ME: I'm just the best fighter... "HANDS DOWN." 🎊🎉🥳😝😝😝😝😝😝😝😝😝😝🥳🎉🎊 full disclosure: my weakness = fighting. I'm actually a terrible fighter... unless it's MK11🤔
Honestly, why do so many guys pay that much money to not listen to their instructor? It's not just Martial Arts, but it's even worse there than anything except maybe Driving classes. (Racing, and combat driving, in the military/Law Enforcement.) It's their money, but coach isn't saying "Hands up" because he likes the way that sounds. He's saying that, because he's a boxing instructor, and that's part of the course you payed to take. Even if you have no respect for the guy, have some respect for the money you're throwing at him.
When I trained with the Grant Bros. one of the pro's noticed me taping small weights to my gloves. My response to his enquiry what that I had trouble keeping my hands up so I was adding weight to train them. The look he gave me was priceless. At this point, he looked me right in the face and said; "Just keep your fucking hands up". Since then, it has never been a problem. LOL
I had a sparring partner who always hit me too hard (I stopped sparring with him after a while), but he really made it clear why I had to keep my heads up. One time my hands were not up, and he hit me so hard in the eye. I felt that for an hour XDD
Those are the good sparring partners. Not too hard as to knock you out, but just enough to capitalize on the mistakes you make. Learn quick or fall to the wayside mentality lol.
@@marctestarossa Shut up mate. If it has to hurt of the get go and every sparring it's not learning. In the time people would actually become better technically they would've used so much brain cells they will just want to kill each others. If you're Profesional okay, but even then they don't spar every day hard. Imagine going versus another professional in a match and you eaten so much beating that you barely function. What Is 12 more rounds of beating right?
Stephen even said you must know exactly what you are doing when fighting hands down. These fighters are good because they have great skills and fight IQ, not because they drop their hands while fighting
Why do people drop their hands when they shouldn’t? Mostly, that can be overcome by training. When I was coaching full-time, I had a list of things that I would give people to read and say in their head when they’re shadowboxing and when they’re hitting the bags and when they sparring. And the first thing on that list was: “hands up, elbows in, chin down.“ I must’ve said that 1000 times a week. I must’ve asked my athletes “what are you thinking about?” And I expected him to answer me hands up, elbows in, chin down. Sometimes I have to tell them yeah you’re saying it but you’re not doing it
Great job actually addressing WHY you should have your hands up or down. I've seen too many coaches yell "hands up!" because that's just "the *correct* way to fight". Any tactic can be used if it's done with purpose as part of a larger strategy, even having your hands down! Excellent video! Regards, Chipmunk
"your hands up out of protect you from the punches you don't see coming" is exactly what my first martial arts teacher kept saying to me. he also whacked us with a foam noodle every time we dropped our hands
Mike asking about whether kids play games with "water" in it feels like such a "dad" question. It technically makes sense, but at the same time a modern day kid who plays games doesn't really pay attention to "water physics" or its presence. Made me crack up.
I just filmed myself doing drills the other day and I finally saw that my hands are dropping! Now I'm working on keeping them up. Now I'm going to start recording my progress every week to keep myself accountable
This video reminded me of some sparring I was doing about 25 years ago, a couple of martial arts ago. Me and the other guy were doing our thing, then POP, he tagged me in the face. Stopped to collect myself and asked him how he pulled that off. "You dropped your hands." I was like, no I didn't. But actually I did. I became so focused on him, I lost awareness of myself.
Uh, yeah. If you weren't lazy you'd keep your hands up even though you're tired and your arms feel like jello. Don't be lazy, fight through the bad feelings, and keep your damn form. That's how you win. If pvp feels easy it's because you're not competing against people from your level
I definitely had this issue when I was first learning striking. And I made conscious efforts to "glue" my hands to my cheeks to build that habit. And it worked. And then I learned the shoulder roll(Philly shell). And that added to it. As well as seeing videos on how it can be applicable for mma. I just haven't really practiced it in an mma setting.
BIG freaking respect for telling your sparring partner to throw the punch center to the face and even eating the first one. If you're going to teach, you gotta show you know what you're talking about and what others will say and that what you're saying is real. And respect to your sparring partner for throwing that punch like a sparring session and not a "okay, haha face punching time" first timer.
I don't always catch you're videos and uploads but I've been subscribed for maybe a year now. Your sound teaching, reasoning, technique & attention to detail is so appreciated. I started purchasing Muy Thai lessons online after I found this channel & have been somewhat solo training at my local gym, but lessons like these from y'all really keep me in check and balanced. Thank you so much for all that y'all do & I wish nothing but safety for you, your loved ones & your students.
