2 ½ Minutes to Better Footwork
The difference between ordinary people and truly amazing performers comes down to the willingness to put in the work… to get your reps.
If you do this 2 ½ minute follow along session near daily you will develop amazing footwork and will feel super comfortable striking while moving.
Follow Along Session
We have 5 x 30-second drills that you can do at home or as part of a warm-up before your martial arts class begins.
Take as much rest between them as needed.
Drill 1 – Hot Lava Forward / Back with Jabs
Get into your stance. Imagine there is hot lava right in front of your front foot. Step forward with a jab and then immediately step back to your original position… because that lava will burn your foot if you stay on it.
This drill teaches you to get in, deliver a jab, and get back out to safety again especially if your jab was parried and you might get countered.
Drill 2 – Hot Lava Backward / Forward with Knife Slash
This is the same as the previous drill except we move backwards first and then immediately forward.
Now you can do this with a jab but I figured you can put a knife in your hand and think about someone slashing a knife at you. You move back out of the way and immediately pop back in and counter.
Drill 3 – Jab > Cross with a Single Step & Slide
You will step and slide forward at a 45 degree angle (not straight in) while delivering a jab > cross.
The jab will create a reaction and get your opponent to swat which will hopefully create an opening for your rear cross to land.
Drill 4 – Jab > Cross with a Step for Each Punch
Now this is exactly the same as above with one noteworthy exception. We will do 2 steps.
One step and slide (or hop) for your jab and another step and slide (or hop) for your rear cross.
The purpose of doing 2 steps as opposed to 1 like we did in drill 3 is so that we can cover more distance. This is especially important if your opponent likes to retreat when you come forward with your lead.
Drill 5 – 45 Degree Forward Jabs
This will teach you to come in with your jabs at a 45 degree angle instead of straight in. This can be very beneficial as your opponent might also be jabbing or punching at you while you come in and you don’t want to run into a punch.
It is also beneficial because it is always safer for you to move towards your opponent’s backside.
By having the ability to step forward while jabbing to either 45 degree angle you get options.
Now I won’t lie one of these angles is easy to step forward at while the other one will take some practice.
Let’s say you have your left leg forward (orthodox stance).
Moving forward left at a 45 degree angle is pretty easy as you can push off of your back leg (right leg).
However moving forward right at a 45 is more challenging as you don’t really have a leg that is primed to push off with at that direction.
In the video I show 3 ways to move at this angle but ultimately hopping is what you want to work towards getting good at.
Work until you get to the point where you can move fast alternating each direction.
Conclusion
There you have it. A simple yet challenging skill-based session that will absolutely level your game up by leaps and bounds in only 2 ½ minutes per day.
Until next time,
Brian
