Knee Rider's uncreatively titled training log: 100% tedium guaranteed.

Still ill, just like Morrissey sang for the Smiths.

Looking like I'll not make it back into the gym till after Christmas now. I'm going to rest till the weekend and get a good 5/6miles run in on Saturday morning. Then back as soon as gym is open after Christmas.

In the meantime I'm going to be breaking my training down into sections.

I've been thinking a lot about the fundamental building blocks of my training in standup and what I need to focus on in order to progress.

So here are the 'pillars' so to speak, as I see them. Obviously there is some crossover although I've put them in distinct categories.

Conditioning:
Energy systems, absolute strength, strength endurance and power. (Running, interval training, resistance work: weights, bodyweight, plyometrics) shin and body conditioning (bagwork, padwork, sparring).

Flexibility:
Full body flexibility (various stretching and yogic movement).

Techniques/tools:
Form: The basic biomechanical structure of the striking, defensive and clinch techniques delivered with technique, power and balance (padwork, bagwork, give and take, shadowboxing)

Skill/technique:
Implementing the above techniques with appropriate timing, distance control and tactile sensitivity (achieved through drilling and sparring)

Strategy:
Strategic techniques, combinations, ringcraft etc (mental attention/academics plus mat time)

Mentality/attitude:
Positivity
Building others and yourself (growing together)
Focus (remain dilligent, consistent and intellectually invested)
Pursue other interests so as not to burn out
Grit/pushing through pain and adversity
No complacency
No ego/self satisfaction

Some nice little benchmarks:
Interclub comps
Regional comps
National comp
(K1 rules)

At least one trip to Thailand to do a months camp within the next few years.

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Obviously I can't work all that at once so I'm doing so in cycles/stages.

For now I'm going to build my aerobic base and legs through running. I'm running around 6miles and attempting to reduce my time. I'll record the runs in the thread me, PIP and hewho have contributed to. I'll look to integrate sprints etc in a few months.
I'll be doing sets of squats pressups and lunges and building up to getting back on the Gotch bible twice a week.

I'm going to shadow box daily and record some bits to upload. I'll be looking at my composure, balance, footwork and fluidity as well as biomechanics of strikes and defensive positioning.

I'm going to stay behind and work the bag for 30mins after each session working individual strikes and combinations.

Primarily: jab, cross, hook, teep, side kick, power roundhouse, lead roundhouse, switch kick, overhand and shovel hook.

I'll get some footage and upload for feedback and self analysis.

I'm going to start stretching each morning with some old BJJ/yoga stretches and two kickboxing specific stretches I got shown for front and lateral splits/kicking which I believe come from ballet training. I'll film them intermittently to illustrate progress.

 

well the silver lining to your illness is this!
It's forced you to take a step back and this plan looks great

I look forward to seeing how you put this into practise.

 

Thanks dude! Yes I guess you're right that is the silver lining!

 

Started prehab/preparation work for my bodyweight workout revival. Way back I used to do ridiculously high volume bodyweight workouts and it changed my training so much. I felt I could train at a higher intensity, for a longer duration and at a higher quality. As part of my new plan I'm going to attempt to recreate that. At the moment I don't think my body is up to it as I've not done resistance work in s good long while. My initial plan is to condition my body a little through super light dumbbell workouts and build up the rep range on some key bodyweight exercises. First day today.

Warm up:

3x 2min rounds super light shadow boxing (hands and footwork only).

Weights:

Lateral raise: 6x10 5kg x 2 dumbells
Front raise palms in: 3x10 5kg x 2 dumbells
Front raise palms down: 3x10 5kg X 2 dumbells
Shoulder press: 3x10 10kg X 2 dumbells

Bent row: 3x10 10kg x 2 dumbells
Floor press: 3x10 10kg X 2 dumbells
One arm kneeling row: 3x10 10kg

Curls: 3x10 7.5kg X 2 dumbells
Skull crushers: 3x10 10kg

Hindu squats: 50
Hindu pressups: 20
Pressups: 20

Warm down:

Stretching

 

Kickboxing today.

First one back after about 8wks. Tough.

Did some light body shot sparring to warm up then into pad work.

