Margin of Error

“It’s HIGH LEVEL problem solving with DIRE CONSEQUENCES” – Joe Rogan

“In life the margin for error is so small. I mean one half step too late or to early you don’t quite make it. One half second too slow or too fast and you don’t quite catch it. The inches we need are everywhere around us.” – Tony D’Amato

 

Fights like these have very small margin of errors. One slight misstep and the opponent gets the best of you. Panel 6 shows that one little misstep and how it cost Cody the win. Also, note the stepping back with accompanied with a right hook, leaving Cody wide open for TJ’s right hook.

All the Small Things.

What you expect are always the things you place great importance on. In a fight, that can become your downfall.

The variables are plenty so you work with what you know. But what about the X-Factor?

Ah, and that is why fights are so exciting. The unpredictability of it all. It is chaos manifested.

No one expected Rose Namajunas to win. Ask around and you pretty much get a large percentage of people placing their bets on Joanna Jedrzejczyk. Just check the cheat sheet to see why:

But there’s always that X-factor. What was it? Rose’s left hand. Well, it wasn’t just a left hand. It was a left hand that came from tons of practice involving proper footwork, distance, timing, etc. No one expected it.

DIAGRAM A: Early on in the fight. Rose leads with a fake right to land a right. Note Rose’s composure when Joanna puts pressure on her.

DIAGRAM B: Amazing footwork. Rose’s shift in footwork here is beautiful. Here she is once again faking with the right.

DIAGRAM C: Sealing the deal. No one expected this would happen. Not even Rose, as she mentioned in a post fight interview. Haha.

And this is why I love martial art. The subtleties make all the difference…and it’s usually the stuff we don’t expect.

-S

Why UFC 217 Mattered to Me More Than Prior UFC Fights.

 

There is so much to extract from last night’s UFC 217 that you could write an entire book on the whole field of unarmed combat from each of the fights last night. It was a star-studded event from the Numajunes vs Joanna fight to the grand finale that was Bisping vs. GSP. In the next coming weeks I feel like writing some analysis of each fights, and more so with the fight between “Wonderboy” Stephen Thompson and Jorge Masvidal. If you ever wanted to see the grand epic version of Karate vs. Muay Thai, well, that was it.

But I’m gonna go with a more passionate philosophical prose today. Something about UFC 217 got me really inspired. There was an energy in the air, something I can’t quite put my finger on exactly, but from the first fight on (Johny Hendricks vs Paulo Costa) I knew UFC 217 was going to be a very special one.

These superfights weren’t about the personalities and the drama (okay Garbrandt and Dillashaw’s fight was clouded in it), it was about the unique fighting styles each of these fighters were bringing into the Octagon against each other. Namajunes’ agility and speed against the aggressive power house, Joanna Jedrzejczyk, Thompson’s point Karate style against Masvidal’s Muay Thai style,  Gardbrandt’s speed and power against Tillashaw’s odd striking techniques – all showed on that night that MMA is a sport that requires fighters to have high fight IQ and Olympian-level athleticism. Street brawlers need not apply.

In fact, MMA isn’t a sport. No, Meryl Streep, MMA IS AN ART.

And because it’s an art it’s one of the reasons why I’ve loved being in martial arts since I was a kid.  Fighting requires endurance, strength, strong mental acumen, focus, practicing, studying fundamentals, and mastering specific techniques. These things run parallel to the approaches of the visual artist. The artist can learn the physical skills to sharpen his techniques, but living as an artist, he/she needs the endurance and strength to survive in a world that isn’t always looking out for the artist.

But you could say the parallels can be drawn between other sports like football or basketball. Fighting is as real as it gets. It doesn’t matter if it’s in the ring, in the octagon, or on the streets, the skills transfer. Fighting is human nature and to achieve our goals and dreams we have to fight for it. Anyone who’s ever made the decision to live a life that they want to live will know what that feels like. You feel a wall is in front of you. Traveling the path of an independent artist is not a path I’d like to tell many to take, but for those that have, it is the ultimate path of truth seeking. There is a dream they wish to pursue and on that path they’re met with criticisms, constant “no’s”, and told by others how things are supposed to work; yet they preserver and weather the storm. This isn’t easy. It’s one of the hardest things to do. But if you’ve ever stepped in the ring or displayed your art in public, you’re one brave person. And if you’re still doing art despite all the set backs you’ve endured, well, now you’re just a badass.

Watching fights like UFC 217 reminded me that in tough times the key is to keep moving. Roll with the punches. Yeah, you’ll get hit and it hurts like hell, but you’re still standing. It’s like what a coach said to me once after a guy folded me from a gut shot and I was going to call it a night:

“DON’T QUIT.”

So don’t quit. Get back in there and get to work!