ALTA Week 6 Striking
Striking – Creating Angles
Face to face with an opponent, we can use blocking or head movement to gain an edge and land more than we get hit. However, the position is still pretty even. A major advantage would be if we faced our opponent, but they face away from us (even just slightly). This is referred to as creating an angle. Not only does it make it harder for your opponent to defend your attacks, but it severely weakens their attacks on you. It’s not easy to create angles and even when you do, they are short lived, so it will require practice and patience to get good at.
Types of Angle creation
- Pivot:
Keeping your front foot in position as the pivot point, your back leg rotates between 45-60 degrees behind your lead leg. You will slightly lift the heel of your lead foot to reduce friction on the rotation of that foot during the pivot motion. Also practice covering your jaw with your lead shoulder during the pivot (defensive mindset).
Best Use: During a lead hook when you’ve taken the offensive and stepped into range. For example, you’ve thrown a hop jab, two to get into red range, now the pivot hook will create a new angle for you and you can now have a “second bite of the cherry”.
- Roll-out:
This time your rear leg steps up level (at shoulder width) to your lead leg. At the same time, perform a roll (head movement). As the head movement is coming to an end, skip your lead leg to where your back leg is and your back leg out by the same amount. Finish in a solid fight stance facing back from the direction you came.
Best Use: Any time your combo finishes on a back hand, the roll out is a very good way to exit range, create an angle and mount a second attack. Our own Pa Lehane is the best in the business at this.
- Check:
This movement requires the front foot to move first. Step it sidewards while at the same time rotating your entire torso back towards where you came from. As your lead foot hits the floor, you should be in a split lunge stance. As soon as you’ve landed, now initiate a ‘moon-walk’ step with your rear leg to complete the manoeuvre.
Best Use: When your opponent is coming at you, the check hook is a brilliant evasive manoeuvre that gets you out of the way while still scoring a strike. For the best example of this, consider watching Katie Taylor’s fights.
- Reverse Pivot:
Start by stepping your lead leg across the centre line (breaking the mortal sin of crossing over your legs). It’s recommended to include a level change while doing this. As your foot lands, initiate a pivot using your front foot as the fixed point. Your back leg will swing through 60-90 degrees to face back to where you started from.Best Use: Very rarely. This is a very advanced and tricky manoeuvre which breaks one of the fundamental rules of footwork. You could use this if your opponent has covered up tight in a flinching action. At least then, you have time to get your lead foot across without the fear of being hit whilst off balance. Vasily Lomachenko is the Ukrainian boxer you want to study for this footwork.