Tag Archives | cuban boxing

Striking to Arm Triangle & Cuban Combinations (diary entry)

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02.11.2022 My third and fourth sessions on Wednesday were my junior Mixed Martial Art and my senior boxing lessons. The junior lesson looked at ground fighting where we used punches from side control and scarf-hold to set up the arm triangle. This is set up in response to the opponent trying to shield strikes with a single arm whilst their other arm is trapped. We finished the class with 2 x 2 minutes of attacking from the top position sparring. […]

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Integrating Cuban Concepts (diary entry)

Jamie Clubb of Clubb Chimera Martial Arts in the Bodyguard drill! (small)

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 […]

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Cuban Combinations (diary entry)

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25.10.2022 My clients ninth hour on his Boxing course, looked at three Cuban boxing style combinations. These combinations focus on asymmetrical delivery, an area I have been exploring a lot over the past 10 years or so, especially in Dutch Kickboxing. After a revision warm-up, going through lateral footwork, movements from the square stance, and contralateral and ipsilateral movements, we looked at some specific Cuban punches. These consisted of the corkscrew jab, corkscrew cross, corkscrew straight arm hook and the […]

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Defending Chokes & Executing Cuban Jabs (diary entry)

Straight lead

12.10.2022 My final two classes of Wednesday consisted of my junior MMA and senior Boxing sessions. In the former we continued on from our work in the turtle position with defences against chokes and in the latter we looked at Cuban boxing’s peculiar corkscrew punches. The first lesson began with a look at the details of the rear naked choke. Many martial arts systems teach this technique but it is still often poorly executed. This included using the seatbelt hold, […]

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Cuban Square Stance (diary entry)

Hook Punch (close) darker

27.09.2022 My client’s seventh hour exploring boxing with Cuban/Soviet influences brought in the square stance. This is very early days and it’s a challenging concept. The Cuban square stance completely contradicts most other combat sports, including conventional boxing. When it comes to striking a square stance, most martial artists just mean putting your hips forward. Nak muays and wrestlers do this when they stance up. The unusual peek-a-boo style, still regarded as unconventional in boxing culture, also takes this approach. […]

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Turtle Submissions & Cuban Boxing (diary entry)

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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 […]

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Catch & Shoot (diary entry)

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20.09.2022 Hour six of my client’s current boxing course brought us on catch and shoot drills. After a warm-up of revisions on pendulum footwork and coordination drills, slipping and working pivots on hooks and straights, we moved onto the new drills. A strong principle running through these Cuban boxing inspired techniques is the use of the back-foot. When it comes to catching punches the back-foot pivots. It pivots out on rear arm blocks and lead hooks and lead uppercuts, and […]

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L-Step & Applying Cuban Boxing Methods (diary entry)

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13.09.2022 Tuesday night’s first lesson was the fifth hour of my client’s current course on boxing. After a warm-up of muscle activation and agility ladder exercises, we moved straight onto more footwork. I emphasised the small stepping and pendulum-step motions found in Cuban footwork with our basic forwards, backwards, angling and circling movements. Then we went back over the use of the L-step. Unlike the V-step, which is usually a very aggressive angling-off action, the L-step provides a fighter more […]

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Improving Speed & Timing (diary entry)

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10.09.2022 I was booked to teach a one-off private lesson for a client, focusing on boxing and kickboxing. His mandate was to help him improve engaging. We looked at footwork to better improve timing and speed as well as maintaining a strong guard defence. My client suffers from a few medical conditions limit him in certain ways. We worked together to get around these restrictions. After some muscle activation exercises, we got into some ladder drills in better improve coordination […]

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Building up Boxing Defence (diary entry)

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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 […]

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