Nerdcore Boxing

I used to have this strange affliction that if I was training I had to be working 10 hrs/week, in tip-top condition and sparring at every opportunity. I think I finally learned how to take it easy without disappearing completely.

I just got done with a period of many months where I took it easy fitness and sparring-wise. Instead I focused more on film study, re-working body mechanics and new skills. Despite massive strides in the skills and knowledge department, I felt guilty for it.

You can’t train 100% 12 months a year! You need to cycle, and that’s what I was doing. I’m a better boxer for it. Now I go into my fitness/sparring cycle and this is what I’m bringing with me:

• Punching power in both hands. I sit down on my punches, I’m bending the knees, my power is light years ahead of my pre-layoff power.
• A fast, dynamic and powerful left hook. I used to just throw it only in the inside, or just tack it on the end of a jab-cross, not anymore. Hook off the jab, counter hook, left hook to the body, a whole ‘nother dimension.
• Footwork. I’m fast, mobile and my lateral movement is excellent. I float for god sake! My trainer is really liking the difference.
• Head movement. It used to be rythmic side-to-side, now it’s random in more directions. It’s more calculated, more controlled and with better balance.
• Boxing IQ through the roof.

I’m feeling good, hungry and ready to step it up to the next level.

I was on the edge of my seat watching Shogun Rua actually give current light-heavyweight champion Lyoto “The Dragon” Machida a fight, which really says a lot about the mystique Lyoto Machida has developed. Machida, often touted as the man to save Karate, was undefeated and hadn’t even lost a single round in his UFC career. Lyoto was touted as the least hit fighter in UFC history.

Machida is a familiar sight to the boxing crowd, a mobile, elusive outside fighter with great defenses. I’m talking about a Willie Pep, Pernell “Sweet Pea” Whitaker, Mohommed Ali type. Unlike boxing though, the octogon is gigantic and there are no “corners” to cut off, making this style even more effective. It’s really amazing no one tried this approach before Machida. I think the MMA and Muay Thai brawling culture caused a gross oversight, but I think we’ll see a lot more guys fighting like this in the future.

Shogun vs. Machida was a classic Muay Thai vs. Karate fight. I can’t recall a time when so many kicks and so few punches were thrown in an MMA title fight. My heart rate rose as Shogun battered the once invisible champ until his body was covered in welts and his legs were batter leaving Machida with a small but ever present limp. The antidote to Machida is the same medicine you give an elusive and mobile boxing opponent, focus a beating on parts of the body which are less elusive and sap mobility in later rounds. In MMA that means hit ‘em in the body and legs.

I scored the fight 4-1 for Shogun. The two friends I watched it with scored the fight 4-1 or 3-2 also for Shogun. When Machida was announced the winner, it was probably the most controversial decision in the history of UFC title fights. I would be angry, but the UFC’s so well managed they’ve already announced an immediate rematch. Yet another lesson boxing should take from MMA.

While boxing is talking lessons, the UFC’s light heavyweight division is the most competitive in MMA. A division where top guys are always facing off for the one and only belt. As a result the belt changes hands several times each year, no champ has had a true title defense since Chuck Liddell did several years ago.**

Notes: ** I’m counting Rampage’s win over Dan Henderson as a Pride/UFC unification therefore not a title defense in a strict sense.

Here’s a fascinating 94 second video of Mike Tyson getting knocked down during sparring. The sparring session is during Tyson’s training camp and within weeks of his shocking loss to Buster Douglas. At the time of the clip Mike Tyson had never been knocked down in competition.

Greg Page is the sparring partner in the video. Greg counters Mike Tyson’s famous left hook with a right hook of his own. If you repeatedly rewind and watch the slow mo’ replay from 55-1:01, you can see Greg Page has figured out one of Tyson’s “tells.” When Tyson steps forward loading up on the lead leg, Page anticipates and counters with a short right hook. It’s a very slick and a very tough counter to pull off.

Greg Page later became heavyweight champ of the world. Unfortunately he recently passed away in April 2009.

