Killer Instinct

Kenny Florian

Killer instinct. You either got it or you don’t, right? Wrong! I believe that killer instinct is learned and honed over time. To ward off the uneducated MMA fan, I do NOT mean “killer instinct” in the literal sense. Nobody involved in MMA is trying to kill another human being. The killer instinct I’m referring to is the kind we see in many sports. The moment a basketball player decides to dunk the ball over his opponent, the moment a football player makes the game-ending tackle, or the moment a NASCAR driver decides to pass the car in front of him: These are all examples of killer instinct.

In the cage, killer instinct is essential for finishing off your opponent with a decisive technique. There are many ingredients to the killer-instinct recipe for a MMA fighter. First of all, you must have the proper fighting skills to finish the fight. Second, you must have the tactical skills to choose the right attack. Third, you need the eye to recognize the moment to attack. Fourth, precision and timing are essential to landing your techniques. Fifth, and last, there’s the lack of sympathy for your opponent that comes at the critical moment, when you realize “it’s either you or me.” I am unsure if that comes from a dark place in your mind, in your heart, or both. But wherever it is, it is the realization that you must destroy your opponent without mercy. All these ingredients generate the thoughts and movements that combine to create the lovely crescendo of fighting will, skill, and brutality that we call “killer instinct.”

Read more...