Striking Fundamentals: Punches, Kicks and Footwork for Beginners
Watch two professionals exchange on the feet and striking looks like chaos. Slow it down, and it is anything but: a small set of fundamental techniques, drilled thousands of times, held together by stance and footwork. Those fundamentals are exactly what you learn first — and they are simpler than you think.
MMA striking borrows from boxing, kickboxing and Muay Thai, but the beginner's toolkit is compact. Master five or six techniques properly and you have a working striking game; master the stance underneath them and you have the foundation for everything that comes after.
It all starts with the stance
Before any punch is thrown, a coach will fix how you stand. Feet roughly shoulder-width, lead foot forward, weight balanced, hands up, chin down, elbows in. It feels awkward for about ten minutes and then becomes the most natural thing in the world — because it is simply an efficient position for moving, attacking and defending.
Footwork comes next: stepping, pivoting and shuffling without crossing your feet. Beginners always want to hit things immediately; good coaches make you earn the pads by moving first, because power without balance is worthless.
The punches that matter
| Technique | What it is | Why beginners learn it first |
|---|---|---|
| Jab | Straight punch with the lead hand | Measures distance, sets up everything else |
| Cross | Straight punch with the rear hand | First taste of real hip-driven power |
| Hook | Arcing punch to head or body | Teaches rotation and weight transfer |
| Low kick | Shin to the opponent's thigh | High-percentage, low-risk, easy to learn |
| Teep / front kick | Push kick with the ball of the foot | Keeps range and builds kicking balance |
The jab is the most important punch in all of combat sports, and the first one you will throw. It is not a power shot — it is a ruler, a rangefinder and a door-opener. The cross follows, and with it comes the beginner's first real revelation: punching power comes from the floor, through the hips, not from the arm.
Kicks without the acrobatics
Forget spinning head kicks. Beginner kicking means the low kick and the teep — two techniques you can use effectively within a single session. The low kick swings the shin into the thigh like a baseball bat; the teep pushes an opponent away with the ball of the foot. Both are safe, practical and enormously satisfying on the pads.
Defence is half the job
- Keeping your hands up — boring, non-negotiable, life-saving
- Slipping — moving the head just enough to let a punch pass
- Checking — lifting the shin to block a low kick
- Footwork — being somewhere else when the shot arrives
New students are always surprised how much of a striking session is defensive. That is deliberate: anyone can throw a punch, but not getting hit is a skill, and it is the skill that keeps training safe and sustainable.
What a first session feels like
Expect an hour of stance and movement drills, pad work in pairs, and light technical games — not sparring. Your shoulders will burn in muscles you did not know you had, your jab will feel like spaghetti for the first twenty minutes, and by the end of the session you will land a combination that makes you grin. That moment is why people come back.
