yoda101

I've been kickboxing for 7 years now and just recently got into boxing because of a friend of mine. I really enjoy it and have sparred twice, and I was looking for some suggestions and pointers to help me adapt better. btw, i'm a southpaw

1. how can i improve my footwork (right now i jump rope and shadowbox but my feet still felt awkward)? any tips? i've been told to make sure that my right foot stays on the outside of my partner's left to line up my left cross better.

2. DEFENSE. in kickboxing i used my lead front kick to prevent people from stepping in and then countered with my hands. i also haven't used a whole lot of slipping because that tends to leave your lead leg open or your face open for a kick. any tips on improving slipping (besides bobbing and weaving under the rope). any other defensive advise would be appreciated.

3. setting up angles/punches. i'm pretty good at flowing from kicks to punches and vice versa to set up angles and power shots. i feel very lost in trying to come up with combos that put me in a good position to land a clean hit (that might also have to do with my footwork), so any tips would be great!

thanks!

Brooklyn Rican

First of all you basically gotta forget about eeeeverything that you've learned in kick boxing and be open minded.

Footwork jump on a tire a big one bounce on it for a bit. It'll help with your footwork.

To help you slip get a maize ball. It'll help you with the movement of your head because if you don't move you get hit.

Lead punch is always the jab. Jab is the opening punch. Most combinations can be set off with a jab. You could do combinations without one but the jab is the most important punch in boxing. You shouldn't try to learn every punch in the books till you get the jab correct. Then jump to the straight left, right hook etc. Make sure you angle yourself up. Right foot in front of you left foot in the back. Do not square up when boxing cause you leave yourself wide open. If anything get your friend to watch what you're doing wrong with your feet and angle up.

If anymore questions just ask i'd be more than happy to help

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yoda101

thanks for the advise!
that's pretty much the attitude i took when i decided to box... to just be a complete beginner and work everything just as a boxer would

how does the tire help with footwork? i've seen people shadow box on it before but haven't tried it myself yet...

i've seen the maize ball before but don't know how to work it... do i hit it? swing it? should i move my feet or just stand in one spot and slip?

my friend had me work just the jab for like 2 weeks... then he got me doing 1-2 and 1-2-1 for a couple weeks... now he's givin me 1-2-3, 1-3-2-2

for defending against a left hook i've seen people (1)roll into it with the guard up; (2)roll away from it with the guard up; (3)duck under it. what would you recommend for a southpaw?

yoda101

thanks for the advise!
that's pretty much the attitude i took when i decided to box... to just be a complete beginner and work everything just as a boxer would

how does the tire help with footwork? i've seen people shadow box on it before but haven't tried it myself yet...

i've seen the maize ball before but don't know how to work it... do i hit it? swing it? should i move my feet or just stand in one spot and slip?

my friend had me work just the jab for like 2 weeks... then he got me doing 1-2 and 1-2-1 for a couple weeks... now he's givin me 1-2-3, 1-3-2-2

for defending against a left hook i've seen people (1)roll into it with the guard up; (2)roll away from it with the guard up; (3)duck under it. what would you recommend for a southpaw?

Brooklyn Rican

Southpaw you'll have to roll a lot cause most people are orthadox and the main punch for an orthadox against a southpaw is a hook i used to spar all the time against a southpaw thats why my hook is so strong now. I don't suggest coming at the hook with your gaurd up i suggest rolling under it with your guard up. As for the maize ball you push it and it comes at you and if you don't slip and slide then you'll get hit with the maize ball. My trainer has a maize ball with sand in it and it hurts to get hit by it lol. Just throw the maize ball away from you with yourself in the stance and make sure it comes at your head. The tire helps your bounce when you're boxing and its good for foot work. So is jumping rope and stuff. Other than that try to practice your footwork ask for help. Everyone needs a trainer even the best boxers in the world. They need to know what they're doing wrong and stuff. Trainers point it out. Ask your friend to point out what you're doing wrong and then try to train yourself to stop doing it. You don't stop yourself from doing what you're doing it may become a hard habit to break but right now its fresh

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NsBLife

I'd have to agree with brooklyn that the maize/slip bag does work wonders.

