Hey, what's going on guys, Shane here.
Today we're talking about footwork,
specifically how to punch while moving.
Now it's understandable
why this is such a commonly asked question
because when we're first
taught how to throw the punch,
we're usually taught to pivot
on the foot, rotate the hips
and extend the arm.
But we rarely talk about the
footwork that's involved.
We don't talk about the
rhythm or the range.
So today I'm going to
talk about some drills
that you can do to be more
mobile and agile in the ring.
Let's take a look at the first exercise.
Okay, so like I said, oftentimes,
when we're first taught
how to throw a punch, let's
use this straight right hand
as an example today.
It's usually with a focus on power.
We're taught how to pivot on
the rear foot, rotate the hips
so that we get maximum power,
the energy drives up our legs,
up our back, into our shoulder,
and then as we extend our arm
the energy transfers down into
our fist, and then into our target,
and that's great, that's not incorrect.
However, that only works if
we're throwing a punch
with someone standing
right in front of us.
They're not moving, we're not moving,
but the fight doesn't work like that.
When you watch boxing
matches, when you watch
MMA matches and the bell rings,
they come out and they stay
in what we call range five,
they stay just outside of
punching and kicking range.
Otherwise, if they walked
in, it would be like this.
They'd both be getting punched,
they'd both be throwing punches
and it'd be a rock 'em
sock 'em robot fight.
You want to get hit without being hit.
Okay, so let's talk about the first drill,
which is what I call
the puppet string drill.
It's a great way of syncing
up your hands and your feet.
So imagine that you have
a string around your wrist
to the same side ankle.
So left to left and right to right.
Now what you're going to do
is get in your fight stance.
And when you have full
extension of your jab,
your left foot should tap on the ground.
So let's say we're advancing forward.
So I throw my jab and
it's almost like I'm trying
to create a sound effect
with my foot.
Now I'm not stomping I don't
want to over exaggerate it,
but it's just a good reminder that
when I'm at full extension,
there has to be contact with
the ground with that lead foot.
So left and left.
But look, now my stance is really wide.
I don't want to be too wide
and lead into this right hand
if I'm throwing a jab cross.
So I need to pull that foot up forward
the same amount of distance
that I stepped with this lead foot.
So if I step six inches from
here to here with my lead foot,
then I need to step six
inches with my rear foot
when I throw that punch.
Now notice I'm still in
that exact same position
like I showed you before.
But some people will say,
"need to pivot on that rear foot,
"like you're putting out a cigarette."
A lot of people like to use that metaphor.
What I like doing is
doing that pivot midair
and then just making
contact with the ground with
the ball of my foot.
So I kind of stab that
into the ground so that
I have a nice back in with my right hand.
We don't want to ever have our foot up
in the air with the exception
of the Superman punch.
But with this one,
there's still this contact on the ground
and the pivot happens midair, okay,
so there's no extra friction,
I'm not standing in one spot, I'm moving.
So the way that we turn this into a drill
is we step on the jab, step
on the cross, step on the jab,
step on the cross, we just
find that rhythm moving forward
and then we can also move backwards too.
So one thing you want to keep
in mind is whatever direction
you're moving in, that's the
leg that needs to step first.
So I just move forward to the left foot,
the lead foot always steps first.
Now that I'm moving backwards,
the rear foot is gonna step first,
then the lead, rear, lead, rear, lead,
rear, lead, rear, lead,
I'm going forward then it's
lead, rear, lead, rear,
lead, rear, so you're
punching and you're moving.
Now you can also take
this to the next level.
You can also move in different directions.
I can move out to my left so my left foot
is gonna step first and after the jab.
Then I feel the cross, left,
now I'm going to the right
so my right foot goes first
so now you're starting
to see I can go forward,
I can go to the side.
You can really once you find this rhythm,
you can really start to play
with different angles movement
while throwing punches.
The next example of punching while moving
is what I like to call the alley backpedal
and it's a great way of saying evasive,
keeping your opponent at bay.
Maybe you're trying to catch your breath.
We're just trying to frustrate them.
So what you're gonna do is you're gonna
move your feet in "C" shapes
or half circles as you're on the retreat,
circling around the edge of the ring,
so it looks like this.
Now, what we're going to
do is also throw a jab
to keep them at bay.
And it doesn't matter if the
weight's on your left foot
or your right foot, 'cause
you're not focused on power.
You're just trying to stick your hand
in their face to keep them hesitant,
and then when we see an opening,
that's when we can step in
with the powerful one-two.
Now we can also throw a
punch while moving mid-air
Now when I say moving
midair, I don't want you
to think height, we're not jumping high.
In fact, we're staying
very low to the ground,
but both of our feet are
coming off of the ground
when we throw the punch.
Just some examples are the Superman punch,
the gazelle punch, and the diamond step.
So let's take a look at those.
The gazelle punch was used
by Mike Tyson very often.
It covered distance and
throw a powerful left hook.
So what he would do is lower his hips up,
bend his knees, now he's
gonna spring forward,
both feet are coming off of the ground.
He's gonna rotate midair
and throw the left hook.
So it looks like this, okay?
Both feet are coming off the ground,
I'm throwing that punch and
by the time my feet land,
that's when the punch lands.
Superman punch is another example,
we see this in MMA very often,
but you're not jumping
up and punching down,
I'm staying low to the ground,
I'm jumping in to my target.
Right, so I'm lift this
leg up and shoot it back
for that counterweight
as I throw the punch,
and then this left foot here is just going
to come hover off the
ground as I move forward.
So it looks like this.
Covering the distance, punching midair.
And then the last one is the diamond step.
So the diamond step, I'm gonna
trace a diamond with my feet.
Looks like this.
I'm gonna create a little distance,
a little angle out to my right.
So what I do is, my left
foot steps out to the left
and back a little bit,
the right foot steps out
to the right and forward a little bit.
So it comes here.
Now I'm starting to get my
head off the center line
while I do that I'm throwing my jab
and then I readjust, okay?
So let's, here, I can even
switch to a southpaw stance,
and then do it again, boom, boom, okay?
Bunch of different options,
can punch while in the air.
Alright guys, thanks for watching.
So I hope that these drills helped
with your understanding of
rhythm and footwork because yes,
technique is of the utmost importance.
But so is range because if
you're not within distance,
you're not gonna land those shots.
Guys, don't forget to subscribe
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before your opponent does.
Until next time, I'm Shane with
fight tips for the underdogs.
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