MMA Training Book - Wrestling For Fighting: The Natural Way by Randy Couture

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MMA Training Book - Wrestling For Fighting: The Natural Way by Randy Couture

Written by Mike on October 15, 2008 – 3:55 am -

Every mixed martial arts practitioner (or Ultimate Fighter, if you will) in North America knows Randy “the Natural” Couture. At more than 40 years of age, Randy is a former light heavyweight and the current world heavyweight champion of the UFC. Though he began his mma career in the mid-90’s, he is still active in the sport and has proved his doubters wrong time and again. These doubters thought that Vitor Belfort’s hands would too fast for Randy. That Chuck Liddell would easily knock him out (in their first match). That Tito Ortiz would be too strong a wrestler. That Tim Sylvia would kill him. That Gabriel Gonzaga would either KO or submit him. The common basis for these predictions was Couture’s age. Winning those matches with the odds against him allowed Randy Couture, along with other fighters, to increase the popularity of mma to what it is today.

Wrestling For Fighting: The Natural Way by Randy Couture

The foundation for Randy Couture’s mma training is Greco-Roman wrestling. An Olympic alternate in that sport, he is highly qualified to author a book on how to use wrestling effectively inside the Octagon. He shows his expertise in “Wrestling For Fighting: The Natural Way,” another masterful martial arts instructional from Erich Krauss and Glen Cordoza from Victory Belt. In what is now synonymous with Victory Belt publications, complete, step-by step, color photos and multiple angles allow readers to appreciate minute details of Randy executing his techniques.

Randy Couture’s mma training instructional has three sections namely basic wrestling, Greco-Roman wrestling and wrestling for fighting.

The first section on basic wrestling covers the low single leg, high single leg, double leg and high crotch takedowns. Next are fundamental tie-ups such as wrist control, underhooks and collar-and-elbow ties. The section ends with takedown defenses like sprawling.

The second section is one of Randy Couture’s strengths, Greco-Roman wrestling. For those not familiar with this Olympic sport, Greco-Roman wrestling involves upper body control. As such this section of the book covers pummeling for underhooks and armdrags in order to get the takedown. Takedowns covered include bodylocks, headlock throws and suplexes. Couture also displays defensive techniques in the clinch.

It is in the third section of the book wherein Randy Couture applies the wrestling techniques shown in the first two sections in mma. He shows stances and then how to use strikes to set up the takedown or to get in the clinch. Takedowns modified for use in the cage are included such as using the bounce off the Octagon to secure a double leg. In addition, this section is where Randy shows his expertise in mma, dirty boxing or strikes from the clinch. Another Randy Couture specialty follows showing how Randy won most of his fights: ground-and-pound into a TKO victory. Surprising for some practitioners of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Couture may opt to sit on an opponent’s leg, immobilizing him for strikes rather than pass the half guard. This section ends with two submissions, the anaconda choke and the guillotine. For those not familiar with the anaconda choke, it is a head-and-arm choke variant done when sprawled on top of an opponent.

“Wrestling For Fighting” is another great instructional book for mma training as takedowns are needed in order to begin ground-and-pound sequences or submission attempts, as Matt Hughes, Georges St-Pierre and of course, Randy Couture are accustomed to do. On the other hand, takedown defense is just as important in keeping the fight a kickboxing match. This “wrestling in reverse” is done most often by Chuck Liddell and Dan Henderson. The techniques shown in this book are just as useful in jiu-jitsu or submission wrestling matches so that grapplers need not rely solely on pulling or jumping to guard in order to take the fight to the ground. Wrestling-based fighters, with this instructional, will get ideas on how to apply the skills they already have in the Octagon.

By the way, Randy Couture’s book is focused on wrestling only. Basic kickboxing strikes are not taught and neither are submissions (with the exception of the two chokes at the end). But then, the book is not intended to be a complete mma training instructional.