First taste of boxing this weekend :)

[DWx]

So in an effort to give us the edge over the competition, my TKD squad has organised a 3 hr class with boxer Ross Minter this weekend to get us punching better.

Ross is the son of Alan Minter (Middleweight World Champ and Olympic boxer) and is pretty successful in his own right as a welterweight.

Pretty excited What kinda of stuff can I expect?

[Liver Punch]

Bizzare (to a non boxer) footwork, stances, body positioning, and head movement. It's kind of like learning another language - only every time you mess up, there's the potential to get hit in the nose. All in all, it's pretty enjoyable.

[DWx]

You were right about bizzare footwork. So bizzare it took ages to get us all doing it properly! He started off working on getting us to just step forward and do a lead jab... then decided he had better go back a step, forget the arms and go right back to basics

It wasn't the punch itself, or the body and hip movement or head or anything, just the stepping! Spent a good half hour trying to undo all the TKD-ness and get us to step the back leg in underneath after leading with the front. In TKD we'd all just load up the weight on the front leg and use that to propel us forward for another punch or kick off the back leg. And stepping backwards!!! So so so bizzare trying to step back leg first to go backwards. We'd normally move the front foot back, either crossing the legs and then stepping out with the rear leg to remain on the same side, or just step back and switch lead at the same time. Was pretty funny too watching everyone try to control the impulse to throw kicks after/during the punches.

Very good session though. Eventually built up to a simple lead-jab, cross, hook, uppercut combo whilst looking at each element of it. Body hurts like hell though!

[Liver Punch]

I think that a lot of TKD students, particularly those who aren't as super nimble, flexible, or quick as a 125 lb Korean guy would find a lot to like about boxing and muay thai (particularly the danish brand). TKD doesn't offer anything along the lines of my particular brand of bullying, clubbering, or smashing. Sometimes I don't want to look pretty, move swiftly, or use any sort of abundance of gracefulness. I, personally am built a lot more like George Foreman than an average TKD Blackbelt.

I guess what I'm attempting to convey, is that some of the footwork and strikes might eventually make more sense to you/feel more intuitive. Even if you stick to being a pure TKD-style martial artist, it's picking up nuances from other martial arts that fit you best that I personally think make being combatively effective possible.

[tallgeese]

"clubbery"-

A word I will now endeavor to use daily.

[DWx]

I think that a lot of TKD students, particularly those who aren't as super nimble, flexible, or quick as a 125 lb Korean guy would find a lot to like about boxing and muay thai (particularly the danish brand). TKD doesn't offer anything along the lines of my particular brand of bullying, clubbering, or smashing. Sometimes I don't want to look pretty, move swiftly, or use any sort of abundance of gracefulness. I, personally am built a lot more like George Foreman than an average TKD Blackbelt.

I guess what I'm attempting to convey, is that some of the footwork and strikes might eventually make more sense to you/feel more intuitive. Even if you stick to being a pure TKD-style martial artist, it's picking up nuances from other martial arts that fit you best that I personally think make being combatively effective possible.

I know what you mean. We focus a lot on our footwork so we can position and pick up the legs quickly so it feels very very wrong to fight one sided and with such a short stance. Although I can assure you, the heavyweight categories are all anything but nimble and flexible. Most heavyweight competition matches turn into a slugfest and this is part of the reason we got a boxing guy in: to make us more effective at that part of it and get the upper hand.

It was a really good session and I will be working on it and adapting it to my fight. Just very strange when someone tries to rewrite the rules and have you step in a totally different fashion.

TKD doesn't offer anything along the lines of my particular brand of bullying, clubbering, or smashing

I think you should just list your style as that. Much easier to say than "Bujin Bugei Jutsu" and it conveys something more too

[bushido_man96]

I think that a lot of TKD students, particularly those who aren't as super nimble, flexible, or quick as a 125 lb Korean guy would find a lot to like about boxing and muay thai (particularly the danish brand). TKD doesn't offer anything along the lines of my particular brand of bullying, clubbering, or smashing. Sometimes I don't want to look pretty, move swiftly, or use any sort of abundance of gracefulness. I, personally am built a lot more like George Foreman than an average TKD Blackbelt.

I'm with you here. I'm not nimble and quick, nor am I as flexible as I used to be. I'm also built rather inadequately for the TKD "standard;" I'm 5'8" and around 255 lbs. That doesn't tend to lend itself to flying kicks and fast footwork. I do, however, like to punch, and to get close to the guys I spar. However, we don't punch to the head, which gives a false comfort zone when in close like that. I rather enjoy working Boxing combinations on the heavy bag, and not just kicks.

Kudos to you DWx for stepping out of the zone of TKD and into Boxing for a bit of cross-training. Very cool, and sounds like it would have been a blast.

[Liver Punch]

this is part of the reason we got a boxing guy in: to make us more effective at that part of it and get the upper hand.

I officially don't dislike at least one TKD school in the world. That's pretty amazing.

I think you should just list your style as that. Much easier to say than "Bujin Bugei Jutsu" and it conveys something more too

Consider it done.

[JusticeZero]

How critical is the footwork in this case? Sub-optimal as it might be, would tkd footwork function at all for this? I am generally hesitant to change out more pieces in a fighters' keyring than necessary.

[DWx]

this is part of the reason we got a boxing guy in: to make us more effective at that part of it and get the upper hand.

I officially don't dislike at least one TKD school in the world. That's pretty amazing.

Heh ok, try a group of schools though. Its was the England TKD squad which organised it. We're pretty open to other styles or sports for training and we know that boxing is superior in the punching department so they got someone in to do a session. I should say that this boxing was intended purely for competition purposes but it still carries well over to a more combative situation.

I'm with you here. I'm not nimble and quick, nor am I as flexible as I used to be. I'm also built rather inadequately for the TKD "standard;" I'm 5'8" and around 255 lbs. That doesn't tend to lend itself to flying kicks and fast footwork. I do, however, like to punch, and to get close to the guys I spar. However, we don't punch to the head, which gives a false comfort zone when in close like that. I rather enjoy working Boxing combinations on the heavy bag, and not just kicks.

I'm built like you Brian and love drilling the hands too I had to work so hard to force myself to get good at footwork and kick more. Only really seemed to have clicked within the last few years or so.

We do punch to the head but I always get caught in the face. Learning to protect my head better was actually one of the things I was looking forward to with the boxing training and I came away with quite a few pointers.

How critical is the footwork in this case? Sub-optimal as it might be, would tkd footwork function at all for this? I am generally hesitant to change out more pieces in a fighters' keyring than necessary.

I'm not sure about how critical the footwork is from a boxing point of view, but from a TKD perspective its very unlikely that anyone that was in the session will be completely changing how they step because it is far too critical we do it our way so we can kick. The shorter, squarer boxing stance doesn't lend itself that well to kicking. As it is, our TKD stepping serves us well enough for our way of punching so I'm sure I can work on either adjusting it slightly for the boxing punches or adjusting the boxing to the stance.