Random recent Fights for Zach...input on vids inside wanted!

[AdamKralic]

The tourney fight. (Zach is in white)

The last fight of the Sunday practice between Zach (12) and a 17 year old young woman who is heading off to AKA Grand Nationals in 2 months. Both fighters were tired at this point.

Zach lost 3 out of 4 against her...but I liked a lot of what he did. He was looser than he was in tourney even though he was going against better competition.

I've watched the practice a few times...she is better mentally than my son by a lot. She waited. She conserved. I still think Zach can take her. ;P He needs to stop her bull rush with rev punch and not get into her zone w/o connecting. (She has a quality counter rev punch)

I'll post another practice clip later...

But all thoughts and ides are very much wanted. Zach has had many, many instructors...and there is a tiny portion of all of them in his growing ability to fight.

[AdamKralic]

Zach is biting on same carp in this vid too.

Fighting this girl will be a wonderful thing for my son imo. She is the first opponent that has a real counter rev punch that Zach has faced. I've watched a lot of adults...that nice counter rev is usually what separates the men from the boys.

[sensei8]

Well done Zach...well done!! You should be very proud of yourself!!

[bushido_man96]

Ok, I saw one back leg kick in what I've seen, a back leg round that seemed to work for him. You might have him concentrate on that more.

He does a lot of front leg fighting, like Bill Wallace used to do. But Wallace had 3 kicks, and your boy has only one...a side kick. If someone figures out how to move at an angle to those repeating kicks, they are going to be inside him, and he will get scored on, especially with the way he holds his hands. Or, someone might just knock his kick to the side, throw him off balance a bit, and then be all over him. See if you can get him to work on some spinning back kicks, or spinning hook kicks as something to add to the lead leg kick.

Now, just some thoughts on the style of sparring, in general. I don't like how the light contact sparring allows the evolution of these pawing attacks that are allowed to score with a touch to the head. I think your son is also developing a very bad defensive habit in how he holds his guard with his hands. Someone with a quick sliding front leg side kick is going to go under that straight arm every time. I thought the girl he was sparring had a better guard position with her hands, and that allowed her to stop his attacks and counter better, because he is just feeding her targets.

Your son has some good skills to build on for these point sparring tourneys. He has that lead side kick down, so I wouldn't have him focus on that too much. Let him use it as his warmup, so that he keeps that skill down, but have him use it to set up the spin kicks, or the back leg kick combinations, and build from there.

I hope this helps, and best of luck as you and your son continue!

[AdamKralic]

One thing at a time...

Zach slide sides...if misses...fade into spin back kick? (as a counter for an opponent that comes after your technique drops) Or use a spin back offensively?

Hook kicks to the head I was considering as that is her major opening with a rigid guard like she holds.

Zach can do all the kicks ON A DUMMY at home practice...and do them to the level one would need for them to be usable in fights...but well it's like you said previously...we need to work them into sparring practice regularly.

The spin back kick and hook kicks are most ready for this on Zach now imo. His lead roundhouses work...but it's sooooo overused by opponents of his level...I'd just as soon have it as a "as needed basis" The back roundhouse of his is workable as well and that we have been leaking into fights more and more. I'm going for atleast once per match he should do a front fake, back roundhouse, hammerfist rev punch combo. I love it very much for him. Especially as they'd have to respect his front foot as that is his bread and butter.

Thanks.

[DWx]

Ok, I saw one back kick in what I've seen, a back leg round that seemed to work for him. You might have him concentrate on that more.

He does a lot of front leg fighting, like Bill Wallace used to do. But Wallace had 3 kicks, and your boy has only one...a side kick. If someone figures out how to move at an angle to those repeating kicks, they are going to be inside him, and he will get scored on, especially with the way he holds his hands. Or, someone might just knock his kick to the side, throw him off balance a bit, and then be all over him. See if you can get him to work on some spinning back kicks, or spinning hook kicks as something to add to the lead leg kick.

Now, just some thoughts on the style of sparring, in general. I don't like how the light contact sparring allows the evolution of these pawing attacks that are allowed to score with a touch to the head. I think your son is also developing a very bad defensive habit in how he holds his guard with his hands. Someone with a quick sliding front leg side kick is going to go under that straight arm every time. I thought the girl he was sparring had a better guard position with her hands, and that allowed her to stop his attacks and counter better, because he is just feeding her targets.

Your son has some good skills to build on for these point sparring tourneys. He has that lead side kick down, so I wouldn't have him focus on that too much. Let him use it as his warmup, so that he keeps that skill down, but have him use it to set up the spin kicks, or the back leg kick combinations, and build from there.

I hope this helps, and best of luck as you and your son continue!

