Timing Beats Speed

“Precision beats power. Timing beats speed.”
Conner MacGregor, after knocking ex-UFC flyweight champ Aldo out with first punch of the fight.

I’m a fan of the new flyweight champ MacGregor. I think he is fun to watch (except this time, because it lasted about three seconds) and has an interesting mix of styles.  He is the best example I’ve seen of Tae Kwan Do working in a professional fighter (although, admittedly, I’ve mainly seen UFC fights and have only skimmed those).

Maybe I like him a little extra because I’m “Scottish” (really an Irish-Scotch mutt, but Moody is a Scottish name).  I like his cocky attitude.  Reminds me of Ali or Bruce Lee.  MacGregor is cocky in a funny way, sort of semi-serious — I think he understands he’s in showbiz.

Hopefully Aldo will last longer in the re-match and hopefully the UFC will drum up some good competition for MacGregor down the road (presuming he wins the re-match).

This is the higher level of fighting, this idea of timing.  This is what you really start trying to develop around year 3 – 5 or so, in Wing Chun (doing it part-time, like me).  The idea that you put a hand out there and leave it there, so its already in place for the next action.  Or you use a broken rhythm and hesitate or speed up at just the right time to slip through the hole or to create a moment.

This has to be developed working in slow combinations and then it appears unexpectedly in sparring (or fighting), when the hands find themselves in a familiar configuration and do their thing as they have been taught.

This is the real magic of martial arts, when your body does it itself , effortlessly.