the crowd is amped, the Octagon is lit up, and the air horn signals the start of the round. you've paid good money to watch the most skilled, exciting mixed martial artists tear it up right in front of you. and then you hear it: "jab! come on! jab!"
the young man two seats down is screaming 'advice' at Jose Aldo, one of the best fighters in the game right now.
"one, one two!" he yells, oblivious to the annoyed looks being thrown his way. perhaps all those whiskey coolers have clouded his judgment. otherwise he would realize that
1) Jose Aldo does not need boxing 101 advice
2) we're in the second level of the SkyDome and there's no way Aldo can hear him
3) even if Aldo needed the help and could hear it, he doesn't speak English.
this is number one on the etiquette list - do not try to coach the fighters and certainly do not repeatedly scream your expert tips at them throughout
the night. sure, discuss and analyze the fight with your friends and seatmates, if they choose to engage in such a conversation. but unless you're at least semi-professional or a member of a genuine fighting camp, keep the coaching to a minimum because you're just pissing off the spectators around you and making yourself look like a noob in the process.
number two - save the booing for boo-worthy moments. have you ever watched classic Pride fights? the Japanese crowd rarely boos. they rarely make any sounds, true, but there's far more respect for the fight in that audience. Western crowds boo when the fighters are pushing against the cage for 30 seconds. they boo when someone pulls guard and tries to control posture. and has it really come to this? they boo when someone is not born in the same country as them. WOW. enough. the SkyDome crowd wasn't as bad as some groups have been, and this was no small feat considering the sheer size of that crowd. but i still didn't want to be THAT audience. i was hoping for respectful, appreciative fans that judged the skill and the excitement and not the birth certificate. and on a side note, please learn the basics of the ground game prior to watching a live fight. if you want pure stand-up and nothing else, go watch K1 or boxing.
this is not an XBOX game or a highlight montage. real fights are strategic and calculated as well as exciting. if you could rise to the top of MMA just by scrapping and throwing haymakers, then well-muscled YouTube stars would own this sport. and they do not. there's often more going on in the moments between huge KOs or before amazing submissions. learn THAT game. because it's that footwork, those small postural changes, and that miniscule setup that sets the stage for the finishes you love.
the young man two seats down is screaming 'advice' at Jose Aldo, one of the best fighters in the game right now.
"one, one two!" he yells, oblivious to the annoyed looks being thrown his way. perhaps all those whiskey coolers have clouded his judgment. otherwise he would realize that
1) Jose Aldo does not need boxing 101 advice
2) we're in the second level of the SkyDome and there's no way Aldo can hear him
3) even if Aldo needed the help and could hear it, he doesn't speak English.
this is number one on the etiquette list - do not try to coach the fighters and certainly do not repeatedly scream your expert tips at them throughout
the night. sure, discuss and analyze the fight with your friends and seatmates, if they choose to engage in such a conversation. but unless you're at least semi-professional or a member of a genuine fighting camp, keep the coaching to a minimum because you're just pissing off the spectators around you and making yourself look like a noob in the process.
number two - save the booing for boo-worthy moments. have you ever watched classic Pride fights? the Japanese crowd rarely boos. they rarely make any sounds, true, but there's far more respect for the fight in that audience. Western crowds boo when the fighters are pushing against the cage for 30 seconds. they boo when someone pulls guard and tries to control posture. and has it really come to this? they boo when someone is not born in the same country as them. WOW. enough. the SkyDome crowd wasn't as bad as some groups have been, and this was no small feat considering the sheer size of that crowd. but i still didn't want to be THAT audience. i was hoping for respectful, appreciative fans that judged the skill and the excitement and not the birth certificate. and on a side note, please learn the basics of the ground game prior to watching a live fight. if you want pure stand-up and nothing else, go watch K1 or boxing.
this is not an XBOX game or a highlight montage. real fights are strategic and calculated as well as exciting. if you could rise to the top of MMA just by scrapping and throwing haymakers, then well-muscled YouTube stars would own this sport. and they do not. there's often more going on in the moments between huge KOs or before amazing submissions. learn THAT game. because it's that footwork, those small postural changes, and that miniscule setup that sets the stage for the finishes you love.
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