I always thought that stare down/ eye contact thing was an old wives' tale. It was supposed to be something about who has the stronger spirit but your spirit isn't going to kick me in the balls so I think I'll just keep moving and watch everything.
@@teemun3979 same. Found it very odd when some do it, and honestly have found the better boxers don’t do it because they know it’s a pile of wank lol. May do something perhaps for a real beginner who is anxious, but if someone is that new then you shouldn’t be trying to fuck with em anyway.
I am about the same age, doing something I was trained to do for 20+ years, and I frequently have interns that I teach. I really felt your energy on this.. deeply. You were yelling "hands up!" and I was yelling "comment your code, Travis!"
Replace inexperience with experience. Being comfortable with your hands down usually means that you understand the distance between you and the other guy.
@@Ponkdonker Nah it's called simplicity. It's the highest form of sophisticated fighting. You don't waste energy doing things you don't have to which also allows you to adapt better to the situation. There's different ways pf doing this though and it usually has to do with fighting I.Q. Look at Floyd Mayweather. He knows exactly when to have a high guard and when not to. There's levels to this shxt.
@@G8S0X0 yeah but this channel is not necessarily oriented towards the floyd Mayweathers of the world. People with that talent have real life coaches whereas when I didn't have a coach I'd watch this channel because easy to understand, good advice
OMG I love this video, I've been boxing for 15 years now and I also help teach. It's so irritating when people drop their hands, even being "tired" I don't take as an excuse. If you know how to positions your hand up properly, they'll stay up even when tired.
The ones that cant keep their hands up I might have a solution. When I was training JKD one of my peers was like this so, our trainer, took some tape and taped his hands to his face and had him do footwork drills and head movement drills all while having hands taped to face. Do this for about a month or less and your hands will automatically be use to that position.
Really good at explaining things I thought I already knew. You gotta way with words humbling the listener but still feel engaged. Wish you had a gym in my area.
Very true. Boxing/Kickboxing is literally learning to do the opposite of what your body is telling you to. You lean into punches when your body tells you to move away. You put your hands up and block your vision when you feel like you need to see.
Laziness is because of extra effort it takes to keep them up. Especially when keeping them up opens your midsection to various other attacks that can come at you. Like roundhouse kicks.
I think that one contributing factor is how a lot of people don't understand the difference between blocking a shot with your guard and performing some kind of party, interception, or other hand movement. Maybe we just feel like if we aren't actively trying to defend ourselves all the time, something isn't right.
This was a great video. I think another scenario why fighters drop their hands is when they're really reaching or lunging to throw a punch there's a "bow and arrow" effect going on. Meaning the tendency to really extend one limb and feet subconsciously drives them to extend their other limb which can translate to dropping the non punching hand. Which comes back to why distance management and being in range to punch is so important.
Oh my god! You used to play the original Quake!! And you used that experience to better explain the fear of not knowing what is inside the water. I just got emotional during a fighting tutorial.
@@hydrolito you might be right, but I only spar people smaller, weaker and less experienced than me. That's how I really always win in sparring, not the fake goal setting Mike is teaching around here.
I feel like the reason a fighter looks in the chest area is because you CAN see more of his attacks coming peripherally. My favorite "hands-down" fighter is Israel Adesanya. But we're not Izzy. I think hands up is generally best practice. Love your content, and thanks for the video!
The thing is that hands up is no magic formula, especially with 4oz gloves. They can also limit the mechanics of some strikes like kicks and usually with hands up the person is less focused on distance management.
"The best defense is a quick and decisive offense" - Obi-Wan Haha Seriously, though. Great advice Icy Mike. Love the channel. Keep up the great work, man! \,,/
@@IShotLazer True. But, I think what that means is to always keep your defense up, and only use a quick and decisive offense when you see an opening to strike. Kinda "Float like a butterfly, sting like a be"/intercepting fist, kinda. lol Just how I interpret it, though.
As i watch this video telling me to put my hands up, off to the side i notice a Sensei Seth video from last year "You Don't Have to Keep Your Hands Up". Great
More like Step 1: *hands up* Step 2: don't lose because you completely missed seeing a right cross Step 3: maybe...great success? Or at least not terrible loss 😂
I agree 100% with mike! A year ago i would have disagreed with this, but ever since i started to work on my high guard and trying not to move away from punches i started to trust my defense in more and stoped relying on excessive head movement. You just have to trust your guard keep your eyes on your opponent, sparring becomes easier becuae you're always in possition to counter. Think of charles olevira style. High guard walks forward minimal head movment and always in position.
