Yeah, title is pretty self-explaining. I just don't get why these kick boxers stand square with full guard and trade. I get that they can't dance like Ali because of low kicks but I think there would be room for more movement. Who in K-1, Glory etc. has the best footwork in your opinion?
I believe the reason they do that is it's believed to be wasting energy. That's how it is taught in class anyway.
The Samart video is my favourite There are many different types of footwork, no one style works for everyone. Your footwork will depend on what you want to achieve. Someone who wants to stay on the outside and potshot will have very different footwork from someone who wants to close the distance, rip the combination, and close the door safely
I understand TS to be referring mainly to the positional footwork, as in, to float like a butterfly, and generate the Dominique Cruz like movement. The skilled footwork to deliver combos in the pocket is much more subtle to the untrained eye (me); so these vids are great for that, thanks for posting.
I'm not quite sure about this, but I this is just my theory on why there are so few guys like Cruz in kixkboxing. I think the square ring is unforgiving towards fighters who like to move around a lot. Compared to an MMA cage, it's much easier to trap your opponents in a ring. A cage caters more to fighters that like to use more movement imo. The 'corners' are very wide open for lateral movement in a cage
Which goes to show just how great Ali was. Imagine if boxing was fought in a cage... No one's gonna be trapping a prime Ali in a cage haha
It's also about kicking. You can't float like a butterfly when your wings are dealing with a constant barrage of leg kicks; you need to be more ready to check them. Movement is a lot easier to come by in MMA because leg kicks are far more rare; you don't want to be timed and put on your back by spamming them.
I know but I still keep thinking that there is more room for footwork in kickboxing. Not Ali style, but surely more movement. I don't really think checking low kick is that much harder when moving if you have good balance, footwork and reaction speed. I haven't seen every fight of Ali, but he usually didn't avoid damage and we hear that easily from his speech. Floyd avoids damage even when trapped, Ali didn't. Those remind me a bit of B-Hop's footwork. Very little movement and only moving when opponent is about to strike. Are there any guys who actually move really much? Someone said that they had been taught that it's waste of energy. I think it is first of all most important thing in boxing and while kickboxing isn't boxing, they share same core values and fundamentals so I guess footwork has place in kickboxing too. Then also kickboxing matches take 9 minutes usually and if you cannot move around the ring full speed and throw strikes without gassing terribly in three rounds, you probably shouldn't be pro.
Besides the kicks, it's hard to make an offensive impression when your running around the ring in a 3 x 3 min fight. Kickboxing is a sprint, no time for running. When you run from a kick your not in range to strike back.
Anyone who think the only footwork is the Ali style is naive. Footwork is the fundamental part of combat sports,whether it Thai or kickboxing. Footwork sets up the shots ,makes them miss,saves you and helps with the hunt down. Without it you are just standing there hoping for the best-with it you can control the distance,when you strike,the angles and if your good at it cut off the ring.
we all know footwork and the use of angles can help a fighter tremendously it's just not the same as in boxing or mma....boxers don't have to worry about kicks and knees.........it changes footwork/head/body movement dramatically and mma has a huuuuuuge octagon while kickboxing is in a small ring.....anybody who has ever fought in a ring can tell you that it's smaller on the inside kickboxers and mt fighters often trade near the ropes or a corner.......a toe to toe fight in the middle of the ring is much rarer ring size and different weapons make for different footwork/head/body movement
