Movement Martials is a combat sports account you should follow if you want to learn how to watch combat sports or even improve as an athlete.
Movement Martials is a brand account run by two pseudonyms. "Thick", the strength and conditioning guru and "Kick", the fight analyst.
I myself have done multiple podcasts with Kick where we discuss the intricacies of a single matchup.
Kick and I previewed Charles Oliveira's fight with Ilia Topuria here:
This is an extremely underrated account that provides in depth analysis on combat sports as well as detailed strength and conditioning programs. In an era where rage bait content is generated for clicks, Movement Martials stands out to improve your consumption of combat sports content.
Charles Oliveira is an offensive dynamo. From his kicks to clinch striking to submission game, Oliveira is in possession of every finishing weapon The problem is that he has not always chosen the right weapon for every encounter. Take the finishing sequence of his title loss to Makhachev. Oliveira enters from long to mid-range with a flying knee while Makhachev has all the space in the world behind him to retreat. He catches Makhachev primed to counter while he is still recovering his stance, leading to the knockdown. He has a lovely knee, but this was one of the worst times he could have thrown it, there was nothing to set this up or indicate its utility.
Preview from Movement Martials Substack
The full article can be found here:
The opponent’s lead hand is often in the way of the left hook, and the same is true for the jab that sets up his rear straight. The right high kick can cause significant damage (unlike most open-side right body kicks: no liver) and has a significant impact even through a guard.
The same way Edwards knocked Usman out and the strike Robert Whittaker hits on everyone, the 1-2 is something of a throwaway shot. If something hits, great, but the real object of the rear straight is to get the opponent to anticipate punches and dip out to avoid the strikes. Even better if they try and parry the 2 which lowers their guard. They avoid a flush punch but invite a shin to the dome. Though it is one of the most classic combinations in kickboxing, same-side punch and kick combinations remain a brilliant strategy to play with opponent’s expectations.
Preview from Movement Martials Substack
The full article can be found here:
The King is Back
Featuring Charles Oliveira & Matt Brown:
Collar Ties are emblematic of MMA. A tool utilized for transitional offense, control, and defense: they are versatile. Just a hand upon the neck and a forearm in the opponent’s shoulder is integral to controlling the standing grappling of a fight rather than allowing yourself to get man handled by a larger grappler. Fight fans have long heard the story of when Anderson Silva forged his UFC star-making performance by brutalizing Rich Franklin with the double collar tie.
Oliveira employs the concept of pushing and pulling here as well. Oliveira pins Poirer agains the cage and pulls him into a hard knee to then post off the head to create space and throw an elbow in the open space.
Collapsing space between upper bodies —> Knees
Creating space between upper bodies —> Elbows
Preview from Movement Martials Substack
The full article can be found here:
Charles Oliveira & Matt Brown
Grappling Highlights from UFC 296 With a Dash of Charles Oliveira
Charles Oliveira was able to do this much more impressively against a slightly less worn version of Tony Ferguson without getting hurt by him in the process. Instead of diving on the single in an all-or-nothing attempt Oliveira cinches up the body lock in order to drive Ferguson to the cage. These moments along the cage give Oliveira time to adjust his grips and shove his knee under Ferguson’s shin.
With his body lock tightened and knee holding up Ferguson’s leg, he lifts Ferguson up and slams him down. Notably utilizing the body lock rather than single leg puts Oliveira into a more advantageous position while on top.
Preview from Movement Martials Substack
Full article can be found here:
Grappling Highlights from UFC 296 With a Dash of Charles Oliveira
Make sure you also check out Movement Martials mini trailer of Charles Oliveira's Improved Wrestling
Movement Martials provides unique technical insights in all his articles. All of his articles have helped me improve my own analytical skills and I am positive that they will do the same for you.
Subscribing to Movement Martials is a step in the right direction to being a knowledgeable combat sports fan. The sport is a lot more enjoyable when you understand what's going on. You won't regret it.
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