Pull your opponent's guard down

[Kung Fu Wang]

When your opponent's arm is in your striking path, since you know your fist will not be able to reach to his face, your punching power will be wasted. You want to make your arm to contact his arm and then pull his arm away from his head. Of course you can go around his arm. But his arm can move and interrupt your punch again.

Do you use this strategy? Your thought?

 

[skribs]

Are you talking about using your left hand to pull down the guard and then the right hand to strike? Or the right hand to pull down the guard and then strike?

I also like to aim a low kick or knee and then strike with my hands. Alternatively, combo a jab with a low kick or an underpunch.

 

[wab25]

I use this strategy. However, I never really expect to move their arm down. I will hook their forearm with my fingers and pull down, as soon as they resist and try to keep their guard in place, it momentarily freezes their arm. I then have two options:

1) The hand that hooked the forearm, releases and becomes a straight punch. If I time it right, I can steal the power from their resistance to add to the punch.
2) The hand that hooked the forearm stays attached, and I rotate my elbow around to the head. (a horizontal elbow, pivoting around their guard)

I find both of these to be effective. If you can get a good connection with one... then you can use it as a feint after. The better you got them the first time, the more they will react to your feint... giving you a better opening.

 

[Kung Fu Wang]

Are you talking about using your left hand to pull down the guard and then the right hand to strike? Or the right hand to pull down the guard and then strike?

This strategy can be applied in both situations. You may use it when you move in and attack your opponent.

 

[skribs]

This strategy can be applied in both situations. You may use it when you move in and attack your opponent.

It's not 2 different situations, it's 2 different strategies.

 

[Buka]

I’ve been using this since I started fighting, both in training and competition, as well as in the real world.

One of my favorite things to do!

 

[drop bear]

I do it. I really also should pull the arm then body shot.

 

[JR 137]

I knock my sparring partners’ hands down every now and then. It works pretty well if I’m not constantly doing it. I try to knock their lead hand down with my forearm/wrist and punch over the top of it. Or knock it down and throw a crescent kick from very close range.

 

[Kung Fu Wang]

It's not 2 different situations, it's 2 different strategies.

You can consider it as 2 strategies too. IMO, the following should be considered.

1. Most of the time you are pulling your opponent's leading arm since it's closer to you. Since his elbow joint is still free, he can bend his elbow joint like the WC Bong Shou to block your other hand punch.
2. Your opponent's other arm is still free. When you punch, he can use his other arm to block your punch.

What's your solution to solve problem 1 and 2?

 

[Kung Fu Wang]

I knock my sparring partners’ hands down every now and then. It works pretty well if I’m not constantly doing it. I try to knock their lead hand down with my forearm/wrist and punch over the top of it. Or knock it down and throw a crescent kick from very close range.

What if your opponent borrows your knock down force, spin his arm, and hook punch back to your head?

This is why I like to use pulling. My pulling can disable my opponent's arm mobility. This is the major difference between

- a hard block that your opponent can borrow your force, and
- a soft block that your opponent can't borrow your force. The pulling is similar to a soft block.

 

[JR 137]

What if your opponent borrows your knock down force, spin his arm, and hook punch back to your head?

This is why I like to use pulling. My pulling can disable my opponent's arm mobility. This is the major difference between

- a hard block that your opponent can borrow your force, and
- a soft block that your opponent can't borrow your force. The pulling is similar to a soft block.

There’s a “what if” for every situation. If the opponent knows it’s coming or expects it, everything can be countered. If he’s never seen me do it or isn’t looking for it, the time to react and counter is drastically reduced.

And it’s not a hard hit to their hands. More of a slap them down just enough a split second before I throw the punch over the top of it. I don’t foresee anyone being able to “borrow my downward force” as there’s not enough to really make that effective.

It consistently worked against everyone I spar with the first time I did it to them. And it’s pretty high percentage when I subsequently use it. The key is not overdoing it. Just like everything else.

I’ve also used it to set up a back spin kick several times. Get very close, knock down the hands as a spin to their outside and target the back of the head with my heel. I’ve got to be feeling pretty loose and quick on my feet for that one. Most days I won’t even try it, but every now and then when I’m feeling good and I’ve got the right sparring partner I’ll try it. It’s worked every time.

