31.01.2023 The ninth hour of my client’s current boxing course worked more on exploiting ranges. When it comes to low guards, such as the Philly Shell, the guard can change between extending the low lead arm and the far tighter shell. The former is used for edge of range and long range fighting whereas the latter is for the mid and close range work. We worked on using the lead elbow more to deflect and set up jabs and […]
27.01.2023 Hour 10 of my client’s first Mixed Martial Arts course with me focused on looking at both conditioning exercises and putting his skills under some pressure. One of my mandates for taking these sessions was to not use sparring due certain medical reasons. This is something of obstacle when it comes to teaching a combat sport. However, we have found ways to work around this challenge. We have regularly used reaction games, both touch and no-contact, and I keep […]
25.01.2023 Wednesday night’s 1.5 hour lesson was a cross training experience. We looked at both the Philly Shell and the Thai long guard, crossing between both combat sports regularly. The lesson also brought in Cuban footwork and angle shifts, pretty much covering all the material brought into Tuesday’s boxing and teacher consultancy lessons as well as more work specifically on the long guard. In the latter we looked at the relationship between the pawing jab and the Thai long guard. […]
11.01.2023 This year’s first “Learn from the Fight” session finished off the 1950s with Gene “The Cyclone” Fullmer’s first defence of the National Boxing Association version of the world middleweight championship. His opponent was Ellsworth Webb who had previously defeated on a unanimous decision a year ago. Ellsworth “Spider” Webb was born on 20th November 1931 Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA. He was one of 11 children born to a hard working single mother. The unsupervised young Webb was quick to get […]
09.01.2023 Hour seven of my client’s current Muay Thai course was a revision of sorts. We went back through southpaw strategies and also looked at punching. Our first three rounds all focused on fighting in a mirror stance, working off the blind side of an opponent using punching techniques. This included a lot of work using the rear hand as a jabbing straight and the up-jab from the blindside. I also introduced more slipping and we focused on how this […]
03.01.2023 My client’s fifth hour of his current second boxing course brought us onto the cross arm guard. The lesson was focused entirely on learning the basic catches and blocks of this defensive posture. We began with straight punching then moved onto hooks, followed by both shots and uppercuts. The lesson was finished with 3 x 3 minute rounds of sparring, the first two focusing entirely on staying in the cross arm guard with me using swarming and out-boxing tactics […]
My final lesson of the day was a 1.5 hour boxing lesson with one of my longest-running clients. Last week we began work on the cross-arm guard concept. Tonight we reviewed the previous information, went into some finer details and then attempted to mimic one of Archie Moore’s most famous exchanges. Archie Moore’s famous knockdown of Yvon Durelle – slip jab to the inside/clinch and pivot/elbow block cross/frame off the rear arm/shoulder roll 1-2/short cross/pivot and continue to throw straight […]
13.12.2022 I finished my trilogy of lessons in preparation for this Saturday’s joint seminar with Iain Abernethy. My section, at the request of Athena School of Karate, focuses on asymmetrical combination candances. In other words, putting together faster techniques with more powerful ones. My 2 x 1 hour slots will look at three boxing combinations and two kickboxing combinations. Today we looked at the finer details of the two kickboxing combinations, as the previous sessions had seen a lot on […]
29.11.2022 Today I worked with Athena School of Karate in preparation for the seminar I am teaching with Iain Abernethy on 17th December. All combinations were trained in shadow and application. My session will be divided up into a section dominated by boxing combinations and kickboxing combinations. The overall theme will be on asymmetrical cadence. We are developing combinations, tactics and strategies to shift between speed and power techniques. Services
15.11.2022 Tuesday night brought my client up to second hour of his second current boxing course (his third in total). We focused on breaking down the jab and its applications. This week we looked at five tactical ways to use this particular punch. The jab is a weapon that is not just used to score the fastest points at range or to set up other strikes, it is the best for manipulating an opponent’s guard. Tonight we looked at this […]
09.11.2022 On Wednesday night I was honoured with a visit from Holstebro Taekwondo’s chief instructor, Mikael Oddershede and senior instructor Kim Frandsen, to teach a private three-hour session on stand-up to clinch fighting. These are the two Danish instructors I helped in the development of their sparring programme via virtual teaching consultancy last year. Having first met Mikael when I taught for Jan Drachman’s Hinnerup Karate in November 2019 (my second teaching visit to Denmark), I have been happy to assist […]
01.11.2022 My client’s boxing course concluded with two more Cuban boxing combinations and an integration process. After warming up with some reaction training and footwork, we went back over the previous three combinations. Then we moved onto the last two of the series. Unlike the other combinations, these two were weighted at the power end with their asymmetry. After a single initial speed punch they set up two power shots. Combination 4 – jab/corkscrew hook/corkscrew cross to the body Combination 5 […]
05.10.2022 As the title for this diary entry indicates, I covered submission grappling for my junior client and boxing for my senior client. In submission grappling we looked at the armbar attack in more detail. We began with a simple means for turning over a turtle position and ensuring the right hook was acquired first when going for back-mount. We also briefly covered the rear naked choke again. Moving onto the armbar attack, we covered backward rolling and forward rolling […]
05.10.2022 Wednesday’s “Learn from the Fight” focused on Floyd Patterson’s continued dominance as world heavyweight champion, covering his second defence of the title in 1957 and his third defence in 1958. Patterson’s manager and head coach, Cus D’Amato refused to do business with the mob but this cost him opponent choices. He only had access to fringe contenders and had to steer clear of the big boxing venues in New York and Chicago. The first of these contenders was an […]
28.09.2022 My client booked me for 1.5 hours of cross-training in boxing on Wednesday night. We looked at Cuban influences and focused training in our sparring. The lesson began with material covered in this lesson. We then sparred for Round 1 – Jab versus jab Round 2 – Jab versus counters Round 3 – Jab versus counters Round 4 – Attack versus defence Round 5 – Attack versus defence Round 6 – Body shots only Round 7 – Free sparring […]
21.09.2022 My junior lesson continued work on the turtle position whereas my session lesson was a boxing lesson looking at Cuban method influences. After a warm-up my junior client first covered attacking the turtle. We looked at variations on attacking with the arm-bar. This was followed with defending from the turtle using knee bars. The session finished with 2 x 5 minute rounds of specific sparring from the turtle position, attack and defence. The adult session brought together everything I […]
