The debate between traditional martial arts techniques and modern mixed martial arts continues to divide the combat sports community. From Jack Dempseyâs legendary figure-eight weaving motion to todayâs ground-and-pound strategies, the evolution of fighting systems raises fundamental questions about effectiveness, practicality, and the very purpose of martial arts training.
The Lost Arsenal: Forgotten Boxing Techniques
Beyond the famous Dempsey Roll, boxingâs history contains numerous sophisticated techniques that have virtually disappeared from modern competition. These methods, once considered essential, now exist primarily in historical texts and demonstration videos, raising questions about whether their abandonment represents progress or loss.
The Dempsey Roll: Poetry in Motion or Predictable Pattern?
The Dempsey Roll exemplified both the sophistication and limitations of classical boxing technique. This technique allowed Dempsey to put all of his weight into each punch, as he was essentially falling forward into his opponent and catching himselfâŠwith his fistâŠon their face. The technique combined drop steps, shifting bobs and weaves, and what Dempsey called the âshoulder whirlâ to generate tremendous power through momentum and body mechanics.
The mechanics were revolutionary for their time:
- The drop step created forward momentum while maintaining balance
- Figure-eight head movement loaded punches with rotational force
- The âshoulder whirlâ utilized elastic energy through muscle stretching
- Each punch flowed seamlessly into the next, creating continuous pressure
However, modern analysis reveals critical vulnerabilities that explain its disappearance:
- The Dempsey Rollâs biggest weakness is itself: the fact that itâs so powerful meant that many boxers would develop and learn to counter it.
- The predictable rhythm became a timing opportunity for counters
- The low head position during weaving invites takedown attempts in MMA
- Energy expenditure proved unsuitable for longer modern fights
- The committed forward movement left little room for defensive adjustment
The Fitzsimmons Shift: The Original âKillingâ Technique
Perhaps no classical technique better demonstrates the evolution from bare-knuckle brutality to modern sport than the Fitzsimmons Shift. Bob Fitzsimmons used this particular shift to knock out James Corbett in 1897 to win the heavyweight boxing title. This manoeuvre begins with a linear straight blow from the lead hand, which is the hardest strike to visually track, and them follows with a rear foot shift and over hand or hook to the side of the jaw.
Colonel A.J. Drexel Biddle was so impressed with the âFitzsimmons shiftâ that he included it in his now classic manual "Do or Die , and actually terms it the âKilling Shiftâ. The designation wasnât hyperboleâthe techniqueâs biomechanics were specifically designed to maximize damage:
The Mechanics of Destruction:
- Initial straight lead punch forced defensive reaction
- Rear foot shift changed angle while maintaining momentum
- The angular follow-up strike circumvented raised defenses
- Body mass traveled forward with the strike, multiplying force
- The stance switch left opponents unable to predict the next attack
At its core, itâs a method of quickly changing stances while launching an attack, essentially allowing you to close distances and catch opponents off guard. Modern variations have appeared in MMA, with fighters like TJ Dillashaw using shifts to set up kicks and knees, proving that the underlying principle remains sound despite rule changes.
The techniqueâs effectiveness lay not just in power generation but in its psychological impact. The shift opens up a whole world of offensive possibilities, but the consequences of getting hit while stepping or with the feet together are tremendous. This risk-reward calculation explains why modern fighters rarely commit to full shifts, preferring instead to use modified versions that maintain better defensive positioning.
Which abandoned technique would be most effective if reintroduced to modern combat sports?
- The Fitzsimmons Shift for angle changes
- The Dempsey Roll for pressure fighting
- Corkscrew punches for guard penetration
- Bare-knuckle grappling techniques
- None - they were abandoned for good reasons
The Corkscrew Punch: Lost Science or Outdated Gimmick?
The corkscrew punch was created by Charles âKidâ McCoy, one of the famous boxers in the early 20th century. Far from being a simple wrist twist, the technique represented a sophisticated understanding of biomechanics that modern boxing has largely abandoned.
The point of the corkscrew punch technique is to bring the elbow up quickly. This wasnât about the fist rotation itself but about the entire kinetic chain:
Technical Breakdown:
- Starting position: vertical fist with elbow pointing down
- Rotation engages shoulder, elbow, and wrist simultaneously
- The elbow lift generates power while protecting the chin
- Forearm stability increases through rotational engagement
- Impact occurs with knuckles aligned for maximum force transfer
The benefits were substantial:
- Corkscrewing your arm engages your forearms more when you throw, providing extra stability to your wrists.
- Automatic shoulder elevation protected against counters
- The angular approach circumvented traditional guards
- Reduced hand injuries through proper knuckle alignment
Yet modern boxing has almost entirely abandoned the technique. Why? The answer lies in the evolution of glove technology and rule sets. With heavily padded gloves, wrist stability became less critical. The time required to execute a proper corkscrew became a liability in the faster-paced modern game. Most tellingly, the techniqueâs advantages in bare-knuckle fightingâcutting through skin, maximizing knuckle impactâbecame irrelevant in gloved competition.
