Fighting Strategy, Taking the Centre of the Ring

Cage Rage 25 saw Ken Shamrock get beaten by a fighter called Robert “Buzz” Berry. Ken and Frank Shamrock have always been my favourite fighters and even if Ken lost another 500 fights, his status as a legend in MMA is always going to be there in my mind as he has done so much for the sport. Maybe he should quit maybe he should not. That’s up to him, but his heart is among the best around.

A strategy that has been employed by Ken and passed to Frank and most of his Lions Den fighters throughout the years is taking the centre of ring. Once the bell before each round rings, you come out of your corner and take a position in the centre of the ring. To some, this strategy shows dominance, control, authority and can decide the outcome of the fight sometimes. By taking the centre of the ring or cage you are saying to your opponent “here I am, am not afraid to fight, im not afraid to exchange blows, Im a problem, deal with me!” Just by doing this you can make your opponent become a defensive and negative fighter, you cut off the fighting area so he/she has limited space to move and in the judges eyes you can sometimes be noticed more. This will help in gaining a decision at the end of the fight if there is no knockout or submission

As mentioned, this was always the strategy employed by Ken Shamrock, and could well be one of the reasons why he was seen as such a dominating and fearsome fighter in the nineties. To be able to pull this strategy off, all you need is courage. The courage to show your opponent that YOU are the one in control of the fight. Usually the one who takes the centre of the ring wins, and is not just a strategy for the bigger guys. Smaller fighters who also employ this strategy include Rickson Gracie and Genki Sudo. Do it once and you will have the courage to always do it.

Marks

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