A bonus tidbit, Oliver McCall is another sparring partner that knocked Tyson down. In this case Tyson was helping out Oliver McCall in his training camp leading up to McCall’s victory over Lennox Lewis.

I’ve got to start training more frequently. I’ve kind of fell into a pattern where I’m casually training without sparring and without building fitness or other attributes. It’s kind of a lazy training schedule, where I study film, work on “cool” stuff or mostly new skills, new punches, tweaking defense, new body mechanics, etc.

It doesn’t feel like I’m slacking because my boxing knowledge is rising dramatically and I’m adding weapons and tools to the ol’ toolbox. Yet, I can’t do this forever, or I’ll just become a massive underachiever with nothing to show for all my years of hard work and knowledge.

I keep saying, let me just finish polishing this one last skill then I’ll start training for real. But then I find something new and interesting to work on. Realistically without some sparring I can’t say if my skill development will translate into reality or not. I guess this post is my way of committing to some sparring next week.

When I’m training hard and staying sharp I’m a pretty decent combination puncher. I was helping out a new boxer with some suggestions on how not to get countered during combos, I’d thought I’d post it here:

1. Keep Them Snappy – Snap back your punches FAST, and bring them back on the path you threw them (don’t drop it on the return path).

2. Maintain Defensive Guard – Return each punch back to your defensive guard. It’s easy to get sloppy during a combo and drop your hand, stick out your chin, or throw a punch before the last one was retracted. When you practice in the mirror you should be able to take a snapshot and see your shoulder shielding your tucked chin and your non-punching hand high with the elbow in.

3. Pick Punches Carefully – Start with a proper lead punch, generally a jab, but sometimes a left hook. Make sure you chain together appropriate punches. Study the battle tested punch combos, throwing them in the wrong order can open up defensive holes.

4. Final Punch Choice Is Also Key – People usually get countered after the combo is done, so finish a combo with a punch that’s difficult to counter: a high lead hand. Meaning either a jab or left hook.

5. Move Your Noggin’ Upon Completion – Do a bob or v-slip right after the last punch in the combo.

6. When Done, Don’t Just Stand There – Exit to the side with a pivot or bump/waltz/cut the corner/whatever your trainer calls the right side exit. If you must exit straight back, cover your tracks with jabs.

7. Rapid Fire or Get Back Fire – Besides being countered at the end of combos, you’ll also get countering in the middle. Fire them rapidly. You need to be able to chain punches on a 1/2 beat, no 1 or 2 beat combos.

If I see a guy throwing 1 or 2 beat combo in the gym, I guarantee he’s a Heavy Bag Warrior that’s never sparred. If you can’t fire a jab, right hook to body, left hook to head in a ratta-tat-tat fashion on the bag, there’s not much point on trying it in the ring.

8. Keep Your Head Moving – Each punch lends to a side-to-side head movement. Throw in some bobs and v-slips too.

9. Not Too Many Punches – It is definitely possible to chain together too many punches. Is it because you start getting sloppy, or your opponent wises up? I don’t know… But 2-5 punches is a good number. I’ve repeatedly landed 6 punch combos against amateurs in the Open Class, but I probably shouldn’t have tried.

10. Avoid Loopy Inept Punches – Try to avoid hooks that just land on your opponent’s guard. If you’re throwing a wide punch that ain’t landing, expect a knuckle sammich delivered right down the pipe.

So in my last post I talked about my new knee bending plan and some results from getting my lead knee to bend more.

Once I got my rear knee dropped down a few inches even more benefits opened up. Having those few extra inches of loaded spring allows me to more rapidly fire a right when on the move, and boy, my right hand power shot up. I’m super happy about the power increase, both in my straight right and overhand.

My left hook power also grew on bending the rear knee too. Locking it out apparently causes my right leg to work against the power my left leg generates.

Changing your stance can be tricky, you kind of have to relearn everything from the new stance, and it can take a while. I was please this only took a handful of hours to adjust my balance. I did need some more (different?) leg endurance moving side to side. For some reason I was worried it would throw off my head movement but moving my head from my lower stance is perfectly natural and actually a bit easier.