Tag Archives | Boxing

Technical Slugging (diary entry)

June 22, 2022 | Diary / Training Notes [ssba]
Screen Shot 2022-06-21 at 15.46.29

22.06.2022 Gene Fullmer versus Eduardo Lausse 25.11.1955 Lawrence Gene “The Cyclone” or “Mormon Mauler” Fullmer was born on 21st July 1931 in West Jordan, Utah, USA. Fullmer came under the management of Merv Jenson, who was known for encouraging West Jordan youth to enter amateur boxing. Fullmer began boxing as a professional in 1951 winning all 29 of his first fights, 19 of these coming by knockout. He then lost his first fight to Gil Turner by unanimous decision in […]

Continue Reading

Classic Combinations & Sparring (diary entry)

June 11, 2022 | Diary / Training Notes [ssba]
Jamie Clubb of Clubb Chimera Martial Arts in the Bodyguard drill! (small)

09.06.2022 Due to my client suffering from a work-related back injury, we didn’t cover the planned MMA class but went back over boxing instead. After a light warm-up of dynamic stretching, we moved onto the focus mitts. This session began with basic combinations before moving onto some classic tactics inspired by the greats. We used Kid Gavilan’s bolo punch on back-step to handle swarming attacks. Then we used Jersey Joe Walcott’s upward diagonal hook/overhand right before focusing on two of […]

Continue Reading

MMA & Rubber Guard Revision (diary entry)

June 9, 2022 | Diary / Training Notes [ssba]
78130701_10157979655463804_6223387305298624512_o

08.06.2022 My last lessons on Wednesday were my junior MMA and senior Submission Grappling. In the former we went through boxing, kickboxing and a new strategy on the ground. In the latter we looked at linking up the basics of Eddie Bravo’s Rubber Guard in a flow pattern. The first lesson began with our normal warm-up specific and muscle activation exercises. We then went straight into boxing. After some assessment on my client’s defence against straight rights and some basic […]

Continue Reading

Two Hour Personal Training (diary entry)

May 30, 2022 | Diary / Training Notes [ssba]
tracey & liam pt

28.05.2022 I was booked to teach a special two-hour session for Kuroten Karate’s founder and her son. We focused on stand-up fighting, using boxing, kickboxing and muay Thai. After a brief warm-up, we covered footwork from boxing. On the request of my client, I taught angling off and circling out to exit from combinations. I explained differences between most conventional boxing and the peek-a-boo style. The peek-a-boo style arguably lends itself best to martial arts cross training due to the […]

Continue Reading

Flight of the Gavilán (diary entry)

March 24, 2022 | Diary / Training Notes [ssba]
gavilan vs bratton 3

23.03.2022 Somewhat inspired by an article published in “Fight City”, I decided to revisit 1953 boxing and analyse a forgotten non-title classic from the career of Gerardo Gonzalez, better known as Kid (aka “The Keed” and “The Cuban Hawk”) Gavilán. The last time we saw him he had made a successful, albeit split-decision, defence of his world welterweight title against Carmen Basilo. However, back in 1951 Gavilán had fought Johnny Bratton twice. The first time they met, Gavilán had taken […]

Continue Reading

The Return of Ezzard Charles (diary entry)

March 10, 2022 | Diary / Training Notes [ssba]
Charles vs Satterfield

09.03.2022 My second lesson of Wednesday was “Learn from the Fight” where we picked up the career of former heavyweight champion Ezzard Charles. The last we had seen of Charles was his rematch and fourth fight with Jersey Joe Walcott, a loss by unanimous decision that had squared both fighters at two fights a piece ending their feud. Charles’s felt he had won their final bout and told the reporters so but was stoic in his composure. The Associated Press […]

Continue Reading

Swarm to Clinch (diary entry)

March 1, 2022 | Diary / Training Notes [ssba]
274110194_10160214340033804_867437746011953470_n

28.02.2022 My client couple’s second lesson looked at strategies on accessing the clinch from the stand-up range. I went through the drills covered in last week’s special lesson for Athena School of Karate. This began with footwork exercises to corner off and escape from corners using footwork only. Then we brought in the use of high guards and some aspects of the cover. In MMA guards need to be even more active than they are in boxing. This is because […]

Continue Reading

Legends of Japan, Hawaii, South Africa & Australia (diary entry)

February 3, 2022 | Diary / Training Notes [ssba]
carruthers-toweel-1

02.02.2022 As if 1952 wasn’t a monumental enough for boxing, tonight’s highlight fights saw Australia and Japan on the world title scene. Through Jimmy Carruthers we covered highlights from a 1951 match, a 1952 match and then took our first step into 1953. Yoshiro Shirai versus Dado Marino NBA/Ring World Flyweight Championship 19.05.1952 Shirai Yoshio was born on 23rd November 1923 in Tokyo, Japan. His first noted boxing activity was at elementary school where he took part in a boxing […]

