Becoming Obsessed With Footwork For A Week Challenge

[Alan Armstrong]

Are you ready for a challenge?

Footwork, we need it, therefore becoming obsessed with it is important to master it for combating purposes. .

Training the bottom half and coordinating it with the top half takes a lot of practice and know how.

Footwork is part of defence and offensive tactics that put a sting in to strikes and takes some of the power out of being hit.

Coupling that footwork with speed, precision, timing and balance.

No matter the martial art, balance and keeping it while simultaneously in motion becomes more important than not.

While pivoting and turning from the hips instead of from the shoulders is where it is at.

Keeping that lead leg pointing at the opponent no matter the angle or reason.

There is nothing natural with footwork for combat purposes, it needs to be something trained and gained to become ingrained.

Footwork gets you where you need to be and also out of where you shouldn't.

Mistakes in the footwork of your opponent is where you can capitalise on and score, while not making any of your own.

Up your game with footwork, making you be able to hit harder and smarter than otherwise possible.

Cuban boxers are famous for their footwork, could have something to do with the native dance Salsa.

Are you ready for the footwork challenge?

Try this

https://youtu.be/LHuPbdukZvE

Here is some light Sparring with fast footwork for inspiration

If that was too easy then there is this

Bonus Challenge: The Matrix Shuffle

[Fat Cobra]

Alan, I agree with you 100%. Stance work is super important. We call it structural integrity. A solid foundation is what makes technique successful. Even though my style (Ryukyu Kempo) is not a strong kicking style, we work out the legs more than any other body part to get this strong base.

Even when thrown off balance by an attack, we should look to regain our base immediately.

[bushido_man96]

In the second video you list, I think the best footwork drill out of it was the first one. Most practical for moving while fighting. The rest are just what is described in the video, "sports fitness." Just moving for the sake of moving, really. Some of the cone movements seem to have some value, too.

The last video was a good one. Showed application and explained it well. Looks worthwhile to learn, and I'd be interested in street applications.

[Alan Armstrong]

There is a tendency in the West to be top heavy triangular, similar to the cartoon bullfighter with little legs and a big chest.

The opposite is true in the East where having strong legs with the triangle base wider at the bottom.

This stands to reason why top heavy things or objects fall down easier than bottom heavy objects.

This is also true of people, that have amassed a lot more muscle disproportionately in their shoulders and chest, in comparison to their calves and thighs.

This is all generalizing conjectures but knowing there is an element of truth, is worthwhile considering to prioritise what works best or needs addressing for improving footwork.

[Alan Armstrong]

While getting back on track and getting even more obesed with footwork.

The biggest tip ever at getting great footwork is to have fun practicing it.

Another tip for footwork drills is to listen to shuffling dance music.

Of course there needs to be some shuffling footwork to go with it

https://youtu.be/oGTgOX5rOlI

Then all set and primed for karate spider web drills.

Have fun!

[bushido_man96]

There is a tendency in the West to be top heavy triangular, similar to the cartoon bullfighter with little legs and a big chest.

The opposite is true in the East where having strong legs with the triangle base wider at the bottom.

This stands to reason why top heavy things or objects fall down easier than bottom heavy objects.

This is also true of people, that have amassed a lot more muscle disproportionately in their shoulders and chest, in comparison to their calves and thighs.

This is all generalizing conjectures but knowing there is an element of truth, is worthwhile considering to prioritise what works best or needs addressing for improving footwork.

I agree with you about a lot of American males being "top heavy." But it's not for lack of training something like footwork. It's because of the most common question asked among males when determining masculinity: "How much you bench, bro?"

It's a lack of willingness to work the legs under heavy loads. Not many squats going on in the vast majority of commercial gyms. Bench press for days, but not squats. And I love hearing the term "leg day." One day a week for the legs, but the upper body gets worked like 9 days a week. It comes from the image culture, where a vast majority of fitness advocates only really care about the muscles they can see in the mirror. This means chest, biceps, and quads.

And the squats I do see tend to be half squats or worse, with all kinds of funky motions. Or even worse, squatting in the Smith machine.

I would also mention that the advent of the bench press has led to the decline of the use of one of the best (and most useful) upper body exercises ever used, the overhead press. It's a much better exercise than the bench press, because it engages the entire body with the load. It's downfall is that bench press numbers go up faster, and no one wants to hurt their ego by getting caught in the gym doing a standing overhead press with only 25 lbs plates on each side. Many years ago, before the bench press came along, the press was the strength standard, and strong men had strong presses. The removal of the clean and press from the Olympic games also lent to the decline of the focus of training the press.

Ok, rant over.

[Alan Armstrong]

There is a tendency in the West to be top heavy triangular, similar to the cartoon bullfighter with little legs and a big chest.

The opposite is true in the East where having strong legs with the triangle base wider at the bottom.

This stands to reason why top heavy things or objects fall down easier than bottom heavy objects.

This is also true of people, that have amassed a lot more muscle disproportionately in their shoulders and chest, in comparison to their calves and thighs.

This is all generalizing conjectures but knowing there is an element of truth, is worthwhile considering to prioritise what works best or needs addressing for improving footwork.

I agree with you about a lot of American males being "top heavy." But it's not for lack of training something like footwork. It's because of the most common question asked among males when determining masculinity: "How much you bench, bro?"

It's a lack of willingness to work the legs under heavy loads. Not many squats going on in the vast majority of commercial gyms. Bench press for days, but not squats. And I love hearing the term "leg day." One day a week for the legs, but the upper body gets worked like 9 days a week. It comes from the image culture, where a vast majority of fitness advocates only really care about the muscles they can see in the mirror. This means chest, biceps, and quads.

And the squats I do see tend to be half squats or worse, with all kinds of funky motions. Or even worse, squatting in the Smith machine.

I would also mention that the advent of the bench press has led to the decline of the use of one of the best (and most useful) upper body exercises ever used, the overhead press. It's a much better exercise than the bench press, because it engages the entire body with the load. It's downfall is that bench press numbers go up faster, and no one wants to hurt their ego by getting caught in the gym doing a standing overhead press with only 25 lbs plates on each side. Many years ago, before the bench press came along, the press was the strength standard, and strong men had strong presses. The removal of the clean and press from the Olympic games also lent to the decline of the focus of training the press.

Ok, rant over.

Nice rant

[Alan Armstrong]

Back to the obsession of footwork.

Footwork be it soccer, tennis or basketball can make or break an athlete.

In the younger years, those that had the dance moves and were light on their feet became the popular one's.

What would fred Astaire be without footwork.

Bruce Lee taught dance footwork before becoming famous as a martial artist.

1) TKD Stairs Drill

2) Point Sparring Footwork

3) Bruce Lee's Footwork

4) Your Best Footwork

5) Karate Footwork

Bonus Challenge: The Ali Shuffle

1)

2)

3)

4)

5)

Ali Shuffle Tutorial

https://youtu.be/9PamtxhzwVM

Are you not Obsessing about footwork yet?

How is your Shifting footwork?

Drop shift

https://youtu.be/KGX5wYp_adA

Angles Shifting footwork

https://youtu.be/36kjVsiChYQ

Art of shifting

https://youtu.be/po9Z-vgHkYg

Muay Thai Shifting

https://youtu.be/FHWPcfPRZgQ

Angle shift to counter punch

https://youtu.be/4ReNvvc4XOw