Attack High to Win Low

Does Anyone Actually Think Ten Steps Ahead?

Sometimes cliches are helpful. Cliches can help you absorb winning strategies to excel at whatever games you play. Combat sports are no different.

Instead of learning lots of techniques that describe how to attack someone’s posture, you’re probably better off starting with memorizing the maxim, “Control the head, control the body.” You can fill in the rest as you go along.

Because these pieces of information are easy to understand and implement, some ideas spread like wildfire before they’re vetted. By the time they’re stuck between everyone’s ears, we find out there isn’t much truth there.

One cliche that has done more harm than good is that experts think X number of moves ahead at all times. In reality, experts learn that there aren’t too many reactions to single techniques. They know what reactions are most common and can capitalize on them. They understand that they only have to gain a second or two of an advantage over their opponent to score something that can win an exchange, or an entire match.

If you jab someone’s body and their hands start dropping you know you can start hooking off your body jab to punish them for dropping their guard. If you kick someone’s body and their arm starts dropping to absorb more kicks you know you can kick higher to punish them for not keeping their hands by their head.

You don’t have to think ten moves ahead, you just have to know that people don’t want to get hit, and if you hit them they’re probably going to try to block it when you try it again.

At WNO 18 this weekend we saw one tactical cliche used well over two separate matches.

Attack Posture and Get to Their Legs

A tactic that any grappler can use is attacking high then low. You attack upper body submissions or posture until your opponent extends or stands to make space and get away. In doing so they open simple avenues for attacking their legs.

Below Jacob Couch attacks an omoplata on Izaak Michell. Michell’s near leg is posted to keep posture and defend the submission so Couch uses the space to attack the leg.

Here Rafael Lovato Jr. is working grips on Elder Cruz. Cruz stands to begin passing Lovato Jr.’s guard, and Lovator Jr. uses the stand-up to sweep Cruz, take his back and secure the submission.

This tactic is as useful as it is simple. When you attack someone’s posture and upper body they have to extend their limbs or stand to get away, otherwise, they risk getting scored on or submitted. This means you can spam upper body attacks and force your opponent to create space so you can attack their legs.

Unlike the cliche that experts are ten steps ahead, the simple tactic of attacking low then high, or high then low, should be internalized and implemented. We’ll talk about other combinations later, we’re already at 500 words.