A new concept that has emerged during the development of Mixed Martial Arts training styles is the Super-Camp; the gathering of superstar fighters under one gym.
These super-camps typically host a range of title contenders and up-and-comers, often in multiple weight divisions. This arrangement allows fighters to improve by exposing them to a diverse range of fighting styles and creating an atmosphere where various techniques are exchanged and refined.
The super-camp in focus here is American Kickboxing Academy (known as AKA). Located in San Jose, California and run by head coach Javier Mendez, this team has proven to be one of the very best in the world at training martial artists. AKA members have claimed the UFC Heavyweight, Light Heavyweight and Middleweight belts, and look to add the Lightweight title to their collection when AKA representative Khabib Nurmagomedov faces Tony Ferguson on March 4, 2017.
The following video shows current UFC Light Heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier and former Middleweight champion Luke Rockhold comparing and discussing high kicks.
Rockhold displays more balance in his kicking form – even throwing a tornado kick with greater ease than Cormier’s basic roundhouse kick. Cormier concedes the competition by coupling a clearly impressed facial expression with, Oh, that’s nice.
The superior kicker then goes on to show off his notorious question-mark kick in the middle of a discussion about The Karate Kid, in which Cormier compares Rockhold to the movie’s bad-guy Johnny Lawrence. An interesting comparison for UFC fans, who could cast Michael Bisping as Daniel LaRusso – a fighter who gets bested early on, but comes back to score the upset victory, for all the marbles.
Analogies aside, the video is a glimpse of the chemistry that super-camps provide. Here we have an Olympic-caliber wrestler (and the wrestling coach of AKA) – Cormier, talking about kicks with a fighter who possesses one of the most feared kicking arsenals in the sport – Rockhold. Maybe its possible to improve by just being around greatness. Regardless, having such a bond between high caliber competitors is bound to foster a successful training environment.
Luke Rockhold(born October 17, 1984) is a former UFC Middleweight champion and is currently ranked #2 in the UFC middleweight rankings. He has been training at American Kickboxing Academy since 2006, where he has been for his entire professional career. [Source: Wiki]
Daniel Cormier(born March 20, 1979) is the current UFC Light Heavyweight champion and is currently ranked #3 in the pound-for-pound in the UFC. He has been training at American Kickboxing Academy since 2008, also training there for his entire professional career. [Source: Wiki]
