Defensive Options (diary entry)

03.12.12

After a few weeks of solid ground and submission work, it was time to return to the stand-up range. We began with boxing and looked at the three defensive measures taken aside from covering – blocking, parrying and evading. Each has its advantages and disadvantages.

The advantage of blocking is that you can counter easily at the same time and it can be performed in an aggressive fashion. It is also a very natural and simple action that requires little training. The block need not be a passive jamming of an opponent’s attack. It can be an attack to an opponent’s limb – a strike of sorts – and be delivered at the same time as strike. The disadvantage is that we naturally block using a mid to long range flinching action. Many martial arts and combat sports have cultivated this action, but I am sceptical about its benefits. For me, unless you are dealing with weapons where the hand needs to be intercepted, blocks should be performed at close range. My muay Thai coach taught me a lot of good things, but one thing I never saw the benefit of and rarely saw being used under pressure was the “crane block”. You might decrease the acceleration of a technique when you defend away from the body, but you compromise your defence. This is never truer than when you block in boxing. 

Parries are fast and, if performing correctly, do not compromise your defence. They should be done close to the body and with elastic force; they should spring back from the incoming striking they have deflected. My main issue with parries is that they are too damn passive. Aside from causing minimum disruption to your opponent’s attack, the parry does not really ruin his day. It is also very difficult to counter at the same time with a parry.

Few people could argue with the benefits of evasive tactics. Quite simply, Mr Miyagi from the “Karate Kid” movies had it right when he said, “best block, no be there”. You can evade very aggressively by outmanoeuvring your opponent, moving in and striking. Mike Tyson developed this down to a fine art using a slip bag. “Smokin’” Joe Frazier used the roll with his bobbing and weaving approach; a method that was tailor made to give Muhammad Ali his biggest headaches. However, full credit most go to the 18th century bare-knuckle English boxing champion (1792-95), Daniel Mendozer who revolutionized boxing tactics and style. Mendozer only stood 5’7”, but became famous for defeating far larger opponents due to what he called his “scientific style”. His academy and book introduced side-stepping and various other evasive tactics that are part of basic boxing. Of course, the main disadvantage with evasion is that it requires a good degree of skill development that needs to be practiced against a resistant opponent or at least semi-resistant coach. Fighters need to learn timing and to increase speed.

We completed three rounds of one-sided sparring – first focusing on blocking, then parrying and finally evasion. Then we moved onto kicks. This was followed on with a basic combination: slip/jab/overhand right/mid-section round kick/low section round kick. Again, positioning was stressed. It is important to come in at 45 degrees.

Sparring began with some specific kickboxing. Both fighters were forbidden from letting one foot leave a central mat. This forced everyone to work hard on their defences with limited space. After three rounds we did a couple of rounds of MMA. The lesson finished with shadow boxing and stretching.

Resources:

Frazier displaying his trademark bob and weaving

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rewbK0QmSoE