Takeru “The Natural Born Crusher” Segawa is a Japanese flyweight kickboxer currently competing in ONE Championship. Takeru is the only three-division K1 World Champion and is considered one of the best kickboxers active today. Any serious striker can learn something from Takeru’s relentless fighting style. Today, Evolve Daily is pleased to share a guide on how to fight like Takeru Segawa.
Constant Pressure
Takeru’s ability to apply constant pressure on his opponents is a cornerstone of his fighting style. Takeru’s go-to strike is a lead leg kick, thrown with a pendulum step. Being a black belt in Shin Karate, many of his kicks are thrown with a snapping motion instead of the complete follow-through of a Muay Thai-styled kick.
Contrary to his highlight reels, Takeru spends much of his time in the ring flicking his lead leg at opponents repeatedly. His aim is not to inflict damage, but to harass and goad his opponent into boxing exchanges in the pocket.
Opponents usually react in two ways when faced with the constant barrage of lead leg kicks that Takeru is so good at.
The first reaction is to use footwork to create distance. This takes Takeru’s opponent away from the center of the ring and towards the ropes or corners.
The second reaction is planting their feet and choosing to stand their ground against Takeru. Opponents close the distance between themselves and Takeru in hopes of winning a boxing exchange.
Either reaction puts Takeru in an advantageous position. Unlike power kickers like Buakaw, Takeru’s kicks are mainly used to set up his combination punching.
If his opponent moves away from him and towards the ropes, Takeru will trap them and unleash powerful punching combinations, punctuated by his signature right overhand and left hook.
If his opponent chooses to stand their ground, they have given Takeru the range he prefers. This creates an impossible choice for Takeru’s opponents.
Watch the full session above of his sparring session with Muay Thai World Champion Nong-O, where Takeru demonstrated his relentless forward pressure.
Kicking Game
Like many Karateka, Takeru possesses a strong lead leg-kicking game. He has a “triple threat” lead sidekick that he uses to manage distance and set up his punches.
Takeru’s front kick is a powerful weapon that he uses to stab at his opponent’s midsection. Takeru throws his front kick with both a snapping and pushing motion, depending on his goal.
The front snap kick can be used to drain an opponent’s stamina and inflict incremental damage over time, while the front push kick is used like the Thai teep, to create distance or push an opponent back against the ropes.
Takeru’s roundhouse kick is a truly versatile weapon that makes up two of the three “triple threats”. Takeru will throw a traditional roundhouse kick, turning his hips over fully. This is a powerful kick but is also one that can be blocked by skilled competitors.
Takerus triangle kick is a roundhouse kick delivered at a forty-degree upward angle. This is commonly found in Karate and Taekwondo, although many Muay Femurs, such as Saenchai utilize this style of kick as well.
The triangle kick starts off looking like a front kick, then alters its trajectory midway through the kick. This kick makes contact with the instep or ball of your foot. The triangle kick is so effective because the trajectory is different from a traditional roundhouse kick. The upwards forty-five-degree angle lets it slip through the center of an opponent’s guard to hit their chin, and the contact point being the ball of the foot or instep makes it easier to land a devastating liver kick. Takeru landed this kick against Superlek in their legendary fight, following it with a series of punches.
Combination Punching
Takeru’s real forte lies in combination power punching. Once he gets into his preferred range, Takeru will unleash long flurries of hooks and overhangs on his opponent’s body and head. The sheer volume makes it impossible to block everything, and since everything is thrown with power, opponents usually always take damage.
To get into range, Takeru will either unleash a barrage of lead leg kicks or use throwaway punches. Takeru’s jab is extremely useful in this regard. Although his jab is a potent weapon on its own, Takeru primarily uses it as a blinder or to pin his opponent’s guard as he steps into range.
One of the beautiful things about Takeru’s combination punching is its simplicity. He generally alternates sides with each punch. This is effective because his left-side power hook will load his right side, and vice versa.
Takeru uses a combination of hand traps, pins, and frames to nullify the clinch in the pocket. His clever use of these tactics allows him to unleash long barrages of punches against some of the best fighters in the world.
After a powerful punch, Takeru also uses frames to prevent himself from crashing into his opponent. This maintains his balance and also occupies his opponent’s hands to prevent a counter.
Athleticism
Takeru’s athleticism is a huge factor in his fighting style. He is a cardio machine that can unleash powerful combinations and kicks throughout the entire fight without slowing down. Takeru is also very explosive, conditioning his body to use his fast twitch muscles to their full capabilities.
Open Stance Matchup
Takeru mostly faces orthodox opponents – when he does face southpaws, he makes adjustments to adapt to the open stance matchup. Despite this, Takeru’s usual style has some trouble when facing southpaws. This is partially due to his lead kicks lining up differently in an open stance matchup.
Takeru’s lead leg pendulum kick is one of his staple techniques; however, using it the same way on a southpaw opponent leaves him open for a counter cross from his opponent’s rear side. To adjust to fighting a southpaw, if you are an orthodox fighter, you can follow Takeru’s own adjustments. Try using a step-up lead kick instead of switching or using a pendulum step. The step-up gives you more options to evade, block, and counter midway through your kick, instead of being stuck on one leg. Takeru himself adopts a more traditional kickboxing game when facing southpaws – using rear-side front kicks, knees, and straight punches to close the distance.
Conclusion
After learning how to fight like Takeru “The Natural Born Crusher” Segawa, try incorporating some of his techniques into your own style—these adjustments might be exactly what you need to level up your striking game!
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