17.08.2022
Following the two sessions of 12 filmed rounds of training, my client and I decided to give the basics a complete review. As one of my old teacher’s used to say, you are never beyond basics. This is something that has been continually reinforced throughout my own education in martial arts. At present, I am going back to the base of the base arts I teach starting with boxing and starting with a client who has had the longest uninterrupted time training with me.
Tonight we kept the 12 round format but each round was even more fundamental than in previous lessons. We covered footwork in baiting and defence using a Cuban boxing influence. Cuba has an interesting history in boxing. The modern gloved sport was first introduced in 1909 when the country was used to host visiting North American boxing contests. Great fighters like Kid Chocolate in the ’20s and ’30s and Kid Gavilan in the ’40s and ’50s have both received coverage in my “Learn from the Fight” lessons. However, what we now know as the Cuban style of western boxing began after the Cuban Revolution of 1959. This was a systemised Soviet approach to amateur boxing that became a part of the Cuban school systems under Fidel Castro. It wasn’t long before Cuba took these Soviet influences and blended them with their own homegrown and cultural approaches to training to produce what we see today as the “Cuban style”. To the best of my knowledge, I have never received any formal training in this style of boxing although it was often praised to me by my old muay Thai kru, Tony Hayes. An old article of mine published in Martial Arts Illustrated in 2004 describes Tony’s views on the Cuban hook and also possible crossover influences between Cuban fighters in the lighter weight divisions and Thais who competed in boxing western boxing and muay Thai. This doesn’t mean I haven’t observed and absorbed what knowledge I can from the resources now made available to me online, which I feel some degree of qualification to assimilate through my years of formal boxing and kickboxing/muay Thai training.
The Cuban style does not superficially resemble most mainstream muay Thai styles. However, on a fundamental level, both has a large respect for rhythm. Cuban boxing, now mainly shaped by amateur competition, is more concerned with precision, tactics and movement than power. Their footwork is paramount offers a valuable tool for many martial artists to consider.
After a warm-up of mobility and muscle activation exercises, we concerned ourselves entirely with the step forward, pushback and pivot footwork to the appropriate blindside. A jabbing attack was countered with a pushback/pivot to the lead side and a jab/cross attack received a pushback/pivot to the rear side defence. In each case I insisted on a jab/cross counter on the pivot to ensure my client retained a stable stance. If I allowed a rear hand straight my client would be more tempted to compromise his stance and punch from a parallel or neutral position, which is pretty dangerous and unstable in stand-up striking.
12 rounds:
Round 1 – Step forward and push back only footwork. Solo and partnered.
Round 2 – Pushback and pivot only. Lead side.
Round 3 – Pushback and pivot only. Rear side.
Round 4 – Pushback and pivots to both sides in sequence.
Round 5 – Pushback and pivots to both sides randomised.
Round 6 – Pushback and pivots to both sides randomised with extra circular footwork movement.
Round 7 – Pushback and pivots to both sides randomised reading only the coach’s shoulder movements.
Round 8 – All of the above integrated.
Round 9 – All of the above integrated.
Round 10 – Sparring
Round 11 – Sparring
Round 12 – Sparring
The lesson finished some Nordic curls – an exercise I am encouraging more of my clients to perform to safeguard against the common injury of hamstring strains, sprains and tears – and a warm-down of full body stretching.