The way I got around this was drilling high guard for every second of every round for a few sparring classes. Even when out of range i kept the high guard up. I ended up realizing I didnt need nearly as much of a vision gap as I thought. Its a corner stone of my defense now. I used to have too much gap when I was in high guard at striking range and no gap in close. Watching arthur abraham went a long way.
That teaching method of commands followed by “reasons why” for the commands is lost on most teachers but one of the most valuable to students/recipients. If they know why, there is less what, where, and when
Except you are NOT Roy Jones Jr ) Neither am I, don't take what I said personally. Boxing stance with hands down does have advantages, but Jones fought this way because a) he was so fast he could b) it suited his style and helped create attacks from unexpected angles. Most people (including pros) simply can not do stuff like Jones did, he had unique reflexes and hand speed. Jones himself could not fight this way when he got older and stopped being the fastest guy in the ring. What I am saying is most people are not fast enough to benefit from that style without jeopardizing defence too much. So default training should be "hands up", and if the guy is so good he doesn't need his hands up he'll figure it out himself and adapt later. But you need to learn the rules first and find out when it's OK to break the rules later, when you understand why are the rules there in the first place.
Fighters like Roy Jones and Wonderboy are good because they have great skills and fight IQ, not because they drop their hands while fighting. Don't copy pro fighters habits if you don't understand their purposes, the same thing with people keep copying Floyd Mayweather training punches while holding weights. It's stupid
Thanks for that great insight Captain Obvious, yes MMA and Boxing are different sports. MMA fighters have their hands down to stuff shooting in, RJJ fought with his hands down for totally unrelated reasons. The first part of your comment is completely disconnected from the second part. Also Mike has gone over this a billion times, stop pointing out god tier fighters breaking rules it works for them because they in a very literal sense built different.
Full contact sparring is by far the most useful tool for self defense training. Doesn't matter how many hours of training you have done if you don't know what it's like to get hit. "Everyone has I plan until they get hit in the face." Mike Tyson.
Also when I taught my step son how to fight I taught him to use hands down as a way to feel out his opponent and switch accordingly. so I would agree if you need the high guard use it.
I like lowering my guard to use headmovement. Its just another style switch. Your hands being glued to your face all the time also impairs your mobility. Lowering your hands is a advanced technique. But each his own.
I purposefully put my hands down from time to time to bait my opponent. I was drilled to keep my hands up since I was 7, so unless I'm tired, my hands are usually exactly where I want them.
For me, I'm really fast, and I'm a polite, unassuming person. I can often begin fights, and sometimes even continue the fight with my hands at chest level, or even completely down, ready to swing wide or upwards. Besides, I'm often not physically tough enough to use my arms to match up against another person's arms (hitting bone to bone, whether on purpose or accident) and so I use my hands to gesture surrender, while still maintaining a looser, more fluid defensive stance, where I allow their momentum to carry me, so I actually save energy, and end up out-wrestling stronger people, with thicker limbs. But hey, I'm not an actual professional. Just a street fighter, learning martial arts in any form I can find it. Survival is what I learned. They haven't killed me yet.
You remind me so much of my old Muay thai tranier, no bullshit, old school, in your face type. He sadly passed away after we got to swedish nationals (we got silver 🥊) . Fun to see coaches like him!
Hard2hurt my name is Hernandez and I have seen your videos of martial arts martial arts Journey speaks very highly of you also I've been on many martial arts schools Taekwondo kuk sool won mixed martial arts but have never stayed in one because I've been moving from house to house also I'm 21 and my goal is to become the best boxer kickboxer and fighter of the world and of all time
I actually read a story(fictional) about a person who was learning how to teach boxing, because they had potential to convince a group of normally pretty stuck-up professional boxers.(ie, the character was charismatic and trustworthy) When the character learned how to to box, and how to teach it, they learned two things; 1) Always keep your hands up to guard the head shots. 2) Always keep your eyes open to perceive what kinds of attacks are being thrown. These lessons were extremely helpful for when I trained and sparred at my martial arts school.
Question for Viewers: Are you a hands down type of guy? Who is your favorite hands down fighter?
It depends I’m good at keeping my hands up in a strictly boxing match but if I’m allowed kicks my hands are lower
Guillermo.
EMANUEL AUGUSTUS
ME:
I'm just the best fighter... "HANDS DOWN."
🎊🎉🥳😝😝😝😝😝😝😝😝😝😝🥳🎉🎊
full disclosure: my weakness = fighting. I'm actually a terrible fighter... unless it's MK11🤔
Wonderboy if he counts
I actually just like the taste of the gloves. Same reason I chew on my mouth piece
fake leather and 3 years of gym sweat.
yum yum haha
@@wolfhard3997 hey, people eat McDonald’s nuggets, right?
