I need help with finding a new fighting stance

[Oni_Kadaki]

And it might be entirely an issue with me. I didn't practice many of my kicks out of hanmi for a long time, so I might simply have habits in my kicks that don't work well with that stance. For instance, when I try to do a rear-leg front kick (others might call it a "straight kick") from hammi, it has too much rotation in it.

Makes sense, seeing as the rear leg is directly behind the front leg. Hamni acts pretty similarly to a cat stance from many systems though, and cat stance is good for kicking with the front leg (again, depending on your weight distribution).

 

[Gerry Seymour]

Makes sense, seeing as the rear leg is directly behind the front leg. Hamni acts pretty similarly to a cat stance from many systems though, and cat stance is good for kicking with the front leg (again, depending on your weight distribution).

Yeah, in the mainline NGA curriculum, there are 9 kicks (I think I'm counting those right). Only 2 are from the front leg (one snap kick, one roundhouse kick). So when I think of kicks from hanmi, I cringe. I expect those with more front-leg kicks (or at least better ones) might find it less restrictive.

 

[Kung Fu Wang]

describing some fighting stances for me to try,

Don't stand still and wait for your opponent to attack. You should not think about stance but footwork.

Old saying said, "Even if you can't find any opening to attack, as long as you keep moving, soon or later you will find opening to attack."

One of my favor foot work is to move my back foot to line up with my opponent's both feet. If I can get to that spot, my opponent's back hand can not reach me at that moment. Also when I attack his leading leg, no matter how he may move, his leading leg will always be in my attacking range. When I move my back foot 1 ft and then move my front foot 3 inch, my opponent will turn with my circle movement. When I circle around my opponent, my stance is not that important.

 

[skribs]

Don't stand still and wait for your opponent to attack. You should not think about stance but footwork.

Old saying said, "Even if you can't find any opening to attack, as long as you keep moving, soon or later you will find opening to attack."

One of my favor foot work is to move my back foot to line up with my opponent's both feet. If I can get to that spot, my opponent's back hand can not reach me at that moment. Also when I attack his leading leg, no matter how he may move, his leading leg will always be in my attacking range. When I move my back foot 1 ft and then move my front foot 3 inch, my opponent will turn with my circle movement. When I circle around my opponent, my stance is not that important.

I think stance and footwork are both important. I don't think that footwork eschews the need for stance.

 

[Ivan]

Sounds like you are over-dependent on the side kick. Your solution is simple, learn how to utilize some other kicks like a simple forward kick. Once your learn how to use other techniques then your stance will automatically change with the technique.

The main problem I see is that you're trying integrate a punching only defense "Philly Shell." this defense does not take kicking into consideration. It puts you in a bad structural position for kicking and it puts you in a really bad position to defend against kicks. If you and I were to spar, I would kick you every time I saw you trying to use the Philly Shell. This means if you use the Philly Shell then you'll have to follow up with punches, then transition into a stance that will allow you to kick.


If you can't transition between stances then you are at a big disadvantage of the number of things that you can do. Learn how to use more than just a side kick, and your stance will follow.

It isn't just the side kick I use. It's simply the most comfortable stance for all my kicks; round kicks, spin heels, hooks, side, slide side etc. Since I don't have to pivot my whole body round, just my root leg, it's much faster.

 

[TSDTexan]

Late to post here, and one person already spoke to this. But I feel its a strong enough point to reiterate.

A:
learn the transition of going offline into the 45°.
step off line and gain enough distance for a spining hook with one leg, or back kick with the other.

B:
One other tactic (and its underlying principle) that i have used a long time... is a disengagement/leaping back from (being square to the opponent) into a sidestance and immediately leaping back at them with a hip level sidekick.

the 1st leap is coiled and sprung loaded into the rear leg that will be pushed off.

many a folk have chased me back... right into my sidekick.

 

[JowGaWolf]

It isn't just the side kick I use. It's simply the most comfortable stance for all my kicks; round kicks, spin heels, hooks, side, slide side etc. Since I don't have to pivot my whole body round, just my root leg, it's much faster.

Instead of "camping out" in a side stance to do these techniques learn how to transition into the foot position that you need. I don't use all of the same kicks you use so I'll only speak of the ones I use.

Here are some things you can try. (do it on both sides, because sometimes your weakest side will actually be your strongest depending on the technique)

• Boxer's lead jab -> step /land into a foot position that will allow you to side kick.-> side kick
• Boxer's double lead jab -> step /land into a foot position that will allow you to side kick.-> side kick
• Boxer's triple lead jab -> step /land into a foot position that will allow you to side kick.-> side kick

After you get used to the foot placement. Do the same thing and throw alternating jabs. Always start with the lead jab. 1 = lead hand 2= rear hand

• 1 - 2
• 1 - 2 - 1

Just work on these things first so you can get your footwork and timing down. No need to go hard at it until you get the movement down. These you can do from a boxer's stance but you'll need to transition into a kicking stance if you ever hope to pull off the kicks. Start slow, get a feel for the mechanics that's needed. After you get this down to an extreme level of comfort, you'll be able to get a feel for which kicks will work and how you need to position your feet in order to pull it off.

Don't just think of punches as punches. Punches also distract and conceal footwork. That you can hide your intent to kick.

Forgot to tell you.. JABS SHOULD BE FORWARD FACING AND NOT FROM A SIDE STANCE.

 

[CB Jones]

Forgot to tell you.. JABS SHOULD BE FORWARD FACING AND NOT FROM A SIDE STANCE.

From the side stance you can snap a backfist instead of the jab. It works well from a Philly Shell defense also.

