Standup MMA/Boxing Rhythm: How to avoid "pausing" throwing punches?

ElDiabloLoco503

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I've started boxing recently and I'm getting a bad habit where I pause before my combinations. I can't just let my hands go, because I'm the type of fighter that does a lot of thinking in the ring and each combination I throw has a design. In one of my combinations, I thought of using a jab to pop my opponent's head up and an overhand right to chop him down and finish the job.

A good example of this habit showing in professional boxing would be Mike Tyson and GGG, where both would also pause before unleashing a calculated combination that ends in a KO. My goal, eerily similar to Tyson's, is to inch closer to that one punch that ends the fight. My problem is, my opponent can sense that just looking at my eyes and feeling that sudden PAUSE in my rhythm. Eventually, I want to be smooth like Anderson Silva where he is soo smooth, his opponent can't tell if he is going to jab, step, or go for the KO. Do you guys know how I can mitigate or even overcome this bad habit?

Bag work.

 
Well if you have a friend and bag this is what I would say:

Be at your bag ready to strike but also moving around and adjusting your distance.
Have your friend clap at random times
When you hear your friend clap intently throw a combo, cut the angle, and get back in a safe range

I would assume this would help with your eliminating any pauses you may have and hopefully help to break the habit of having to "reset" before throwing another combo.
I hope I understood you correctly and this helps!
 
I've started boxing recently and I'm getting a bad habit where I pause before my combinations. I can't just let my hands go, because I'm the type of fighter that does a lot of thinking in the ring and each combination I throw has a design. In one of my combinations, I thought of using a jab to pop my opponent's head up and an overhand right to chop him down and finish the job.

A good example of this habit showing in professional boxing would be Mike Tyson and GGG, where both would also pause before unleashing a calculated combination that ends in a KO. My goal, eerily similar to Tyson's, is to inch closer to that one punch that ends the fight. My problem is, my opponent can sense that just looking at my eyes and feeling that sudden PAUSE in my rhythm. Eventually, I want to be smooth like Anderson Silva where he is soo smooth, his opponent can't tell if he is going to jab, step, or go for the KO. Do you guys know how I can mitigate or even overcome this bad habit?

Bag work.


You need more time in to the point where you rely almost purely on instinct and muscle memory. That's actually how its done for new guys and aspiring fighters, at the intermediate to exp. stages is when you really start remaining calm with thinking in the ring.

Basically most coaches will drill you in and out for the following as a novice fighter
-pressing forward (ring control)
-retaliating ASAP - interrupting your opponent's combinations with your own combination
-throwing combinations as your offense. Single strikes as an offense is a no no.
-Finishing your combinations, no bailing even if you get hit.

In MT, you'd add basic clinch work to the mix

What happens is as a newer fighter, you need to learn how to "fight" rather than focusing too much on technique. Technique ultimately is the key, but it's just to supplement fighting, if you don't know how to "fight" then its meaningless.

When I started, my coach only had me focus on 2 combinations, clinch work, and we drilled that to the death where I relied on it when the fight came. We lose cognitive thinking when we fight, mostly due to the surge in adrenaline and nerves.

So its best to find a couple of very basic combinations and hammer away at it. (Not sure what it is boxing, maybe 1,2,1. For MT we did 1,2,3,kick --offense, and kick, 3,2 --defense) You'll have to come to terms that you are going to get hit, its a combat sport, there's no such thing as avoiding all hits like in the movies, often times you are going to get hit, just you do your best to get hit in the right places (not chin, liver, temple).Even if you scrap with an untrained frat boy, you're still going to get hit. Once you get over this, and realize its not so bad, its really when you'll soar. I've gone through this when I started, pros have as well.

What's important is you don't bail on your combination when getting hit, thats a issue all new guys have. Follow through to the end, even if you get tagged. Bailing on a combo is a HUGE green to your opponent, it tells them you're easy to get through and there's nothing to be afraid of. the last thing you want, is your opponent to get confidence. Even if they don't get it, their coach will and sooner or later bad news will come from it.

As you've said in the OP, you just started, it takes time. It took me about 6 months to almost a year after during my first camp to get the basic raw instincts down. Some people who are more aggressive, fight prone pick it up faster, others take it slower, its your progress and its important to stick with it to the end.

Cheers
 
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I'm going to agree with j123 but I'm going to state it a little differently.

In short, you're thinking. That's because you're not trained. j123 mentioned 'muscle memory." What he's talking about is actually motor engrams. Motor engrams are dedicated neural pathways that are created by precise repetition of movement. In short, their hardwired memories that get the job done without conscious thought. That's what all training is aiming for.