@@SenseiSeth Ya some do ,an most who do end up looking just like the food they consumed .
@@wolfhard3997 Mmmm pleather ...
It's your football background talking....
"Is minecraft scary?"
-...in the water?
Somehow, this is comedy gold.
Haven't even played mine craft and that shit was funny 🤣
Bruh.... I laughed out loud!
The shake in his voice is the truth you never know about the water
Oh yeah, that bit cracked me up for sure
I got out my phone while watching this on my xbox to comment this lol
I WAS gonna put my hands up but now I'm gonna put them behind my back and lean my chin forward. That'll teach you to tell me what to do.
I feel like that's why they do it
@@hard2hurt Actually the point on being told to do something when I was about to do it - that is spot on :-)
@@talaniel Change that about yourself haha
Honestly, why do so many guys pay that much money to not listen to their instructor? It's not just Martial Arts, but it's even worse there than anything except maybe Driving classes. (Racing, and combat driving, in the military/Law Enforcement.) It's their money, but coach isn't saying "Hands up" because he likes the way that sounds. He's saying that, because he's a boxing instructor, and that's part of the course you payed to take. Even if you have no respect for the guy, have some respect for the money you're throwing at him.
@@quantumblurrr Oh, I'm too old to be changed :-) There is a czech saying: "starého psa novým kouskům nenaučíš" :-)
-Is minecraft scary?
-In the water..
Hilarious
Legend!
Aww c'mon, it is indeed scary sometimes
I loved it too. 😂😂😂
I mean, sometimes you jump on a squid and things feel pretty sketch
He’s not wrong it’s even worse now with the underwater zombies and monsters
When I trained with the Grant Bros. one of the pro's noticed me taping small weights to my gloves. My response to his enquiry what that I had trouble keeping my hands up so I was adding weight to train them. The look he gave me was priceless. At this point, he looked me right in the face and said; "Just keep your fucking hands up". Since then, it has never been a problem. LOL
LMFAO
sorry im late but whats the lesson..?
@@vulnerablerummy to just do it and quit being a sissy. Put your hands up
@@vulnerablerummy keeping your hands up is all the weight training you need.
I had a sparring partner who always hit me too hard (I stopped sparring with him after a while), but he really made it clear why I had to keep my heads up. One time my hands were not up, and he hit me so hard in the eye. I felt that for an hour XDD
*Insert your theme song*
lmao bro i dont think he is good at sparring if he was going that hard.
Those are the good sparring partners. Not too hard as to knock you out, but just enough to capitalize on the mistakes you make. Learn quick or fall to the wayside mentality lol.
@@jimnoexist If you're into a sport, it does have to hurt. Otherwise it's not worth your time. ;-)
@@marctestarossa Shut up mate. If it has to hurt of the get go and every sparring it's not learning. In the time people would actually become better technically they would've used so much brain cells they will just want to kill each others. If you're Profesional okay, but even then they don't spar every day hard. Imagine going versus another professional in a match and you eaten so much beating that you barely function. What Is 12 more rounds of beating right?
Why are his hands down?
Morpheus: he is starting to believe.
Icy Mike: HANDS UP!
Haha
“Wonderboy is hands low. Roy Jones is hands low”
You are not Wonderboy or Roy Jones.
Exactly
Roy Jones relied on his godlike reflexes so the time came and age affected his reflexes he started getting hit all the time
Stephen even said you must know exactly what you are doing when fighting hands down. These fighters are good because they have great skills and fight IQ, not because they drop their hands while fighting
@@jaketheasianguy3307 which backs up what Icy Mike was saying. These guys understand what they're doing so they do it intentionally.
But if you don't practice how are you supposed to become the next Roy Jones
I'm just here to find out where Jay's body has been stashed.
fr, it's been a long time since we've seen him
Wouldn’t be surprised if he’s hidden underneath the gym.
He's hiding fri the next weapons demonstration
I think jay got really tan here.
The body is inside one of those punching bags. There, I ruined it.
Why do people drop their hands when they shouldn’t? Mostly, that can be overcome by training. When I was coaching full-time, I had a list of things that I would give people to read and say in their head when they’re shadowboxing and when they’re hitting the bags and when they sparring. And the first thing on that list was: “hands up, elbows in, chin down.“ I must’ve said that 1000 times a week. I must’ve asked my athletes “what are you thinking about?” And I expected him to answer me hands up, elbows in, chin down. Sometimes I have to tell them yeah you’re saying it but you’re not doing it
This is brilliant
"Is minecraft scary, though?" THAT is the real question lol
In the water
VERY SCARY!!!
