Will you circle toward your opponent's back arm?

[Kung Fu Wang]

When you circle around your opponent, most of the time you will move away from your opponent's back arm. This way, his back arm can't reach you. You only have to deal with his leading arm.

In this clip, he circles in both direction. For what reason that you will circle toward your opponent's back arm? Your thought?

 

[JR 137]

If you move to the same spot every time, it’s only a matter of time until your opponent knows where and when you’ll be you’ll be in that spot.

If I know my opponent is going to circle toward my left hand every time, I’ll throw a fake to have him step into a hard left hook. Having the opponent walk into a strike multiplies the force pretty nicely.

When you’re defending, you have to “get out” in different directions so as to not be predictable. Never let your opponent know where you’re going to be. Circling away from their power shots is preferable, but not at the expense of being completely predictable.

 

[drop bear]

If they throw a cross. I will slip towards it sometimes. And then circle from there.

 

[Gerry Seymour]

Adding to what folks have already said...

I don't always maintain the same stance (in boxing terms, I switch between orthodox and southpaw). Many folks I've sparred against also do not. In those cases, there's no consistent "back arm". I pick the direction of movement for what it opens up. When punches are actually flying, I'm unlikely to move to their back arm (most folks don't switch stances while in an exchange unless they have to pivot, and mostly not even then), because I have to move into their power zone. Unless I can close the distance and get to grappling/clinch.

 

[skribs]

When you circle around your opponent, most of the time you will move away from your opponent's back arm. This way, his back arm can't reach you. You only have to deal with his leading arm.

In this clip, he circles in both direction. For what reason that you will circle toward your opponent's back arm? Your thought?

Reasons I can see:

• You want to get inside their guard
• You want to clinch
• You want to execute a throw that works better from inside leverage
• There is another person to his lead side so you move to his strong side to isolate him
• Your opponent has been throwing a lot of back kicks or spinning elbows
• There is a barrier to your opponents lead side that prevents moving that way
• The way you blocked or grabbed your opponent is better that way
• Your opponent throws punches or kicks where if you stepped toward the lead side you'd be inside the power arc, but if you step to the strong side you're out of the power arc

 

[Danny T]

In the video coach Marvin Cook is discussing boxing against another boxer in a boxing environment. There is a time and place for everything. The foot placement is not good vs a kicker or a wrestler.

 

[Ivan]

It deoends I guess. I always circle toward the direction of my back hand. My Krav Maga coach told me that I should never circle in the direction in which I have no line of sight, so I follow that. I never really consider my opponent's arms or legs when it comes to circling them.

 

[Kung Fu Wang]

When you circle away from your opponent back arm, you will have the following advantages:

1. His back arm can't reach you.
2. It's easy to guide his leading arm to jam his own back arm.
3. If you can line up your back foot with his feet, when you move in, his leading leg will always be under your attacking range.

For a wrestler, 3 is very important.

 

[skribs]

When you circle away from your opponent back arm, you will have the following advantages:

1. His back arm can't reach you.
2. It's easy to guide his leading arm to jam his own back arm.
3. If you can line up your back foot with his feet, when you move in, his leading leg will always be under your attacking range.

For a wrestler, 3 is very important.

And if I am the other guy...

1. I can use my right leg to side kick into your groin, knee, or gut pretty well from that angle.
2. I can follow you in the circle and I am now outside.
3. I can pivot with my left leg and throw a spinning chop or elbow

The Hapkido I've taken and some of the Krav I've seen has defenses against attackers from the side or from the rear. Taking outside leverage isn't an automatic win. Taking inside leverage has plenty of advantages, too, such as better leverage for throws, easier ability to clinch or box out strikes, and easier ability to strike to the vitals (groin, solarplexus, face, throat).

 

[CB Jones]

My son fights southpaw, so against right handers he will move toward the back hand before throwing sidekicks or spinning back/side kick. He will also throw a couple combos that way to keep opponent guessing.

Against other lefties he will move that way and throw front roundhouse kicks to the head

 

[marques]

When you circle around your opponent, most of the time you will move away from your opponent's back arm. This way, his back arm can't reach you. You only have to deal with his leading arm.

In this clip, he circles in both direction. For what reason that you will circle toward your opponent's back arm? Your thought?

I have skimmed other answers and I have not much to add. I do for:

- Do not be that obvious (2 sides, back and forward... rather 1 move all the time).
- Taking advantage of a moment. May be actually the best option (ropes, wall, opponent not in position to strike you...).
- When the opponent is good, hardly any straight movement works. I zig zag, hoping he is still turning to one side when I want to go to the other. Eventually, I end up being on either side.

Just reinforcing (telling the same) other answers.

 

[Dirty Dog]

It deoends I guess. I always circle toward the direction of my back hand. My Krav Maga coach told me that I should never circle in the direction in which I have no line of sight, so I follow that. I never really consider my opponent's arms or legs when it comes to circling them.

If you always do anything... congrats. You're predictable. Probably not the best thing to be.

 

[Ivan]

If you always do anything... congrats. You're predictable. Probably not the best thing to be.

I would rather be predictable, and be able to see where I was going, rather than unpredictable and regularly being unaware of my surroundings.

 

[JR 137]

I would rather be predictable, and be able to see where I was going, rather than unpredictable and regularly being unaware of my surroundings.

If you’re predictable, I know where you’ll be, every time. And I’ll throw something for you to walk into, every time.

Then again, that’ll make me somewhat predictable too

 

[Dirty Dog]

I would rather be predictable, and be able to see where I was going, rather than unpredictable and regularly being unaware of my surroundings.

Do you have some sort of physical issue that prevents you from knowing what's going on around you?

 

[Ivan]

Do you have some sort of physical issue that prevents you from knowing what's going on around you?

I tunnel vision a lot. I'm working on it.

 

[Dirty Dog]

I tunnel vision a lot. I'm working on it.

Work on being unpredictable as well.

 

[Ivan]

Work on being unpredictable as well.

Thanks will do

 

[skribs]

It depends if it's a street fight or a cage match. In a match, where you've gone in a lot and there's plenty of tape to watch on you, then being "predictable" is a huge problem.

Most street fights will be over before predictability becomes an issue.

 

[wab25]

Lots of good answers here. I only had one that I didn't see...

If you know the other guy likes to throw the reverse punch, and you have a good counter to his reverse punch... then you can circle towards his back hand, to draw out that punch for you to counter. Its a way to make the other guy predictable.