Hello

Bigger Stronger Leaner
1

So I have been browsing this forum for awhile and think its probably the best COMBAT type forum I visit. I am a LEO and train with a group of MMA one day of week to help keep me on my toes. We train at a TKD school with a High Level Black belt and then have a Golden Glove come in and train also. Most of the guys are wrestler based and smaller below 155. I weigh 205 right now but have plenty to lose.

Anyway I wanted to introduce myself to the forum. I normally post in the over 35 forum and keep a lifting log over there. The wife has currently forbid me from cage fighting but stated I could enter some grappling tourneys so that will be on the horizion.

I have competed in a few charity boxing matches in the past also.

Anyway here is a little heavy bag work. I am very knew to training so feel free to tear it apart with criticism I have very thick skin.

2

If you are very new to [boxing]training that wouldn’t be bad at all.
I like especially that you move a lot and don’t neglect your guard when throwing hook in combinations.

You can twist your body more into hooks, some are too arm-heavy at present.
Try to turn and point your left foot, when throwing the left hook, into the direction of the punch.
Try to accentuate combinations once in a while, meaning, a 1-1-2 ends with a heftier 2 then the first two 1s.

3

It looks like all or almost all of your weight is on your front foot most of the time and you’re leaning into everything. Think about sitting into your punches for power instead of leaning/pushing into them.

4

[quote]Spartiates wrote:
It looks like all or almost all of your weight is on your front foot most of the time and you’re leaning into everything. Think about sitting into your punches for power instead of leaning/pushing into them.[/quote]

I hear what you are saying… how would one do that with a very active fighter. Seems sitting down on my punches would reduce my ability to move some.

I mostly fight smaller fast guys that HATE to sit in the pocket with me. The move around and I end up chasing them or just standing there waiting alot. The only other guy I really spar with is like 6’4" with ape arms and I end up moving in and out alot on him.

5

Props for posting up a video for critique.

The good:
You never crossed your feet and for the most part kept them in a good “functional” position. You kept your hands up the whole time, even when you were throwing combinations. You breathe when you punch and seem to snap the punches (seem to stay loose and relaxed). I agree with Spartiates that you could add a little more rotation into your hooks to add more power, but if you are going for maximal speed, then that might not be appropriate for your given situation.

What you could work on:
You are pretty predictable with your entering. What I mean is that you pretty much always just stepped right in and threw a punch (mostly jabs, but you did throw a lead right hand and a couple lead hooks as well). You did double up on your jab a decent amount (which is a good thing), but I would suggest practicing throwing some fakes (head/body fakes as well as arm/shoulder fakes) in there too to mix up your “rhythm”/timing and keep your opponent guessing when/where the real punches are coming. Remember you can’t change someone’s muscle fiber content, or slow down how explosively/quickly they can contract their muscles, but you can slow down their mind, which will in turn slow down how fast they perceive things and therefore how fast they actually appear.

I would suggest approaching the bag with a specific game plan in mind when you do your rounds. If you want to focus on fighting a smaller, faster opponent then realize that you pretty much have to walk them into a corner and try to then keep them there with your superior size and put the hurt on when you do get there. This is going to involve a lot of “cutting off the ring” (lots of lateral movement to keep the opponent in front of you and not let them create angles to the sides to allow them to escape the corner) as well as constant pressure on your part to pretty much intimidate them back into the corner. Remember, if their advantage is speed, then one of the best ways to take that away is to get them to expend a lot of energy/tire them out. This may not work against really well conditioned fighters, but it will work well against most. Use fakes, real punches, aggressive head movement, anything to make them back up and keep them worried about getting bullied/hit and use your lateral movement (and even your arms as barriers) to gradually walk them back into the corner. Once you’re there, keep them there with your superior size and weight (you can practice this by leaning on the bag, or hitting it from a clinch position).

If you want to practice against a taller opponent, then your strategy is going to be somewhat different. Now they have the reach advantage and you have to get past it and into the pocket where your superior leverage can be utilized. This is going to require a lot of head and body movement (watch some of Tyson’s earlier fights to see some great movement skills used to close the gap against taller opponents), as well as using angles/footwork to keep your opponent off balance and your head from being right between his shoulders. Fakes are still beneficial here as you can force him to put himself out of position and allow you to enter off of his hesitation or retraction of his missed strike. Also, using a “log cabin” or double forearm jam/horizontal shield defense can allow you to enter aggressively into the pocket and will smother most of his significant strikes (especially those to your head) as you are doing so. Once inside you can maintain this defense and throw hooks and upper cuts from here (watch some of George Foreman’s earlier fights to see him using this tactic quite effectively), or you can try to cut angles and throw from your regular guard while you keep your opponent off balance.

