Tips for in-fighting?

[Chris Nagel]

By the way did anyone catch Sam Soliman on the last episode of The Contender? If so, what did you think?

[ICB]

By the way has anyone catch Sam Soliman on last episode of The Contender? If so, what did you think?

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He looked sloppy didn't look that great the opponent he was up against just didn't want it didn't think much of the fight or the fighters in that bout.

[Chris Nagel]

ICB, take a step outside of your fan seat for a minute and look at this like a boxer would. What can you learn from that fight? The reason that I bring it up because it sheds some valuable insight on this topic. Just think about it for a second and tell me what you found out by watching that fight.

[ProdigalSon2007]

Sorry, took down video, wasn't sure if allowed to post it or not.

This the fight? That was a brawl!

[ICB]

ICB, take a step outside of your fan seat for a minute and look at this like a boxer would. What can you learn from that fight? The reason that I bring it up because it sheds some valuable insight on this topic. Just think about it for a second and tell me what you found out by watching that fight.

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Well im not sure what you mean Chris but i don't know what i can learn from the fight except that tall guy just didn't want it and didn't use his reach or height correctly Sam was just sloppy and was rushing in clinching and throwing few shots on the inside it was sloppy bout.

[Chris Nagel]

He looked sloppy didn't look that great the opponent he was up against just didn't want it didn't think much of the fight or the fighters in that bout.

It's good that you brought it up because wasn't that his opponent was lacking any drive before he came into the fight. Most things in boxing are based on cause and effect, Max's less than steller performance was caused to some extent by Sam. I'll get into that in a second.

Well im not sure what you mean Chris but i don't know what i can learn from the fight except that tall guy just didn't want it and didn't use his reach or height correctly Sam was just sloppy and was rushing in clinching and throwing few shots on the inside it was sloppy bout.

Fighting out a clinch is what you want to understand. Sam does those same exact moves when he is sparring, look at his right uppercut, and the punches that he throws over his opponent's arms. The problem with his opponent is that he wasn't taught how to clinch properly, or in other words how to tie his opponent's arms up. From a boxer's point of view if you see a punch land you have to look at the conditions that took place to allow that to happen, and from it's from a boxer's point of view that you can learn how to avoid these mistakes yourself.

Anyways getting back to how why Max seemed to abandon all hope, and even his fight plan, let's look at some why's. If you don't tie Sam up on the inside he's going to use his strength to create a little space so he can land his uppercut. Now let's look at his uppercut, he doesn't tie Sam's arms up and practically allows himself to get hit. Sam has the inside position and furthermore he alone occupies the centerline which is where is a pipeline for punches to travel on. His uppercut slides up his opponent's chest and nails the other guy in the chin. Now if the guy is leaning forward which can be a tendency when a tall guy clinches a shorter guy his neck is right there.

Getting hit in the neck can cause a number of things to happen.

Simple HH aim for his kneck, in future, harder to slip or block, Usually he;ll loose sight of what coming next. He will either drop his chin more, or step back

Do you see the connection?

If you allow the conditions to keep happening then you're going to get nailed with the same punch over and over again.

On another note a young inexperienced fighter like Max isn't used to fighting someone who fights rought like Sam. A lot of times what happens is that the dirty moves do more damage to the fighter's head than the physical damage itself.

I'm not trying to sound condescending, it's just some things that I thought about myself and figured it was worth sharing. I'll get more into in-fighting 101 later.

[ProdigalSon2007]

Wow, so many little details to in-fighting. Is it normal for a beginner to be more of a brawler-puncher type rather than a typical in/out-fighter?

[Trainer Monkey]

Wow, so many little details to in-fighting. Is it normal for a beginner to be more of a brawler-puncher type rather than a typical in/out-fighter?

Its almost garunteed normally

[ICB]

Wow, so many little details to in-fighting. Is it normal for a beginner to be more of a brawler-puncher type rather than a typical in/out-fighter?

Yes unless your gifted.


And yes i understand what your saying Chris.

[ProdigalSon2007]

Should I fight my brawler-type instincts when sparring? I actually think right now I fare better in sparring just throwing a variety of punches than trying to be technical sound, but in the long run is it better during sparring to focus on my technique?

[Trainer Monkey]

Should I fight my brawler-type instincts when sparring? I actually think right now I fare better in sparring just throwing a variety of punches than trying to be technical sound, but in the long run is it better during sparring to focus on my technique?

