14.08.16
Today’s first private class was my client’s eighth lesson in her course on Personalised Martial Arts Cross Training. This was the third concerning the use of the cover. We decided to explore the use of the cover in combat sports, most specifically in western boxing.
For long-time readers of this blog or readers of my first martial arts book it is not news that I consider the peek-a-boo guard, popularised by Coach Cus D’Amato, to be a variation of the cover concept. Both make use of a close defence designed for closing the distance in order to launch a counter-attack. Like the conventional cover, by having the hands in such proximity helps brace the head from impact and reduces brain shake. Unlike the conventional cover, the peek-a-boo makes use of the boxing gloves to create a cushion around the face just below the eyes. Another strong distinction is its active use of slipping, bobbing and weaving. However, this is the guard’s variation on another single principle that unites it with the conventional cover: constant movement. Whereas the conventional cover uses the hands and arms to move around the head whilst moving forward, the peek-a-boo guard moves the whole unit together to exploit angles. In this respect, the peek-a-boo guard brought my client back to our earlier work on rounded or circular techniques.
We broke down the peek-a-boo into footwork exercises, where my client cut the ring off, came out of corners and worked to keep close to my shoulder. I then introduced constant jabbing and then constant hooking to get the head moving. Pumping out a continuous flow of single techniques at a steady speed helps improve timing and build confidence to get closer to an opponent.
Next we moved onto some specific sparring. Here I coached and sparred, encouraging my client to keep moving and moving within my longer range. I played a defensive linear strategy, which is exactly where the peek-a-boo works so effectively to chop down defences and loop around incoming punches. I emphasised the importance of not meeting the opponent head on but to keep taking advantage of angles.
This was then fed into some pad-drills. Here we went back over single arm combinations, over and under punches. Hooks and uppercuts are the main tools here, given the tightness of the range. We did a little work on the tactics of clinching in western boxing.
References:
“Mordred’s Victory and Other Martial Mutterings” available from Amazon and SmashWords, published by Ex-L-Ence publishing
Photograph of Tony Hughes for “Mordred’s Victory and Other Martial Mutterings” by Charlotte Von Bulow Quirk