MMA

MMA Clinch Off-Balancing Drill from Inside Control

In the MMA clinch from inside-inside control, every time your opponent lifts a leg to knee, spin them out and offset their weight. Catch them on one foot, put them on their heels, and keep them fighting for their base instead of attacking yours.

By Scott Sullivan

FREE PREVIEW Off-Balancing Drill from Inside-Inside MMA Clinch Control
Matt Lindland runs the off-balancing drill from neutral inside-inside clinch — every time the partner lifts to attack, spin him out and keep him stuck on one foot.
From The Striker's Bible — part of the The Complete MMA Fighting System

From neutral MMA clinch with inside-inside control, the off-balancing drill is this: every time your opponent lifts a leg to attack, you spin him out and offset his weight. Catch him on one foot, put him on his heels, and keep him fighting for his base instead of attacking yours.

Quick definition first. "Inside-inside" means both of your hands are inside his biceps. That is the dominant pummeling position in an MMA clinch — you own the frame and he has to fight to get back in. From there, the drill takes advantage of the one moment he has no choice but to move: when he picks a leg up to knee you.

That is the window.

The second his weight loads onto one foot and the other leg lifts, you spin him. Turn his hips, shove his base off its line, and send him stepping to catch himself. He cannot plant. He cannot knee. He is chasing his own balance.

The drill is flow-style, not one-and-done. Partner lifts, you spin. Partner lifts the other leg, you spin the other way. Back and forth, every rep, keeping the timing tight — if you wait until his foot is already coming back down, you missed the window. You have to feel the lift and react on it.

Then switch roles. The guy who was being off-balanced becomes the one doing the off-balancing. Inside-inside control, feel the lift, spin him out.

Here is why I love this drill. It teaches a habit most strikers never build — treating the clinch as a place to steal the other guy's base, not just a place to throw knees. A knee fighter who cannot keep his feet under him stops being a knee fighter in about two seconds. Yeah, it is that punishing.

For the full breakdown of clinch and wall work fundamentals for MMA, check out our full guide to MMA clinch and wall work. Get the complete course in The Complete MMA Fighting System.

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