Angles in Striking Part 3: From Above

This is the concluding segment of a three part series. The other parts can be found below:

Part 1: Footwork

Part 2: From Below

In the second part of this series we studied the blind angle and the advantages of attacking one's opponent through this. It is a common tactic among master strikers and there is a lot more to be said on it still (for instance it is the reason that Muhammad Ali and Anderson Silva fight with their hands low - not because they are arrogant, but because it makes their punches difficult to see). In this article, however, we are going to focus on the least used blind angle, techniques which come from above. These are far less common than techniques from below, partly because there is a very limited amount of legal techniques to throw downward onto the top of an opponent's skull (particularly with the banning of downward elbows in mainstream kickboxing and MMA), and partly because most strikers who choose to vary their attack do so by throwing uppercuts and attacking from below exclusively.

Take a look at this photo of Joshua Clottey covering up against Manny Pacquiao. This was basically the story of the fight, Clottey could not compete with Pacquiao's footwork, speed or power so he chose to survive and he did so excellently - coming out of the fight largely unmarked and in much better shape than most of Pacquiao's victims. You will notice that Clottey has braced his gloves against the sides of his forehead and is keeping his chin down, elbows in, hips thrust forward so that his abdominals are tensed for body shots but his is upright enough to effectively nullify Pacquiao's uppercut. So Pacquiao set to work with his famous combinations, landing in double digit bursts, but did little damage. You will notice that the one place vulnerable in Clottey's excellent guard is the top of his head and that he has obscured most of his own vision. Boxers (and Nick Diaz) are less opposed to taking punches on the forehead as it is the hardest area of the skull, but the top of head is less dense, and less prone to taking damage. Additionally one cannot see punches to the top of the head coming, I'm sure most readers can think of time their shower or some other household item fell on their head with no warning.

If even an excellent guard such as Joshua Clottey's has a hole in the top of it, it stands to reason that much lesser strikers in MMA are going to be susceptible to attack from above. The most notable example of this in MMA is Chuck Liddell's legendary overhand. A few weeks back I wrote an article on the Cross Counter, in which I belittled the modern overhand as a direct attack, asserting it was wide, predictable and one of the main reasons boxing elitists look down on striking in the sport of MMA. Liddell's overhand is genius however, for he doesn't throw a leaning hook that attempts to come around the side of an opponent's guard (which is all too often difficult to achieve) but instead brings his right hand over the top and down the middle of an opponent's guard. Here he is, in his bout with Alistair Overeem in PRIDE - through which he has been on the end of a fairly one sided striking clinic, partly due to Alistair's good defence:

Notice how Alistair's hands are in a good traditional covering up position; if Liddell had thrown the usual glorified right hook that we are used to seeing in MMA, it would have been blocked on Alistai's left forearm, but instead it comes in almost vertically, bisecting Alistair's guard and putting him out on his feet. Here is Chuck explaining the same technique:

Chuck Liddell Teaches His Overhand Right... (via johnniekombat)

Another brilliant example of exploiting downward strikes is Andy Hug's legendary axe kick. For those unfamiliar with Andy Hug he was a Swiss Kyokushin Karateka who became so respected in Japan for his accomplishments as a relatively small heavyweight kickboxer in the early days of K-1 that he was referred to as the "Blue Eyed Samurai" (despite having brown eyes). Hug fought his last 4 fights, arguably his best streak, with undiagnosed Leukaemia which eventually took his life, but his accomplishments and phenomenal style see him fondly remembered in the kickboxing community. Here he is demonstrating one of his several signature techniques: the axe kick.

The axe kick or Kakato Geri is typically demonstrated in traditional karate as a technique used to bring your heel down on the head or body of a downed opponent. Andy Hug however preferred to bring his heel down on the head or collar bone of a standing opponent. Notice how he is attempting to come down between the hands of his opponent in this photo. Hug's powerful roundhouse kicks ensured that opponents always kept their arms in this traditional form of guard, then he would attempt his axe kicks. Here is a highlight of Hug's early career with axe kicks in full form:

K1 - Best Of Andy Hug - Part 1 by mart (via depeche1972)

Hug's war with Mirko Cro Cop saw both participants trading axe kicks and was a real crowd pleaser. Cro Cop eventually pulled out the axe kick in his MMA career against Mark Hunt and most recently in the UFC against Pat Barry, though it lacks the venom of Andy Hug's, it is still a nice tribute and caught Barry completely off guard.

Attacks from above are still pretty rare in MMA and Kickboxing, especially compared to attacks from below, but their value is certainly clear; they're tough to see, hard to train for and difficult to counter. Jon Jones has begun to land spinning elbows to the top of the head, but I most athletes in combat sports today don't consider it a valid target. While axe kicks may be difficult to pull off, it would certainly be interesting to see more fighters attempt Liddell's overhand, even if only against a stunned opponent whom they are struggling to land on.

Jack Slack maintains a blog at http://fightsgoneby.blogspot.com/ where he analyses striking technique in MMA, Boxing and Kickboxing.