This kid kinda knows what he's doing, this would be a good way to start out on the maize ball.

YouTube - Slip Bag / Maize Bag Boxing Training In Pittsburgh


Also, if you've kickboxed for a while, you should already have a good foundation in boxing. Its different but at the same time its not all that different. Im suprised that you don't already have some training in boxing because thats a pretty big component in kickboxing, you must have got hit ALOT.

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"What the mind can conceive, the body can achieve."

yoda101

thanks for the video... i'll give it a try, looks like fun

well i rely primarily on my kicks to take control of the distance... i never really worked slips but i am proficient with catching and parrying and using defensive kicks so i didn't get hit as much as what you might be imagining

thanks for the help

Pork Chop

Muay thai, american kickboxing, or international rules leg kick (non-thai background)?
From your description it sounds a lil like muay thai...

Things to remember:
stance forward weighted, no more sitting back on your back leg
much more active footwork - you're not going to be rewarded for standing right in front of the guy, get in and get out
close distance with the jab - you no longer have to worry about eating a push kick
head movement - you kinda know this one already

As a southpaw:
shuffle to your right, you want to get on the angle where his lead leg is kind of in the middle of your legs - so you have the angle to throw the hook and the cross.
the hook is only the money punch against a southpaw if you give up that angle and let him get his lead leg outside your's.
The money punch for southpaws (or orthodox against southpaws) is USUALLY the cross coz it's coming at a funky angle - you can even lead off combos with a cross.
learn to parry the other guy's lead hand - if you do it enough, he'll feel like he's only got one tool in the box
Two weapons that should be in any southpaws arsenal are the lead hook to the body and uppercuts with either hand (mainly the rear) - the uppercut is a lot more available in southie vs orthodox fights than ortho vs ortho.
If you give up that angle on your lead leg, counter stuff coming from his lead with hooks to the body & counter stuff coming from his rear with uppercuts to the jaw.
Remember, you're not just backwards - you're different; so anybody trying to get you to just do orthodox stuff backwards probably doesn't know what he's doing.

yoda101

that was all really helpful!

yes, i've done mostly muy thai.

should i have a 50/50 weight distribution or more like 60/40 with more weight on the front?

i'll start working that lead hook to the body right away.

while i'm asking for advise... got any tips for a short guy (i'm 5'4) against a tall guys (my usual training partners are 5'10 and 6'0)?

thanks!

Pork Chop

60/40 front.

I think with their height advantage, you've gotta close the distance somehow. You can either go peekaboo/dempsey roll to weave in there, or become a counter puncher. as a short guy, you'll want to learn how to weave under that jab - if you can weave under it to the outside, you can really make him pay with that body hook. When i was a little younger and faster and practiced it all the time, that was one of my money punches.

lately i'm trying to figure out some more advanced parrying. As I get older, I'm not going to be able to use head movement as effectively - plus a lot of guys like to drop elbows on your head if you weave under their punches ("oops, my bad" yeah right).

Parrying doesn't look as pretty and you can become susceptible to feints; especially if you over-parry and get too far out of position. but it's the type of "crafty defense" that stays with you longer than head movement or super-fast footwork. Jack Johnson's the easiest example I can point to - not a whole lot of movement or wasted energy, defense that stayed with him till the later years.

As a short guy, there's a rising parry you can do that'll work for the jab and the cross, but it'll take some practice. For the cross, it'll open up the right side of his body (your left); but it's tough coz it engages your left arm. In order to take advantage of it, you're going to have to learn to punch off the parry or learn how to fire hard with your other hand basically at the same time. For the jab: you'd slide in with a cross underneath, with a cross: slide in with a lead uppercut. It kinda looks ugly, but it was more popular in old school boxing - looks kinda like a kung fu move.

Ultimately you'll want a trainer to work with you and teach you your trade. I've had a few good ones over the years, but I've also had quite a few that called the same 3 combos on the mitts round after round, year after year. Trainers with in depth understanding of the craft are sometimes hard to find; but if you do they're worth their weight in gold. Look James Toney and how he was able to use angles to hang with people twice his size. Other notables include Bernard Hopkins and Archie Moore.