New Boxing Course Starts (diary entry)

27.02.18     Tonight began my new client’s course on Boxing for Martial Arts Cross Training. This shouldn’t be confused with my current ongoing second course on the same subject. My new client has a good background in martial arts, specifically Krav Maga and also MMA. He has some good skills already in place. My mandate for this lesson is to focus on upper mobility and footwork to improve his martial arts skill base with a bias towards self-defence.     We began with a few simple coordination and footwork exercises. This began with running through tyres with a high guard position. We varied the routine with lateral, forward and backward movement. The tyres were then swapped for markers to develop more specific footwork movements, including angling off.   Next we moved onto partner-work. This included mirror-work, which encourages reaction training and retaining a good range on an opponent. From here we brought in cornering and escaping corners using footwork only. Building on all these movements we incorporated targeting. I try to avoid calling out combinations or naming techniques, as I am interested in limiting a fighter’s response time.   Upper mobility training for this lesson was entirely concerned with the slip and linear movements. We isolated the slipping movement – something that would be done again later on – and then quickly integrated it with the jab to promote its execution as a single action.  I then introduced an overhand for an outside slip. Next we covered the inside slip and I introduced a cross.   Other training touched upon included the timing drill, where a coach jabs continuously for the fighter to practise slipping with combinations. We then did three rounds of proactive focus-mitt work, limiting the first round to attack only, the second round to defence only and the third round integrating both. We also did some progressive sparring. The lesson was finished with an intensive burn-out of 2 x 30 seconds technique, 2 x 30 seconds speed and 2 x 30 seconds power focusing entirely on slipping and straight punching.