VIDEO | How to beat taller opponents, featuring legendary kickboxer Mike Zambidis

“Iron” Mike Zambidis, who hails from beautiful Athens, Greece, is revered for the seemingly endless knockouts he produced over the course of his epic kickboxing career. The stone-fisted Greek’s many knockouts are made even more impressive by the fact that, as a shorter fighter, much of his opposition towered over him. Yet with his incredible ring control and cunning, he was able to put these big men down.

In a chronically under-watched video by the great striking analyst Lawrence Kenshin, the minutiae of Zambidis’ giant-toppling game is examined.

Watch it above, and see transcriptions of some of the highlights of Kenshin’s in-depth breakdown below

One key to Zambidis’ game, according to Kenshin, is the cross-counter:

The cross-counter is a classic attack over the jab or during its retraction. With the jab often being the go-to attack for taller fighters to dictate the range, a highly developed cross-counter will deter attempts to use it. If one lands, it can often mean good night. The key is using the opponent’s momentum or stepping in as the jab retracts, simultaneously slipping to the inside and loading the right hand.

Another valuable maneuver for the shorter fighter is the right hand into left hook combo:

“The committed right hand can only be thrown once before requiring resets. The left hook speeds up this recovery. If the opponent continues to stand ground or attempt to take space, this is one of Zambidis’ go-to combinations, often helping him to regain balance load another bomb.”

Kenshin also explains how the beautiful-to-behold Superman punch is an effective tool for Zambidis:

“A consistent theme for Zambidis is to cover an immense amount of range. The Superman punch is one of his methods.”

Mike Zambidis has not competed since 2015, when he defeated Steven Moxon by decision to move onto a three-fight win-streak. His overall record stands at 156-24, with 87 wins coming by way of knockout or TKO.

This article first appeared on BJPenn.com on 4/30/2017.