6

Thank you guys for the insight… I really enjoy most conversation on this forum and hope to be able to contribute.

7

Overall I think you’re doing good. You stay relaxed and you’re not holding lots of tension in the back, shoulders, or arms, which is in my opinion one of the hardest parts of boxing. You have good combinations, it looks like you’ve been throwing them a lot, and you double up on the hook nicely, which is also good.

Couple things I don’t like, and one is how much you lean forward. That’s the style some guys have, but it’s not my favorite, mostly because it leaves you open to being cracked pretty easily - we call it “leading with your face” and it can be an unwise decision (ask my boy Ricky Hatton.)

Also, look at your feet during this video - they never turn, not once. That means you’re not turning your hips and weight into your punches, and you’re just swinging with your arms. I understand your bag looks light and you’re not going for power here, but you need to get in the habit of doing that, because not doing so robs you of a SHITLOAD of punching power.

It’s also going to fuck your range up, because you’re going to be able to put a couple inches on your reach, especially with the 2, when you’re turning into it.

Work on that stuff before ANYTHING else - I wouldn’t worry so much about angles and all that just yet.

I also strongly disagree with Sento that you should be working every aspect and changing your style constantly - boxing is hard enough to get good at when you’re using a style you’re comfortable with, it’s even more difficult if you’re trying to play Ali one round and Frazier the next.

Sento - that shit is for someone far, far more advanced than this guy - that’s for when you’re formulating a game plan to deal with specific fighters at the amateur or pro level. Asking a relative beginner to start using styles contrary to his nature is asking for a guy who doesn’t do anything particularly well.

8

The guard and the movement is good. I think many people neglect that and footwork+movement is the core of boxing and hell, ANY FIGHTING.

I would recommend several rds of footwork before every session. Its a good warmup and will pay dividends. If something needs work, or is worth doing, do it EVERY day.

The hook needs work. I personally feel thats the hardest punch to get right. Alot of people throw it like a club with a vertical fist…I used to. While that has alot of power, its slower, especially in combination. I found switching to the horizontal fist is ALOT smoother. It takes practice to throw it that way, as it can feel unnatural.

Essentially you need to work on shifting your weight to the opposite foot when you throw it, while almost doing a slip type motion.

I had to actually train that on a balance board to get the hang of it. Training your hook on that forces you to adopt proper body mechanics and feel the movement out.

I would say, with your power punches in general you need to pivot on your back foot. Focus on twisting your hips. Take little half steps with each punch.

Dont forget to practice your combinations as light-light-hard. Or any variant of that. Remember, boxing is chess, and your energy is limited currency. For how ever many punches you are throwing in combination, have several that are FAST and whiplike and sink your power into one or two of those. In the ring, that sort of pattern creates the opportunity for knockouts, and confusing your opponent.

9

Thanks for the input guys I will try to work the hips in more and working the feet. With the group that I train with they all say I hit like a mule. So I can only imagine how much they will hate it if I can add power to what I have now.

Yes that training session was based on trying to move a lot and getting my hands faster and more relaxed. I may try to do a few more videos and see if there is a difference in them.

10

have fun with this. This is the charity boxing match I did this spring. It was my third one and I had very little training before this. Its 3 1 minute rounds. I am wearing blue.

FAIR WARNING TURN THE VOLUME DOWN MY WIFE SCREAMS ALOT

Round 1

Round 2

round 3

11

[quote]FightinIrish26 wrote:
I also strongly disagree with Sento that you should be working every aspect and changing your style constantly - boxing is hard enough to get good at when you’re using a style you’re comfortable with, it’s even more difficult if you’re trying to play Ali one round and Frazier the next.

Sento - that shit is for someone far, far more advanced than this guy - that’s for when you’re formulating a game plan to deal with specific fighters at the amateur or pro level. Asking a relative beginner to start using styles contrary to his nature is asking for a guy who doesn’t do anything particularly well. [/quote]

I can see where you are coming from, but actually I’m not asking him to change his style, just giving him some methods on how to deal with different types of opponents. This is actually something that can be taught to relative beginners from a very early stage if done right. So, let’s say he’s a natural “slugger” by nature, what he should focus on first is how can a slugger beat a runner, or a blocker/counter puncher, or another slugger, etc… What I’m not asking him is to learn how to be a runner, blocker, charger, or any other archetypal type of fighter than he naturally is; that comes much later and is much higher level skill stuff.