Continue Reading

Guards for Stand-up Combat Sports Seminar/Webinar (diary entry)

December 28, 2021 | Diary / Training Notes [ssba]
Screen Shot 2021-12-28 at 12.57.43

27.12.2021 The day after Boxing Day I was kindly invited to teach a webinar streamed directly into Kajuen Ryu’s class and shared with online teachers and students in the UK and Europe. The subject was guards for stand-up (full-contact) combat sports. Throughout the 20th century guards have evolved and branched off into a variety of directions. They are dictated by the individual – their physical make-up in relation to the majority of their likely opponents and their personality. I did […]

Continue Reading

Sparring for Teacher Development Continues (diary entry)

September 15, 2021 | Diary / Training Notes [ssba]
Mikael

14.09.21 Tonight we entered hour three of an 11 hour course on teacher development. This was for Denmark’s Holstebro Taekwondo Klub via Zoom. We took a more in depth look at better addressing the dual concerns of defence and confidence. These are elements that can be positively linked. Many students fear sparring due to an exposure of their own limitations or, as is true for a substantial proportion, timidity. Building a strong defence can help install better confidence when it […]

Continue Reading

Sparring Teacher Constultancy – Jabs (diary entry)

September 10, 2021 | Diary / Training Notes [ssba]
Mikael

10.09.21 Tuesday night I continued my teacher consultancy on sparring for Denmark’s Holstebro Taekwondo Klub via Zoom. We focused on a run through of boxing, focusing on the jab. Warm-up involving dynmatic stretches and basic techniques.  Jab for jab partner training – compliant drilling to specific one-for-one sparring Double jabbing partner training – compliant drilling to specific one-for-one sparring Body jabs partner training – compliant drilling to specific one-for-one sparring Footwork jabbing – compliant drilling to specific one-for-one sparring All […]

Continue Reading

Rematch, Knockout & a Steal (diary entry)

September 9, 2021 | Diary / Training Notes [ssba]
Screen Shot 2021-09-09 at 09.10.18

Tuesday night’s second lesson was my regular “Learn from the Fight” class. We returned to the career of Joe Louis for tonight and his first three fights/title defences after he finished his service in World War 2. The last time we saw Louis was in a rematch that retired Buddy Bear in one round. He dedicated his entire purse to the war effort before fighting Abe Simon two months later in another rematch that also saw Louis claim a knockout […]

Continue Reading

Switch-Hitting Counters (diary entry)

September 3, 2021 | Diary / Training Notes [ssba]
southpaw combo

02.09.21 The eighth hour of my couple’s switch-hitting programme focused entirely on counter tactics. Here the switch-hitter worked defensively. Countering an aggressive jab with a switch-hook, countering an inside leg kick with switch-straight punch and an inside leg kick with a switch-outside leg kick. Using switch-hitting tactics in a counter situation creates new possibilities with angles, can throw more force into the counter technique and also encourages an opponent to over-reach with their attack. However, they have to be timed […]

Continue Reading

Look, Step, Punch (diary entry)

August 30, 2021 | Diary / Training Notes [ssba]
coaching juniors 2

29.08.21 The fourth hour of my client’s five hour course in junior MMA began with father and son warming up on the agility ladders. It is important to note that this lesson is as much about helping the father client to coach his son outside of lessons as it is for me to directly teach the son. Feedback from the previous lesson was that footwork and punching were fine in isolation but there were problems with them both together. Therefore, […]

Continue Reading

“The Casablanca Clouter” (diary entry)

August 25, 2021 | Diary / Training Notes [ssba]
cerdan zale (1)

Tuesday night’s “Learn from the Fight” lesson focused on the career and three fights of Marcel “The Casablanca Clouter” Cerdan. The first fight acts as a direct sequel to last lesson’s rubber match finale of the Rocky Graziano/Tony Zale trilogy as it was Zale’s first defence. Tony Zale versus Marcel Cerdan Undisputed World Middleweight Title Defence 21.09.1948 After winning the title back from Rocky Graziano, Tony Zale only fought one more time and that was to defend this very title. […]

Continue Reading

Junior Boxing Work for MMA (diary entry)

August 23, 2021 | Diary / Training Notes [ssba]
student coaching punching focus mitt pad

22.08.21 Today was my client’s third hour of a five hour programme for junior MMA. We worked exclusively on boxing technique, where I incorporated more head movement as well as methods for improving agility for footwork and keeping elbows in. We warmed up with some simple forward, backward and circular footwork. Then we returend to our stick and move drill: jab and circle away from the power hand drill followed by jab/cross circle away. Then we went back to the […]

Continue Reading