Mobility between the Lines (diary entry)

This was a double private lesson focusing on Western Boxing for cross-training. My client has worked with me on and off for the past two years. He has a black belt in Judo, which I think is fair to say is his base art (whatever the hell that really means), and getting on for a decade interrupted training in Western Boxing. He also has experience in various other martial arts and enjoys attending martial arts seminars. Recently he has been involved in a fair amount of Tai Chi training, which adds an interesting perspective to the way he approaches his training. We focused on strengthening his weaknesses. He is a defensive fighter who is usually shorter than his opponents and has to gain weight to fight in his preferred division. Last time we looked at changing his strategy altogether. Within reason, I like to grow upon a person’s natural abilities and already trained skillset. However, the beauty of cross-training is the ability to take a completely different perspective and use it to help better appreciate core objectives. This often means going completely outside the clichéd comfort zone and suspending certain principles. Looking at my client’s problems and his desire to get more on the front foot, I knew I had to completely start a fresh in that respect. Last time I introduced sharper advancing footwork, working angling off, the peek-a-boo guard and fighting from restricted places. This week layered these areas and looked deeper into what could be improved. Mobility is a constant in combat. Nearly all the good “real-world” fighters express their frustrations with how little is taught on moving in a fight. These problems might stem from extended periods of isolated techniques and stances. Transitioning is an area that Mixed Martial Arts can lend a tremendous amount of exposure. Fighters in these limited rules environments have been forced to adapt to the widest range of fighting styles that exist in any competition and they’ve also been forced to cross-train and cross-train efficiently. Within this melee of different disciplines for different sporting rule-sets and skills suited to different types of fighter, they have had to establish strong linkage between ranges, tactics and positioning. Understanding any type of combative transitioning is critical to understanding the objectives and methods of movement. Too often a technique is looked at the beginning and end points with little to respect for what occurs in the middle. Yet the reversals and counters occur during this place. Here is where the mistakes are made if the timing is off or the person executing the technique has no contingency action. We warmed up on the agility cones. This began with simple forward, backward, lateral and zigzagging exercises, which was followed by a triangle footwork drill. The triangle of cones, if brought in tight enough, prompt faster turns in the fighter’s stance. Throughout these exercises I encouraged coordinating footwork with punching combinations. We then moved onto the focus mitts and performed a lot of flash-pad work. I only allowed my client to hit the pads when he moved. Rooting oneself and establishing a firm connection throughout the body are crucial basics, but they must be performed in unison with movement. It is in the nature of most fights to move and keep on moving until it is over. Anyone can hit hard when the target stands still. We can’t adopt a fly-swatter’s mentality, waiting for our opponent to settle. He will move and he will move us.