How do you organize strikes in your system?

skribs

Grandmaster
I'm curious to see how others organize striking in their system. This is a two-part question:
  1. How are strikes categorized and sub-categorized in your system? (i.e. straight vs. looping punches, body vs. head, etc.).
  2. What are the milestones in which students learn new categories or concepts, and which ones are introduced at each level?
For example, do you have beginners learn straight and looping punches; intermediates learn short, medium, and long range versions of each; and advanced learn niche variations? Do you have white belts learn basic punches, yellow belts learn hammerfists, green belts learn elbow strikes (and so on)?

In my experience, it's very easy to build a curriculum progression for kicks, in that more advanced kicks tend to have prerequisites. Basic body kicks precede spinning kicks, jumping kicks, and head kicks, which precede jump spinning kicks and spinning head kicks, which precede jump spinning head kicks. But hand techniques, elbows, and knee strikes largely don't have prerequisites. I'm curious how others place them in the curriculum.
 
I like the following punch training order.

1. jab
2. cross
3. hook
4. vertical back fist
5. uppercut
6. overhand
7. horizontal back fist
8. hammer fist

because

1. Jab set up cross.
2. Jab set up hook.
3. Hook set up back fist.
4. Hook set up uppercut.
5. Uppercut set up overhand.
6. ...
 
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I'm curious to see how others organize striking in their system. This is a two-part question:
  1. How are strikes categorized and sub-categorized in your system? (i.e. straight vs. looping punches, body vs. head, etc.).
  2. What are the milestones in which students learn new categories or concepts, and which ones are introduced at each level?
For example, do you have beginners learn straight and looping punches; intermediates learn short, medium, and long range versions of each; and advanced learn niche variations? Do you have white belts learn basic punches, yellow belts learn hammerfists, green belts learn elbow strikes (and so on)?

In my experience, it's very easy to build a curriculum progression for kicks, in that more advanced kicks tend to have prerequisites. Basic body kicks precede spinning kicks, jumping kicks, and head kicks, which precede jump spinning kicks and spinning head kicks, which precede jump spinning head kicks. But hand techniques, elbows, and knee strikes largely don't have prerequisites. I'm curious how others place them in the curriculum.
I have a 10 count basic punch sequence that everyone learns first.
1. Flat punch
2. Vertical punch
3. Uppercut
4. Roundhouse
5. Back knuckle roundhouse
6. Overhead
7. Hanging punch
8. Chopping hammer
9. Lifting punch
10. Circling knuckle punch
After that there are doubles and triples
After that there are 4 jabs, hooks, and up to 6 piece combos.
After that there are all the open hand and elbow variations from those original 10 punches.
There are also punch/kick combos, but I frame that with the kicking curriculum.
That’s the punch format for the basic classes.
 
I teach reverse punching from a horse stance to focus on the front two knuckles as the striking point.

Then I move to a step or slide forward jab as their first moving punch, again focusing on the front two knuckles

Then I teach a right cross and overhand right, focusing on the front two knuckles.

Then, and I know this will sound odd, I teach every strike we have as well as their variations - all at the same time.
 
I teach reverse punching from a horse stance to focus on the front two knuckles as the striking point.

Then I move to a step or slide forward jab as their first moving punch, again focusing on the front two knuckles

Then I teach a right cross and overhand right, focusing on the front two knuckles.

Then, and I know this will sound odd, I teach every strike we have as well as their variations - all at the same time.
I teach all of my 10 basic punches as reverse punches. I teach them all from static horse and moving horse. We dive them in on day one.
 
In the long fist system, the leading arm punch (such as jab) is trained before the back arm punch (such as cross) for the following reasons:

- Leading arm has longer reach than the back arm.
- Leading arm can cover more angles.
- Back arm punch can be jammed by your own leading arm.
- Back arm punch can expose your center.





 
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In my experience, it's very easy to build a curriculum progression for kicks, in that more advanced kicks tend to have prerequisites. Basic body kicks precede spinning kicks, jumping kicks, and head kicks, which precede jump spinning kicks and spinning head kicks, which precede jump spinning head kicks. But hand techniques, elbows, and knee strikes largely don't have prerequisites. I'm curious how others place them in the curriculum.
I feel it is much the same for strikes as your comments above. The more complex strikes are taught at higher ranks or time training. Chaining strikes comes to mind.
Build the prerequisites based around all the single strikes. If you are hung on location/direction of strikes break them down as such.

That said, strikes are just like any other part of the MA's. You learn them by live practice. Mess up, try again. Mess up again, try again, Successful strike, do it again until it feels natural.
 
Boxing combos from right & left leads. Good body motion. For the most part.

Jab
Cross
Hook
Step out hook
Upper cut
Overhand
Straight blast (WC type)

For knife defense from the open side, our standard initial hit is a is a reverse chop to neck followed by elbows.

For knife defense from the backhand side usually elbow to face or ribs.
 
  1. How are strikes categorized and sub-categorized in your system?
It's better to train punch combos than to train single punch. This will force a student to think 1 , 2 or even 3 steps ahead - how to use 1 punch to set up another punch.

The following are basic punch combos:

1. low hook, middle hook, high hook (same arm).
2. low hook, high hook (same arm), hook.
3. jab, jab, cross.
4. jab, cross, jab.
5. ...
 
I'm curious to see how others organize striking in their system. This is a two-part question:
  1. How are strikes categorized and sub-categorized in your system? (i.e. straight vs. looping punches, body vs. head, etc.).
  2. What are the milestones in which students learn new categories or concepts, and which ones are introduced at each level?
For example, do you have beginners learn straight and looping punches; intermediates learn short, medium, and long range versions of each; and advanced learn niche variations? Do you have white belts learn basic punches, yellow belts learn hammerfists, green belts learn elbow strikes (and so on)?

In my experience, it's very easy to build a curriculum progression for kicks, in that more advanced kicks tend to have prerequisites. Basic body kicks precede spinning kicks, jumping kicks, and head kicks, which precede jump spinning kicks and spinning head kicks, which precede jump spinning head kicks. But hand techniques, elbows, and knee strikes largely don't have prerequisites. I'm curious how others place them in the curriculum.
My system has a basic kihon list of hand techniques: stepping lead punch, reverse punch, uppercut and hook punch, fore and back knife hands, spearhand thrust, vertical backfist, front and rear elbows. No special categorization and these make up most all our hand weapons. All are taught within the first few months and are executed following similar general principles.

In forms that introduce techniques in a progressive step-by-step method it makes sense to teach the basics in a similar method. Older traditional kata are not like this, each being almost an entire fighting method unto itself, so such categorization and progressive teaching of techniques makes less sense. The line between basic and advanced becomes blurry and is applicable to execution quality and footwork rather than the technique itself.
 
Whatever.
I might throw a jab i might throw a cross. I might throw a hook.

It just depends how I am feeling
No I mean for teaching rank beginner people. Do you have a set you teach them or an order of learning? Just curious. Everybody is different. You can learn strikes any number of ways.
 
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