Right now you are trying to create instincts that will carry on when it matters most
Losing at sparring is fine
Losing when it counts,sucks,and it doesnt matter how well you did at sparring

[Chris Nagel]

Wow, so many little details to in-fighting. Is it normal for a beginner to be more of a brawler-puncher type rather than a typical in/out-fighter?

Most beginners throw their punches like they're slamming a door. The thing about in-fighting is that it takes a lot of skill to get into the inside position and it takes even more skill to stay there.

I guess the big difference here is that the master boxer who can fight on the inside and the outside, understands the moves thoroughly and the different conditions that have to take place to make them work. Therefore they can then focus more on their opponent, what are their limitations, and what are yours in each situation. Then you can think about the consequences and what will happen after either you or him move.

A skilled fighter can stack the deck so to speak by using their defense to set up opportunies for their offense, this allows them to reduce their opponents probable actions and/or responces and therefore put themselves in situations that leads up to the situations that they know inside and out. There are certain moves and techniques that potentially and/or naturally will flow into other moves. The expert has sharp observation skills that go in hand with the foreshadowing of these techniques all of which comes from their vast experience of sparring/fighting along with their own thoughts and observations. I know this kind of stuff will go over most boxer's heads but there's things that you neet to work on if you want to improve.

Start building on different situations that you'll typically find yourself in. Learn what the different punches and moves are and what the typical responses are to them. In sparring try to observe different ways that your opponent tips off his punches, you'll want to pick out little things first instead of trying to get it all in so that you won't become overwhelmed. The faster you know what your opponent is going to do the faster you can respond. Look at yourself, your movement's your stance etc. and for a change of perspective see yourself as an opponent looking at you. How does your stance affect the way that you fight, what are the advantages and disadvantage of it. You'll need more understanding so try to put yourself in the shoes of another fighter and seek out the reasons that they did it. The techniques are all out their in books, in fights, in people you have to look for them and then you have to break each technique down as if you were rebuilding an engine. When you working on a new move think about how you would set it up, where your body is going to have to be, what conditions have to take place in order for you to pull it off.

Just a word to the wise, don't work on any general aspect as a whole, break it down into little pieces that are easier for you to tackle. I don't think for one moment that it's natural talent that makes the fighter. Most of the great fighters had to learn a great deal of it on their own, perhaps it's their willingless to learn and asking the right questions along with the courage to keep going at it despite bloody noses, headaches and getting knocked on their asses.

Mastering boxing as with any technical endeavor is about learning in pieces. It takes courage and determination to succeed at boxing when it's like huge disassembled jigsaw puzzle infront of you, and it's up to you to put together the pieces.

[ProdigalSon2007]

Thanks for the advice, during a sparring match though, should I be visualizing and analyzing my technique so much? I have heard some fighters claim you need to be a 'smart' fighter and others state that instincts take over when they fight. I am very green, and I do tend to think outside the box, and over analyze, in some ways this is detrimental though as I don't let my hands go and afraid to fully commit to the punch. I think a big issue for me is just staying loose and relaxed. Obviously, confidence is an issue when I'm getting schooled as well, I was fighting an old guy but he was an ex-pro, man I could barely land anything on him. It stunk, I wanted to go into full bull rush mode or just take him down with a wrestling move or maybe high kick his face off. He was toying with me.

[Chris Nagel]

You don't want to get caught in a ring thinking too much, and on the flipside you don't want to don't want to walk into the ring like a chicken with your head cut. You're fighting a more experienced fighter than yourself and his gloves ought to tell you whan you need to work on. At first you'd use your learning experience from sparring to create starting points that you can work on when you're training. If you're getting hit, then you're probably getting hit for a reason. Spend your time after your sparring sessions to figure out what happened and how it happened. Ask the right questions. Find out what the problem is, and then break it down and find out what will happen when you do something different.

As a beginner there are many different techniques that you can learn to help you deal with different punches/situations. Discipline yourself to stick to techniques and just keep improving at it. You'll see what happens to even professional fighters when they revert to their old ways, they get shot down, end of story. Real guts is not so much about taking the best that your opponent can dish out, it's about thinking yourself out of a dillema even if you have a skilled opponent that's trying to take your head off.

[ProdigalSon2007]

This is all so complex. My fragile little brain, can't possibly interpret a fighters action in a micro-second and then be able to reflexively respond with the perfect timing yet. I'm doomed!

Thanks for the advice guys.