What Makes Great Corner men?

If you’re like me, you love to watch MMA and each time you do you seem to find more and more things that make you love this amazing sport. I have been watching mixed martial arts for quite some time and I have always enjoyed the pay per view events more than the free live events on Spike or Versus. The biggest reason is not so much the card quality but instead that on cable the networks take their commercial breaks in between rounds, which is understandable because that’s really the only time. Due to this commercial break we miss some informative, and sometimes, like in Clay Guida’s case, some entertaining stuff that happens in the corners. I really enjoy the interaction between the fighters and the corner men that takes place for a brief period in between rounds.

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During this time you can get a good sense of the type of corner each fighter has. There are several different kinds of corner men and strategies to getting their fighter ready for the next round. The type which I don’t personally agree with or understand is the corner that likes to feed their fighter a line of bullshit. I am sure you’ve seen these corners, who, no matter how bad their fighter is doing, the corner tells them that they are doing great, to keep doing what he’s doing and that he won that last round. I personally don’t see the point of doing this. Maybe they do it to instil confidence?

I like the straight shooting corners. The ones that say”What are you doing out there?” “You need to stick to what we trained on” or “Your dipping your shoulder before you throw your right hand…your telegraphing it.” That type of corner will also let their fighter know their down 2 rounds in the 3 round fight and they must finish the fight in this final round. I especially appreciate the more direct approach of “You gotta knock this fuckin guy out NOW!!

Greg Jackson has a very interesting strategy. He talks in a soft, calming voice and gets his fighter to concentrate on their breathing, then gives them straight and simple instructions for the next round. I think that it is a smart idea to get your fighter as loose and relaxed as possible.

Next time you’re watching on PPV check out what is going on in the corners. You may see something interesting. As I close this article I want to stress that I am not saying that any way of cornering is more right than any other way. I just wanted to bring a couple strategies I have noticed into the light. I am sure these coaches/trainers know their fighters better than I do. I am sure they know just what to say to get their shit right before the next five minutes of battle.

Cheers!

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By Kevin Leal
ProFighting-fans.com Staff Writer