Cornermen and women are the unsung heroes of martial arts. They rarely get any credit for the performances their fighters deliver during matches and their roles extend way beyond simply providing moral support for their fighters.
A Deep Dive Into The Vital Role Of Cornermen And Women
Corner staff often wear multiple hats, coaching one moment while serving as a psychologist in the next. Let’s take a look at some of the many roles they play:
1) Preparing And Strategizing For Fights
One of the duties of a cornerman or woman includes working with their fighter to come up with a game plan for their opponents. This often involves watching videos of opponents to pinpoint weaknesses that can be exploited.
Strategizing for an upcoming fight also requires corner staff to have an accurate understanding of their fighter’s strengths and weaknesses. This allows them to develop a plan their fighter is capable of implementing during the match.
It’s also typically up to corner staff to ensure their fighters get sparring partners that can imitate their next opponent’s fighting style so they can test out the game plan and make any adjustments needed.
2) Providing Technical Guidance
Cornerwomen and men also serve as extra sets of eyes and ears for their fighters. They pay close attention to the action going on in the match and provide real-time feedback and technical tips.
The best corner staff are excellent at finding little details that their fighters can exploit on the fly. For example, a fighter might not realize how hurt their opponent is after landing a hard strike, but their corner might encourage them to throw more shots at the area. This feedback corner staff provide to fighters during their fights is often the difference between victory and defeat.
3) Providing Support And Motivation
While fighters are some of the toughest people on the planet, they’re human like the rest of us and they have their moments during their fights. Doubt and exhaustion can affect any fighter and it’s up to their cornermen and women to help refocus them.
Corner staff serve as psychologists, providing encouragement for their fighters and reminding them of their goals when things get tough.
One of the best recent examples of how impactful corner men can be occurred heading into the fifth round of Leon Edwards’s first title showdown against Kamaru Usman at UFC 278. Leon was down on four rounds heading into the final round and his cornerman, Dave Lovell, gave one of the most passionate speeches ever heard from a corner in mixed martial arts. A few moments later, Edwards knocked Usman out cold with a roundhouse kick to the head to win the welterweight champion title.
4) Manages Fighter Safety
It’s also the job of a fighter’s corner staff to help manage the overall well-being of the fighter, which includes addressing any physical issues that develop during their bouts and assessing their fighter’s condition between rounds. In modern martial arts, fighters are typically assigned medical corner personnel to help manage anything that develop during their fights. Other sports like boxing still require a fighter’s corner men and women to handle the overall wellness of a fighter.
One of the biggest decisions corner staff has to make regarding their fighter’s safety is determining when to throw the towel. A fighter’s corner can bring any contest to an end by simply throwing in the towel.
5) Provides Emotional Support
Fighters deal with a whirlwind of emotions like pre-fight nerves, doubt, elation, and disappointment leading to and after their fights. Corner men and women serve as a constant source of emotional support, helping to manage the ups and downs that come with being a martial arts fighter.
What Makes A Good Cornerman Or Woman?
One of the most important things corner staff must establish with their fighters is trust and effective communication. A fighter should always know that their corner has their best interest at heart at all times. Corner staff also have the responsibility of learning about the fighter’s psychological makeup, tendencies, and preferences.
No two fighters are the same, so it’s up to the corner staff to figure out what works best for each fighter.
Working a fighter’s corner requires a lot more than simply shouting instructions from the sidelines. A good cornerman or woman should be well versed in mixed martial arts techniques so they can provide their fighters with useful feedback. Many of them are experienced martial artists with backgrounds in fields like sports medicine or coaching.
The Evolution Of Cornering In Martial Arts
The role of corner personnel in mixed martial arts has changed considerably over the years. Corners were only required to provide basic instructions and encouragement during the sport’s early days, but modern corners often consist of specialists in their respective fields. It isn’t uncommon to see fighters with grappling and striking specialists in the corners, along with their head coach who serves mostly as a strategist and motivator.
This new approach to cornering and training ensures fighters get comprehensive support to handle anything they face inside the ring.
Improvements in the telecommunications field have also helped to reshape how corners function in modern martial arts. Tools like communication devices and real-time statistics help corners to make more informed adjustments in modern martial arts.
It’s easy to overlook the important contributions of cornermen and women in the adrenaline-fueled world of mixed martial arts, but these unsung heroes play a huge part in their fighters’ success. Behind every superstar in the mixed martial arts world is a team of cornermen who work tirelessly behind the scenes to ensure your favorite fighter performs at a high level come fight time.
Good Corner Personnel Can Be The Difference-Maker During A Match
ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Champion Rodtang Jitmuangnon at his corner between bouts in a Muay Thai bout at ONE Championship.
While corner men and women rarely get to become household names like many of the biggest stars, they are the backbone of a fighter’s team, providing them with all the tools they need to execute their game plans inside the cage. The feedback corner staff provide fighters leading up to and during their fights is invaluable.
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