Superman Punch and Switch-Hitting (diary entry)

14.04.21 Today my first client continued working on different angled strikes with the stick and was introduced to double sticks. My second client reviewed the first three combinations and then we covered combinations four and five. Stick training began with reviewing the first two angles. These were then performed from different postures in transition and with footwork. Having performed this solo with each hand, we then worked through this using two sticks. Next, we introduced horizontal angles, a single stab and two diagonal strikes to the legs. Combination four is the big movement combination. There is so much in the sequence that requires effective weight transference. It starts with a shin-check off the lead leg into a lead leg round kick. This is more of a speed technique to open up the combination and the fighter is countering a rear round kick. The fighter should bounce off the shin-check he has delivered immediately into a full-pivot round kick. Next he switches levels to deliver a cross or straight right to the body and then a lead hook to the head that is chained with a rear round kick. The rear round kick to the body immediately transitions into a shin-check and then into a superman punch which then goes into a pendulum shift front round kick. The fighter has to think about countering a lead leg round kick to the leg or body. This is one of the most common types of counters to this technique. Shin-checks should be delivered offensively to an incoming kick rather than as a passive block. By driving it into the kick the fighter needs to capitalise on sending their big technique - the superman or cobra punch - directly to the head. Therefore, the shin-check rebounds off the countering kick and kicks backwars to create an exposive (and surprising) movement needed to make the punch effective. Having gone forward (albeit at an angle) with the shin-check and then backwards with pushing off action required for the superman/cobra punch, the fighter then goes forward again with the back leg to create the pendulum shift. This shift forward with the feet is timed with the retraction of the punch just executed. From here the lead kick is propelled forward into the mid-section target. Combination five is more about footwork and punching used to hide a single head kick thrown at the end from a southpaw stance. The fighter opens with a jab/cross, steps forward (blitz MMA style) to throw a southpaw cross and then shuffles into a hook/hook/uppercut/rear round kick. It's all about switch-hitting and sending out a lot of confusing information to an opponent before landing a high risk/high reward technique at the end.