For speed, remember that conscious thought is your enemy. Conscious thought is slow. If you have to consciously think about when to do something in a fight, whatever you're thinking about will be over before you reach a conclusion.

Simply stated, you need to train to a level of subconscious proficiency and then turn your conscious mind off and rely on that training. You're not there yet. It takes time and a lot of reps. A hell of a lot of reps. Again, it's why we train.

There are two parts to this. You must train to recognize why to do something (perception) and what to do (response). Bag work will never teach you perception. You must spar and spar a lot.

The only place that j123 and I part ways is when to teach technique. I prefer to build a foundation of basics and then move to fighting as he mentioned doing it the other way around.



Two major keys in this statement. Concentrating your work on just a couple of techniques is a must. Build your go-to combinations. You can add to them later. Then the part about getting hit. I teach to like getting hit. Of course we don't want to get hit. The key here is to be OK with it. If it gets into your head you will begin thinking. That's when your training will go out the window and it is when you will start to hesitate and speed will leave the building.

There's a lot of detail left out here. If you want more just message me. I've got a book out on this subject so I'm happy to tell you what you want to know.
Good stuff.

One reason I'm with the fight-first-then-add-on-technique-camp is, alot of people who join combat sports are people who don't come from competitive sports, some being non-athletic most of their lives as well. From this, there's a lack in aggression and we see it happen in their first events where they don't do well when the fight gets dirty. And at that stage it does get very dirty, most of the time its essentially a brawl fueled on instinct.

The good thing is alot of times they don't get injured too bad or KOd due to good techniques and tactics, the problem is they'd end up losing the fight not being used to that type of aggression and ring control (due to backing up).

Another issue with new guys is assuming low power = low speed. Then you end up with guys throwing slow mo strikes and the technique suffers. I remember one of our newer guys was pretty surprised at the speed that was going on in his exibition, and it was due to assuming 50% power meant slowing it down.
 
I would like to add something else about muscle memory. I like to have 2 subcategories with it. One is what you do, and the other is when you do it.

As the other said, what you do is about training your combos and technique over and over again. If you train all your life one combo starting with a jab for example, whenever you'll throw a jab in a fight, you'll automatically follow with your combo without thinking about it...

But the other think is, when to throw that combo. You cannot think about it...it's must be a reflex to a cue.
In Striking there are 2 types of cues. One you see, and one you feel.

The ones you see can be either an opening, either an attack that you have drilled to counter. But again, it's not something you think about it. It's something you have drilled a thousand times.

For the other one we can have the inside fighter as an example. You can drill whenever you feel a body hook, to throw a hook to the head from the same side.

But as it has been said...the key to that is repetition...
 
I get it. Training aggression for fighting is an major step in itself. You're right. Without it you've lost before you enter the ring. Then, maintaining that aggression while simultaneously sticking to your training requires exponentially more commitment.

Loosely related, don't you love watching traditional MA school competitions...? All of that exaggerated and pretty technique is replaced by flailing arms and legs. No one gets hurt unless it's by accident. Don't get me wrong. There are a lot of good competitors in traditional competition. I'm speaking in general terms.

Yeah, every style needs a live component to it, if not it ends up being bad. We all go back to our instincts in those situations. People who don't have that in training will end up looking bad.Even tried and true sports like MMA will look bad if there's no live part to it.

This one makes me want to scream. This ranks right up that with trowing strikes for no reason. Like a typical MA class where sparring is more like aerobics.

I know that you know this but it's all about having no idea at what point in the strike to apply power. If you know at what point to apply power you know that you can maintain full speed to that point and then adjust that application of power from the floor up at impact. That slow mo thing, that I call the slow habit, will get you tagged all day long. And if you tend to drop your hand after that strike... well...

Starting out, it was really annoying throwing a slow kick only have it caught easily and dumped, and it ends up being a disservice to the both of us because catcher is going to get used to that style of training, won't move off the line, will eat the kick, and his catch will be pretty slow as well; Going into a fight doing that is going to be a bad night. When you watch guys do that, you can tell they dun goofed in training. Eating full force middle kicks and not catching in time as the opponent pulls it back quickly.
 
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Don't just stand in front of the bag. Move around (in and out to start with), move your head. This is so you're doing something between the "pauses". Imagine a real opponent stood in front of you at that distance, he would be throwing shots back.

Also slow it down. Work on the fundamentals, with time you will gain fluidity.
 
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