Do you think the Philly Shell Works in MMA?

What’s your opinion on the #PhillyShell Stance? Would you say it works well in #MMA? Dustin Poirier and Cory Sandhagen have both proven it’s effectiveness, but it certainly has an Achille’s heel. Do you think it should be used exclusively for just boxing?

And we don’t even mention how the low-lead arm is advantageous for getting an underhook and stuffing takedowns!

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FOLLOW:

[ADayintheLifeoftheTw]

The answer is yes.... Source, I got knocked out by a dude who was doing this. I was legitimately confused at his stance, went for what I thought was an opening, and took and wicked ass uppercut. Sucks is I was so out of it, I told the ref I was good, and proceeded to fall for the same thing again less than 30 seconds later. That was the first time I had ever taken an involuntary mat nap.

[ballroomhero]

Bobby Green is one of the best at utilizing the shell in mma.

[fighttips]

My answer in short: the Philly Shell is good for baiting punches to the head, with the lead shoulder/elbow and rear hand being your shields and head movement being your safest defense.

Plus, we didn't even mention how the lead arm can be used for underhooks to stuff takedowns -- another perk for MMA.

But it certainly has an Achilles heel... especially against a good roundhouse kick.

So what do you think? Worth the bait, or too risky against a good kicker? I can tell you right now that I'd never use the Philly Shell against someone like Superbon or Crocop 😬😵

[jusan_tinos]

Ramsey Dewey pointed out another good thing about the Philly shell in mma. If you’re going up against a wrestler and they go for a takedown, it’s easier to defend because you already have an arm lower to the ground and you can go for the under hooks when the wrestler attempts a takedown.

[CombatSportsNerd]

Oh thank God. This question has been bugging the heck out of me for like a year

[mattg]

If anyone wants to see a well utilized modified Philly in MMA, Dustin Poirer uses it A LOT. He doesn’t use it to set counters as often like boxers but more to negate pressure safely, he flares his elbow on one side where he is in danger of kicks and uses it as the cross guard rather than his hand that’s up high. He doesn’t stand as narrow because kicks, and clinch work well when your hands are too close to the body. He also uses it to pressure sometimes for example he can frame with the flared elbow almost like a battering ram to keep opponents from catching him with desperate shots, and keep them up against the fence without getting clipped when entering the pocket.

[robertchristian]

Sean Strickland just proved it works alright

[heroinpapi]

I started doing this in Muay Thai and can’t remember the last time I took a significant strike during sparring even with my instructor. Added to that I constantly switch stances and create combos or distancing off of front/back switches. I believe partially using the Philly shell in mma forces you to learn while improving your parrying/defense and gives you confidence to put your opponent off or bait him into a counter. We’re taught to not practice bad habits or to keep your hands up but I’ve found the most success by fighting the “wrong” ways.

[degiguess]

Philly Shell has gotta be one of the most interesting guards there is because it's so perfectly designed for boxing. It takes full advantage of the big gloves and nothing below the belt rule and as a result is probably one of the best defensive stances you can take.

[justinwallace]

Great drill for this, bro! And I found the Philly Shell is a natural fit for ITF Taekwondo. A few friends and I would fight outside on the soccer field of our high school, where I used the bating arm to stop most mid to lowish kicks, and the blocking arm to protect my liver and face. When someone went for my head, I'd use the backward lean of the Philly to throw a variety of kicks. TKD's universal chamber makes it hard to predict where the punishment will come from, since you can go low, mid, or high with each chamber being exactly the same. Wonderboy has some solid defenses against leg kicks even in a bladed stance, so I think those are worth looking into.

[ShinkaTV]

I have a very strange interpretation of the shell that has worked very well for me, (southpaw, left eye dominant, right handed), I actually do most of my defense with the elbow of the lead hand. People who spar me say I "block weird" and they have a heck of a time figuring me out, and get caught by strange counters. Overhands are tricky, but combined with the oblique kick for range and a good jab, it seems quite effective.

[IHateHandleNames]

2:52 my old coach has a very similar story. Philly Shell is great until head kicks start coming into the fight. Your instinct to roll your shoulder won't stop a head kick.

[ives]

Yes, the Philly Shell can also work in MMA at some points, but I believe it's best kept in boxing

[BMO_Creative]

cool video! Yeah, Dustin uses the Philly modified... he doesn't use static foot movement like in boxing, rather shifts forward or backward while blading his elbow up, so he ready to counter... kind of like an offensive version of the Philly that lets you stay in the fight while in full guard.

[BestBackDown]

Chris Curtis, Bobby Green, Sean Strickland and Dustin Poirer all utilize a variant of the philly shell in MMA beautifully.

[chkpnt-fqrv]

Bill Wallace actually used a Philly Shell style stance when he was kickboxing. Although leg kicks weren't legal when he was fighting, he has stated that the moment he saw someone trying to kick his front leg he would just lean back getting his head out of range, lift the lead leg and counter attack with it. A good side kick to the opponents mid section while they're attempting the leg kick would do it. When I did Tae Kwon Do when I was younger I would do a sort that if a cross between a front kick and a roundhouse kick that would come up at a 45 degree angle and catch my opponents right in the gut knocking the wind out of them. It comes in low enough that it's below their eye line and because it's coming in straighter than a roundhouse it's faster than one. One final note is that if you read the Tai of Jeer Kune Do this of the stance Bruce Lee recommended since you can use that lead arm to protect your groin. I myself use s conventional stance and use my lead lead to protect my groin by lifting it and turning slightly so that don't attempted groin strikes land on the side of my thigh.

[The_Official_Tim_Dandy]

YES! I love this concept. I'm a South Paw fighter trying to get Phili shell to work in mma. I've found some success using the stance for bating openings for take downs.

[ZeKiran]

Can you do a video on the Peek a Boo or maybe a modified version in MMA as well ?

[jaketheasianguy]

Philly Shell is really good for a reason that most people didn't really think about : it negates clinching attempt entirely. That hand down low will turn into the underhook for you right instant while your shoulder serve as a barrier to block all kind of hooks from people wants to clinch up with you. Perfect weapon against Thai guys that love clinch fighting, boxers that want to stall and DK Yoo's hug of death

[theimpaler]

I think adding a side kick game and a couple of intercepting elbows could add more depth to the style. Wonderboy has an excellent retreating sidekick as an example, and I feel like one could use the lead arm and turn it into a frame for an elbow