Sinister

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I have posted these questions here before but i haven't found an answer to them yet. Maybe Sinister or someone can help me with these boxing footwork related problems i have.


1. how to punch and circle right at the same time
How should my feet go while i'm punching and moving to the right. Is it wrong or are there any dangers one should know about if you move your back foot (right) at the same time you hit with left hand and vice versa. Left hand lands exactly the same time the right foot touches the floor and right hand lands when left foot touches floor. This feels easier and faster way to move right and punch than moving your left foot left hand and right foot right hand at the same time.
There is no problem if i throw my combination then move and after i have moved i punch again.
Sometimes you still want to move and punch at the same time.

2. bob and weave footwork when going forward and slipping opponents punch so that my head goes from left to right and i'm in good position to throw my back hand (right) after the slip. How should my feet go during the bob and weave when i'm advancing forward at the same time. There is no problem if i do my bob and weaves and move after that. Also bob and weave to the left side works fine. Should i step forward with my back foot at the same time i go under the punch and my head goes from left to right during the slip? If i do it this way my back hand punch after the slip goes at the same time i move my left foot (front foot). Does anyone know the correct way to do this?

Thanks for your help
 
Or maybe...just maybe you can ask your coach.

that defeats the purpose of this forum. Not everyones a fighter who can pick at a coach for details, its up to beginners to work their way up to where the coaches start paying particular attention.

These kind of details can be learnt yourself to an extent (providing you have a background). Learning how to move my head and transfer weight properly was something I discovered by myself on a long hiatus from training. When I went back to the gym and sparred I made an instant improvement.
 
I have posted these questions here before but i haven't found an answer to them yet. Maybe Sinister or someone can help me with these boxing footwork related problems i have.


1. how to punch and circle right at the same time
How should my feet go while i'm punching and moving to the right. Is it wrong or are there any dangers one should know about if you move your back foot (right) at the same time you hit with left hand and vice versa. Left hand lands exactly the same time the right foot touches the floor and right hand lands when left foot touches floor. This feels easier and faster way to move right and punch than moving your left foot left hand and right foot right hand at the same time.
There is no problem if i throw my combination then move and after i have moved i punch again.
Sometimes you still want to move and punch at the same time.

2. bob and weave footwork when going forward and slipping opponents punch so that my head goes from left to right and i'm in good position to throw my back hand (right) after the slip. How should my feet go during the bob and weave when i'm advancing forward at the same time. There is no problem if i do my bob and weaves and move after that. Also bob and weave to the left side works fine. Should i step forward with my back foot at the same time i go under the punch and my head goes from left to right during the slip? If i do it this way my back hand punch after the slip goes at the same time i move my left foot (front foot). Does anyone know the correct way to do this?

Thanks for your help

This is actually a really good question because these are two aspects of footwork that people fuck up the most. And it's something I've been working on a lot myself lately to enable moving forward, as opposed to only attempting to create space by moving in reverse or trying to get an angle.

The first thing I've gotten away from personally is keeping the feet as if riding a surfboard or skateboard. This is because it'll tempt you to walk your punches. This fight exhibits what NOT to do:



Acosta is getting chased, but his footwork is awful. His feet are FAST, but not good. He's running and hopping, BURNING energy. And when he does punch they're not set. So even though he's a hard puncher, he's not getting full force. Rios's footwork isn't much better, but he's bigger and he's not slow. So Acosta is in high panic mode, fleeing for his life, every punch is a "last stand." ESPECIALLY when he moves to his right, note he steps his left foot OVER the right to go that way. This is a huge no no, but it's his only option because his back foot is too sideways.

The trick is to turn the right heel a little so that the front of the foot is pointing slightly more forward, but WITHOUT squaring the stance. This will enable a whole new range of movement based on the rear ankle, the points of your ankle dictating where you can most optimally step. So if your rear foot is sideways, that says you can only go forward (like a fencer thrusting) or backwards (like a fencer pulling). Any lateral movement and you'll be off-balance. Amateur Coaches who don't know any better try to compensate with shuffling, as opposed to making a minor correction in the stance.

Look at this stance:

zy68m.jpg


Notice Saddler's rear ankle, what you can see of it. The indication is his toe is pointed slightly more forward, feet are approximately shoulder-width apart, heels under the hips. This means if he shifts his weight JUST a little to the left foot and pushes right, he'll be able to move without losing balance. His legs will behave like the base of a tripod. Because the weight is on the lead foot for a second, but he's pulled back, if he sticks a jab out to fend off an attack, there's still a connection between his left elbow, left hip, and foot. In other words, it'll still hurt. When he sets the weight back on the right (which will only take a second), then his sledge-hammer right hand comes into play. And it takes less effort than to jump and shuffle the way Acosta is above. So in essence, it's a small rocking motion, side to side. Anyone who used to wrestle should note that this footwork is almost identical to classic wrestling footwork.

Footwork for elevation changing is exactly the same, only with a deeper knee bend and waist bend. Just remember, in order not to lose balance or compromise power your head cannot go beyond your feet. Footwork done very very well looks like this:



You're looking at Elorde. Note that he's a counter-puncher, to lure his opponent in he sets himself on that back foot. But look closely when his opponent gets close, he turns his toes towards the opponent, only turning his feet back a little sideways when he lets his punches go. Turning them towards the opponent allows him to keep his head off-center better on either side of the opponent's center. And note he can effectively move towards either side without running from the guy.
 
Both of these skills take a lot of practice, and are pretty awkward to do at first. I'm just gonna say what I do:

1. When I jab while circling right (orthodox) I jab when I put my lead foot down. I can jab defensively off the back foot too but it's awkward. You need to start real slow and first get real comfortable with stepping smoothly. Spend like half an hour each day just trying to circle to the right real smoothly, dragging the left foot.

Then start trying to punch.


2. If you tie a rope and bob and weave under it, you will very quickly discover what feels comfortable (for most people it's stepping with the left foot when bobbing left, then catching up the right foot when you bob right).

Remember to keep your door closed (remain sideways) while your bob and weave. Or I'm firing an uppercut straight into your solar plexus when you come in.



The most important thing with both though, is to maintain your base and sunk core at all times. You will probably have to get a bit lower to maintain your balance. If you stand tall your center of gravity will be all over the place... this is hard to explain unless you've done wrestling before or some other sport that needs a "sunk core"
 
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