Dem cave noises
so true
yes
I just drop my hands when my shoulders get tired lol
Lemme just rest my shoulders and bob my head to pretend I'm being strategic and not lazy 😎
@@cjs4363 yay, you just added a new technique to my arsenal, thanks Master!
Everyone does lol
@@cjs4363 thanks master
You should train with heavy gloves and shadow box with them for a few rounds to get that boxers shoulder conditioning lol
Great job actually addressing WHY you should have your hands up or down. I've seen too many coaches yell "hands up!" because that's just "the *correct* way to fight". Any tactic can be used if it's done with purpose as part of a larger strategy, even having your hands down! Excellent video!
Regards,
Chipmunk
"your hands up out of protect you from the punches you don't see coming" is exactly what my first martial arts teacher kept saying to me.
he also whacked us with a foam noodle every time we dropped our hands
Mike asking about whether kids play games with "water" in it feels like such a "dad" question. It technically makes sense, but at the same time a modern day kid who plays games doesn't really pay attention to "water physics" or its presence. Made me crack up.
I just filmed myself doing drills the other day and I finally saw that my hands are dropping! Now I'm working on keeping them up. Now I'm going to start recording my progress every week to keep myself accountable
This video reminded me of some sparring I was doing about 25 years ago, a couple of martial arts ago. Me and the other guy were doing our thing, then POP, he tagged me in the face. Stopped to collect myself and asked him how he pulled that off. "You dropped your hands." I was like, no I didn't. But actually I did. I became so focused on him, I lost awareness of myself.
This one is a gem and should be a top 10 video...
I start dropping my hands in sparring by the third round, just feel like getting cracked in the face is easier then keep my hands up
It is until you get rocked lol. Just had a sparring session and got rocked because I dropped my hand.
Coach - "Your going to be tired and your arms are going to feel like jello."
Also Coach - "that's why your hands are down because your a lazy coward."
Lmao
Facts
You can't satisfy them. Train hard till you almost die, then they say that good training...
Uh, yeah. If you weren't lazy you'd keep your hands up even though you're tired and your arms feel like jello. Don't be lazy, fight through the bad feelings, and keep your damn form. That's how you win. If pvp feels easy it's because you're not competing against people from your level
Q: Why Do I Drop My Hands? A: I tense my shoulders from anxiety. Burn them out. Drop my hands..
People drop there hands to feel more loose and therefore feeling better and throw better shots
yes... I'm watching this video and I'M like WUT? you drop your hands because you are more loose....
Facts some stuff about this video, I agreed but there were other things about this video I disagreed on.
I definitely had this issue when I was first learning striking. And I made conscious efforts to "glue" my hands to my cheeks to build that habit. And it worked. And then I learned the shoulder roll(Philly shell). And that added to it. As well as seeing videos on how it can be applicable for mma. I just haven't really practiced it in an mma setting.
Time to use reverse psychology, Mike. Shout 'hands down!' from now on.
BIG freaking respect for telling your sparring partner to throw the punch center to the face and even eating the first one. If you're going to teach, you gotta show you know what you're talking about and what others will say and that what you're saying is real. And respect to your sparring partner for throwing that punch like a sparring session and not a "okay, haha face punching time" first timer.
I don't always catch you're videos and uploads but I've been subscribed for maybe a year now. Your sound teaching, reasoning, technique & attention to detail is so appreciated. I started purchasing Muy Thai lessons online after I found this channel & have been somewhat solo training at my local gym, but lessons like these from y'all really keep me in check and balanced. Thank you so much for all that y'all do & I wish nothing but safety for you, your loved ones & your students.
Mike's breakdancing must he world class. I get this from watching him move his head with his hands down.
Everyone is a hands down fighter until the get punched it the mouth...
Unless you're Ricardo Mayorga
@@ct-jj1lo or Michael Page from Bellator
That doesn’t even usually stop most people tbh lol
Everyone finally learns their lesson til someone not even bigger than you lifts you off the ground with a body kick
Exactly. Nobody likes getting their mug pounded.
"Is minecraft scary?" "In the water"😂
"If you are Sticky McFirstday" - I feel like you called me out 😂
Me too
8:22 😂😂
Heyyyyyy nice to see u here lol
I made a habit of keeping my hands up n chin tucked early in my training. I don't even think about it.
I always thought that stare down/ eye contact thing was an old wives' tale. It was supposed to be something about who has the stronger spirit but your spirit isn't going to kick me in the balls so I think I'll just keep moving and watch everything.