Combinations:
Double jab, cross.
Jab, cross, lead shovel hook, lead hook.
Rear uppercut, lead hook, cross.


Over all I wasn't too happy with my output or my technique. The time off hurt me much more than I thought it had. Few iffy moments regarding my foot placement meant I was firing from an unstable base a few times. I worked hard to be mindful of it.

End of class we did some core conditioning which flat out sucked, which means I obviously needed it.

I stayed after class for an hour to shadow box out the combinations we had been doing with particular attention to the feet on the shovel hook to lead hook. Then I took that to the bag and back to shadow in a cycle until I was out of gas.

I found stepping out wider on the first hook, really dropping the shoulder and getting that weight going from front to back to front to back over the hooks fixed my balance and enabled me to load some good power into the bag. I felt happier with it by the end.

I went to kick the super heavy bag which feels like it's filled with flipping cement for a bit and completely regretted it.

 

Language problem here, I think.

"what is shovel hook to lead hook"?

I know, I could probably google "shovel hook" and try to understand it, but that somehow defies forums, doesn't it?

 

For shovel hook picture a diagonal, rising hook that exists in the space between a hook and an uppercut.

Lead hook is a hook with your lead hand.

 

Night of the never ending 42,000 hit combo tonight. I literally can't remember it to write it down but it involved a lot of slips, jabs, hooks and straight rights. I felt like I was playing guitar hero or something when hitting the mits.

Shadow boxed it. Did on the mits and then heavy bag. High rep count.

I stayed after to work on my own stuff for 40mins
Worked my jab, straight, shovel hook, hook and my uppercuts on the aqua bag. Landing much cleaner and more powerfully now. Also trying to catch the hook on the quarter turn out which is feeling nice.

Moved to the heavy bag and there's some multiple round houses up to 10s on same leg in a constant pace.

Practiced a bit of power and lead side checking to superman punch and am actually loving that combination at the moment.

Did a few sets of Hindu pressups and a 15min stretch.

 

Kickboxing tonight.

Warmed up with shadow boxing for footwork.

Boxing combination.

Jab.
Double jab.
Double jab, cross.
Jab, cross, hook.
Cross, hook, cross.
Jab, cross, hook, lead hook, cross.
Jab, cross, hook, rear uppercut, lead hook, cross.
Lead shovel hook, rear shovel hook, lead shovel hook, lead hook, cross.

Repeated over rounds of shadow boxing, then on the heavy bag.

Pyramid of 20 pressups down in 2's till final set of 2.

Stayed to work my own stuff for 30mins

Heavy bag: hooks and shovel hooks, jab cross, and my jab, cross, shovel hook, lead hook combination. Also practiced my checks to superman punches and got 5 sets of 10 repeated power roundhouses and left leg roundhouses (starting from a switch kick) in.

I then went over to the rock hard concrete heavy bag and banged my kicks into that for 3 sets of 10 to get some conditioning in. My shins hurt. I think I kicked to hard on my power side as I found my rhythm. Probs needs icing.

 

Filmed round one of my home shadow boxing tonight.

Working on various combos.

Not happy with my form on the shovel hook in the air; it's like I don't bother setting myself up to deliver force as I'm only striking air so I subconsciously protect myself by not stepping out to base enough not dropping my shoulder enough and not pushing my body through enough. I'll film it on the bag tomorrow to demonstrate the difference.

Also not happy with how I retreat when I shadow box. I just bounce back and there is no smoothness or acknowledgement that I might be recieving fire.

Here it is in all its horror



Gonna do some light weights in a bit.

 

I've seen your bag work (which is solid!), and you have more intent when you hitting an object, I expect thats the and when you're sparring also? as you know you're going to land the strikes.
It's still going to be pulled when you hit air so you don't damage yourself, but I think it will come in time.

Have your ever done any drills with a partner where you're striking but not making the contact? A couple of kickboxing clubs I went to would do that at the start of sparring before gloving up to get your footwork going.

The structure is good, your shovel hook most of the time seems good, but occasionally it looked like your were just throwing the hand without hip engaging, that seemed to happen on the lead.

