One of the dudes who reinvigorated my interest in karate. Now I can't get enough of the karate style in MMA. I hope it continues to grow and get recognition.
@Undefeated Keyboard Warrior oh sorry didnt realize the UFC was the only martial arts promotion in existence, you're right forget this dude's 30 years of practice! (Are you a joke cause your screen name is appropriate!)
@Undefeated Keyboard Warrior Did you even watch the video you're commenting on where he says he has 30 years of experience? Lmao get with the program buddy!
Join an mma gym bro, fighting got me out of my shell as I was known as the quiet shy kid in school, not just fighting even just training boosts self confidence and makes you feel so much better about yourself
@@elderlyinfant3917 even if you don't fall in love with mma try other sports bro. I found that just doing exercise or playing any type of sport seemed to help me physically and mentally. Good luck in the future man.
Perfect video. I have a similar style like you. I stsrted fighting as a pointfighter and now I am using this movement in normal kickboxing. This Stance and movement with kick from front leg is the key for the win for me. I am fan from Czech republic.
Darrin Montgomery honestly, i use my fencing background to move in and out no matter the style and my blitz during karate sparring and especially at competitions is completely fencing based don’t just watch some videos you have to attend classes or get help from a friend who does fencing i have two first place medals in foil fencing a first and second place medal in saber fencing trust me the footwork from fencing is better than the footwork of karate in the in and out game
Thoth I’m already fluid in a square, southpaw, and orthodox stance. I’m just interested in the sideways karate style. And in fencing your not going to have someone chopping your legs with Thai kicks and oblique kicks. I’m by no means a karate guy, I’m just fascinated by the light hoppity movement. I doubt I’ll use it in a fight, I prefer mixing Dominick Cruz and Mike Tyson footwork/head movement with a few longer kicks. Like the side/turning side kicks, or oblique kicks and teeps just to control distance. Then mix it up with elbows, knees, and hooks when they get close. My point is I’ll probably stick with works for me now, I just like learning how new techniques work.
Darrin Montgomery well in epee fencing you do attack the legs and also your correct with the leg kicks you have to learn to counter those but i do spar with leg kicks sometimes at my dojo and always at home with my muay thai friend it just has a little adapting to the stance to be able to kick and blitz and you will do just fine with it i will say it does work much better without leg kicks but it still works about 90-95% as well once you’ve adapted it to leg kicks also
What a great coach he is. Such a great breakdown into the stance. I been boxing/kickboxng 10 years, had a few fights and it's something i obsess over. I'm an under achiever though and recently found myself reassessing my stance after struggling with my kickboxing. I feel like I've become very uncoordinated and lost my distance control due to no sparring for 8 months due to covid. This video is perfect.
Im so happy you created a RU-vid channel Wonderboy as you're the most wholesome man within mixed martial arts who loves to give back to the youth on their martial arts journey... that's why we all love you Stephen. Looking forward to your gaming uploads in the future as well, keep being awesome my friend. 🥋🤙
"I don't keep my hands up because I've been doing this for thirty years," said Wonderboy. He had a point, and I made a note to keep my hands up for thirty years before I thought thrice about dropping them.
Stephen Wonderboy Thompson I am commenting on you're video because I just wanted to thank you for inspiring me to do something else beside video games all day or watch videos all day and making me do something better in quarantine right now I started to train any time I can train at home anyway just wanted to say thank you and✌
Stevie Wonder(boy) is such a likeable guy. Been following him since the Stittgen fight. That was beautiful destruction, on of my favorite KO’s of all time. He looked 18 years old in that fight and I think he was 28 or 29 back then. He still looks 10 years younger than his age. I wish he did a video on where to find the fountain of youth. Class act and perfect rolemodel for kids. My son started martial arts at 5 three years ago and he has two favorite fighters: wonderboy and Rory MacDonald.
Yes! My favorite fighter all time. Much respect. I always get motivated when I see you move. Just the way your able to flow with your style. You are the best ever!
Ik this is late for me to say but I started going to the gym last summer and during that time with sparing/class I started become more of a adaptable in spars for counters.. new moves, techniques, stances that allow me effect for my frame and style. So I will definitely say exp helps along the way of mid fight and tbh if you adapt/evolve mid fight your someone not to be taken lightly
This is awesome.. I love your vids, and your one of the first fighters ive seen actually respond to fans comments. Thats awesome. Keep up the good work man, you are a true inspiration and motivation.
I love that Karate allows it's user to move around. For me I use the stance even when I'm just boxing. You think you can do a video breaking down useful karate techniques someone could use even if they're not a karate fighter? I'm a big fan Wonderboy. Hope your channel grows and gains popularity sir💪😊
I do Muay Thai and sport karate,me personally I love side stance as footwork so much quicker and kicks are way quicker too specially sidekick which is my favourite,and does work great against Muay Thai,and also I think way better to have one hand down as protects the body like a window wiper and easy to catch kicks,and one hand next to face,
baller video. i came here because i was watching another channel and they mentioned a split step (boxing) and i swear its something you use all the time. anyway you rule thanks for this video!
You are so tremendously incredible my man. My top fighters in history are: Lyotto Machida, George St Pierre, Robert Whittaker and Stephen Thompson the number one!
