Punch with footwork

Kung Fu Wang

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When you punch, you can

1. standing still.
2. move to the side.
3. move back.
4. move forward.
5. ...

When you move forward, you can

1. step in leading leg, back leg slide.
2. move back leg next to leading leg.
3. move back leg pass and in front of leading leg.
4. ...

Since your opponent is a moving object, you truly don't know what kind of footwork you will use to punch him. When you punch, you will need to train all different footwork.

What's your opinion on this.
 

Christopher Adamchek

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A few more i could think of

when punching, you can

5. move up
6. drop down
7. twist/pivot

When moving forward, you can

4. push off with the back leg (rather than reaching with the lead)
5. hop/jump forward
6. spin and swing step with the back leg
 

skribs

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I wonder how many people punch in the way you typically see in a Karate or Taekwondo form - where you step and punch with the same arm. I see it in the forms a lot, but even in our advanced punch training at my TKD school, we resort to combos that are more like boxing, and done with that type of footwork. I can't recall ever seeing someone make that kind of punch in a real fight.

When punching, you can:

8. Move diagonally inside to attack the face, stomach, or groin
9. Move diagonally outside to attack the head or ribs

When moving forward, you can:

7. Skip step with the rear leg first (faster, less grounded than a push-step or reach-step)
8. High step over their leg to set up a sweep
9. High step to fake a kick or knee strike (or actually knee strike)
10. Cross back leg behind leading leg (can be used with a backfist, or to set up a step-behind side kick)
11. Move back leg past leading leg, and turn hips towards the stepping leg to shift your weight behind a reverse punch
 
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Kung Fu Wang

Kung Fu Wang

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I wonder how many people punch in the way you typically see in a Karate or Taekwondo form - where you step and punch with the same arm.
I'm looking from the angle of what do I need to train. In sparring, sometime your opponent moves back 1 step. If you step in, you can punch him. If you don't add footwork into your punch, your punch will be too short.
 

Gerry Seymour

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When you punch, you can

1. standing still.
2. move to the side.
3. move back.
4. move forward.
5. ...

When you move forward, you can

1. step in leading leg, back leg slide.
2. move back leg next to leading leg.
3. move back leg pass and in front of leading leg.
4. ...

Since your opponent is a moving object, you truly don't know what kind of footwork you will use to punch him. When you punch, you will need to train all different footwork.

What's your opinion on this.
I agree you don't know what you're going to need in a given moment. I try to practice both strikes and entries from multiple angles, steps, static (sort of), etc. I even work on delivering a punch while stepping away, in case I need that for getting back some control.
 

Gerry Seymour

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I wonder how many people punch in the way you typically see in a Karate or Taekwondo form - where you step and punch with the same arm. I see it in the forms a lot, but even in our advanced punch training at my TKD school, we resort to combos that are more like boxing, and done with that type of footwork. I can't recall ever seeing someone make that kind of punch in a real fight.

When punching, you can:

8. Move diagonally inside to attack the face, stomach, or groin
9. Move diagonally outside to attack the head or ribs

When moving forward, you can:

7. Skip step with the rear leg first (faster, less grounded than a push-step or reach-step)
8. High step over their leg to set up a sweep
9. High step to fake a kick or knee strike (or actually knee strike)
10. Cross back leg behind leading leg (can be used with a backfist, or to set up a step-behind side kick)
11. Move back leg past leading leg, and turn hips towards the stepping leg to shift your weight behind a reverse punch
I'm of the opinion that those motions are an exaggeration for training purposes. We can see what I think are clear examples of some of that exaggeration in both Chinese and Japanese arts. I have had folks disagree with me about that, and Buka recently posted about using a pretty traditional reverse punch on the job, so there may be something to those disagreements. Maybe that "starting point" is also a useful technique in some instances...just not in a sparring/squared-off fight context.
 

skribs

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I'm looking from the angle of what do I need to train. In sparring, sometime your opponent moves back 1 step. If you step in, you can punch him. If you don't add footwork into your punch, your punch will be too short.

But we've looked at 11 ways to move forward and punch. You can move forward and punch without using this version of move forward. I've seen people slide forward, jump forward, and move forward in a lot of different ways. I can't recall seeing the step-punch being used.
 
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Kung Fu Wang

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I can't recall seeing the step-punch being used.
Because most of the time, people give up when their opponents retreat back to far.

When I use a jab to set up a cross, if my opponent

- doesn't move back, I will punch my cross without moving my back leg.
- moves back a short distance, I will move my back leg next to my front leg when I punch with my cross.
- moves back farther that that, I will move my back leg forward in front of my front leg when I punch with my cross.
- moves back much farther than that, I will move in 2 steps, or even 3 steps for my cross.

Unfortunately in most of the form training, the footwork doesn't not cover all these situations. When I spar, I try to forget what I have learned from my form. Instead, My punch and my footwork totally depends on my opponent's footwork.

Is there any MA form that has this footwork? I haven't see one yet.

 
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Kung Fu Wang

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People may say, "Why do you want to punch someone who moves back?" My answer to that can be, "What if he just pokes one of your eyeballs out in his hand and you want to get it back?"
 

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When you punch, you can

1. standing still.
2. move to the side.
3. move back.
4. move forward.
5. ...

When you move forward, you can

1. step in leading leg, back leg slide.
2. move back leg next to leading leg.
3. move back leg pass and in front of leading leg.
4. ...

Since your opponent is a moving object, you truly don't know what kind of footwork you will use to punch him. When you punch, you will need to train all different footwork.

What's your opinion on this.
4: pivot. I like the balls of the feet, some like the k2 point or the heel. point the toes and the engine of destruction that is the hips must follow.

I prefer the ball because it's easier to

5: hop step. Push off the back foot so you land when your weight hits your front foot, to close distance and increase power when combined with 4:
 

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People may say, "Why do you want to punch someone who moves back?" My answer to that can be, "What if he just pokes one of your eyeballs out in his hand and you want to get it back?"

Kind of a silly answer. What do you suppose you're going to do with it if you get it back?
 

Monkey Turned Wolf

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People may say, "Why do you want to punch someone who moves back?" My answer to that can be, "What if he just pokes one of your eyeballs out in his hand and you want to get it back?"
What if he gets your nose? There's an epidemic of silly uncles stealing their nieces/nephews noses.
 
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Kung Fu Wang

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Take a look at most all karate katas. The timing and speed of the footwork isn't the same but it is the same stepping.
If one trains this footwork (running forward 10 steps and throw 10 punches) everyday, it will enhance his fighting skill big time.

IMO there are many skills that are worthwhile for our training time. This definitely is one of those.

 

Gerry Seymour

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If one trains this footwork (running forward 10 steps and throw 10 punches) everyday, it will enhance his fighting skill big time.

IMO there are many skills that are worthwhile for our training time. This definitely is one of those.

I agree, and apparently so do all striking styles - I've never seen one that didn't have multiple drills that involved repeated punches accompanied by repeated steps forward. The timing (as DD pointed out) is often not the same, but the repetition is there.
 

Danny T

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If one trains this footwork (running forward 10 steps and throw 10 punches) everyday, it will enhance his fighting skill big time.

IMO there are many skills that are worthwhile for our training time. This definitely is one of those.
Absolutely...I agree. However, I was replying specifically to your question in post #8 above; "Is there any MA form that has this footwork? I haven't see one yet."

That is why I often state forms/kata are cliff notes for the system. Memory minders.
Taking bits and pieces of the forms and drilling them with a partner at different speeds, different timings, different pressures, different attacks is very important. Form, Drills, Applications. All are important and often will be different.
 

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