Thursday, June 14, 2012

Drill Post #28

One of the things that Ted Lucay-Lucay wisely pointed out, was that commonly what happens when two people fight, they both over-aggress and end up looking like two old college buddies giving each other enthusiastic tent hugs. Another way to put it is that they didn't control their striking distance. This is not the same as "fighting measure"as has been discussed in earlier posts, but effective striking range. That is, if  you are trying to strike someone with hand strikes, for example, then as they try to crowd in past your strikes, you need to either keep adjusting your distance, moving back, circling right and left, so that  those strikes are still at a range where they work, OR, you change tools and tactics for the range you find yourself at. This is actually a challenging skill to maintain under pressure, as it's human combative instinct to try to simply out-punch your opponent.

A drill to work maintaining the proper striking distance is to have the feeder with focus mitts, feed a changing series of targets while moving forward or circling in on the trainee while the trainee keeps up a fairly steady stream of strikes while constantly adjusting the distance so as to maintain proper range for the strikes.

It may help as preparation to work simple combinations starting with the following initial movements: a) side step or circle left while initiating a combination, b) side step or circle right doing the same, or c) "drop back step" (i.e. if your right side is forward, drop the right foot forty-five degrees to the rear while keeping your right side forward. This step has many names) initiating a combination with your now-rear hand: that is, if your right side is forward and you drop back with your right foot while firing what is now your right cross. The advantage of this move is that you are retreating while being "active," the euphemistic term for doing something to cause pain to your opponent.

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