Standing Still Gets You Hit
You never want to just stand still and slug it out. That is a recipe for getting smashed in the face!
Your opponent is aiming for your head… so move your head or they will find it.
Also keep in mind that the more you move it causes your opponent to have to visually track you and reorient themselves in space. This requires coordination. They likely aren’t a skilled fighter which means they will have a difficult time keeping up with you as a moving target.
Untrained fighters lose their stance and balance very easily because they don’t train footwork.
You are different.
You are willing to put in the reps… right?
Let’s go!
Circling Footwork Drill
The person who controls footwork controls distance, timing, the pace of the fight, and ultimately will land the first strike.
The circling footwork drill is one of the footwork drills I teach to my fighters so that they are fluid and always balanced in movement.
As you circle you want to pay attention to 2 things:
1) Keep a 45 degree orientation. Don’t allow yourself to turn sideways or square up.
2) Step with the correct foot. If you are moving left… your left foot steps left followed by your right foot stepping left. And vice versa. If you move right then your right foot always steps first followed by your left foot following to the right.
Progressions for Circling Footwork Drill
I can’t emphasize enough how important it is to move with the correct foot order.
If you step to your right but your left foot moves 1st then you will be at a high likelihood to trip. Plus you will be in a terribly unathletic stance.
Once you are consistently able to step with the correct foot and maintain your orientation you should up the challenge by adding in offense and defense.
Start by firing out jabs since you can go either direction from either stance more naturally with your jab.
You can see that I am stepping with the left foot first… the right hasn’t yet moved but will pivot around so I keep my 45° stance.
You could of course throw in parries, blocks, counter strikes, rear crosses, hooks, etc.
Eventually you will be circling and sparring with the bag or imaginary opponent at the same time.
If you can visualize your opponent’s moves, where their hands are, what strikes they are throwing and react to them then you are really making progress.
You will really level up when you get to the point where you can visualize and predict what their next strike would be and proactively counter it!
How Much How Often
Hey look, the more you do it the better you will get.
But I’d recommend doing it daily for about a minute. Feel free to bump that up to 5 minutes.
I would also recommend working on both your left and right leads. I feel like it is important for people to be able to switch their leads. That doesn’t mean you can’t have a preferred lead that you are better at but being good at both makes you more fluid and opens up more options.
Conclusion
Paul Vunak told me that I should work on footwork every single day. It is the most critical piece of fighting since all of your offense and defense is based upon your ability to control distance, timing, pace, and the entry (first strike).
Go get your reps and level up!
Brian