It can be. It depends on the person. Personally, I am too focused on their body's movement to even notice if they look at my eyes once we start.
Strong spirit = more resilient = can train hard = K.O
@@teemun3979 same. Found it very odd when some do it, and honestly have found the better boxers don’t do it because they know it’s a pile of wank lol. May do something perhaps for a real beginner who is anxious, but if someone is that new then you shouldn’t be trying to fuck with em anyway.
This is exactly the level of discussion I'm subbed for.
I am about the same age, doing something I was trained to do for 20+ years, and I frequently have interns that I teach.
I really felt your energy on this.. deeply. You were yelling "hands up!" and I was yelling "comment your code, Travis!"
My guesses are going to be: fatigue, cockiness, vision, inexperience. In that order.
Replace inexperience with experience. Being comfortable with your hands down usually means that you understand the distance between you and the other guy.
@@G8S0X0 Nah... That's the same as arrogance. It's complacency. You think you're untouchable.
@@Ponkdonker
Nah it's called simplicity. It's the highest form of sophisticated fighting. You don't waste energy doing things you don't have to which also allows you to adapt better to the situation.
There's different ways pf doing this though and it usually has to do with fighting I.Q. Look at Floyd Mayweather. He knows exactly when to have a high guard and when not to. There's levels to this shxt.
@@G8S0X0
(For me) that one would fall under: "cockiness"
@@G8S0X0 yeah but this channel is not necessarily oriented towards the floyd Mayweathers of the world. People with that talent have real life coaches whereas when I didn't have a coach I'd watch this channel because easy to understand, good advice
Icy mike: HANDS UP FOR THE LOVE OF GOD PUT YOUR HANDS UP
Amputee:*visible confusion*
Blind guy: *just confusion*
Deaf guy : why is my coach screaming at me
"Is minecraft scary tho?"
"In the water"
2021 is over. 😂
OMG I love this video, I've been boxing for 15 years now and I also help teach. It's so irritating when people drop their hands, even being "tired" I don't take as an excuse. If you know how to positions your hand up properly, they'll stay up even when tired.
The ones that cant keep their hands up I might have a solution.
When I was training JKD one of my peers was like this so, our trainer, took some tape and taped his hands to his face and had him do footwork drills and head movement drills all while having hands taped to face. Do this for about a month or less and your hands will automatically be use to that position.
Really good at explaining things I thought I already knew. You gotta way with words humbling the listener but still feel engaged. Wish you had a gym in my area.
lol when mike said “put a combo together” just to roll it I felt that😂
Hey!! I'm not a coward!! I just forget someone's trying to punch me in the face.
Lol
Minecraft is scarier than fighting
Very true. Boxing/Kickboxing is literally learning to do the opposite of what your body is telling you to. You lean into punches when your body tells you to move away. You put your hands up and block your vision when you feel like you need to see.
OHHHH ICY MIKE! Playing Quake! Much respect for that one!
U know what we grew up on hahaha Quake 3 arena !
@@MrKennnnnn Quake 2 and Quake Live for me, still play them both, you still playin at all?
Laziness is because of extra effort it takes to keep them up. Especially when keeping them up opens your midsection to various other attacks that can come at you. Like roundhouse kicks.
For every Sergio Martinez that can go at it with his hands down, there's a 1000 civilians that need a motorcycle helmet.
What do you think of his comeback?
I think he's done. I mean, good for him that he's making a nice purse, but...
I am trying the both ways. But now I can do it 100% better. Man it is really nice that we have a coach on RUclips.
I got KOd once because I let my hands down and had a pretty nasty fall. Since then, I don't drop my hands. I'm scared to drop them.
I think that one contributing factor is how a lot of people don't understand the difference between blocking a shot with your guard and performing some kind of party, interception, or other hand movement. Maybe we just feel like if we aren't actively trying to defend ourselves all the time, something isn't right.
It has literally been 21 years since I last played quake. Damn you brought back some memories. I wasted an entire year in college on that game. Lol
Thank you for the Quake refference. One of the greatest FPS ever. There was a game that got your blood running.
Unless someone's a Taekwondo guy and is used to the stance.
What happens then? A sweeping kick of some kind, presumably?
That’s why u see the most terrifying head kick knockouts in taekwondo
There are no punches in Taekwondoe right?
@@nicksalvatore5717 you can punch to the body
This was a great video. I think another scenario why fighters drop their hands is when they're really reaching or lunging to throw a punch there's a "bow and arrow" effect going on. Meaning the tendency to really extend one limb and feet subconsciously drives them to extend their other limb which can translate to dropping the non punching hand. Which comes back to why distance management and being in range to punch is so important.
