Importantance of Head Movement

[TMA17]

 

[Headhunter]

Personally I don't like head movement. Never used it. It's to risky. Boxing is okay but for things like kickboxing, Mma or self defence you duck or sway the wrong way you go right into the shot

 

[TMA17]

You make a good point. So do you prefer blocking or just footwork instead? There is a good video you may have seen of a guy paying people to try and hit him and he dodged every one. It was impressive.

 

[Buka]

I dream of Christmas cookies, winning lotteries....and people not moving their head when fighting.

I mean, it's really nice of them to keep it right there.

 

[Headhunter]

You make a good point. So do you prefer blocking or just footwork instead? There is a good video you may have seen of a guy paying people to try and hit him and he dodged every one. It was impressive.

I don't doubt it but there's still a huge risk. That video shows Anderson silva and yeah he looks great there but he also got knocked out trying the same thing in another fight

 

[Headhunter]

Pause the video at about 0:14 when Garbrant ducks low he could very easily duck right into a knee if cruz timed it right

 

[Headhunter]

Here we are perfect example. Yeah okay it's more a takedown attempt but similar thing

 

[Buka]

Pause the video at about 0:14 when Garbrant ducks low he could very easily duck right into a knee if cruz timed it right

That boy is going to get killed doing that someday.

 

[TMA17]

 

[Martial D]

Personally I don't like head movement. Never used it. It's to risky. Boxing is okay but for things like kickboxing, Mma or self defence you duck or sway the wrong way you go right into the shot

I would say it's a lot more risky to keep your head on center.

 

[Anarax]

Head movement like anything else requires a lot of training before you can utilize it. Like blocking, there are right and wrong ways to do so. Moving your head out of the way of an attack while keeping your hands up, good. Showboating and dropping your hands while dancing in front of your opponent, bad. Coming from a "traditional" background I never trained head movement until I started training FMA. It made evasions and setting up counters much easier.

 

[Martial D]

It's much easier to hit something that doesn't move.

 

[Kung Fu Wang]

When you

- dodge a punch, your opponent will punch you again.
- block a punch and wrap that arm, your opponent won't be able to punch you again.

 

[JowGaWolf]

Still going with the head movement idea. It's ok to like it. Just understand that it has some limitations. If someone knows you like to do a lot of head movement, they will throw a punch to set you up for a knee strike or a kick. When I know that I'm fighting someone that likes to do a lot of head movement, I just start attacking the body and the legs and eventually that head movement gets slower and slower.

 

[Martial D]

When you

- dodge a punch, your opponent will punch you again.
- block a punch and wrap that arm, your opponent won't be able to punch you again.

Sure, and if you

-deal with punches by trying to block them all and catch them with your arms you will probably take an unscheduled nap.

-keep your head offline and in motion you will retain your ability to eat solid food.

 

[Anarax]

Sure, and if you

-deal with punches by trying to block them all and catch them with your arms you will probably take an unscheduled nap.

-keep your head offline and in motion you will retain your ability to eat solid food.

Maybe I like my food grined down into a fine paste. I agree, it's doesn't have to be an either or situation. There will be situations that head movement may be more beneficial than blocking and vice versa. Drilling both with proper form is a great way for martial artists to improve their defensive skills.

 

[JowGaWolf]

head movement

head movement itself is not bad. Like many things it's just how it's done that can get you into alot of trouble. I use head movement but it's done by shifting off center vs moving my head around like a boxer. Much of my head movement that I do is the result of short shuffles to move my head out of range. This way I can still attack and counter when ready, even when I'm moving off center vs. Moving the head first and countering or attacking second.

 

[Anarax]

Like many things it's just how it's done that can get you into alot of trouble.

Yes, dropping the head too low, having your hands down and not executing counters are the most common mistakes people make.

I use head movement but it's done by shifting off center vs moving my head around like a boxer.

Though that can be considered head movement, I was more so referring to slipping, bobbing and weaving. However; that could be more stylistic differences. There are slight yet crucial differences in slipping, bobbing and weaving when discussing the sport of boxing and FMA/MA. In FMA/MA they teach us to not bend at the waist, keep your hands up and move with intent. FMA obviously has a more martial approach to head movement thus we must deal with kicks, knees and other low attacks. Meaning, taking the "boxing" head movement into an MMA bout or real world application may not be the best, but the more FMA/MA style of head movement is a great skill to have.

This way I can still attack and counter when ready, even when I'm moving off center vs. Moving the head first and countering or attacking second.

If it works for you then I would keep doing it, but there are other styles of head movement that are also effective. I think it comes down to preferences, but I always prefer to approach it from a MA standpoint rather than a sport one. It sounds you have a similar approach as well.

 

[Danny T]

Head movement is an important aspect. When to move and why is also important. Doing so just to be taunting or showboating can be a dangerous thing.

 

[JowGaWolf]

If it works for you then I would keep doing it, but there are other styles of head movement that are also effective. I think it comes down to preferences

Actually it doesn't just work for me. It's the only way the long fist techniques of Jow Ga can work. The bobbing and weaving actually takes me out of the structure that's needed to throw the big punches, sweeps, and elbow strikes. Some systems simply don't have the structure that would work well with the boxer's head movement, the one I study just happens to be that way.