deltron3030

I keep getting popped in my mouth/nose/eyes/etc because I keep dropping my hands, when I hit my cross, and on the right and left thai kicks. Does anyone have a solution to my problem? Any advice, suggestions, personal anecdotes would be great.

Thanks

Del

thescottishdude

your leading hand should be quite far away from your face, with yur second hand a reasonable distance infront of the centre of your face.

as for getting hit, the more you get hit for doing it the less youll drop those hands, that's the point of training. it happens to me.

Try evading if attacked, stepping backwards.

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Khun Kao

I disagree. I recommend that BOTH hands be kept tight against the head. Think about creating 'triangles' with your guard. Gotta see if I can find a picture of what I mean....



See how my student is holding his guard as he's setting up his kick? THAT is what you need to do!

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Khun Kao

And another... a live action shot of me in my last match. I'm the one with my back to the camera. See how I'm holding my guard.... (sorry its not that great of a picture, but you should be able to see how high & tight I'm keeping my hands)

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jeff5

I agree with Khun Kao. The other thing you can do Del is train in front of a mirror. Practice your cross and your kicks and pay special attention to your hand position. The only way its going to get better is if you drill it into your muscle memory to keep them up.

kwai chang pain

This is an interesting thread. When you say "triangles"...do you mean bring your elbow up over your head to block? I'm thinking I've seen Forrest Griffin do that a lot. It looks like it's pretty effective. Any down side to it?? Thanks.

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kwai chang pain

...."does" that a lot. Oops.

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GonzoStyles

this post brings back a fond memory! of Kru Pong (in Vegas, not the honorable Kru Pong from Houston) standing behind me while I hit the pads, he would smack me in the head with a small (1") piece of bamboo when I dropped my guard. Actually I owe alot to that piece of Bamboo it helped get my leg check up fast too! I learned very quickly to keep a tight high outside guard. Bringing your hands back fast & high is something to try and work on in all training aspects from shadow boxing to sparring IMO.

jeff5

No. Its the way you hold your hands when you fight. Both hands should be up and together or really close under your chin or in front of your face. Elbows should be tucked in to the body as much as possible. It forms a kind of triangle that way.

Khun Kao

kwai chang and jeff5....

actually, you're both right, in a way.

The normal guard, when viewed from the side of the boxer should create a kind of "triangle" If you look at the above picture I posted of my student preparing to kick the bag, his hand is on his head and his elbow is out in front, creating a rigid "triangle" structure.

When viewed from in front of a boxer, the forearms should be parallel with each other.

Many blocking techniques do use a raised elbow block. For instance, vs. a HOOK PUNCH, you would literally reach back and grab the back of your neck with your palm and keep your forearm/elbow tight against the side of your head.

The only real downside is that this style of guard places maximum protection on the head, which "can" expose the body to attack. Defense of the lower body should be a combination of movement, counter-attacks (such as the Push Kick), and the raised knee block.

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commandos

watch million dollar baby , she commit an error of hand and her trainer tell her how to fix it

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EmptyneSs

what is the advantage of keeping your guard like a triangle?

i personally keep my lead hand a bit in front so i can get maximum reach on my jab, and be able to counter attack while protecting my face with m right hand if needed.

Khun Kao

The advantage is the strength of the guard. It is a very RIGID/SOLID block. You are less apt to have your opponents attack slip through at an angle to catch you.

If you think about it, there is no position to hold your hand that will affect the reach of your jab. The reach of your jab is the reach of your jab, no matter where you throw it from. What determines the reach of your jab is your arm length, your footwork, and the position of your torso. You will have the same reach on your jab even if you leave it down by your side ala Muhammed Ali.

On the other hand, your mention of counter-attacking does play a role, not so much that there is a particular defensive position that is better for counter-attacking over another, but just that you have already developed your own style to how you defend and attack.

I am not trying to say that the guard I am speaking of is the only correct one. It is simply the one that I recommend the most, especially for beginners as they are trying to learn the sport. After you learn to hold your guard as I speak of, then later on you can (and are ENCOURAGED to!) adapt your own personal style.

I originally learned to hold my guard in a less rigid position. Guard was still high but the triangle structure was not emphasized. I trained and fought that way for many years. But over the last year of fights and my training since that time, I have fully converted to the "Triangle Guard" because I really like how it has positively affected my ability to defend and counter.

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http://khunkao.com/

EmptyneSs

well the position of your hand doesnt effect your reach, but the position of your shoulders do. if your lead shoulder is more in front than the power shoulder, your going to have more reach on your jab than if your lead shoulder was even with your other one right? you wont have as much reach being squared up than you would if had your lead elbow in line with your lead leg and your lead shoulder was more in front than your other one. but then again you know more than me, i havent competed in any matches, nor am i at that level.

seppuku

I think that is probably the position of the torso Khun Kao was referring to. If i've misunderstood someone more experienced will be likely to correct me