Again, the knocking down of the hands is more of a light tap than anything else. I think it’s more of a distraction than an outright strike. I create just enough space for it to be effective. If I went with a hard strike to the hands, I’d be opening myself up just as much, and possibly more that I opened them up.

 

[Danny T]

Do you use this strategy?

Yes. Specifically train it.

 

[jobo]

it's the push, pull thing, a guard will be braced against being knocked backwards, if you pull instead it takes a split second to react, once they brace against it going forward, then knock it back, its difficult to braceboth at once

 

[Buka]

What if your opponent borrows your knock down force, spin his arm, and hook punch back to your head?

This is why I like to use pulling. My pulling can disable my opponent's arm mobility. This is the major difference between

- a hard block that your opponent can borrow your force, and
- a soft block that your opponent can't borrow your force. The pulling is similar to a soft block.

I've had the most success with closing distance and instead of pulling down the arm, I grab the clothing around the bicep area and continue moving forward. You can grip and prevent them from turning, or you can spin them either way you want, or shove them off their feet if your forward motion is strong enough.

I've used this for over thirty years in law enforcement, in the gym, in the street, everywhere. So far so good. Did it with some pretty big guys, too. You just have to be quick closing distance.

 

[Gerry Seymour]

When your opponent's arm is in your striking path, since you know your fist will not be able to reach to his face, your punching power will be wasted. You want to make your arm to contact his arm and then pull his arm away from his head. Of course you can go around his arm. But his arm can move and interrupt your punch again.

Do you use this strategy? Your thought?

I do this regularly. It started as a grappler's habit of trying to get a hold, even when working on striking. It turned out to work pretty well when coupled with good movement (without the good movement, it was a break-even scheme, with both of us having a guard hand removed).

 

[Gerry Seymour]

I do it. I really also should pull the arm then body shot.

I keep thinking I need to work on that, too. When they resist the pull-down, it often leaves that side of their body open. For some reason, I rarely take that opening without having to think about it.

 

[Gerry Seymour]

You can consider it as 2 strategies too. IMO, the following should be considered.

1. Most of the time you are pulling your opponent's leading arm since it's closer to you. Since his elbow joint is still free, he can bend his elbow joint like the WC Bong Shou to block your other hand punch.
2. Your opponent's other arm is still free. When you punch, he can use his other arm to block your punch.

What's your solution to solve problem 1 and 2?

If you cut the angle first, to the inside, and pull/block out his rear hand, he doesn't have much power to strike with the forward hand unless he also changes angles. Of course, if you cut the angle to the outside (blind side) his other arm isn't even in the equation.

 

[Ivan]

I do a lot of my sparring in boxing and Tae Kwon Do. Of course, no grapples or grabbing are allowed. The way that I and many others have adapted to get the opponent's hand off your primary target, is to hit the from a different front. You see it all the time in boxing; Boxer Alpha keeps slugging up his opponent with body shots. Boxer Bravo begins to become overwhelmed and sees that Boxer Alpha is not aiming for his face and drops his elbows; that's when the knockout follows.

 

[JowGaWolf]

The important thing to remember is that there are more than once type of punching guard and more than one type of pull that can be done.

Pulling the opponent's guard can have 3 effects.

1. It can pull your opponent off balance
2. It can pull the power away from your opponent's counter punch.
   
3. Put the opponent in an awkward and unfamiliar position which causes the person to not know what to do next.

A punching guard ranges from high to low and can be either close to the body or extended from the body.

You can see me pull my opponents guard here @ 0:07

 

[JR 137]

The important thing to remember is that there are more than once type of punching guard and more than one type of pull that can be done.

Pulling the opponent's guard can have 3 effects.

1. It can pull your opponent off balance
2. It can pull the power away from your opponent's counter punch.
   
3. Put the opponent in an awkward and unfamiliar position which causes the person to not know what to do next.

A punching guard ranges from high to low and can be either close to the body or extended from the body.

You can see me pull my opponents guard here @ 0:07

No matter how many times I see you throw and land that punch, I just can’t warm up to it. I’ve seen you do it (or very similar) in most of your videos. All I can think of is close in fast and punch the huge opening you’ve created.

This isn’t a knock on you nor your style. I really like everything else I see in your videos. That punch just goes against everything I’ve been taught and believe. Do you get hit often when throwing that punch?

I’m only asking because I’m pretty sure you know me well enough not to think I’m being disrespectful here.