Perfect counter to the roundhouse

aries · 07-21-2008, 01:48 PM

Silva demonstrated the perfect execution of a counter to the rear leg roundhouse. Caught the kick and dropped Irvin with a devastating rear hand cross. Also did anyone else notice that he switched to orthodox stance shortly before Irvin threw the rear leg kick? It seemed as though Anderson set him up to catch the kick and hit him with the right hand.

TJS · 07-21-2008, 02:29 PM

Yep..It's pretty risky to throw a rear roundhouse without putting some punches in front of it...especially if its to the body...and even more especially if your fighting anderson silva..

BJJK1 · 07-21-2008, 03:08 PM

it's also a perfect example how basic/small things like covering your face when kicking can save your ass from a counter like that....which Irving didn't do.

jmcorro · 07-21-2008, 03:57 PM

I'd have to get a replay of the slo-mo replay to be sure, but I *thought* it looked as if Anderson was actually expecting a body kick and that's why he was looking for the catch...he looked a little surprised when the kick came and the only thing I could attribute it to was that he was expecting a body kick, but got lucky w/ those long a$$ arms and still caught his leg kick.

A basic rule in MT is you never look to catch a leg kick. You only open yourself up for a vicious headkick. The standard counter to leg kicks are (in order of how soon you see the guy throwing the kick):

- time it such that you throw a punch and catch him just as he's throwing the kick. the idea is you want to catch him on the chin while he's one legged.

- check it and either follow w/ a kick/long knee from the same side (e.g. in Anderson's case a switch kick off his left leg) or a punch.

- just eat the kick and fire a punch as soon as you possibly can. the idea is you don't want to give the kick away for free...he has to pay for every kick he lands.

A very standard counter to a body kick though is to catch it and throw a punch while you're holding the leg. So between all that and my (maybe mistaken) recollection of Anderson looking a little surprised when he caught the kick makes me think he was expecting to counter a body kick.

aries · 07-21-2008, 04:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jmcorro

A very standard counter to a body kick though is to catch it and throw a punch while you're holding the leg. So between all that and my (maybe mistaken) recollection of Anderson looking a little surprised when he caught the kick makes me think he was expecting to counter a body kick.

No I think it was definitely an intentional leg kick that , that look of surprise may just have been the impact of the kick. I think Anderson just reacted instinctually and caught the kick. His long arms certainly helped.

AzureNight · 07-21-2008, 09:02 PM

Irvin threw that kick like an amateur. Hands sloppily below his chin, poor timing, no setup whatsoever. I'm surprised that he did that, considering he trains in Fairtex. You know you're doing things wrong when your opponent can catch a low kick from you and KO you.

Never_Back_Down · 07-21-2008, 09:14 PM

The kick was great, but it was more of Irvin making the mistake of trying to punch the kick that Silva caught which made him not see Silvas punch coming

RJ Powell · 07-21-2008, 11:03 PM

Wow, why do people in the UFC suck so bad at throwing leg kicks????

I know they are Mixed martial artists and don't have all the time in the world to refine their kicks like a Nakmuay or Kickboxer does, but....come....on....

I still give Keith Jardine the award for shittiest leg kick though.

RJ Powell · 07-21-2008, 11:04 PM

That being said, it is so refreshing to watch silva fight. His striking is so fluid and refined. Brings a tiny tear to my eye.

It's like a breath of fresh air after watching some TUF guys slug it out like it's a barfight. It gives me a little hope for where MMA is heading.

**ambertch** · 07-22-2008, 01:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AzureNight

Irvin threw that kick like an amateur. Hands sloppily below his chin, poor timing, no setup whatsoever. I'm surprised that he did that, considering he trains in Fairtex. You know you're doing things wrong when your opponent can catch a low kick from you and KO you.

Seriously - when's the last time you saw a kick-catch-punch KO in either MMA or Muay Thai? (If someone knows please post, seems like an interesting watch)