Boxing plays a huge part in the stand up game of mixed martial arts and you see many fighters probe with the left jab to set up a more powerful follow up punch, kick, takedown or combination of all three. However in this blog entry I want to offer you something that requires a little unlearning to learn.
You can wonder into any gym and see new wannabe fighters working the pads, left jab, right cross, left hook, roll under right hook, left hook, right cross, slip left, left uppercut, right cross, roll under left hook, right cross, left hook and right cross while working up a good sweat, what I also see is training partners not just holding pads, but training partners putting the focus pads onto the punches. If the focus pads are supposed to drill targets for the fighter to hit in a real fight, well let me share this with you, in a real fight your opponent is not going to put his face on the end of your gloves in the same way your training partner is making you believe, and now would really be a good time to stop them doing it before you climb in between the ropes or the cage door closes behind you.
If you want to try something a little different remember I did say that this requires a little bit of unlearning in order to learn. What I really mean is that we are going to have to change some long time habits and they are never easy, however they are also not impossible. The following is common knowledge I am not re inventing the wheel here, people I have shared this concept with can see the common sense in it, and the ones who have now made it common practice are reaping the rewards.
Almost every boxing stance or martial arts stance that I have seen have you stood with your left leg or left side forward.
People who stand right side forward are known in the fight game as a ‘Southpaw’
A southpaw simply refers to a left handed fighter; one who fights with his right foot forward the term “southpaw” has its origins from the baseball slang of the 1880’s. Baseball diamonds were often arranged so the batters would face east, to avoid looking into the afternoon sun. The pitcher's left hand, or paw, would therefore be on the southern side, hence the term “southpaw”.
It is good to be around some off the older boxing trainers to hear them talk about southpaws, in fact this is one of my favourite old boxing idiom, “southpaws should be drowned at birth.”
In the fight game being a southpaw is certainly an advantage. Southpaws are not feared because they are thought to have some type of contagious disease. No, they are feared because of their abnormal positioning against an orthodox right handed fighter. It is not easy dealing with a southpaw as all of their punches and kicks come from opposite directions than what fighters are trained to expect. To a “normal” orthodox fighter, the southpaw’s attack just feels wrong. The jab comes from the “wrong” side, so do the hook and the rear cross.
Boxing is the most common place to see how troublesome southpaws can be to orthodox boxers, and one does not have to look too hard. In recent years southpaw Corrie Sanders knocked out Wladimir Klitschko with a devastating left cross punch that Klitschko could not anticipate. Also few will ever forget southpaw Antonio Tarver who knocked out Roy Jones for the first time in his career with a punch that Jones just could not see. Of course it would be shameful not to mention Marvin Hagler, Joe Calzaghe, and Manny Pacquiao in the list of great southpaw fighters. (Oh and of course Rocky Balboa. LOL)
Southpaws often blindside opponents because the power is coming from an unexpected place and from an unseen angle.
O.K. I hear you shouting that you are not left handed so how can this apply to me, first of all I am glad to hear the your right handed, not only is your right hand stronger than your left hand it is also faster, a lot faster. Tell me if you was a gun slingers in one of those wild western movies which side would you have your gun? If you were fencing which hand would you hold the foil? Are you starting to see the possibilities with this concept now, forget flashy focus pad routines, you really need to learn to strike so that your touch is felt before it is seen. You can lead with speed and follow with power all in the same punch.
Paper Drill.
The more hours you spend speed hitting, the faster your hands will travel, one of my favourite drills is using a piece of A4 paper as a target, remember we are training for speed and you need to use the principle of thrusting your hand before your body, which makes it almost impossible to parry, block or avoid punches like the jab or straight lead punch.
This idea is to initiate your punch without any forewarning so that your opponent does not have enough time to react. The secret is to relax your arms but keep them slightly moving.
Think you can punch fast? Have your training partner hold up a focus pad, your job like before has not changed in the sense that your still going to hit it, only this time instead of your training partner feeding the pads onto the end of your glove to make you look good he now is going to move the pad away if he or she sees the punch coming. (Which is exactly what your real opponent will do with his head?) This is not intended to be cruel; it is intended to teach you to punch with what is known as non-telegraphic motion.
Best you learn to hit fast first.
RECOMMENDED READING ON THIS SUBJECT CAN BE FOUND IN THE PAGES OF – The Straight Lead by Terri Tom
