26/9/17: 45 degree boxing drills and espada y daga offensive defence

A bit of an experimental session working on taking angles (45 degrees) during boxing

We started by warming up with footwork trying to focus on spring nd being able to move in any direction at any time:

hopping on spot (the feeling for all movement)
changing weight from foot to foot (slight bounce)
moving fwd and back
moving left and right
fwd back left right
back fwd right left
fwd back right (skip step) left
back fwd left (skip step) right
feet planted soft knees "bobbing"

45 degree turns to the left
45 degree turn to the right



before we did drill we practiced staying in range:

partner A arm held out almost touching partner B chest. Partner B moves and partner A stays with them (not too fast at first, focus on reading partner body and maintaining distance)

Drills:

with partner - moving fwd back left right with a double jab each direction. Once you have done the last double jab move off 45 degrees left or right to hit partner at an angle

do same again but once you have the angle maintain it. (key is not to go fast but to help each other read the movement and maintain distance (not too far not too close)

then do drill again but maintain angle and when partner manages to square up go 45 the other way

Application drill:

Partner A punches, B blocks, when one shot lands then move 45 left or right. Once at 45 maintain angle and keep punching (movement out of motion), when partner squares go 45 the other way and keep punching

The key to this is to move 45 WHEN YOU LAND A HIT. you are trying to disappear. We played around with doing this in out of range sparring but was really hard to get the 45 angle. We also noticed that slipping and bobbing helped to get the 45 but maintaining it was tricky. This lead us to discuss and play with the following ideas:

1) defensive 45 movement - when you partner commits to an attack and you slip bob etc give you a moment to move 45.

2) Offensive 45 movement - when you hit you then move/disappear 45 and gives you a moment to unleash a few hits

playing with both gives you a range of tools to be offensive/defensive and dictate where the fight takes place

Espada Y daga offensive defence:

All drills off of angle 1 strike and you mentality through all drills is that you will, no matter what, inside sweep, check hand with knife and try to return hit with a slice across the belly. you are trying to hit them and the defence is a reaction, you are not waiting for the knife strike!

1) Off A1 -  step off line and inside sweep the stick, knife checks hand (over top of stick hand), A4 (slice belly) return hit. AFTER you had hit them they then try to stab you so you repeat the motion, step off line and inside sweep the knife, your knife checks hand (over top of stick hand), A4 (slice belly) return hit. and follow up with ABC

2) Off A1 -  step off line and inside sweep the stick, knife checks hand (over top of stick hand), A4 (slice belly) return hit BUT this time BEFORE you manage to get the slice hit in the knife is already coming. use your stick to outside deflect and simultaneous stab to throat (also need to cat stance to move body out the way/change leads). then reach over you stick with your knife hand, push their arm down and toward them stab knife into armpit and then ABC.

3) Off A1 -  step off line and inside sweep the stick, knife checks hand (over top of stick hand), A4 (slice belly) return hit BUT  this time the Knife is coming before you have managed to check the hand so you have to use your knife hand to stop their knife (an inside sweep motion on the other arm), you then hit the forearm with your stick and simultaneously stab throat then reach over you stick with your knife hand, push their arm down and toward them stab knife into armpit and then ABC.

The only thing that is changing with this is the timing of the feed. You keep trying to hit your partner but the knife will come either after you hit, as you are hitting or before you hit. We tried to (gently) play with this timing and mix it up. if you waited for the knife the flow was gone and you ended up getting stabbed, but if you focused on hitting and reacting to your partner it was more effective.

(video of James and Charlie training to come)

Great session, good work by everyone and a pleasure to teach