Sorry, but your best martial arts technique is worthless if you’re not in the right range to execute it. That’s why learning how to manage distance is so important.
But don’t take my word for it… here’s some advice from my friend, Sifu Randy Brown, of Randy Brown Mantis Boxing.
If you’d like to hear more tips from Sifu Brown, you can visit his school in the Boston area, or check out his YouTube channel here.
You can also check out his Online Courses here.
For now, there’s a video and article below. 🙂
Tips to Manage Distance in a Fight
Sifu Randy Brown points out that fighters often get stuck in one fighting range… which can get them killed!
They make the mistake of standing in kicking range, while thinking about punching. Or they desperately try to clinch in grappling range, while their attacker has stepped back into kicking range.
So, the first step in learning how to manage distance better in a fight is to know what range you’re in!
You might be standing in kicking distance, punching distance, or grappling distance. You might also be just far enough away that it’s safe to let your guard down.
But heads up—fighting ranges change quickly! It only takes one quick push, pull, or shuffle to change everything. If you drift into kicking range, you’d better get those hands up and start dropping your weight.
Failure to recognize when you’re in danger, and/or what dangers you’re facing, is a formula for failure.
So, to be effective in self-defense and fighting, know your fighting ranges. Don’t get caught trying to grab a bad guy who’s too far away or trying to kick when the bad guy’s jumping on top of you.
Recognizing ranges will also help you figure out WHEN you should start fighting back. For some thoughts on that, check out, How to Spot a Bad Self-Defense Teacher.
Once you know your fighting ranges, the next step is to train to be effective in all of them.
No, that doesn’t mean you have to be an expert kicker, an expert puncher, AND an expert grappler… but you should at least know how to set yourself (and keep yourself!) in the fighting position that works best for you.
Remember—if you let the bad guy control which fighting range you’re in, you will most likely die!
So, train to manage the distance… and survive!
