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Thoughts on Martial Arts Technique: Creating Angles and Using Momentum

There's a thing with [youtube]. As soon as a trainer / coach has the time to put up multiple videos every day, I can'thelp but wonder how much time he actually spends... well, coaching people. Or training himself. So, I consider most of what you see on youtube crap. However, there's always an expection to the rule. Some stuff you find online is just plain awesome. Well, I guess that on a platform as huge as youtube, it'd be against all rules of probability if there wasn't anything useful, right?

Well, anyhow, one of those pleasant surprises turned out to be a canada-based boxing coach called Jason Van Veldhyusen, or simply ["JT Van V"], as he calls himself on youtube. Jason also hosts a homepage at [http://www.precisionstriking.ca], where you can order his videos over the webstore. You should definitely check it out, this stuff is great. Amongst my favourite videos is a clip onside stepping and the creation of angles. The idea of shifting your weight, allowing the body to load up naturally for future strikes, all while staying mobile and quick on your feet... that's awesome. In fact, this pretty much sums up a couple of habits I've developed myself over time but never managed to put in such clear words and concepts.


All that being said, though it's not always easy (or possible) to translate something from the realm of boxing to kickboxing or MMA. In the classes I teach, I always emphasize in my classes that distance and rhytm control are key to fighting regardless of the style. Still, there's some stuff that's perfectly fine in boxing but you simply can't do as soon as elbows, knees and kicks are fair play. Also, biomechanics differ, as kicks often put you in positions that are just less compact than anything you'll encounter in boxing.

After playing around with Jason's stuff for a while, I managed to get some structure into my thoughts. Once I had a starting point, I started experimenting and tweaking until I came up with something I was more or less satisfied with: a complete combination (that is, a set-up, the actual combo and a safe exit) that teaches proper loading and the stable biomechanical integration of punches and kicks. Of course, it's just that: one combination out of countless possibilities. Still, I believe that practicing this can help you get some concepts down and in the end, will improve your whole striking game. I know it did mine.

The video you'll see below is my first attempt to put up a narrated learning video. Hence, it's pretty crude and needs some serious improvements, but it'll do the job for now. All the theory and exercises you'll need to implement this drill are explained in the video - so I suggest you just lean back and enjoy. Make sure to leave a comment after you do!


So long,

take care

References:
  •  find the Gray Cook reference I make in the clip [here]
  • don't miss Jason's channel, either ([here])

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