Tape Study: Sandhagen and Holloway Talk Time-Space
Bantamweight contender Cory Sandhagen, after his win over Marlon "Chito" Vera, gave an analysis of striking that highlights many key principles of Liberation Martial Arts, such as perception, time-space, and rhythm.
Sandhagen:
I think that there's things that are happening in striking matches that are, like I said, not very digestible. So like I said, so there's space, there's position, and then there's your advantages. [...] I hear people talk about like rhythm all the time. You know, rhythm is just closing space, going away from space, closing space, going away from space.
As far as sports, rhythm is the pattern or timing of movements over time. This is not only what is being observed but also expected. Rhythm is bidirectional, it's not only what you are observing but also what is being observed of you. You can influence someone else's rhythm just as they can influence yours. You can set your opponent's expectations just as they can set yours.
For Sandhagen, rhythm is even more pointed, it sets expectations for attack and defense. You can't hit your opponent unless you are close, and you can't be hit if you are far. Space is not only distance, it is also time.