Hi everyone,
My instructor has asked me to give a bit of a hand to some of the beginners that
come down to the sparring class we have.
Most of them come to the kickboxing classes
approx. 2x a week, there are a few that are keener (4-5x).
Anyway, he has asked if I wanted to help out by providing a guide to what some of the
beginners should be focussing on.
BTW, when I mean beginners, I mean that most of them can throw basic offense
and know basic defense.
I am thinking of providing them a sheet/s by which they can read in their spare time
(outside of class), mentally replaying and rehearsing different scenarios.
I hope that I do not offend anyone if I have inadvertently used similar descriptions to
what some of you have said in the past on this forum. For this I thank all of you.
I just want to help out beginners who are keen.
I am not going to claim this as my own because it is a collection of information
that I have experienced from training and also extra reading from a variety of
different sources as well as all the other more experienced forum members
(obviously I am not charging for it)
These are some of my thoughts and I would like to hear from you guys if what I
am doing is correct or incorrect (making sure that I don't end up providing bad
habits etc)...
alright here goes (this is my first attempt so if it doesn't seem logical it is because
I have all these thoughts in my head and I am trying to put them all down)
Basic Defense
Keep moving, i.e. circling/ work the diagonals, move head and keep hands up.
Make sure that when you are slipping (inside or outside) the hands go up
higher than normal. Concentrate on keeping the chin down and the shoulder
comes up. they should both meet halfway. The shift of bodyweight needs to be
controlled. Can't move it too far (i.e. not past knee), never lean back
(i.e. bodyweight is back, which means that you have to 'reposition' before attacking)
A thing to remember when slipping. Be aware of where your feet are in relation to his.
IF your left foot is in a line with his left foot, therefore it is easier to move around
to your right (which is to his 'outside left') it is pointless to try and slip his right cross
outside. This is because you are causing yourself to overlean, your bodyweight is
way too far and it means that you have to re-shift your weight before throwing
punches/kicks etc.
Try to hit as you slip, therefore when shadowboxing / the beat is still the same.
e.g. jab - cross - hook
jab - slip - cross-hook
The key is to deviate as little as possible so that you are always ready to strike.
This applies to parries with either hand. One hand out other is in, after you hit, move.
To be continued
Cool!