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| MMA studies Part 2: What makes a good MMA fighter?
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The easiest way to comprehend what makes a good MMA fighter is to look at perhaps the best MMA fighter in the world, Fedor Emelianenko. When it comes to the 4 disciplines of MMA (striking, grappling, kickboxing, brazilian jiu-jitsu) he is not the best at any of them. There are better strikers, grapplers, kick boxers, BJJ artists. Please understand though his abilities in each discipline are world class. The difference is Fedor's ability to transition between the disciplines. He is comfortable standing up, wrestling in the clinch, throwing and defending knees and kicks and can attack and defend on the ground and moves between each of the disciplines seamlessly. I have found that the best way to describe what it takes to be a good MMA is like learning different languages. Normally fighters get into MMA with the base of learning in one discipline, their first language. That language is apart of them and comes naturally. As the fighter starts to learn for languages, disciplines, it becomes more difficult. They have to learn the vocab (offensive and defensive techniques) and structure of how to put those new words together into sentences (series of techniques). If you have tried to learn a new language, then you know how difficult it is to hold a conversation with someone who is fluent in it. MMA is the equivalent to being required to speak 4 languages at any second. You must be able to recognize, decipher, and deliver any of these 4 languages without fail or your fight will end quickly. You do not need to master any language, rather you need to be schooled, confident and patient in all languages in order to be a solid MMA competitor. As mentioned above Fedor is not the best at all disciplines, yet he can speak all languages at any time and even switch between them at a moments notice. His ability to fight from all 4 disciplines is remarkable and unprecedented.
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