Is It Sportsmanship Or A Risk?
In the Mixed Martial Arts video below Jennifer Maia reaches out her arm to touch gloves before her and Sheila Gaff start their fight. Gaff slightly touches Maia's glove and immediately unleashes a barrage of blows to quickly finish the fight within 10 seconds.
I have seen this happen a few times in matches and although it's not an illegal technique, it's a little classless. What is your opinion?
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I tihnk it's totally classless. IMO if you are nto going to touch gloves your opponent should be aware.
I hug on the third round
“Stupidity is also a gift of God, but one mustn't misuse it.” Pope John Paul II
I have no problem with touching gloves but it seems to me that the the #1 thing you should do when that cage door closes is "protect yourself at all times". I'm not a fighter but I think I would just let all my opponents know that I'll touch up before the fight, buy you a beer after the fight but during it's all business.
Mark Hominick tried that on the Korean Zombie and payed the price. It is very classless but at the same time as a fighter you should be prepared for every scenerio your oppnent will throw at you.
touching gloves is a risk.
It can be an advantage to come out swinging, and if your expect to stop and touch gloves, that messes up the gameplan.
Main cards have the fighters touch gloves BEFORE the fight for a reason right?
Unless both fighters agree to touch gloves before hand (couldnt tell in this vid), then I think its fine not to and just start banging.
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There are at least 3 promoters in my area that will not allow you back if you pull crap like that.
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I was at a seminar with Relson Gracie and he brought this up. He said in his country people would cheer if you faked a a handshake and shot a double. In the US most people would frown apon it. I've fought in a few tounraments where they made it ablosuletly clear not to touch gloves once the fight starts. In my opinion, sportsmanship is more important than winning. But, that's just me.
What are some other sports where it's common to 'touch gloves' AFTER the fight starts?
Judo? Wrestling? Boxing? Tae Kwon do? Kick boxing? Muay Thai?
Can't say I'm an avid watcher of all of these, but I've never notice that this is commonly done in any of them myself.
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Geno? - Out of curiosity, do you feel like the touching just before the fight is any less sportsman like?
You look at any other sport and you'll find sportsmanship, but not during the time of the game. Football players help each other up after the play, you don't see linemen bumping fists while in their stance. I don't see how tapping gloves adds to the sportsman ship.
Having said that, I do enjoy it when there is a good exchange and both guys are riled up and they reach out and touch gloves.
Bruce,
My kids watch most of my matches. And in the past so did my Soldiers. I believe that you should practice what you preach. If I tell my son or guys that they need to be a good sports, I'm going to shake the man's hand before and after the fight or match. Regardless of what goes on during the fight. I'm not a pro fighter though. I only do it for the challange at army tournaments.
I understand what you're saying about the linemen. I agree with the protect yourself at all times line though.
There is a thin line that I myself will never cross.
Good deal. I agree with you. I would tell opponents that that I don't do that. At the same time I would never throw a punch at someone who was trying to high five me.
Judo doesn't have you "touch gloves" after the match starts. You bow onto the mat, bow at your line, step in front of it, and then they say "hajime" and it's all business. As soon as you step in front of your (no longer physically there as of 2012) line, you have to be prepared to grip-up and throw. If you try to shake the guy's hand once you've stepped in front of the line, it's fair game for him to do an arm-drag off of it. After the match you bow at the line, shake the other guy's hand (optional, but a dick move to not do), and then bow off the mat. This is akin to the MMA bout where the ref announces "if you want to touch gloves, do so now, then go back to your corners and come out fighting."
Having said that, in BJJ we almost always fist-bump, shake, or slap hands to let the other guy know we're ready after the ref says start. If I put my hand out there and make it obvious that it's sportsmanship, I expect the simple curtousy of touching my hand before you take grips or shoot. The same goes after you get repositioned or reset after going out of bounds, slap hands, then start to work. It's not like I'm using it to close the gap between us.
tl;dr: It should be stated, but if you put your hand out, it's a common curtosy to touch it. I'm with Geno and Bruce Lee Roy - fighting the good fight is more important than winning. It's not like this is the Olympics in the Cold War and shaking the Russian guy's hand is going to make you look soft on communism.
I touch gloves in sparring because, well its sparring. In a fight I wave it off from a distance, we can be friends after the fight, no disrespect.
I pray, do yoga, meditate and still want to smack people
Manners and graces are the only things separating us from animals.
here are my thoughts, the ref call fight!!! not touch gloves then fight, when i was a wrestler in high school you always shook hands at introductions, there is always a time and place, the time is during the introductions, when that clock starts ticking its time for me to beat you, we can shake again when you wake up. what if you were a nascar driver, when the green flag waved would you get out of your car and try to shake hands with the other dirvers.
Victory at all costs, victory in spite of all terror, victory however long and hard the road may be; for without victory there is no survival. "Winston Churchill"