 

[Kung Fu Wang]

learn the transition of going offline into the 45°.
step off line and gain enough distance for a spining hook with one leg, or back kick with the other.

Moving away from your opponent's back hand is always a good strategy. When you do that, you are not in any defense fighting stance. You are in ready attacking stance.

 

[JowGaWolf]

From the side stance you can snap a backfist instead of the jab. It works well from a Philly Shell defense also.

That's true. My suggestion was so he can learn to use something other than a Side stance. It will force him to learn how to transition from one stance to another. If he stays in side stance all the time then he won't learn how to fight in other stances and his footwork will continue to suffer.

 

[CB Jones]

That's true. My suggestion was so he can learn to use something other than a Side stance. It will force him to learn how to transition from one stance to another. If he stays in side stance all the time then he won't learn how to fight in other stances and his footwork will continue to suffer.

He could use the backfist to quickly transition into a 45 and throw his a straight punch with the rear hand behind the backfist.

My son does this. As he throws the backfist he slides his front foot out and begins rotating his hips for a straight left hand (he fights southpaw)

 

[Gerry Seymour]

@Ivan, Going back to the Bill Wallace video posted earlier. He developed his left hook to a level that allowed him to lean on that left hand more, so he could stay in (and close to) that side stance more often. A few times in that fight, he threw a jab-hook or jab-hook-hook combo, which is less common in most boxers. That might be something to consider if you like the side stance, to allow you to use your hands more from there, so it's not so dominated by kicking.

 

[Tony Dismukes]

You may be experiencing first hand where some things simply do not mix well. If you want to train both TKD and boxing, you may need to compartmentalize and keep them separate.

Boxing on a TKD platform? May not work well.
TKD on a boxing platform? May not work well.

When you are boxing, use your boxing training.
When you are using TKD, use your TKD training.

Not everything mixes well. Not everyone is able to mix things well. Sometimes more is not better. It is just more, and it can get in the way.

Boxing and TKD can actually blend very effectively.

 

[Flying Crane]

Boxing and TKD can actually blend very effectively.

I’ve never heard of the fellow in the video. He seems like an elite.

Of course every case is unique. Mixing them does not seem to be working for @Ivan. Maybe it will never work for him, or maybe he isn’t ready yet to mix them.

There are always cases to be found to counter a statement, and to support a statement. So there is no ultimate answer; the answer needs to be appropriate for the individual.

 

[skribs]

I’ve never heard of the fellow in the video. He seems like an elite.

Of course every case is unique. Mixing them does not seem to be working for @Ivan. Maybe it will never work for him, or maybe he isn’t ready yet to mix them.

There are always cases to be found to counter a statement, and to support a statement. So there is no ultimate answer; the answer needs to be appropriate for the individual.

In my experience, the two blend together effortlessly. In this particular case, it's more about someone who has taken a specific stance out of Taekwondo and tried to apply it to boxing techniques, which doesn't work. He's trying to combine specific components that don't go together. You can easily kick from a boxing stance, and you can easily punch from the majority of TKD stances.

 

[Flying Crane]

In my experience, the two blend together effortlessly. In this particular case, it's more about someone who has taken a specific stance out of Taekwondo and tried to apply it to boxing techniques, which doesn't work. He's trying to combine specific components that don't go together. You can easily kick from a boxing stance, and you can easily punch from the majority of TKD stances.

Thanks.

Ive not trained TKD nor boxing, so I don’t honestly know.

I do stand by my position that some things do not mix well. Seems to me that people sometimes try to cram a square peg into a round hole. Often what gets mixed is forced, and there is some kind of conflict going on.

That may be the case here, and certainly my it could just be the particular stance.

My point really is that people ought to consider whether or not there are conflicts, when they try to mix something.

 

[Kung Fu Wang]

some things do not mix well.

The

- wrestling with strong side forward, use leading arm to clean the entering path, and
- boxing with strong side backward, use strong back hand to knock down,

do not mix well.

 

[Mitlov]

Thanks.

Ive not trained TKD nor boxing, so I don’t honestly know.

I do stand by my position that some things do not mix well. Seems to me that people sometimes try to cram a square peg into a round hole. Often what gets mixed is forced, and there is some kind of conflict going on.

That may be the case here, and certainly my it could just be the particular stance.

My point really is that people ought to consider whether or not there are conflicts, when they try to mix something.

But here we know there's no inherent conflict between TKD-esque kicking and boxing-esque punching, because of the entire history of PKA karate/PKA kickboxing. We've already got fight videos of both Superfoot Wallace and Superkick Vick. It's not just theory. It's been proven to work just fine, even if Dutch and Thai styles predominate right now in kickboxing.

 

[skribs]

Thanks.

Ive not trained TKD nor boxing, so I don’t honestly know.

I do stand by my position that some things do not mix well. Seems to me that people sometimes try to cram a square peg into a round hole. Often what gets mixed is forced, and there is some kind of conflict going on.

That may be the case here, and certainly my it could just be the particular stance.

My point really is that people ought to consider whether or not there are conflicts, when they try to mix something.

I think "reinventing the wheel" is the more apt analogy for this situation than "square peg in round hole". My TKD curriculum includes a lot of boxing-style punches. We don't train them as much as a boxer would, but punches are part of the art.

 

[Flying Crane]

But here we know there's no inherent conflict between TKD-esque kicking and boxing-esque punching, because of the entire history of PKA karate/PKA kickboxing. We've already got fight videos of both Superfoot Wallace and Superkick Vick. It's not just theory. It's been proven to work just fine, even if Dutch and Thai styles predominate right now in kickboxing.

That’s fine. I don’t know the history of PKA Kickboxing. I never paid attention to it.