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How to Beat a Constant Ducker

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How to Beat a Constant Ducker

Fighting a guy that’s constantly ducking under can be the most annoying thing ever.

First off, it’s annoying just to miss. But to miss again and again because some bull keeps running his head into your balls is frustrating. Some of them are using every chance to duck out of the fight and clinch you around the waist. Others are constantly positioning themselves in a way that makes it hard for you to hit. It feels kind of dirty and it’s actually against the rules to duck that low.

The most difficult is when it’s a trickster with tons of slick head movement and pinpoint counters (think Pernell Whitaker). The scariest is when it’s a muscular stocky guy who creeps in with hard counters (think Mike Tyson).

I’ve fought all kinds of duckers before and to be honest, I’ve even played the part myself. 🙂 I’ve figured out a few tactics that have worked well for me over the years and definitely dissuaded them from doing it as frequently.

Here’s how you stop the ducker…
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How to Choose Your Fighting Style

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How to Choose Your Fighting Style

How do you develop the best fighting style for yourself?

I’ve had somebody ask me, “How do you choose your fighting style?” and I find it to be an interesting question. Because honestly…you don’t really get to choose your fighting style. You have to adapt to the game and do whatever it takes to win. So in a sense…if your goal is to win…your style will evolve to whatever it needs to be in order for you to win or survive in your combat environment.

Your fighting style should come to you naturally, evolving over the years as you jump through the hoops. What’s important is making sure that you go through these natural steps and growing pains to give yourself (and your style) the best chance to evolve into a fully malleable  and adaptable fighting style.

Here are the 7 stages of natural fighting style development:
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10 SIMPLE Fighting Tips

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fighting-tips

The best advice is often the simplest advice.

Life is complex. So are techniques, skills, instructions, and many other things. After all the training you’ve done (or haven’t done)…the last thing you need is more things to confuse your brain and distract you from using your most natural weapon, INSTINCT.

So here are 10 easy tips to help you focus on the fight (and not the instructions):
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Healing from an Athletic Injury

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Healing from an Athletic Injury

I turn 31 this year and it’s time to admit a few things about my body.

This article couldn’t have come at a more perfect time. Not every athlete wants to hear it but it is the truth. And even the lucky ones, who have been able to offset their athletic declines through improved technique will never be able to reverse time. As a lifelong athlete and competitor at the highest levels, there are some painful truths I have to face in the mirror.

The truth is:

  • My body is not what it was 10 years ago.
  • I am closer to 40 than I am to 20.
  • I am not as invincible as I used to be.
  • I will one day have to quit my sport (at least at the high level or risk hurting my quality of life).

Haha… was that too dramatic? Am I being too-emotional or overly sensitive about my age and declining physical outputs?

While certain things such as strength can improve with age, actually…power, speed, and many other things do not. I am certain that I don’t carry the same raw power and speed I used to have. My technique does make up for it but I know I’m not the same as before.

One thing that is for certain…my body requires more care and maintenance. Better nutrition, better rest, better caution. And finally…there is the reality of injury. For many people who don’t use their body to its full limit, having an injury means not being able to do something for a week. But to an athlete, an injury is a loss of freedom, loss of power to enjoy life and even a loss of identity. While the pain that accompanies an injury can be relieved either through painkillers, or like some may prefer, through medical or recreational cannabis (visit the west coast cannabis website to know more), the impact may as well last forever. Imagine taking away the vision of a painter. I imagine all injured athletes feel like painters who have tragically lost their vision.

I don’t even know what’s worse. Losing the function entirely or regaining the function but not at full capacity. It is a nightmare for the athlete! Dreams are over. Reality sets in. And you don’t know what to do with yourself anymore. (In fact, one of the reasons I started dancing was to give my body a break from all the strenuous boxing activity.)

Well this article is about reality. The painful truths. And it is also about hope.
Believe it or not…science and the miracle of the human body is on your side.
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10 Arm Endurance Exercises for Boxing

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10 Arm Endurance Exercises for Boxing

How do you prevent your arms from getting tired?

