An old contingency plan (diary entry)

Image by superwebdeveloper via Flickr

After the warm-up we went straight into the 11 punch combination. This time it was done transitioning through postures – standing, combat base, butterfly guard, in-guard and pulling guard. Then we moved onto jabbing. This was first done as a timing exercise, then as a form of specific sparring.

We then moved onto kicks, beginning with the front leg front kick. We looked at the different ways it can be applied as a jab – as a pushing kick and as a snap kick. Classically and in most traditional classes the foot of the front kick is restricted to a vertical foot. The strike is often delivered with the ball of the foot or the instep if a self defence context – striking the groin or the ribcage of a felled opponent. However, I learnt through my training in muay Thai that the foot can be taken through a wide range of positions, opening up other possibilities. As Mo Teague taught me, targets dictate weapons. Therefore the front kick can be delivered through a variety of angles, particularly when you use it as a stamping weapon.

Staying on kicks I introduced a combination I discovered. It’s nothing Earth-shattering or world-changing, but it was something I found bridged my American kickboxing with my muay Thai and worth sharing with the class. The Thai boxers I first trained with didn’t spend much time of side kicks. In fact, I would say it just wasn’t a taught technique. This was justified by the side-on position you end up in after throwing a side kick. It’s a fair comment, but then again every technique leaves you open to some form of counter. My side kick was used as a contingency if you miss with a low round kick.

The class finished with several rounds of MMA sparring.