Closing the gap 101: (**UPDATED: Forgot an exercise.)

[ToughStough]

Great thread, but I noticed one mistake;

The sun don't rise and set with Fedor you know.

Was this a typo or something?

 

[Silverblur]

You should submit these to lockflow.com

 

[00 Buck]

great stuff, thanks!


Edit: I'm 5'4" and most of my sparring partners are way taller, 5'10"+.

Should I do my jabs any differently?

I am okay once I'm inside, but can't get in sometimes and just pretty much counter fight... lol.

 

[Sinister]

Not differently, but more than one at a time. And don't just flick them.

 

[eddie77]

Great info, now if I can just get it to work!

 

[Joe Funaro]

Closing the gap is my biggest srea of concern. Fast jabbing and stepping FTW!. Thanks.

 

[Meatsack]

Everytime you step in for that jab tell him to throw a counter-hook to the body or the head with his opposite hand. So that every time you land the jab, bing, you get popped. Sucks huh? Well there's a way to stop it. Use your opposite hand/arm to block. Don't parry, just put the limb in the way (for now).

KK - Can I get a clarification on the above quote? The way I understand the setup, I'm jabbing to my partner's LEADHAND focus mitt. Right? So, in the above drill, my partner is throwing right hooks as I jab with my left hand (being orthodox or, righthanded) and I'm trying to get my left back to guard fast enough?

Thanks for the help.

Meat

 

[possenti]

Great post. It's a keeper.

 

[Sbryd]

Great thread man really helpful.I didnt read the whole thing being that im not home but i will later but sorry if you wrote this here but here is a question

So the guy is taller then me and he grapples me and overpowers me because he is alot taller should i swing to the body? or try to break free? now just incase i cant take him down what should be my next step?

 

[Ben Stigar]

I think I misunderstood one of the points in this thread, so please forgive me if I missed something. How are fighters closing while taking a step with the rear leg first? It can be done (it happens to me) if the attacker sets up an angled move (or sidestep, but that would be orthodox if moving right) after a strong combination (standard). But if I see an opponent's rear foot move forward I usually jab or (if I'm not totally gassed) pivot around the advance. Sometimes I teep. But it's very easy to see and react to because the rear foot moving first leaves the opponent off-balance - usually. Also it telegraphs a bit. Did I misunderstand the previous statements?
Thanks for your help.

 

[Sinister]

I think I misunderstood one of the points in this thread, so please forgive me if I missed something. How are fighters closing while taking a step with the rear leg first? It can be done (it happens to me) if the attacker sets up an angled move (or sidestep, but that would be orthodox if moving right) after a strong combination (standard). But if I see an opponent's rear foot move forward I usually jab or (if I'm not totally gassed) pivot around the advance. Sometimes I teep. But it's very easy to see and react to because the rear foot moving first leaves the opponent off-balance - usually. Also it telegraphs a bit. Did I misunderstand the previous statements?
Thanks for your help.

Which statement are you referencing specifically involving rear-foot movement first?

 

[Ben Stigar]

closing with the jab, your back foot should move in deep first, so you can keep your balance evenly distributed.....and you wont end up reaching with your punch, or planting too much weight on that lead leg.

That one...did I misread it (the BACK foot should move in deep first), or am I misunderstanding the term "closing," or am I underestimating some footwork I've never seen before? If you advance to jab, I think you're supposed to step to striking distance (shuffle) first, then jab with a step (well, that's how I've heard it explained, and Dempsey says that as well, for an advancing jab).
Also as I said, I've seen some guys who get tired or excited and step rear foot first, and it sometimes keys me to a potential strike - even though I'm watching the chest/head area I'll see the hip move and the shoulders slightly adjust to the shift in COG. You know what I mean.

All that aside, I have taken FULL CROSSING STRIDES on occasion to close and set up a lead-leg kick to a shelled/slow opponent (you know, stepping up and to the side to position a sloppy but strong RHK with lead left leg, which is now the rear leg). But boy is that risky. And anyway, I know how to switch kick. Just shows I'm sloppy sometimes.

I think I misunderstood something.

 

[Sinister]

Yeah, me too. I'm not sure what Twisted meant and he hasn't posted in a while.

 

[Ben Stigar]

Yeah, me too. I'm not sure what Twisted meant and he hasn't posted in a while.

You seem to know quite a bit about boxing, so perhaps you can enlighten me - lately i've been murdering (in a friendly sparring kind of way) guys with my jab, but my cross seems to get tied up a lot. Like it's out of range, or my right shoulder gets twisted a bit, and so I tend to jab-jab-lead hook if im inside. shuffle to angle - throw a cross that only grazes gloves of opponent - throw rear RHK to lead leg and retreat out (w/ jab if I need to - the kick creates a little distance ya know). i'm bringing my jab back to my chin, usually. My cross seems to sit out until my opponent cowers/ducks with closed eyes/etc. Then of course it's easy.
Combos ending with a solid cross on the hb work fine. But in the ring...not really. Ever had this problem?

 

[AntFeeks]

sickk drills

 

[Vector_X]

wow nice thread thank KK. I like the teep and circle out drill use that one quite often myself.

 

[Chinaboxer]

didn't bas say that he doesn' like to use the jab in mma? BTW, KK have you any MMA experience?

Bas is a great fighter. But he has argueably some of the worst hands in MMA.

Anyhoo...great stuff Kabuki!

 

[Snowblind]

Great fucking instructions. Thanks

 

[Chinaboxer]

in Jun Fan JKD, we use five different ways to get in...

The Simple Attack (SA) - This is, simply, hitting or kicking the opponent at the precise moment of an opening. It is a difficult aspect to master as it requires mastery of timing, range and speed. The majority of attacks used in boxing are simple attacks. Bruce felt that this was the most advanced way to attack someone which led him to the concept "offense is the best defense." In Chinese, there is a saying, "you start first, but i get there first."

Attack by Combination (ABC)- this is using two or more percussive attacks in combination to elicit a specific response from the opponent, creating an opening so the final blow or blows land unobstructed. Also seen in boxing, the classic example is the one-two, which is a jab to the chin and then a cross to the jaw. The jab raises the chin to expose the jaw, which causes a knockout if hit right. Some of the best ABC combo's are done by shifting levels; high, low, high or low, high, low.

Hand Immobilization Attack (HIA) This describes the trapping and grappling ranges of fighting, Where the fighters are attached to each other either by the work of one or both fighters. In Boxing, this is known as the clinch, where you close distance with the opponent and work to 'hug' him so he can't punch you. In streetfighting, as Bruce points out, you can do things like headlocks and hair pulls as well. So it's important to remember that they are a part of HIA. HIA can also include the feet or legs. Generally HIA is used to control the opponent and to transition to other attacks.

Attack By Drawing (ABD) This is when you let your guard down on purpose (giving your opponent a false opening) to get the opponent to attack a specific area which you'll be ready for with a counterattack.

Progressive Indirect Attack (PIA) This is to move in to attack, faking your angle of attack on the approach to elicit a defensive response from the opponent, then changing the angle to the real angle of attack thus scoring a hit. In a nutshell, fake low, hit high or fake high and hit low.

 

[koreankid6413]

great job