It goes without saying that Georges St-Pierre is one of the greatest mixed martial arts athletes that ever lived. And, as it is always the case with successful fighters, it’s not just his physical skills that gave him the advantage – but also his fighting IQ.
For instance, his perspective on takedowns is probably different from anything that you’ve heard so far:
I’ve got two types of takedowns that I really enjoy, that I believe are very efficient and economical. They are: the reactive takedown and the proactive takedown.
So what is one and what is the another type of takedown? GSP explains:
Proactive is when I, myself, instigate the takedown. I will throw something to distract my opponent, perhaps a jab – because I like it, it’s one of my longest weapons – against his nearest point.
I jab his hand and then I go (shoot for a takedown), because this is a distraction.The reactive takedown is when I bait him (the opponent) to throw a punch and come forward to me… I bait him like I’m scared; like, I’m fighting but I’m playing like I’m scared.
Therefore, the reactive takedown is a lot about the mind games:
It’s a relation that I have with the other guy; it’s not only physical, but I’m trying to make you believe that I’m, like, scared.
So, I want you to go and try to knock me out – and then, boom! I put you down.