12

I will say this about myself if it helps… I am a slugger I like to step in and sit down and go at it… My nickname is Dumb Like bull because I tuck my chin and wade in. This is not the best way to do it all the time and I am trying to learn how to move around until I have created the right time to sit and pound. Like in the corner or on the wall. Now that I have multiple training partners I am trying to adjust. There are only like two guys that will stand and bang with me and the rest circle and move in and out at a high rate of speed making my slow style a bit in effective.

I really appreciate any and all feed back as I am still attempting to learn things, the small things, the basic things.

13

my very first match in 2011. He did not me down but I can honestly say that me feet were crossed

14

I do regular heavy bag work, I post mainly in over 35 lifter with videos.

I notice you keep a higher work rate with actual punches than I do. I seem to land a combination, much slower than you do, and then shuffle off somewhere else. I was just talking the other day with irish who agreed slow motion, no real power drill with the bag while looking in a side mirror might be beneficial. You might then see yourself get more rotation into it and learn what it feels like for when you are facing a bag.

15

[quote]damutt wrote:
my very first match in 2011. He did not me down but I can honestly say that me feet were crossed

[/quote]

So were you in blue here too?

16

[quote]DeadKong wrote:

[quote]damutt wrote:
my very first match in 2011. He did not me down but I can honestly say that me feet were crossed

[/quote]

So were you in blue here too?
[/quote]

yes…

17

[quote]DeadKong wrote:
I do regular heavy bag work, I post mainly in over 35 lifter with videos.

I notice you keep a higher work rate with actual punches than I do. I seem to land a combination, much slower than you do, and then shuffle off somewhere else. I was just talking the other day with irish who agreed slow motion, no real power drill with the bag while looking in a side mirror might be beneficial. You might then see yourself get more rotation into it and learn what it feels like for when you are facing a bag.[/quote]

I was thinking exactly that slow motion shadow boxing working straight up on mechanics… we will see how much it helps. I know I arm punch and will work on it hopefully. My main focus as of late had/has been working on keeping my hands up and that has greatly reduced how much I get hit.

18

haha damn man, you fight like one big-ass white dude… you can definitely crack, but you move like a damn gorilla! They shoulda nicknamed you Rocky, because you fight exactly like Marciano - same flat-footed style, big right hand, etc.

I can tell by watching these that you’re not going to be a boxer - you’re a brawler - and that’s fine. But do yourself a favor (and I see that you said you’re working on this) and keep your hands up more. That’s going to keep you from taking a lot of those stupid shots you’re taking on the way in.

Once you’re inside, learn to bob and weave and use more head movement. You’re not the angles type, or the movement type, but you still can’t be a stationary target. You don’t have to do any crazy slip-and-jive shit, but you do have to move that head around. Bobbing and weaving in the Frazier/Tyson/Marciano style is going to help you out a lot, and it’s going to line you up for those big 3-2/2-3-2 combos that you’re looking for.

Like Marciano, you’ve got an awkward style that can be very hard to deal with because most guys don’t fight like that, and when you’re used to dealing with fast black kids or the boxer/punchers that come out of the ghetto, fighting a big, slow, awkward white guy is like facing a knuckleballer for the first time…especially when they have to worry about that right hand.

Look at how Marciano fights - he’s leaning down, away from that jab, away from that jab, then BOOM, big right hand and then he’s bobbing, leaning again, out of range… that manner seems to suit you well, especially in the amateur ranks where guys aren’t going to have the power and skill in using the jab to keep you off of them… especially in the novice class.

19

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spinning back fist… do you guys step in or set back… I tend to close space and it works well as long as you keep a good high guard… when you don’t it turns into a spinning back elbow. Its ok to laugh at my expense everyone else does…

20

I would do both. It depends on distance and whether you intend to use it as a counter or not. Make sure your spin is tight and fast. Being as that I do taekwondo, and practice my spin roundhouse and spin hook, back kick…etc it is invaluable to practice proper spinning, spotting (looking at your target), and corresponding footwork.

Serkhan Yilmaz is a tkd guy in K1, who drives people nuts with spinning attacks. Stan Longidis also had a really nice sbf.