I’m often asked, “How do I improve my arm endurance? My shoulders get tired of throwing punches and holding up my gloves. I feel like I have natural endurance but not in my arms.”

Indeed, having tired arms can make it impossible to win a boxing match. You’ll see many countering opportunities but your arms will be too slow to get there and too slow to do any damage even if it did.

 

But what can you do?

  • The answer is easy: change your technique, do some exercises, and change your fighting strategy.

Let’s get to it…
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Winning Your First Pro Fight

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Winning Your First Pro Fight

Crucial tips for getting your first win.

After spending last Saturday supporting some friends at their pro fight, I’ve come to the realization of some important details when it comes to winning your very first professional boxing match. I saw several debuts and took notice of the way they prepared themselves, carried themselves, acted in the ring before the fight, and of course…their techniques and strategy during the fight. I could see very easily what worked and what didn’t work.

It goes without saying that preparation is key. Your natural ability, skill, and training have a large part to do with winning. But there are also other factors that you may not have considered that can make a huge impact on your success.
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4 Traits of the Best Teachers

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Traits of the Best Teachers

What separates the great teachers from the average?

  • Is it their technique?
  • Their training methods?
  • Their fighting accomplishments?
  • An ability to understand students?

I’ve noticed that in many gyms, the average student is well…average. Everyone is learning the right technique and doing the right training and yet the number of champions created are few and far between. And then there are the other gyms that seem more like talent factories, producing champions year after year after year.

It’s been several years now that I’ve been not only a student in my craft, but also a teacher. Fortunately, I’ve always been surrounded by amazing boxing trainers, but it’s just now that I’m really starting to notice the subtle differences in the philosophies of a great teacher from those of an average teacher.

I share 4 traits of the best teachers I know today:
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Muhammad Ali Boxing Footwork Technique

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Muhammad Ali Boxing Footwork Technique

Muhammad Ali was one of boxing’s greatest footwork skill-sets ever on display.

“Float like a butterfly and sting like a bee” was the mantra of boxing’s self-proclaimed “The Greatest”. And float he did. The legendary Ali bounced, shuffled, jumped, dashed, slid, pivoted, cut, and ran his way into the boxing hall-of-fame with his graceful footwork. Very few could move as effortlessly and poetically as he did.

But Ali’s footwork was more than just aesthetic flash, there was also substance. Beyond the flowing grace and elegance of his movements, with the incredible balance, power, speed, and stability. Imagine the power of a battleship combined with the precision of a figure-skater. It was indeed repeated again and again that his footwork was the best in history.

What does it take to develop Ali’s amazing footwork?

How were his footwork techniques different from everyone else? And more importantly, how does changing the way you look at footwork change your fighting technique overall?
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7 Deadly Bait Punch Combinations

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Deadly Bait Punch Combinations

Bait combos are my way of setting up nasty counters.

It’s very simple: I throw a few punches, wait for the expected counter, and then I come back with my own counter. These have been tried and tested against all kinds of opponents. They work against all kinds of opponents – fast, slow, tall, short, skilled, unskilled. The more aggressive the opponent, the better. 🙂

Best of all you will learn not only how to set up opponents, but you will also develop your own awareness for opponent reactions. And with these newly refined reflexes, you can do SO much more.

Let’s get to the bait combos, shall we?
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Controlling Range and Rhythm

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Controlling Range and Rhythm

Establishing your range is crucial in boxing.

Finding the range is often talked about in the art of boxing. You hear people comment all the time on how someone “has great range” or “knows how to get in and out of range” or “controls the fight”.

But what does controlling the range or finding the range really mean? Some people see it as using the jab and having great footwork. But I think it’s more than that. Controlling the range also has to do with controlling the pace. It’s more than having great endurance and great footwork. It’s about finding an interval that fits best with your fighting rhythm.

There are a few more things you have to understand to [hopefully] make it your fight…
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