Nice to see some corkscrew punches in there, I practise that one, but don't see many others use it often

 

Thanks for the feedback! Yeah there's quite a few times where I'm essentially doing an 'impression' of the technique (happens in other shots too) but not fully executing the correct structure, target area or extension on the shot. Sometimes I just look to flow through the combination and end up doing it by halves as I have no sensory feedback from the target. Means I stop concentrating on getting my body into it. I think it's down to inexperience in shadow boxing and as you say I hope it irons out with more practice.

When I hit things I tend to stay very relaxed (try to) and explode into the last couple of inches to get that power and penetration, then relax and allow my limbs to return on their own trajectory with a little assistance. It's different in the air and I worry about joint damage so I try to aim for relaxation all the way through with basically no explosive tension at the end. How do you approach it?

Ha! Thanks for the bagwork comment! I was absolutely butchered from the session when I filmed that so I'm hoping to put some more up in the next week that shows me a little fresher and where I can look to correct some of those comments in the feedback I got at the time. I feel much sharper when I'm mid session so I think I look a little flat and lazy in my clips.

Not done any of the drills you mentioned. Usually just give and take, padwork, sparring for partnered activities.

Yes, love a bit of corkscrew punch! I find it takes the head offline nicely and can slide through a high wide guard really easily. I also throw uppercuts with a vertical fist as a set up for the latter reason too sometimes.

 

My approach is similar, I would say that for shadow boxing only, you don't finish with a tight fist as you would in sparring/bag work. When I'm doing the first round or part of the first round I often do it with no fist form, once I'm a bit more warmed up, I form more of a fist, but it never becomes what I consider a punching fist. Apart from that, I think a lot of it will come in time, it's a tool and you are critical of your progress which helps you readjust each time you train.

I find standard left/right or right/left combo's easier to flow in shadow boxing rather than a few off the same hand, without something to hit against I've always felt it hard to "reload".

 

Kickboxing tonight.

Basic Thai padwork but so much fun.

Working combinations with footwork and movement.

I stayed behind afterwards to condition my shins on the concrete demon. It's definitely getting easier and I'm putting a nice dent in when I'm slamming kicks in now and although it's not pleasent it hurts much less.

Took myself off to try my old jab, cross, shovel hook, hook combo on the aqua bag.

Footage here:



Looked back and spoke to coach and they suggested not stepping up parallel with the rear foot unless stepping across with the cross. Gave it a go with and without step.

Here:



Gonna take it to shadow work and get more bag footage up Thursday.

 

Class ran on today, so no filming as the gym was closing.

Kickboxing:

Warm up - skipping... Yeah. Skipping. I've never skipped in my life... I looked like an idiot.

Give and take with shinnies -

Combinations:

Jab, cross, hook, cross, switch kick from both orthodox and Southpaw.

Jab, lead hook, cross, switch kick orthodox and Southpaw.

Rear uppercut, lead hook, cross, switch knee, power roundhouse, lead uppercut, cross, hook, rear knee, switch kick.

'Punch out' drills for knees from clinch, straights, left and right roundhouses and alternating uppercuts. 30 secs each technique continuous, 1min rest, 2rds back to back then switch to hold pads for partner.

Plyometric pushups X 100

Stretching

 

Yay!!! Welcome to the club - I've been trying to get in to skipping for while (on and off) and still look like an idiot when doing so!

Simon was kind enough to share some informative 'tute' videos in the 'Skipping thread' which helped me.

The Skipping Thread

(There are some older videos on the 1st couple of pages, and much newer ones on the last couple)

Travess

 

I knew not being an 8yr old girl would one day be a problem.

 

I'm a bad person, but every time someone admits being at the least bad at skipping, I feel weirdly happy
I managed to hit my (cold) toes with the stupid thing, that I limped frustrated off the mat to throw it in my bag (edited an embarrassing typo ) cursing

 

The boxing club I went to, it was the standard warm-up every time, I went to a muay Thai gym years later which also did the same, fortunately I had more practices by then, but still sucked.

10 minutes constant skipping was the standard warm-up: everyone seemed to be blasting through it and I'd be stopping every few times to untangle.

The skipping thread is a great resource (Need to get back to it when my calf's don't suck do much)

 

I would like to be good at skipping and I can certainly see its benefits but I just can't be bothered to invest the time in it right now. There is only so much I can fit in. Maybe down the line.