Bare-Knuckle Era: When Boxing Was Combat
The transition from bare-knuckle to gloved boxing eliminated an entire arsenal of techniques now considered too dangerous or impractical. These werenât just punchesâthey represented a complete fighting system that acknowledged the reality of human combat.
Grappling was allowed and many favored the use of cross-buttock throw and suplexes, although grabs below the waist were prohibited. Clinching, known as chancery, were also legal and in-use. The cross-buttock throw, borrowed from wrestling, involved:
- Gripping the opponentâs upper body
- Pivoting to place your hip against theirs
- Using leverage to throw them over your hip
- Following up with strikes to the grounded opponent
Fibbing, where a boxer grabs hold of an opponent by the neck or hair before pummeling him multiple times, were allowed. This technique sounds primitive but required significant skill:
- Timing the grip to avoid counters
- Maintaining balance while controlling the opponent
- Delivering effective strikes from the clinch position
- Transitioning out before the opponent could counter-grapple
The âchanceryâ hold deserves special attention. Unlike modern clinching, which serves primarily as a defensive rest position, classical chancery was an offensive weapon. Fighters would:
- Control the opponentâs head with one arm
- Deliver uppercuts and body shots with the free hand
- Use head position to off-balance the opponent
- Set up throws or trips from the clinch
Even more surprisingly, Kicking was also allowed in boxing at that time, with William âBendigoâ Thompson being an expert in kicks during his fight with Ben Caunt, and the Lancanshire Navigator using purring kicks in his battle with Tom Cribb. âPurringâ kicks were low, stomping attacks aimed at the shins and feetâtechniques that would later influence Savate and modern MMAâs oblique kicks.
The Harlequin Step: The Birth of Modern Feinting
Tom Spring popularized the use of the left hook and created a technique called the âHarlequin Stepâ, where he would put himself just within reach of his opponent, then avoiding the instinctive punch while simultaneously delivering one himself; basically inventing the boxing feint.
This technique represented a quantum leap in boxing strategy:
- Precise distance management to trigger opponentâs attack
- Simultaneous evasion and counter-attack
- Psychological manipulation through false openings
- Foundation for modern feinting systems
The Harlequin Stepâs genius lay in its exploitation of human reflexes. By positioning himself at the exact edge of striking range, Spring could trigger his opponentâs punch reflex, then capitalize on the committed motion. Modern fighters like Anderson Silva and Israel Adesanya use similar principles, though without the colorful nomenclature.
The MMA Revolution: Empirical Testing Over Tradition
Modern MMA represents a paradigm shift from technique preservation to effectiveness verification. Boxing is without a doubt one of the best striking bases in MMA. The unique offensive and defensive skills it provides can not be found in any other martial art. Yet MMAâs evolution transcends simply incorporating boxingâit represents a complete reimagining of combat training methodology.
Western methods of training tend to include more functional training. If you walk into any MMA gym, one highlight is that these fighters hit heavy bags. They work strength, conditioning, embarrass the Grind, and train as they intend to fight. This functional approach contrasts sharply with traditional schools emphasizing forms and controlled demonstrations.
The statistical evidence supporting MMAâs practical superiority in controlled environments is overwhelming. Professional MMA fighters consistently defeat traditional martial artists in documented matches, forcing a reckoning within classical martial arts communities. But this dominance raises uncomfortable questions: have we optimized for sport at the expense of actual combat effectiveness?
The Kung Fu Crisis: When Tradition Becomes Liability
Chinese martial arts face perhaps the greatest challenge in adapting to modern combat sports reality. Much of Kung Fu has been modified (or are purely there) for performance purposes, in both ancient (for performance) and modern times (due to martial arts being mostly banned for a time in China by the Communist Party).
The case of Xu Xiaodong illustrates this crisis starkly. The video quickly became a viral sensation on Chinaâs social-media platforms. Online trolls accused Xu of humiliating traditional Chinese culture, and he found he was banned from social media. His systematic defeats of self-proclaimed masters exposed not just technical deficiencies but systemic issues within traditional martial arts culture.
The transformation from combat art to cultural performance has left many traditional systems unable to compete in pressure-tested environments. Yet dismissing these arts entirely ignores their contributions to movement science, body mechanics, and combat philosophy that modern fighters still unknowingly utilize.
What factor most limits traditional martial arts in modern competition?
- Lack of full-contact sparring culture
- Overemphasis on forms and aesthetics
- Resistance to cross-training
- Focus on âtoo deadly to practiceâ techniques
- Cultural pressure to preserve rather than evolve
The Street Reality: Beyond Competition Rules
Critics of MMAâs claimed supremacy often highlight a crucial distinction: the fundamental difference between sport competition and street violence. In real street attacks physical responses are mostly going to involve techniques that are brutal and illegal even in extreme sports competitions. The goal is to hurt them and get away.
Street confrontations differ fundamentally from cage fights in ways that completely alter the effectiveness equation:
Environmental Factors:
- Concrete surfaces multiply impact damage
- Multiple attackers negate ground fighting strategies
- Weapons appearance changes entire combat dynamic
- No referee means no stopping point for violence
- Escape routes become primary tactical consideration
The best information comes from the worst people in our society. Criminals pick their moment, and they have no boundaries in their violent behaviour. This predatory selection process means real violence rarely resembles the consensual combat of sport fighting.
