diff --git a/src/polysolve/nonlinear/MMA.hpp b/src/polysolve/nonlinear/MMA.hpp
index bb96a11..019b2ac 100644
--- a/src/polysolve/nonlinear/MMA.hpp
+++ b/src/polysolve/nonlinear/MMA.hpp
@@ -28,6 +28,8 @@ namespace polysolve::nonlinear
         std::string descent_strategy_name(int descent_strategy) const override;
         void increase_descent_strategy() override;
 
+        bool is_direction_descent() override { return false; }
+
     protected:
         std::shared_ptr<MMAAux> mma;
 
diff --git a/src/polysolve/nonlinear/Solver.cpp b/src/polysolve/nonlinear/Solver.cpp
index 74e29b3..9de9deb 100644
--- a/src/polysolve/nonlinear/Solver.cpp
+++ b/src/polysolve/nonlinear/Solver.cpp
@@ -208,7 +208,7 @@ namespace polysolve::nonlinear
                 continue;
             }
 
-            if (name() != "MMA" && grad_norm != 0 && delta_x.dot(grad) >= 0)
+            if (is_direction_descent() && grad_norm != 0 && delta_x.dot(grad) >= 0)
             {
                 increase_descent_strategy();
                 m_logger.debug(
diff --git a/src/polysolve/nonlinear/Solver.hpp b/src/polysolve/nonlinear/Solver.hpp
index 831a87c..a9662ff 100644
--- a/src/polysolve/nonlinear/Solver.hpp
+++ b/src/polysolve/nonlinear/Solver.hpp
@@ -104,6 +104,8 @@ namespace polysolve::nonlinear
         virtual int default_descent_strategy() = 0;
         virtual void increase_descent_strategy() = 0;
 
+        virtual bool is_direction_descent() { return true; }
+
         virtual std::string descent_strategy_name(int descent_strategy) const = 0;
         virtual std::string descent_strategy_name() const { return descent_strategy_name(descent_strategy); };