Post-Break Striking

09.11.16   We resumed our modern western boxing training today looking at set-ups to defeat predictability and clinching tactics. Various old lessons came to mind today including material I learnt (the hard way) from Israel “Macca”/”Wildstyle” Robert McKenzie and Tommy Thompson, as well as observations from some of the great world champions of history.   We warmed up with some mirror footwork, which progressed onto some agility cone training. I love getting coordination work in early whilst the nervous system has not been overloaded or fatigued too much. We then put on the gloves and did some to and fro work. Here I began introducing some set-up punches. After working jabs high and low, we looked at using each to set the other up. First we set a pattern of rapid feeling sensory jabs to a high target, which was briefly interrupted with a low jab to then set up for a heavy high jab. We then reversed the set-up for a low jab.   Next we moved onto the peek-a-boo guard and tactics. The peak-a-boo, when taught by Cus D’Amato’s camp, is always coupled with bobbing, weaving, angling and cutting off movements. I encouraged my fighter to keep moving with intent. A consistent point I have come across with experienced fighters in any field is the fact that fights inevitably move. Combatants often travel longer distances, which can be seen by the way that sparring matches and bouts quickly find the boundaries of their allocated space. Likewise, assaults often end up with fighters up against walls or encountering hazardous objects. At face value, embracing the idea that you have to keep on the move appears to be out of sync with the idea that one must be rooted in order to put force behind a strike or to stop being taken down or swept. Combat is chaotic once genuine pressure is applied, so the good fighter has to learn timing in the melee. He must move and the fight will move if it is not over quickly. His rooting has to be timed at split second intervals. The advantage of consistent movement is that it makes the fighter more difficult to hit than a stationary target. However, what I didn’t want to encourage was movement for the sake of movement.   We finished with an examination of the Jack Johnson clinching method. This involves attacking early to provoke a response and then tying up an opponent to wear him down. This was chained with post-break striking. The post-break strike is something I picked up in Muay Thai. When a fighter breaks his opponent’s dominant position in this particular sport, he has a good opportunity to combine the action with a kick or knee. A lot of good nak muay have made this part of their regular tactics. I recall Kru Tony Myers once speaking at a judging course about how many fighters would demonstrate a knee strike following a throw from clinch in order to show those officiating that they had intended to strike their opponent and not just throw them. Western Boxing’s clinch is more subtle and has a lot more restrictions. Despite being one of the sport’s oldest techniques, many fight fans misunderstand its presence. As my article, “Playing the Combat Game”, pointed out some of history’s greatest fighters up until the present make good tactical use of the clinch. I taught my fighter when to smother his opponent, how control his opponent from the clinch and then to orchestrate his own breaking moment to set up for a punch.