Movement is Life 12/16/14

Hey guys as you know we always utilize  footwork drills on the mat during our training sessions but do we truly understand the value of good movement and implement that into our sparring strategies?

The point of having good footwork in sparring is to have the ability to move in and out. Don’t waste your legs and footwork skills by just plodding forward all the time or running away all the time. The point of “footwork” is to use your legs to go in all directions and changing directions as needed. At the very minimum, you should use footwork to get yourself in & out of punching range and to create angles of attacks.

You should always time your footwork so that you are moving when your opponent is punching and punching when your opponent is moving. If you think carefully about this, you’ll realize that this means your opponent is doing the same thing you are…so what’s the difference? You are trying to use your footwork so that you are punching when your opponent is moving in whereas your opponent is punching as you’re moving away.

Try ro create space when he starts to punch, step back or create angles to create some space. You want to move just enough to evade his incoming attack. Right as he’s finished punching (won’t be long since you’re out of range), quickly advance stepping in and deploy your attacks. Once you have stopped his forward momentum by landing some shots and he’s finally found his footing and started throwing back counter-punches but it’s too late because you already created space again.  He will realize the counter-punches are too late and right as he stops punching you have once again slid into range and throw more punches.

I actually find this to be a funny situation when your opponent catches on to your hit & run tactics. He’s most likely going to get frustrated and do either one of two things:  He’ll stop moving and decide to wait for you instead. If he does this, you can use hand fakes or  foot fakes to get him to counter-punch first or move first and then come in and hit him with some shots before backing out again. You can also use this opportunity to calmly circle around him to catch your breath if you need.  He may realize you have superior footwork and he doesn’t know how to come into you so he starts running away or circling you defensively. See you on the mat!

-Sir