If you are going to stand within arms reach of a guy and trade. You had quite simply better be a tough MF. (Martial Fan)
Trading punches is not any intent in WC. Of course this does happen in all arts if rules enforce it or the fighters don't know what they do.
If you are going to leave your head in one spot. Which just happens to be directly down the middle of their firing line. You had better be a tough MF.
This is a major problem not in WC but in people's perceived notion of what WC should be like. Not only from those with opinions but more often from those learning WC.
If you take a short range weapon to think movement of body and feet are not a major priority such as having good footwork then you have a strange understanding of fighting.
I would like to see someone being so cold to stand still when someone attacks with a sharp knife.
If you have no exit strategy if the exchange does not go the way you want. Well guest what you had better be.
If you are not training to be a tough MF you probably won't be in a fight.
WC I agree might often lack an exit strategy. While I have offensive retreat there is maybe a whole world of exit strategies that could be explored more..
And all off this is trying to be achieved with chain punches which have less power, less range and offer less protection than straight jab cross combinations. That is pretty much filling the same role.
Chain punching is not a technique. In fact it is probably not at all what you think. See it more like different ways to generate power that may be drilled or used as you like.
What is wrong with WC here is that many who even study WC seems to think chain punching is a method to hit your opponent in a "devastating" way.
Now if you were on a rooftop
and some dude gave you the stink eye. Nailing him with four or five hard straight shots should work well.
(This is pretty much what I do in a street fight)
If you are doing your first two or three ring fights. Good straight punching and good cardio will generally win you the fight.
But as your opponent's skills increase and they become competent with head movement and 3 dimensional fighting you will get picked apart relying on the same old tricks.
Tricks are what people use that can not fight. WC has head, body and feet movement. It is the goal to master footwork and angles so you never need to move in the first place but we as in almost all of us are not there.
We move quite a bit.
As for our older masters movement has become limited with age but then the problem is that us younger students see them on YouTube and think this is what we need to be.
Problem is that too much information before we know enough means we know less than before.
If takedowns are involved. Sitting there throwing long combinations in arms reach is basically asking them to put you on your back.
Well this I personally believe is a major issue. WC might have the answer but it does not matter because noone can do proper takedowns so it can't be drilled under pressure.
This is why cross training for instance BJJ might be a good idea.