Oh you just know he just got done coaching somebody who wouldn’t keep their hands up!! 😂😂😂
Oh my god! You used to play the original Quake!! And you used that experience to better explain the fear of not knowing what is inside the water. I just got emotional during a fighting tutorial.
The real reason I let my hands down is to prevent my opponent from "just going to the body". Nobody "just goes to the head".
Tall guy is more likely to hit short guy in the head. Short guy more likely to strike lower.
@@hydrolito you might be right, but I only spar people smaller, weaker and less experienced than me. That's how I really always win in sparring, not the fake goal setting Mike is teaching around here.
@@redpuppy101 how u supposed to get better if you fight weaker fighters
@@animeproductions5866 why need to get better when I always win?
@@redpuppy101 that's some bad attitude
I feel like the reason a fighter looks in the chest area is because you CAN see more of his attacks coming peripherally. My favorite "hands-down" fighter is Israel Adesanya. But we're not Izzy. I think hands up is generally best practice. Love your content, and thanks for the video!
Love this channel and I don't even box.
Great way to explain the "why" about hands up. I'm gonna be using that in coaching my own classes.
10:50 - 10:55 killed me! 🤣 That was so friggin on point and hilarious, fucking love it! 🤣
6:43 and 6:56 nice sync :p
The thing is that hands up is no magic formula, especially with 4oz gloves. They can also limit the mechanics of some strikes like kicks and usually with hands up the person is less focused on distance management.
Can we get Icy Mike in Thompson's corner next fight?
I just want to hear him go crazy.
Haha that would be awesome .
Hands up! Every second
Icy: "Your scared and cowardly...!". Dude in purple: should I just knock eeem out right this second..
"The best defense is a quick and decisive offense" - Obi-Wan Haha Seriously, though. Great advice Icy Mike. Love the channel. Keep up the great work, man! \,,/
"Yeah? Well the best defense is a good offense, you know who said
that? Mel, the cook on 'Alice'." - Ed Gruberman
What a strange quote from obi wan considering he was an entirely defensive oriented Jedi fighter.
@@IShotLazer True. But, I think what that means is to always keep your defense up, and only use a quick and decisive offense when you see an opening to strike. Kinda "Float like a butterfly, sting like a be"/intercepting fist, kinda. lol Just how I interpret it, though.
As i watch this video telling me to put my hands up, off to the side i notice a Sensei Seth video from last year "You Don't Have to Keep Your Hands Up". Great
The Real Reason Mike Titles Half His Videos "The Real Reason" or "The Reason"
That's on you guys, not me lol. Thumbnail and title are the hardest parts i would gladly skip that step if i could
This has probably been the most useful video I've seen from you, and I've been following for a few years now.
It's natural for people to walk around all day with their hands down, so it can be difficult for people to keep hands up,
So just walk squared-up? smh
@@sweetneko1257 bro you got me rolling on the floor😂😂😂😂😂
@@sweetneko1257 protect yourself at ALL times
@@sweetneko1257 😁😂 made my day!
@@para_theus I can't let you get close!
Ngl I couldn’t have Mike in my corner. I’d die of laughter when he starts screaming hands up before dying fr against my opponent
Step 1: Hands up
Step 2:
Step 3: Victory
More like
Step 1: *hands up*
Step 2: don't lose because you completely missed seeing a right cross
Step 3: maybe...great success? Or at least not terrible loss 😂
This is good advice for boxing. But in mma you need to be ready to defend the takedown which causes fighters to keep their hands low.
I've always been Stiffy McFirstDay haha
og quake?! there we go.
i think one of the other big reasons why people keep their hands down is that dropping your hand to punch is a huge tell.
Is it odd for me to ask for a beard grooming tutorial? Your manbrush looks dope.
Wasn't weird until you said manbrush
I agree 100% with mike!
A year ago i would have disagreed with this, but ever since i started to work on my high guard and trying not to move away from punches i started to trust my defense in more and stoped relying on excessive head movement.
You just have to trust your guard keep your eyes on your opponent, sparring becomes easier becuae you're always in possition to counter.
Think of charles olevira style.
High guard walks forward minimal head movment and always in position.
The way I got around this was drilling high guard for every second of every round for a few sparring classes. Even when out of range i kept the high guard up. I ended up realizing I didnt need nearly as much of a vision gap as I thought. Its a corner stone of my defense now. I used to have too much gap when I was in high guard at striking range and no gap in close. Watching arthur abraham went a long way.
That teaching method of commands followed by “reasons why” for the commands is lost on most teachers but one of the most valuable to students/recipients. If they know why, there is less what, where, and when
Roy Jones Jr fought well with his hands down. It's a different game when you don't have to worry about the take down.