Most street fights are quick. It might be just a couple of second or perhaps a few minutes of adrenaline-pumped men swinging at each other with all they got at 100 miles per hours. This explosive reality contradicts MMAâs measured pace, where fighters must manage energy across multiple rounds.
The abandoned techniques of classical boxingâthe cross-buttock throw, fibbing, purring kicksâsuddenly seem less archaic when considered in a survival context. These techniques werenât abandoned because they lacked effectiveness; they were banned because they were too effective for sport competition.
The Physics of Violence: An Uncomfortable Truth
The debate over martial arts effectiveness often ignores human physiologyâs fundamental realities. It may take an acceleration of more than seventy-five times the acceleration due to gravity (75g) to kill an adult male. But if the acceleration is sustained for several seconds, death can result from only four to ten g.
Professional fighters generate forces far exceeding lethal thresholds. 2400 newtons or more is the potential impact force of a punch from someone skilled in combat sports like boxing. These numbers underscore that the distinction between âsportâ and âdeadlyâ techniques often involves target selection and intent rather than secret knowledge.
This reality reframes the entire traditional versus modern debate. The human bodyâs simultaneous resilience and fragility means that effective violence doesnât require decades of training or mystical understanding. A properly placed strike with moderate force to vulnerable areas can end confrontations instantlyâknowledge that both classical masters and modern fighters understand but approach differently.
Modern Integration: The Resurrection of âDeadâ Techniques
Despite the apparent dominance of MMA methodology, certain traditional techniques are experiencing revival through modern reinterpretation. Gennady has proven to be so fluent in these techniques that he has been able to add layers of technical complexity that have never been seen before.
Gennady Golovkinâs use of shifting demonstrates how classical techniques can evolve:
- Traditional shifts modified for modern defensive requirements
- Integration with contemporary footwork patterns
- Application in combination with modern boxing techniques
- Adaptation to current rule sets while maintaining effectiveness
The corkscrew punch has found new life in fighters seeking to circumvent modern defensive systems. The principles behind bare-knuckle grappling appear in modern âdirty boxingâ clinch work. Even the Dempsey Rollâs weaving patterns influence contemporary head movement systems.
Traditional martial arts provide a rich cultural and philosophical framework, emphasizing personal growth, discipline, and technique. In contrast, modern combat sports focus on competitive performance, technical effectiveness, and physical conditioning. The future may lie not in choosing sides but in intelligent synthesis.
The Competition Paradox
The martial arts communityâs fixation on competition effectiveness raises philosophical questions about combat trainingâs ultimate purpose. By evaluating techniques solely through sport competition lensâwith weight classes, time limits, and prohibited techniquesâpractitioners may lose sight of martial artsâ original survival focus.
True enough, MMA rules donât have these girly man fighting tactics of hair pulling, biting and groin kicking. It can be argued that because day in and day out MMA fighters are trained not to do these illegal tactics, MMA fighters will be less likely to do them in self-defense situations or street fights.
This creates a training paradox: the most effective survival techniques cannot be safely practiced at full intensity, while sport-legal techniques may create inappropriate responses for genuine self-defense scenarios. The abandoned techniques of classical boxingâdeemed too dangerous for modern sportâmight actually represent more realistic combat preparation than contemporary MMA training.
How should martial artists balance sport competition with real-world effectiveness?
- Focus primarily on sport with occasional self-defense training
- Separate sport and self-defense training completely
- Integrate both throughout all training
- Choose one path and commit fully
- Train sport techniques but understand street modifications
Evolution Without Abandonment
The evidence overwhelmingly supports MMAâs superiority in controlled, competitive environments. Traditional martial arts, particularly those refusing evolution, face extinction as practical fighting systems. However, dismissing centuries of martial development as worthless ignores valuable contributions to human movement understanding, philosophy, and culture.
MMA is the testing ground of fighting techniques where only the most effective and practical survive. This Darwinian process doesnât negate traditional arts but challenges them to prove relevance through adaptation.
The techniques weâve examinedâthe Dempsey Roll, Fitzsimmons Shift, corkscrew punch, and bare-knuckle grappling methodsâwerenât abandoned because they lacked effectiveness. They were eliminated by evolving rule sets that prioritized athlete safety and spectator appeal over combat realism. Their principles remain sound; only their application has become obsolete in modern sport contexts.
The real lesson from this ongoing evolution: martial arts must remain living systems, adapting to contemporary realities while preserving valuable principles. Todayâs âultimateâ techniques will likely seem as quaint to future generations as the Harlequin Step appears to us. The key lies in understanding why techniques evolved, what problems they solved, and whether those problems still exist in modern contexts.
As we continue to optimize for sport performance, we must ask: are we creating better fighters or better athletes? The answer may determine whether martial arts remain combat systems or complete their transformation into athletic competitions. The abandoned techniques of yesterday might hold more wisdom than we realizeânot in their specific application, but in their acknowledgment that real violence operates by different rules than sport competition.