I coach middle school wrestling and have told my wrestlers to always keep their eyes on their opponent all the way until the match begins in an effort to break them mentally. I mean, it worked for Mike Tyson. "As soon as he (my opponent) looked away, even for a second, I knew I had him." And guys like Wanderlei Silva and James Thompson seem to agree. But what about Fedor Emelianenko (and others)? He was once quoted as saying that it is a "waste of energy". What do some of the pro fighters on here think? Are staredowns a good idea? Are they an instrumental part of the fight game? Or should I stop having my wrestlers do it altogether? By the way, we're 1-0 already this season./shameless plug
I wouldn't say it's not as black and white as do or don't. What works for some people doesn't for others.
Wrinkle - I wouldn't say it's not as black and white as do or don't. What works for some people doesn't for others.Fair enough. But why do you think it works for some fighters and not for others though?
I think some fighters are aggressive by nature, they need to create an intesity to help them get the KO. I remeber watching the Hardy/Condit fight and anticipating something big just due to the tension between both guys. When i was doing some hard training I needed to get amped up like this because I worried that if I ever did take a pro fight and came in relaxed I would get Ko'd. I needed it to seperate fighting from sparring.
The opposite of that would be a Fedor or a Shogun type fighter who likes to stay relaxed while maintaning a deep focus of their opponent. They don't see the need to mesure up their opponent and the anxiety or tension could work against them. I would think a staredown would be for a fighter who embraces the violence of the sport and wants to channel that while a fighter who looks away is more cerebral in their approach and probably on a higher level. Buit this is just my opinion and I'm sure there's tons of exceptions to my theory.
Great, insightful post. Thanks, Wrinkle. I wonder what some pro fighters think about it.
This is how its done.
LMAO!!
LOL that never gets old.
I would rather be eyeball-screwed by prime Wanderlei than have to look into Fedor's blank eyes. I'd say it's about intensity, and not really aggression. 