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I just started training in Thai Boxing (since October 2000) after having trained in Taekwondo and boxing for a few years. I have caugh on quick, but I still have a few bad habits that carried over from my TKD days. My main problem appears to be that I don't follow through with my round kicks good enough. I stop the kicks as it gets in the power zone and retract it (sometimes a little awkwardly). I strike the Thai pads fast (a GOOD by product of my TKD days) and hard. Still I can't seem to manage good follow through in sparring. What is a good way to improve my follow through? Also, any suggestions as to good ways to work my footwork for switch kicks and stepping forward front thigh kicks?
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Hungrywolf21, why don't you follow through? I've had a problem with committing before because, I just feel like kicking can sometimes be a little more risky to the kicker if he doesn't have good timing and his opponent trains hard for it. Than I've also seen other people that need to work on their body mechanics. It seems you said that you hit the pads with good mechanics though. -
Come to think of it, I think that it may be that I do not fully commit to the kicks that I throw in sparring. It may not be that I lack follow through at all.Comment
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My Thaiboxing instuctor (although these days I hardly ever have time to train with him) always emphasized taking your knee passed the target to achieve good follow through. I don't know much about Thaiboxing though.Comment
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It may be a case of just unlearning your TKD.When i say unlearning i really mean just getting comfortable with the thai kick.But each time you spar try to improve your machanics.What i like to do is just leg spar that way i dont have to worry about getting smashed with a cross (I know iknow drop your head to the side -ha).But seriously it lowers the intensity a bit,so know one gets hurt plus lets you work effectivly with a limited but live resisting opp.
bring your shoulder with you!
pivot your foot to open hip!
lower elevation!
keep your hand up high !
Hope that helps! later wuComment
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Wu, when you guys do leg sparring, do you limit what the guy on the recieving end does as a defense. I was thinking about this as well, but it would seem that there would be no way to set up the kicks, because the other guy is only expecting kicks and you might get your leg hurt. Than again, without the punches, alot of guys might be alot braver with their kicks this way, too, because the exclusion of punches. How do you find this affects the way you train?
Something that we've been doing is leg sparring plus adding only the lead jab to keep the other guy from being a really brave kicker. Might not be so different though. How do your guys leg sparring workouts usually run?Comment
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Hey Chad!
WE do both ,no hands & light hands ,the no hands does limit your set up possibilities,but for me it adds the "drawing"of the partners kick so you can counter.The no hands is very good for my begining students because thier not going hard an are working on thier form.The no hands techniques that come out when we spar are limited as compared with the light hands,but i use it to get them use to a resisting partner & moving at the same time as working on their form .When some of my students glove up the get a little gun shy so i like to start them out with leg sparring!
my progression is flexable but usually goes like this
-leg sparring-evade only
-leg sparring-shield only
-leg sparring-evade & footjab (long &short)
-leg sparring-shield & footjab (at this time they usually have a hard time sticking to the limitations of the drill!)
-leg sparring-all def & counters
-sparring jab -any kick
-jab hook (lead hand)-any kick
-jab hook uppercut (lead hand) any kick
-then heavy right hand -any kick
after that thier going at it pretty good depending on the student,i have some guys that dont make it through the progression bcuz thier ready to go !Others like to go through it bcuz it makes them think an apply combos the may not have bcuz of personal preferances etc.
I like it bcuz you can train all day & not get hurt.(we wear shin pads & haed gear). Hope it helps!wu
P.S Sorry i missed you when i was in Kauwai(formally chaos)that the name of my new gym .Hows the grappling going?
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Wu, it makes sense that the leg only sparring would be their base and show them their mechanics of certain defenses and evasions. I liked your progression, and will work it. I'll let you know how the guys like it. Who'd you train with, the isolated progression style is one that I like and try to utilize alot with the striking especially when trying to get people comfortable that we are going to be in motion.Comment
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My thai boxing instructor is Master/Ajarn Chai Sirisute.I try to train with him as much as i can bcuz i really like the thai ,i use a lot of it .
I m an instructor under Guru Dan inosanto in the jun fan & kali i train with him a lot .I train my grappling with Erik Paulson & J.J. machado(Erik mostly)
I live in Mayberry (with Barney &Aunt bee)so i have to travel alot to get the training i want.
I have a small school (very small)but it gives me extra cash & a couple of hard core guys to train with& the rest pay the bills an get to have some fun doing it .
let me know how the guys like it. later wuComment
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That does sound like a good progression. HungryWolf, I also started out in TKD and it is a little scary to give full commitment to the Thai kick after using the TKD kick which is more like a boxing jab (little commitment). At least it was for me! Especially the first time I was sparring full contact with a friend I know can hit really hard and I missed a round kick. As I was spinning back to guard, I just knew a left hook would be there to greet me but he didn't have time to get in.
The leg sparring idea is good. I've been working with my brother while he's staying at my place and leg sparring seemed a good way to get him accustomed to kicking. He had not done any training before. He's got a decent handle on using his hands now, but when we started allowing kicks (we started out just hands), he had a very hard time getting in on me. Since we have been doing kick sparring his technique and commitment are getting better.
Wu, we have been using almost only evade so far but not by any particular agreement! I think your progression will be good for us because it will force us to work the different defenses.
HungryWolf, it's been easier for me to agressively do kick footwork during leg sparring because you have less to worry about during the fight. Also, I don't know if you've ever done any FMA (kali, arnis, eskrima), but the triangular footwork lends itself well to Thai kick structure, IMHO. I often practice reverse triangle (it's kind of like doing a switch kick but actually moving off at that angle) with round kicks.
Thanks for the ideas, guys.Comment
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James and I have been doing some leg sparring-can only attack with the legs, but can use hands to help block/parry. Training this with a sumbrada flavor than upping the intesity. Pretty nice.
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