Footwork when sparring or using mitts.

drop bear

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On the other hand, I'm the tall one, you should be circling me. :)
If you are not used to turn with your opponent's circular footwork, you may get dizzy.


Here is an example that your opponent's circle is bigger that your pivot. It's not hard to see who is controlling the fight and why.


Exactly like that fight. He circles and you just pivot. Less effort for you less chance of screwing up.
 

drop bear

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But I'm round house kicking you in the leg and blocking the jab. :)

Which is fine. But you are not achieving better roundhouse or blocks by circling. Because by the time you hit that roundhouse you are dead on in front of me. Again because I have less ground to cover to face you than you have to get off center.
 

Touch Of Death

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Which is fine. But you are not achieving better roundhouse or blocks by circling. Because by the time you hit that roundhouse you are dead on in front of me. Again because I have less ground to cover to face you than you have to get off center.
I'm not attacking with the big circle, I am getting away from your right hand.
 

drop bear

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Again, I don't need to circle you if you are smaller than me. :)

There are ways to cover the gap on a bigger guy. A fun one is to go backwards cut the angle then go forwards again. It means you have to stop and change direction to keep your range. Which takes a bit of time to do.

If as a bigger guy you are getting rushed at alot. You probably would want to circle. Because then i have to stop and change directions.
 

drop bear

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My goal to get behind you, or to the outside. I'm pretty tricky with the feets mang. :cool::cool:

ok you will never get behind me by trying to run around me like that. Unless you are the flash.

If i could do pictures with my phone I could show you that angle that looks like a slice of pie.

It is the same angle all the way along but at the point of that pie there is no distance between the arms. So to travel 90degrees with a pivot takes no time or effort.

Now as you go back along the arms of that diagram the distance you need to create that 90degree increases.More effort more time.

So you are giving up the advantage playing that game.
 

Kung Fu Wang

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I wish I could say that, but I originally learned to fight right handed, and would opt to at least give it a try. LOL
In grappling, you have

- rooting leg (to maintain your own balance), and
- attacking leg (to attack your opponent's leg).

Also you have

- upper hand (to control your opponent's body), and
- lower hand (to control your opponent's arm).

It's much more difficult to train both sides equal in the grappling game.
 

Kung Fu Wang

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you will never get behind me by trying to run around me like that.
From a grappler point of view, to get behind you may not be your opponent's intention. His intention may be just to line up his back foot with both of your feet. The moment that those 3 feet are in a straight line, he will shoot in at your leading leg, from that angle, no matter where you may retreat your leading leg back, his hand can always get your leading leg. It will be very difficult for you to escape your leading leg from his "single leg" attack. Of course if you just keep pivot with your opponent, he won't get that chance. It's a patient game.
 

Touch Of Death

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Which is fine. But you are not achieving better roundhouse or blocks by circling. Because by the time you hit that roundhouse you are dead on in front of me. Again because I have less ground to cover to face you than you have to get off center.
I'm not attacking with the big circle, I am getting away from your right hand.
In grappling, you have

- rooting leg (to maintain your own balance), and
- attacking leg (to attack your opponent's leg).

Also you have

- upper hand (to control your opponent's body), and
- lower hand (to control your opponent's arm).

It's much more difficult to train both sides equal in the grappling game.
It is more that I was taught to be a right hander in life, but have only now discovered how awesome I am on the left side, but I don't expect a right handed person to understand.
 

Kung Fu Wang

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It is more that I was taught to be a right hander in life, but have only now discovered how awesome I am on the left side, but I don't expect a right handed person to understand.
The hand is only the 50%. The feet is the other 50%. Since the leg skill will require a lot of training time, to make both side equal will be difficult. Unless you have spent the same amount of training time on both legs, to use both legs as equal "attacking leg" will not be realistic.


leg_twist.jpg
 
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Kung Fu Wang

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Ya know, I happen to be left footed and left eye dominant, in case you got more statistics. :)
Again, it depends on how much "training time" that you may devote on both sides. The leg skill is like to shoot hand gun. Even if you may be good "to use" your left hand as good as your right hand, if you only shoot with your right hand, your left hand "shooting skill" will always be weaker than your right hand "shooting skill".
 
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Touch Of Death

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Again, it depends on how much "training time" that you may devote on both sides. The leg skill is like to shoot hand gun. Even if you may be good "to use" your left hand as good as your right hand, if you only shoot with your right hand, your left hand "shooting skill" will always be weaker than your right hand "shooting skill".
I don't disagree with you but a lot of us left handers are a special case. We get taught on one side, teach ourselves the otherside, and decide what feels best, but we know both. :)
 

JowGaWolf

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How do you teach (or are taught) to move when sparring or mitt work in your club?

We do both stationary and moving mitt work. In a real fight we may not have the space to move a round a lot, so we need to know how to do both. Stationary fighting helps you to develop a strong stance and root. Moving around a lot means that you aren't rooted and not being rooted is a bad thing. If I move then I need to be able to quickly root myself.
 

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