5/12/17: The science of the sweet science - close range Boxing 101

Close range boxing, body mechanics and stepping off the line to create angles in close.

Warm up:

Shadow boxing

Partner drills (Big gloves) - All punches aiming for the chest/arms so you can put it in a bit

Body mechanics:

lead uppercut, cross
rear uppercut, jab

This is a static partner drill but the defending partner has to keep tight arms, don't let them in. Bocks, parries etc at this range will most likely be off the forearms

Defending the upper cut:

using your own shovel hook to off set (again this is timing and would be really challenging to pull off in sparring but is really handy as it turns defence into attack.

as they hook you throw a shovel hook on the same side as their punching arm. twist your body and cut into the forearm a bit like a cut punch principle. Use forward pressure to hit the head. We first drilled this in isolation (left right left right etc) then we drilled it with any order and you had to try and "read" your partner (we then incorporated this defence when doing the drills defending off the uppercuts and cross/jab

Creating angles:

lead uppercut, cross (keeps the top line busy), step off 45 to the left and pivot (keep tight) as you do this pivot and throw a lead hook follow up with ABC (start slow to get the right distance, timing and to make sure you end up at 90 degrees to partner and balanced)

Rear uppercut, jab (keep top line busy), step off 45 to the right and pivot/twist (you will still be in left lead when you face partner after pivot). As you pivot through a rear hand hook follow up with ABC (note the rear hook can also be a cross depending on where you are and what is open. I also found that as I stepped 45 I had a tendency to use my left are to check/pin/trap partners arm.. was useful but not part of the drill)

combining the two moving left first and as partner starts to turn back to you move right, and then moving right first and as partner turns move left.

Pad Drills (surprisingly exhausting!!!!)

as the drills above

lead uppercut, cross, (pad holder pivots then to help you) - step left 45 and pivot and immediately throw a hook cross hook

Rear uppercut, jab (pad holder pivots to help you) - step right 45 and pivot and immediately throw a rear hook (more tricky than it sounds I ended up throwing a cross most of the time) hook, cross.

The final round would have been combining the two!

Single stick warm up:

Single stick carenza (shadow boxing) using any striking families and footwork first right hand then left

Single stick 5 count sambrada

(A) A1
(B) roof block (check hand) reply with A1
(A) inside sweep (check hand over top oh stick hand) reply with A4
(B) Pass (outside gunting?) use back of free hand/forearm to pass (pushing back into their body and away and hit hand with stick) reply with A3
(A) Parry (inside gunting?) use free hand to pass (pushing from left to right) and cutting forearm with stick (move body out the way) reply with A2
(B) wing block and check hand reply with A1

flow continues from here but everything is reversed so now A is doing B moves and B is doing A moves.

higher grades added an element of surprise by occasionally changing an A1 strike for an A2 (doing the A1 as a feint first)