09.12.15
The tenth and final lesson in my client’s second course on western boxing for martial arts cross training returned us back to the self-defence line. Warming up with the some progressive boxing free-sparring we then moved onto the nature of applying the attributes taken from boxing training to counter-assault situations.
After the initial sparring I re-capped on the different dynamic between counter-assaults and match fights. The former is an asymmetrical situation whereby the targeted individual has a different objective to the human predator or predators he faces. The targeted individual is countering the intended or actual assault committed by the parties. His objective is to neutralise the situation as quickly as possible, usually to facilitate his escape. The predator or predators are intending to inflict violence or force themselves upon the target in order gain something from the individual. The situation might be reversed whereby the target wishes to affect an arrest on a criminal, but we still see that the conflict remains asymmetrical. A match fight can be graded but cannot be defined by its severity or lack of rules. It might range from a play fight all the way up to a duel to the death with varying types of combative competition in-between. It might also involve multiple numbers of people, which has seen the evolution of various team ball sports and also some examples of open warfare. The dynamic is symmetrical. It is a battle for dominance with both sides having the same objective: to win. I appreciate there might be exceptions, but for the main part this is an easy means to separate the two types of intra-species violence within humans.
For the past nine lessons we have been looking into the art of western boxing with a view to its incorporation into cross-training. We ventured into self-defence a little at the beginning and have cross-referenced other systems of combat. However, the main focus has been on fighting in a sporting/match-fight environment. Tonight we looked at striking from the fence, striking over and under obstructions and against a grappling predator. We looked at using the fist as opposed to the palm, which is normally the chosen natural tool. Basic self-defence teaches the use of the palm, as it is less easily damaged and takes a lower degree of skill. However, there is certainly a place for the use of a fist in hand-to-hand fighting and its representation can be found across the world. Punches come into their own when attacking the body, where the bony structure of the knuckles and the large surface makes punching a more desirable tool than other hand techniques. However, the head is still a viable target provided the puncher has a good degree of accuracy when put under pressure. The temple, the nose and especially the jawline and throat are preferred targets.
I went back to my experiences training under John “Awesome” Anderson and Matty Evans to cover the cross and the lead hook from the fence line-up. We first worked the cross from the fence and as an overhand with an obstruction in place. Next we introduced stripping off an attacking hand and counter-punching with the same hand. Then we looked at Anderson’s excellent lead hand hook line-up. This involves torqueing your body at close range in order to give the short-range hook added momentum. It is a very deceptive line-up and affords a lot of pre-fight protection. Both techniques were applied to the focus mitts and on the heavy bag. The technical section was finished with a Predator versus Prey pressure test emphasising the asymmetrical fight dynamic described earlier.
The lesson finished with sternum pull-ups and sprawl/dead-lifts for relevant conditioning exercises.