Training Diary 2005-09-17

Participants: Nathan, Sam, Mike

Stated goals:
Sam- work the footwork, keep the feet in their proper place. Jab with more authority. Keep the guard hand in the way.Mike- Double-up on the jab. Commit when leading. Stretch a lot.Nathan- I need to make sure my lead hand is in the way. Use the double-hook more.

• Parrying the jab while moving to the outside of the arm. We first did it versus a single, then the double-jab.


• Catch then counter-right over the top. I pointed out that when you do this versus the same size person, you hold your ground, or move in with the counter. Against a taller lead-off fighter, step back with the catch, and then push off the rear foot to counter with the right. With a shorter lead-off fighter, you should probably just stay put.I also demonstrated the rap, then straight right.


• We then built in the catch, straight right, then lead body or head hook due to Sam’s carping about wanting to hit others more after the counter!Mike, work on countering, THEN do the step and pivot to clear. Don’t mix them up.

Sparring
R1 Mike & Sam, jab only: Mike was having a lot of trouble with Sam’s jab coming right down the middle – his rear guard hand was out of position, and he was only throwing a single. Mike started to double up, and it made a BIG difference. He was commanding the centerline and Sam had to escape to the side. Sam, you may notice that you are only circling to the right in this round. That’s going to be a problem when you run into the right hands coming from that direction. It’s probably best, in my opinion, to circle away from the power hand/foot a majority of the time.

R2 Nathan & Mike, jab only: Mike, remember to parry and move to the right.Nathan, keep the lead hand in the way!

R3 Nathan & Sam, jab only:
Sam, don’t lean back as a defense, unless you have your hips under you. In other words, a lean should be done by bending the knees, not tilting the back and head. In the first case, you are poised to counter or move.

R4 Mike & Sam boxing-coached round (2 min): Sam, I just watched your feet the first time I watched this round, and I noticed that you kind of walk, instead of step and slide. Also, when you do pull up the rear foot, it’s flat. Both mean that your weight is not shifted over the front leg, and you have to shift before punching, slipping, or any other boxing technique. It’s a major delay. It’s like always having to shift out of park every time start off from a stop sign or light.
Mike, you’re moving and punching pretty well. The main strength you have is your basic footwork – it keeps you out of trouble.
Sam’s goal was to mix in uppercuts to the body and head. Mike tends to be vulnerable to this because you put both hands out when punching. Mike, use one hand at a time and keep the other in as a guard. It worked pretty well, but it was overused and left Sam vulnerable.
Mike’s goal was to surprise Sam two or three times during the round by charging in without regard for technique, just to be ferocious and attack. He was able to do it once, and it caught Sam off guard and he said it made him have to go into, “survival mode.”
My overall impression of the round was that Mike was scoring more on the outside with his jab, straight right, and a couple of overhands, while Sam had the edge on the inside with his sneaky punches from a lot of angles. Better defensive strategy will help you both. The other reason for Sam’s success is that he throws the punches in bunches on the inside. It’s impossible to block everything, and that gave Mike some trouble.

• We then drilled the knee counter to a left or right straight punch.

R5 Nathan and Sam, boxing (body only), and knees:
It was pretty good. Both of us were using a good mix of techniques, not just trying to grab and knee. I locked up pretty good at the beginning of the round, and Sam eventually escaped by ducking out, then it happened again at the end of the round. Ducking out of the knee clinch can get your nose pushed in, so I’d recommend against it!

R6 Mike and Nathan, boxing (body only), and knees:
It was an interesting round. I don’t think Mike knew that we were doing body contact only, ‘cause he tried to take my head off a couple of times. I hope he didn’t know! Mike didn’t successfully hook my neck, or land the knee, but he tried two or three times. We need more work on that. He did successfully spin out and prevent me from locking him up once, then tried again near the end of the round, took a knee to the solar plexus/sternum, and went down, gasping. Scared us all because I didn’t even feel the hit, and wasn’t going hard anyway. He was fine, but explained that he was trying to duck down and escape. Once again, don’t duck the knee!!!!
Action items:
Mike: -Drill that catch & straight right counter. It’s awkward for you right now because you’re moving to the right while you’re doing it.-Double or triple up the lead. You are going to get hit and hurt by closing the gap with a single. That empty space after you throw the first punch is going to be filled by someone, make it you!-Kick a lot, and stretch.
-Need a lot more work on getting the knee in.

Sam:
-Circle away from the power hand.-We need to do major drilling on footwork. Step and slide in every direction all the time. Some rounds of just using the rear guard hand for defense, jabbing, and footwork will do you a lot of good.
-Longer and stronger leads will close the gap safely. Extend the arm or you are just creating an opening for an aggressive counter-fighter, like me.
-Practice escaping the knee without ducking.

Nathan:
-Again, work the double hook.
-Jab more, and more effectively.
-Did a better job with the lead hand position, but be more disciplined. There were still a couple of instances where it was a problem.
-Work on hand speed.
-Step around the opponent and counter. I used to do that a lot, to great effectiveness, but have gotten out of the habit. Discipline!!!

Next Training:

1. Mr. Sam – lead the warm-up, with assistance


2. Mr. Nathan – will review forms, then teach Mr. Sam Palgue Chil Jang (tape it).


3. Mike – review Backfist, snap & front kick


4. Mr. Sam & Mike – footwork and guard drills


5. Mr. Sam & Mike – drill knees counter


6. Mr. Nathan – bobbing, weaving, slipping


7. Mr. Sam & Mr. Nathan – kicking burnouts (practice control!)

We may spar, or not, depending on achieving other goals.