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
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 […]
10.03.2022 I returned to teaching a longtime client of mine at the 4.5 hour point of his course. This client books six 1.5 hour private lessons with me and 1 x 1 hour course. It is an arrangement that better suits clients who live a bit further out of the half an hour radius I offer for regular one-to-one or small group training. He has trained with me for several years and also transferred over to online training during lockdown […]
14.07.21 Tonight my client finished his series of training on the ryhthm and flow combinations by concentrating three decided on a dice throw. We did combination 10, 8 and 12 in that order over 10 rounds. Combination 10 – Jab/cross/hook/double rear round kick/hook/cross/switch-kick Combination 8 – Jab/rear round kick/hook/rear low round kick/lead body kick/southpaw step/orthdox step/jab/cross Combination 12 – Jab/cross/lead low kick/ lead body kick/cross/hook/cross/Dutch block/cross/hook/rear bod kick They were trained in the following way: Round 1 – Combination 10 […]
09.06.21 My first client’s stick work revised all previous two stick drills along with some freestyle footwork and multiple opponents before continuing with the hit flow from last lesson and then the single weave. The single weave is probably the most challenging drill so far. It introduces a great degree of coordination and demonstrates the importance of maintaining good single angle strikes. My second client had his first full run through of the 14 combinations on the roll of a […]
07.06.21 Monday night saw my couple clients tackle their seventh hour with a second go at all 14 combinations. This time they switched roles as to who was taking the even number combos and who was taking the odd numbers. We also kept it confined to 4 x 10 minute rounds, which was a practice we undertook during the Zoom lockdown sessions. Round 1 – Warm Up – Dynamic Stretching and Callisthenics Round 2 – Combinations 1-4 Round 3 – […]
20.05.21 My client moved from online to face-to-face personal training in line with current Covid guidelines. We were able to re-start the same combinations we covered over Skype. We got up to number five, which was sandwiched between a 10 minute warm-up and a static stretch warm-down. Services
11.05.21 My fourth and final Zoom session with Keiryu Practical Karate covered rhythm and flow combinations seven and eight. These are both fairly simple compared the previous combinations or it can be that everyone was better tuned into chaining techniques. Tonight we looked more into the nuances of certain transitions and set-ups. Combination seven works at close range throughout using a tight head/body/head/body/head/body and left/left/right/left/left/right pattern of punches and long (spear) knee strike. Weight distribution is also very important, using […]
04.05.21 The third part of my course on “Rhythm and Flow” combinations for stand-up fighting for Keiryu Practical Karate continued on Tuesday. This is a Zoom training experience for adults and teenagers. Tonight we went through the punch and footwork dominant combinations five and six. Combination five is very much a switch-hitting combination. After the initial jab/cross the fighter switches to southpaw and lands with a cross before using shuffle step to throw a right hook/left hook/right uppercut combination to […]
05.04.21 The final hour of my two clients’ second course on stand-up fighting combinations for rhythm and flow covered combination eight. Here we used a to and fro tactic. We drove forward with head, body, head, leg punches and kicks before stepping back and to draw the opponent onto a jab/cross combination. With one of my clients still recovering from a knee injury, we focused on adapting some of the movements to more angular attacks. If you would like […]
15.03.21 Hour seven of my of my clients second course of stand-up fighting combinations for rhythm and flow brought us onto combination 5. As with the previous three lessons, we followed the format of warming with freestyle work and techniques in the first 10 minute round, including footwork drills, head movement and simple combinations before the two lockdown partners hit the pads. Combination 5 is marked by its footwork and switch-hitting. After throwing a jab/cross, this combination changes to southpaw […]
27.02.21 Saturday morning’s first lesson was my client’s third hour on training stand-up fighting combinations for rhythm and flow. We are currently going back through all the 14 combinations and training them on virtual focus mitts. These exercises help develop and maintain timing that cannot be acquired through just training the combinations in a shadow boxing. This morning we worked through combinations eight to 10. Combination eight links opposite leg kicks together and finishes with a drawing technique onto a […]
08.02.21 Monday night’s second lesson saw the resumption of my work with the Athena School of Karate adult and advanced student lessons. We are covering the rhythm and flow stand-up striking combination work. Tonight we focused on combinations five and six. These are relatively short, especially combination six, and use footwork to set up opponents. Combination five uses switch-hitting and a shuffle to chain together different punches and eventually set up for a powerful rear kick to the body. Combination […]
06.02.21 My client’s penultimate lesson focusing on kickboxing combinations put matters into the hands of fate, so to speak, as we rolled the dice for 12 of the 14. After a 10 minute warm-up round, rounds two to four were all performed at the roll of the dice. We are not quite at the stage where each combination is memorised, but it kicked the training up a level nonetheless. The final round alternated between combinations 13 and 14. Check […]
22.01.21 The final hour of my two lockdown clients’ 10 hour course of stand-up fighting, brought them up to combination nine. As previously described, one of the lockdown students is recovering from knee surgery and we are adapting these combinations as he continues to heal. In addition to introducing the new combinations we also went back over combinations six to eight. Combination six uses two back/hammer-fists and one spinning hammer-fist. Combination seven teaches moving up and down targets in a […]
05.01.21 Tonigth my teacher consultancy continued with pre-lesson prep on Dutch-inspired kickboxing combinations. We revised the first two taught last week and I introduced two more. The new combinations included a lengthy one that brought in aspects from the first two – slip/crosses, slip/hooks and hook/body kicks – and a kick-based one that was more traditional Muay Thai in flavour.
