneously. Performed
from the guard position, the athlete brings their legs up high around their opponents back and neck area trapping both arms. Athlete extends hips while controlling their opponent’s wrists
Kimura / Double Wrist Lock
Attacks the shoulder. Can be performed
from either side while standing or on the ground. Arm needs to be bent at approximately
90 degrees at the elbow with the arm being moved from the athlete’s waist towards their head
This submission
is also known as ude garami “entagled armlock” in Japanese (Judo)
Arm Triangle
Performed by trapping an opponent’s arm against their own neck. The head is used to control the arm while the arms are wrapped around the opponent’s
neck and arm. Performed correctly the action intensifies when the athlete moves
to an approximate 60 degree angle from their opponent
Americana
Also known as a “Key Lock” attacks the shoulder area. Usually performed in a cross body or mount position. Athlete
must control their opponent’s head position while keeping the arm bent at a 90 degree angle.
Omoplata
The translation in Portuguese (BJJ) literally means “shoulder blade”
and this accurately describes this submission. The omoplata is a submission that attacks the shoulder area by using the legs.
This submission
is also known as sankaku garami or shoulder lock in Japanese (Judo)
Gogoplata
A choke hold usually performed from the guard position. The shin is brought across the opponent’s neck while one arm moves under the leg and meets up with
the other arm to pull down on the opponents head
Rear Naked Choke
Most common choke used from behind the opponent. Athlete brings their arm around their opponents neck and locks the arm in place by grabbing their opposite
arm at the elbow and wrapping the hand behind their opponents head
Guillotine Choke
Straight-arm choke used when facing an opponent. Usually performed from standing or guard position.
Anaconda Choke
Started from North / South position athlete moves hand from neck area to far
side of opponent and wraps hand into opposing elbow and then rolls his opponent bringing his hips towards opponent’s
hips tightening the hold
Darce Choke
Performed the opposite of the Anaconda Choke, the arm starts from the opponent’s
side and moves up along the neck area and wraps into the opposing elbow.
Eziquel or Front Choke
Performed by placing the blade of the forearm across the neck area and grabbing
the arm to fulcrum the leverage down into the throat area to create the choke
North / South Choke
Performed while one athlete is on top of their opponent with one fighter facing
down and one fighter facing up. The top fighter slips their arm around the bottom
fighters head allowing the armpit area to settle into the throat area. The top
fighter then settles their weight down applying the choke
Bar Arm Choke
Used by placing the blade of the forearm against the throat and pulling straight
back
Toe Hold
Attacks the ankle joint. Athlete
grabs the foot and figure fours their arms around the lower leg while applying pressure towards the inside of the foot.
Triangle Choke
Used primarily from the guard the athlete must pass one leg over their opponents
shoulder trapping the head and one arm inside. The athlete then must figure four
their legs applying pressure against the neck by forcing the trapped arm against the neck.
Pulling down in the head intensifies the hold.
This technique may all be referred to as sankaku jime in Japanese (Judo)
Ankle Lock
Attacks the ankle joint and athlete uses his arms and torso to apply pressure
to the ankle.
Ankle Lock from back control
Usually seen when a fighter takes the back and then crosses their feet, their
opponent can ankle lock them by using his legs to cross over the ankle and foot and then extends and arches the hip area.
Reverse Triangle Choke
Reversed by the way the fighter positions the legs around the opponents head
and arm.
Heel Hook
Attacks the knee joint. Set up
in a similar fashion to the ankle lock, the fighter positions their opponent’s foot down past their side and the heel
just outside the crook of their elbow. The fighter then applies leverage by pulling
the heel towards their nose
Inverted Heel Hook
Set up in a similar fashion the straight heel hook applies pressure by rotating
the heel towards the inside. The inverted heel hook applies the rotation of the
heel to the outside
Knee Bar
Attacks the knee joint in the same fashion as the Armbar attacks the elbow
joint.
Twister
Attacks the spine by isolating the legs in one direction and leveraging the
head neck and torso in the opposite direction.
Head & Arm Shoulder Lock
Performed from side control the fighter uses their legs to control their opponents
arm. The maneuver masks the movements of the Kimura, only utilizing the legs
Head & Arm Arm Lock
Performed from side control the fighter uses their legs to control the opponents
arm. The maneuver masks the movements of the straight arm bar, only utilizing
the legs
Peruvian Neck Tie
Similar to the Guillotine choke the move is performed by placing both hands
together in the neck area or your opponent. Pulling in and squeezing arms together
while using legs to trap far side arm and control opponents’ body
Positions:
Closed Guard
Most common defensive position seen on the ground. Fighter on bottom has wrapped legs around their opponent’s waist and has crossed their feet.
Open Guard
Fighter on the bottom has not closed his legs around the waist of their opponent.
Hip movement is key
Butterfly Guard
Fighter on bottom has placed their feet inside their opponent’s legs
near groin area. Knees are held high to prevent passing of the guard
X- Guard
Performed by using both legs against opponent’s one leg crossing feet
similar to an X. Arms attack opponents other leg attempting to off balance the
fighter.
Half Guard
Position of fighting when the bottom fighter controls only one leg of the top
fighter with their legs
Side Control
Dominant position of fighting where the top fighter has cleared the legs of
the bottom fighter and is now off to one side on top of their opponent
Mount
Dominant position where the top fighter has straddled the bottom fighter with
their legs
Rear Mount
The most dominant position in MMA. The fighter who has the back will have his legs hooked into his opponents’ pelvic
area or will triangle their opponents body to control position
North – South
Both fighters are on the ground. Fighter
on the bottom is facing up, while the fighter on top is facing down. The fighters’
feet will be facing opposite directions
Crucifix
A technique that is used to control an opponent’s arms by the use of
your legs and arms. Can be a submission hold when applied as a neck crank. Usually used to control a fighters arms in a ground and pound attack
Can Opener
Used to open the closed guard of your opponent by pulling on the head bringing
it towards the chest area. Can be a submission only if the fighter on the bottom
refuses to open their guard.
Underhooks
Wrapping the arm under your opponents arm and around the shoulder area or torso
Overhooks
Wrapping the arms over the top of your opponents arms
Double Underhooks
Wrapping both arms under your opponents arms.
Usually has connection of the hands for takedown attempt
Plumb
Muay Thai technique used to control the head with both hands clasped around
the neck area
Hip Over Sweep
Used from guard position. Fighter
traps opponents post arm, elevates hips and rotates opponent over landing in mount position
Scissor Sweep
Used from the guard position bottom fighter traps post arm, brings one leg
up high the other leg low and scissor kicks the legs together while pulling on opponents trapped arm
Elevator Sweep
From guard position bottom fighter hooks inside of opponents leg with their
foot. Fighter then pulls opponent towards them while lifting with hooked leg. Opponent is rolled over the shoulder area to complete the sweep
Double Ankle Sweep from Guard
From the guard the top fighter stands up.
The bottom fighter drops their closed guard and grabs the standing fighter’s ankles. The bottom fighter pinches knees together, lowers their hips and pushes the standing fighter over following
the movement in to a top position
Half Guard Escape to single leg
Bottom fighter uses an underhook to pull themselves into and under their opponent
off balancing the opponent. Bottom fighter moves to their knees and continues
into a single leg takedown
