A key skill in high-level striking is a thing called “mimicking.” Mimicking requires a high fight IQ. Any athletic person can be taught how to punch and kick a bag. But it takes an exceptional person to throw a strike, that starts out looking like a different type of strike. MMA fans might have heard of a “question mark kick.” A “question mark kick” follows the principle of mimicking. A question mark kick starts out looking like a front kick, then gets turned over at the last minute and becomes a round house.
These are the types of things Joe Rogan mean when he talks about K-1 level striking. If you’re over 30 years old, you might get the reference. However, younger fans that grew up in the social media age probably don’t know what the hell he’s talking about. But if they do a quick YouTube search, they might come across Lawrence Kenshin’s fight breakdown videos. An excellent video that he created in March of this year breaks down Ernesto Hoost’s “Perfect” low kick.
When K-1 was at its height in the early 1990’s – 2000’s, Ernesto Hoost was a 4-time K-1 World Champion. This was no easy feat, since K-1 hosted the best strikers in the world. How great were they? Well, it took Mixed Martial Arts decades before it showcased the level of striking witnessed in the K-1, 30 years ago.
Ernesto Hoost’s nick name was Mr. Perfect, because he could consistently land the perfect low kick against his opponents.
In this breakdown video, Lawrence Kenshin explains how fighting is about deception, and how certain strikes are chained together. For example, left hooks and right crosses are usually followed up with a roundhouse kick.
High level fighters are aware of this, and when they see one of those punches, they instinctively raise their leg to check the kick.
Ernesto Hoost overcame this tendency by disguising his left hook to look like the setup for a low kick. This allowed him to be one step ahead of his opponents. He threw a lot of liver shots and when he did, he would draw the leg check because of his deception. His punch made it impossible for them to stay standing on one leg. When they put their leg down out of necessity, he would punish them with his low kick.
It’s very high level striking when you disguise your strikes. Fighters with this ability are on a very short list that includes Floyd Mayweather Jr., Israel Adesanya, Anderson Sylva, and a few others.
Watch the video if you have an interest in combat sports and martial arts.
