20/3/18: Putting the flight time in: Boxing angles, pad drills and Double stick

Tonight's session was about using some boxing fundamentals to help create angles. The session was based off a "simple" catch, jab reply. The mentality of this approach is no matter what is thrown you will catch and return with a jab and the various applications can be applied to the catch off the jab. We mixed up the variations so that the partner/opponent does not know what I going to happen next... apart from getting Jabbed in the face!

Warm up:

Jab catch drill - focus on distance, keeping hand in front of your face, elbow in, trying not to reach out to catch the jab, use your rear foot to "bounce"

Drills: (swapping partners throughout session lots of flight time)

1) Catch Jab response (as above)

2) Catch Jab x2, on the 3rd rep hard parry with rear hand to offset and simultaneously step fwd off line 45 (you will now be attacking at an angel and they will be slightly twisted of their centre line from your parry). then throw a jab cross combo (we then added a jab, cross lead round kick). It is important to try and parry up the forearm towards the elbow if possible as they could roll over your arm if you parry the hand/wrist. This is an outside line attack.

3) catch jab x 2, on 3rd rep use lead hand to parry inside their jab and simultaneously step off with your lead leg 45 so you are now on the inside line (be weary of the cross follow up).. As you step 45 throw a cross, jab combo (we then added a cross jab rear round kick combo).

Note: these drills can be used off jab and cross, the outside parry of the jab is and inside parry on cross and the inside parry on the jab is an outside parry on the cross

Pad drills: 3 minute rounds (or whenever Steve decided to come back form making the tea!... it felt much longer)

1) as above: Catch Jab x2, on the 3rd rep hard parry with rear hand to offset and simultaneously step fwd off line 45 and jab cross (hole pad ad angle)

2) as above slight variation: catch jab x 2, on 3rd rep feeder throws a cross NOT a jab (better for pad holding) use lead hand to parry the cross (same motion as the inside parry) and simultaneously step off with your lead leg 45 follow up with cross jab.

Double stick: (various groups working different variations)

We worked the following:

Sinwali (weaving motion)

Heaven 6 and high line odd series with roof block

Standard 6 (H.L.H) and standard odd series with roof block

Earth 6 (low line) with low line odd series and roof block

Earth 6 with low line odd series and umbrella

we also discussed how you can vary the sinwali and odd series by mixing up the high and low lines within the flow (good for co-ordination and mixing up lines of attack)

examples you could try include:

HHH
LLL
HLH
LHL
HLL
LLH

some of these are quite tricky but really fun to try.

as always comments and questions welcome

15/3/18: Thoughts on teaching

On occasion I have covered teaching the class at Steve Martin's Fighting Arts Academy.  I am not a "black belt", and although I have been doing martial arts for many years now I still consider myself a beginner. I train with people who have as much if not more experience as me, yet as I am arguably the longest serving member at the club if the boss is unable to make it, I help as best I can. ( and I must admit I do enjoy it very much).

Whenever I do this though I always question myself in terms of my credibility. I have not "fought" competitively, I've never worked the door and as for getting in fights in the street.. sorry haven't done that either. But I work hard at the club, I work hard at home and I love what I do which for me is enough (besides the boys at the club test me enough on a regular basis).

So when it comes to teaching what do I do?

I have one simple aim. Everyone gets a little bit better even if they only take one thing away. I base my sessions on how Steve teaches (and how others I have been taught by in seminars appear to approach their lessons). I take a theme, I work on a couple of variation of that theme, drill it, apply it in a controlled way, then use it to hit pads. I then do some fine detail work e.g. locks, knife/stick flow to cool down but keep brain active.

I always try and make links to what we are doing to other aspects of the curriculum (e.g. striking to stick work) and I focus mainly on technique, drilling slow with flow before adding speed and power later with pads or conditioned sparring.

That way I can look at what everyone is doing and see if there are any glaring mistakes.

This helps me in 2 ways.

1) Can I do and apply the techniques and what adjustments I need to make to my own learning.
2) it helps me "notice" my partner more and hence in sparring notice what they aren't doing to take advantage of.

As always I have a long road ahead of me but I'll keep walking it, keep learning and growing and as long as everyone gets something out of it I'll keep teaching too... but not too often mind you... got my own stuff to work on! ;0)