Great advice Brian, I couldn't agree more.

He definitely had the side kick down but he seems to be somewhat reliant upon it. The spars are one dimensional; both players move back and forth on the straight and use only the linear front leg side kick. What I'd personally like to see him working on is some rotation. As he spars left leg lead (most kickers are right leg lead) I would have him work on the back leg roundhouse and onto the open side with the hands. The kickers he is against in those videos aren't holding that side kick chamber position, the leg is coming back down to the floor. A really basic but good strategy would be for him to wait it out, guard and shift back out of range. As their leg goes to the floor and his opponent shifts the weight onto the lead, switch the rear roundhouse into the open side. The rotation of the hips for that kick then lends itself very well to bringing in the lead hand as his right (kicking) leg goes down. Or if they're still travelling forward into the space he'd been in, use the hips to now pick up the left leg to roundhouse and effectively let them run into his leg.

Slightly more advanced is to push off centre and in. As they advance with the side, he can either go left to the closed side or right to the open. Closed is a better defensive position but there are less targets. Slight movement to his left, punch with the left lead and keep the right arm to protect the flank and his head. If he shifts right, he can fly back in with hands or use the hip position to drag through a rear roundhouse or rear leg front kick.

I hope you understood my descriptions YouTube is a great resource for things like this. Watch fights from you favourite fighters and search through the 1000s of kickboxing, TKD and sport Karate training videos.

If you work with him I'm sure he'll be a great fighter.

[Nidan Melbourne]

Well done to Zach he was the better fighter in that fight.

The one thing i noticed is that in both videos both karateka are doing a lot of kicks. 99% of the bouts i've seen/coached/been in had an equal amount of hand strikes to kicks. As there are very few bouts i've seen fought like what was in the videos.

IMHO The fights seemed a little TKD for me.

[AdamKralic]

Tonight we worked on slide side then same +add blitz. Slide roundhouse with rev after. Side kick to chest spam into spin back hook to head. Same but off a single side instead of spam. We also worked on two step angle blitz. Then we also did side followed by back roundhouse. (With both arms in close guard as you are right in front for that) then the move I described earlier (fake side, back round into hammer fist/rev)

Went ok...can only squeeze 45 minutes to an hour out a night before he starts to fade on me. (I have to give equal time for homework and fun!) balance...no?

Thanks guys...it'll be a long time before he puts all the pieces together...but onward we march.

[AdamKralic]

Well done to Zach he was the better fighter in that fight.

The one thing i noticed is that in both videos both karateka are doing a lot of kicks. 99% of the bouts i've seen/coached/been in had an equal amount of hand strikes to kicks. As there are very few bouts i've seen fought like what was in the videos.

IMHO The fights seemed a little TKD for me.

This summer I posted a pair of fights where he blitzed five times for the five points needed and in the other he won 3-2 all off punches. That's what KILLS me about Zach. He sees he can score on something early...and holds onto that move like a dog with a bone for rest of tourney.

[bushido_man96]

Well done to Zach he was the better fighter in that fight.

The one thing i noticed is that in both videos both karateka are doing a lot of kicks. 99% of the bouts i've seen/coached/been in had an equal amount of hand strikes to kicks. As there are very few bouts i've seen fought like what was in the videos.

IMHO The fights seemed a little TKD for me.

This summer I posted a pair of fights where he blitzed five times for the five points needed and in the other he won 3-2 all off punches. That's what KILLS me about Zach. He sees he can score on something early...and holds onto that move like a dog with a bone for rest of tourney.

This isn't a bad thing. If it works for him, then he should make them stop it.

When I was in the ATA, I saw a lot of flexible people with good balance do repeating/sliding round kicks like Zach does side kicks. The rounds are good because they can change level more quickly. The downside to the repeat round kicks is that you don't get the stopping motion ability of the side kick. Something else to consider, but it would work better in a closed sparring position.

Zach slide sides...if misses...fade into spin back kick? (as a counter for an opponent that comes after your technique drops) Or use a spin back offensively?

If he misses the side kick, then spinning to a spin back or spin hook would be a good follow up. They are also good defensive kicks against round kicks. I don't recommend using a spinning kick offensively, unless its part of a combination. Generally, a spinning kick as your first kick has a lot of telegraph to it.

The biggest downfall I can see as to how he spars right now is that when he comes across someone who is taller, or has a faster side kick, or both, then he is going to be shot. At this point, its who has the faster side kicks that tends to score the points. Also, if he gets someone that knows how to move off-line and work angles, that will probably throw off his side kicking strategy, as well. Having these things in mind, its important to train for these instances, and work strategies off of them. Just something to keep in mind.