Issue 088

May 2012

Nothing outfoxes opponents quite like perfectly executing sweet science fundamentals. Master these drills and you’ll be tasting victory in no time

MIRROR QUADRANTS

This is a great drill for learning body and head movement to develop accurate and efficient head slipping and rolling. Make sure your rolling is kept tight and minimal for application in MMA due to the increased methods of attacks such as knees that obviously aren’t present in boxing.

Stand approximately one meter away from a large mirror (commonly found in large gyms) after using thin masking tape to make a cross on the mirror’s surface. Ensure the horizontal line of the cross is parallel with your shoulders. Practice slipping from side to side using the top quadrants, and rolling under from top right to bottom left and top left to bottom right. Return to land your shadow punches right at the central cross.

TIED FEET

A major problem for people learning footwork is the urge to walk rather than slide in the stance, leading to fighters leaving themselves vulnerable or off balance by failing to maintain a good stance. Having an accurate sense of the actual distance between your feet is not always easy to perceive, so by having your coach set the distance with a cord you can help maintain your stance. Move around and shadow box without allowing the cord to either stretch or slack.

SLIPPING AND ROLLING ON THE PADS

Here’s a classic slipping, rolling and pull-back drill with combination punches to return.

Begin with a cross-hook-cross combination. The pad man then throws out a jab. Turn your shoulder and tuck in your chin while you slip to the outside. The pad man throws a cross. Maintaining your base, slip to the other side. The pad man swings a broad left hook. Level change and roll under the punch. The pad man throws a right cross. Pull back and return with a right cross, left hook, right cross. As you become more comfortable with the movement get faster and faster.

BAG ANGLES TAPE ON FLOOR

This is a perfect footwork drill for using a heavy bag to simulate your opponent. Place strips of tape at the length of your maximum punching range, converging at a central point directly beneath the bag. Begin working the bag with your toe on the central line. Then step left or right onto each next line.