So many MMA fighters fight with their hands down... It's actually better for takedowns.
Except you are NOT Roy Jones Jr ) Neither am I, don't take what I said personally.
Boxing stance with hands down does have advantages, but Jones fought this way because a) he was so fast he could b) it suited his style and helped create attacks from unexpected angles. Most people (including pros) simply can not do stuff like Jones did, he had unique reflexes and hand speed. Jones himself could not fight this way when he got older and stopped being the fastest guy in the ring.
What I am saying is most people are not fast enough to benefit from that style without jeopardizing defence too much. So default training should be "hands up", and if the guy is so good he doesn't need his hands up he'll figure it out himself and adapt later. But you need to learn the rules first and find out when it's OK to break the rules later, when you understand why are the rules there in the first place.
Fighters like Roy Jones and Wonderboy are good because they have great skills and fight IQ, not because they drop their hands while fighting. Don't copy pro fighters habits if you don't understand their purposes, the same thing with people keep copying Floyd Mayweather training punches while holding weights. It's stupid
Thanks for that great insight Captain Obvious, yes MMA and Boxing are different sports. MMA fighters have their hands down to stuff shooting in, RJJ fought with his hands down for totally unrelated reasons. The first part of your comment is completely disconnected from the second part. Also Mike has gone over this a billion times, stop pointing out god tier fighters breaking rules it works for them because they in a very literal sense built different.
Full contact sparring is by far the most useful tool for self defense training. Doesn't matter how many hours of training you have done if you don't know what it's like to get hit. "Everyone has I plan until they get hit in the face." Mike Tyson.
"Ohhh I fight better with my hands down!" - Every novice average guy who thinks its special
Not exactly
Y'know, I'm really glad I stayed til the end. I wasn't sure I got the lesson until I heard @12:34
I get caught doing that alot. Niccolino Locche is my favorite hands down boxer.
Also when I taught my step son how to fight I taught him to use hands down as a way to feel out his opponent and switch accordingly. so I would agree if you need the high guard use it.
Nobody:
Mike: HANDSOME! HANDSOME! HANDSOME!
I like lowering my guard to use headmovement. Its just another style switch. Your hands being glued to your face all the time also impairs your mobility. Lowering your hands is a advanced technique. But each his own.
"If you have any kind of swag at all.." then proceeds to do the stiffest, non swaggy motions i ever saw lol
"Is minecraft scary though"?
"In the water". Im so done😂
I feel like Icy Mike said: I'm going to get this guy to put his hands up.
Hope it worked. It is absolutely good advice.
I keep my hands low because i cant move as swiftly with my hands up.
When my opponent is too close i put my hands up
I purposefully put my hands down from time to time to bait my opponent. I was drilled to keep my hands up since I was 7, so unless I'm tired, my hands are usually exactly where I want them.
One of the most entertaining vids you’ve shot mike! Great job 🔥
For me, I'm really fast, and I'm a polite, unassuming person. I can often begin fights, and sometimes even continue the fight with my hands at chest level, or even completely down, ready to swing wide or upwards. Besides, I'm often not physically tough enough to use my arms to match up against another person's arms (hitting bone to bone, whether on purpose or accident) and so I use my hands to gesture surrender, while still maintaining a looser, more fluid defensive stance, where I allow their momentum to carry me, so I actually save energy, and end up out-wrestling stronger people, with thicker limbs. But hey, I'm not an actual professional. Just a street fighter, learning martial arts in any form I can find it. Survival is what I learned. They haven't killed me yet.
You remind me so much of my old Muay thai tranier, no bullshit, old school, in your face type. He sadly passed away after we got to swedish nationals (we got silver 🥊) . Fun to see coaches like him!
Hard2hurt my name is Hernandez and I have seen your videos of martial arts martial arts Journey speaks very highly of you also I've been on many martial arts schools Taekwondo kuk sool won mixed martial arts but have never stayed in one because I've been moving from house to house also I'm 21 and my goal is to become the best boxer kickboxer and fighter of the world and of all time
not only am i not gonna put my hands up, but im gonna turn around and give you my back as a trick
You have great coaching style brother
I actually read a story(fictional) about a person who was learning how to teach boxing, because they had potential to convince a group of normally pretty stuck-up professional boxers.(ie, the character was charismatic and trustworthy)
When the character learned how to to box, and how to teach it, they learned two things;
1) Always keep your hands up to guard the head shots.
2) Always keep your eyes open to perceive what kinds of attacks are being thrown.
These lessons were extremely helpful for when I trained and sparred at my martial arts school.