I can't believe that my favorite martial artist and fighter ever, answered my comment. I will stick to the Wonderboy style forever xD Big Ossu great Master.
I love the way you explain and show this .... my question is why don't you throw side thrust kicks to the knees ("Jon Jones Style" which is really just Karate so I should really say "Karate Style") ... side thrust kick to the Knee was taught to me by my 1st Karate Instructor (Kenkojuko Shotokai, see the symbol) way back in the 1980's as a staple go to self defense technique (and right from Bassai Dai, similar but different than the returning wave kick/"Oblique kick to knee) so when I see Till (Muay Thai guy) throw the kick he is really using a Karate and not a Thai technique (I also think the way Jon Jones fights is more Karate style and read Mike Winklejohn is a 5/6th Dan in Kempo Karate, just wish he'd still teach it to keep the art more alive than just teaching MMA) ... so Stephen Thompson why don't you use the low line thrust side kick to the knee? maybe you beat Woodley using it? and do you use it / teach it for self defense?
@Henrick Boot yes (the photo you see is a Patch I scanned that I kept from the 1980's - 1990's, its sacred to me) ... and yes Karate was all about Self Defense 1st and foremost and going to the Knee was stressed, and the spinning wheel kick was really only taught to those with the athletic ability to do so, as Sensei Richardson would say its easy to end up on the ground and that is where we don't want to be (think Chris Weidman vs Luke Rockhold) ... we did practice getting up, scissors sweeps from ground but not too much on the ground OSS ......
@Henrick Boot Upward Palm Heel strikes were all stressed (I literally know someone who used it and the other guy was KO'd in a pool of blood on the sidewalk), elbows and even headbuts ... we were all given a vital point chart (FBI Chart, my instructor was NYPD) and human weapons chart (Knees, Elbow, Forarm - modified palm heel stilke with forearm and also hammer fist; like a club) and proper way to headbut ... also wrist locks were big as this was also a weapon disarm ........ all great stuff
Im a little upset that know you just finally started a channel and I was having a hard time applying tkd stances in kickboxing right when I left the sport.!! But loving the tutorials. 🤙🏻🤙🏻🤙🏻!!!
Id love to see you breakdown some of your favorite fights you had in the UFC. Like what you were thinking, what adjustments you made, how you felt coming into the fight etc. The Till fight comes to mind becuse it looked like you and he were having so much fun playing in ring chess with each other
I just find it amazing that he can pull off a deep stance like that in a fighting environment, this is normally a stance you have when you practice basic form ... very wide and deep. And although his kicks are fast, I think they would be much faster if he stood shoulder width as he doesn't have to shift balance to his back leg to bd able to kick... so it must be a distance thing to counter take downs or something like that
Great info sir, thank you! Any instruction on how you disguise any of your attacks or the timings or drills you would use to develop your countering ability would be much appreciated! Also please come to the UK and do some seminars!
In the style of karate I do we are taught a stance called the hourglass stance, you tuck your knees in to make a sort of hourglass like shape with your legs, its used to better absorb blows to the body. I thought that this was the stance he was using before I saw this video although I'm not familiar with kenpo stances. Any chance anyone's heard of this?
I'm wondering your thoughts on slipping punches. Should feet go before head movement? Studying Karate and coming from a boxing background, Karate taught me a lot of good footwork, but one of the areas where I'd get clipped in is when I used strictly my core for head movement. Timing a bit off. When I used karate, the in-out movement, I noticed using footwork could direct my slips for counter punches. Basically, my feet, then my core, then my head. I personally believe that without good footwork, slipping punches is tough. Not that you can't, just harder. I just always wanted to know from your perspective about footwork and core for slipping punches. Should you train footwork before head movement? Big Fan! Great Video!
Wonderboy how do you defend leg kicks? The stance is great but any muay thai fighter can throw a lighting fast leg kick. How do you defend against that? Oh and going full KEN mode? OSU!
Well he was a champion kickboxer before MMA so he can deal with the low kicks. Karate is not unfamiliar with low kicks. What's interesting is the trade off between different striking styles. Thai boxers stand more upright, and can deal with the low kicks more in their stance but are more vulnerable to wrestling takedowns being more upright in their stance Wonderboys "Karate stance" (as MMA guys call it) makes him more maneuverable, harder to take down, but has to keep the low kick in mind. Wonderboy doesn't utilize Karate's front snap kicks as much as other Karate stylists like Lyoto Machida, but his style has worked great for him to-may-to, to-mah-to. The Karate front snap kick is the most under used Kick in MMA, it's a hard skill to develope cause u have to bring it back in the chamber or it will get grabbed. Everything is risk/reward LOL fascinating stuff.
Correction....looking at his stance from the front.....ITS ACTUALLY A ZENKUTSU DATCHI front stance hybrid.....very interesting....wonder boys a true karate man. Great stuff.
you check them by lifting your leg and positioning it in the right manner according to the type of leg kick. Stephen's able to keep his stance wider because his leg reach longer than average, letting him have full mobility to check leg kicks while keeping a wide stance.
I think you should start with "How to throw a punch" look up FightTIPS they can teach you pretty much everything you need to prep you for Wonderboy School
