"Use Your Legs More"

One way I can spot a more experienced fighter from someone just starting out, is in the way they use their legs. Higher level fighters know how to use their legs and their feet very well--as skillfully as they use their hands and arms. When I was really into Muay Thai, I noticed that the best fighters had great footwork and knew how to flawlessly incorporate their kicks into their combinations. When I was a Blue Belt in BJJ, I began to notice that the best Black Belts were also "masters" of using their legs in various positions, submissions, and transitions.

Many people focus too much on their hands and arms and neglect the use of their hips, legs, and feet, which are just as important, if not more important, then using the upper body. Clearly everyone uses their legs, but I am talking about using your lower half with more actively--to the point that your two legs can serve as two extra arms.

With this said, try using your legs more when you practice with your team and training partners. When striking, don't neglect working on your footwork. All decent strikers know how to move foward, back, left, right and circle. But, how much time is spent learning and practicing the use of angles. Angling is a huge aspect of striking that top caliber fighters incorporate daily into training, and it requires good coordination and skilled use of your legs. Also, strikers need to practice on making their kicks, quick and light, yet powerful. There are ways to develop power, and also ways to develop speed. It's a good idea to make sure there is balance (i.e. don't only train for power).

Grapplers can use their legs in almost any position. If a grappler becomes very skilled with the use of his or her legs, that person will definitely see a huge leap in performance. Try experimenting with using your legs more when passing the guard. For instance, use your knees, shins, and/or feet to help control your opponents legs to make it easier for yourself to pass. If you're on the bottom of someone's side mount or mount, don't forget to use your legs to help move your opponent. With your legs you can bridge your opponent, build momentum and space, and even control parts of you opponent's body (even when on flat on your back). There are so many instances where more use of your legs can improve your game.

Analyze your game and ask yourself if you can use your lower body more effectively. Don't be afraid to try things out and be creative. In the process of playing around while training, I'm sure you'll learn some new techniques on your own.

Tags: brazilian jiu jitsu, mixed martial arts, training, tips