The Clinch (No Holds Barred Fighting) Review

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(More customer reviews)Mark Hatmaker continues his "No Holds Barred" series with a text on the clinch. In it, he teaches clinch variations, how to control them, how to strike and throw from them, defenses to these techniques, and how to condition oneself for the intense, close-range battle that is the clinch.
Mark begins his book with a bit of a forward on the recomended use of the text. "The Clinch", he says, can be a stand-alone piece, but recomends picking up "No Holds Barred: Takedowns" to accompany the title. He then moves on to the three basic clinches shown in the book: the "head clinch" (a modified Thai plum possition), the collar-and-elbow, and the over-under. He notes the optimum ways to grip each clinch, and lists common mistakes. He then shows two excercises, the squat & dive-bomber pushup, that he recomends the reader do to prepare themselves for the rigors of clinch-fighting. Next, he introduces the reader to the concept that "it's OK to disagree"; that is, never enter a clinch passively, as seen in some wrestling events. After that is a small chapter on circular footwork, the kind seen often in a clinch. He explains the concepts behind the footwork. Missing from this chapter are illustrations, but his clear, concise explaination is easy to follow. The last chapter on fundamentals is on pummeling in the various clinches. "Pummeling" is the act of wrestling for control and possition, and this is an invaluable chapter.
After that, we get to the meat of the text. Mark covers striking first, taking each clinch one at a time. The first section is the one of the head clinch, offering various knee attacks, singly and in combination, and low kicks. The collar-and-elbow chapter consists of just two "roughing" techniques, forearm and shoulder shots. The section on striking from the over-under includes many of the same lower-body shots as in the head clinch, but also includes some punches and elbow strike, as well as some more roughing techniques. Then it's on to takedowns. I found it nice that he included a takedown from the head clinch, 'cause it's not generally thought of as a possition where one can execute a throw. The collar-and-elbow section is somewhat brief, focusing on setups for leg takedowns, but Mark refers to his "Takedowns" book as a source for people hungry for more. Finally comes the extensive section on over-under takedowns. Mark classifies these throws into 8 categories, including whizzer takedowns, bodylock takedowns, trips, and duckunder takedowns. There are more than enough high-percentage takedowns in this section to be worth the price of the book. Following that section, Mark covers several ways to defend against throws when your opponent has moved into a headlock or waistlock possition.
Mark devotes the final chapter in the text to the "backcast" throw, also known as the suplex. He begins with six excercises and drills to train the body for the backcast; this chapter should not be ignored. He goes on to demonstrate several backcast variations, including using it in combination or as a counter-throw. He then finishes up the text with counters to the backcast.
This is an excellent text in the continuing "No Holds Barred Fighting" series. The only thing I might complain about is the lack of extensive takedowns from the collar-and-elbow, but that's a possition rarely seen in MMA events, anyway. Given how little work exists on the clinch, I'd call this a must-read for any aspiring MMA fighter.

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With its complete focus on a single fighting position, this handbook unsparingly examines the clinch. In the clinch, the no-holds-barred combat techniques of striking and grappling meet, posing new challenges and calling for new strategies. With these detailed explanations of each aspect of positioning in the clinch, fighters can set up their own clinch takedowns and beat those used against them in the ring. The unique striking tools, protection strategies, and takedowns the clinch requires are explained for both offense and defense, moving smoothly between each fighting element to maximize advantage. A clinch situation is an inevitability in NHB fighting, and this reference gives fighters the most complete education in turning the clinch to their advantage.

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