Why don't you see trapping used like in MMA, boxing or kickboxing?

Question

I'm big fan of Wing Chun and Jeet Kune Do and wonder why you don't see this in MMA? With the awesome trapping you would think more MMA fighters would be training in it.

For some reason boxing and kickboxing do not train in trapping or feel the need to have trapping added into boxing, kickboxing or MMA training.

Most MMA fighters do not train in Wing Chun or Jeet Kune Do for some reason.

Why is that?

Answer 1

Trapping "does occur" in MMA fights, but not to the extent that it happens when a Wing Chun fighter faces an unskilled brawler. Technically, "clinching" is a form of trapping. Trapping also frequently occurs when a fighter presses his opponent against the fence. Often in an MMA fight, each competitor only stays in trapping range very briefly because both men are trying to grapple or strike. Against an "unskilled opponent" trapping techniques like chi sao, pak sao, and lap sao can be very effective.

Answer 2

doesnt work

Answer 3

Because of the rules, that influence the way that these sports are played.



Professional sumo is a sport, Olympic judo is a sport, Olympic TKD is a sport.



Do these three sports, look similar to you?

Answer 4

H

Answer 5

Because Wing Chun is useless against anyone who is NOT using Wing Chun.



...like every MMA fighter, or just about anyone walking around outside.

Answer 6

because people over-employing them get defeated.

Answer 7

Cor

Answer 8

You will need to learn how to fight at distance, boxing range, which WC isn't designed for.



You need to be able to bridge into wing chun distance, from boxing. This means you learn either really good bridging techniques or you need to learn distance boxing to at least hold your own.

Answer 9

You do occasionally see very simple, rudimentary trapping. Author/analyst Jack Slack has produced some material on the subject:



http://fightsgoneby.webplus.net/article01.html



http://fightland.vice.com/blog/wing-chun-and-mma-controlling-the-center



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WAVxYY0hf-4



You see techniques that are analogous of Wing Chun's jut sao, pak sao, and lop sao, as well as the "beat" (a fencing technique that Bruce Lee adopted to JKD's empty hand work) and techniques that are called a "smother" in boxing or "checking" in Parker-lineage Kempo.



The thing is, the window or opportunity for such techniques is usually a small one. Also, because of how trained fighters actually fight, you're not going to see the "compound trapping" show up- using multiple traps in a single sequence. You also have to remember that the way trapping is trained in Wing Chun basically relies on the other guy engaging in a Wing Chun battle, and that JKD may use an artificial construct (a high "reference point", a la the Enter The Dragon fights, which hardly ever occurs in real fighting) to train its trapping sequences.



So trapping shows up from time to time, but it doesn't look like Wing Chun or JKD demos because those demos don't reflect the reality of how people actually fight.

Answer 10

Fighters are taught to act and react and so when something like this is done they will more quickly and easily defend against it than what an untrained person might. You do see some principles applied though like when you see hand and wrist control being done and a fighter limiting his opponent's ability to negate that. You also see some aspects of Jeet Kune Do applied as well like when a fighter fights with his dominant side forward or as his lead side and there are some fighters in the UFC that actually prefer that over the more conventional approach of leading with your less dominant side.