Efficient Inside Combinations & Lateral Footwork (diary entry)

31.10.20 Saturday morning's lesson brought my client up to the 8.5 hour point of his 10 hour course on Western Boxing for Martial Art Cross Training. This morning's very technical lesson covered putting together two combinations that coordinated footwork and head movement with punches, creating tactics that work well within the to and fro of a fight. We began with the step-jab and step-back-cross, eventually blending them with the pendulum step. Next we brought in slip left/lead hook and slip right/cross. From here I introduced the gazelle punch. This was first done with two low jabs and then a low jab feint. The low jab feint acts a great set up for the gazelle punch as it puts the puncher in a ready position to leap forward with the hook. The entire combination became pendulum step/jab/cross/slip left/hook/slip right cross/low jab/feint low jab/gazelle punch/cross. Finally, we looked at lateral footwork. I introduced two drills involving slipping. The first one was slip left/slip right/side step left into liver shot/lead uppercut/hook to the head/cross. The second one used slip left/slip right/slip left/side step right and I prompted my client to improvise his own combination. He felt spleen shot/overhand right/lead hook to the head fitted more naturally.