Originally Posted by
Zelley
Another slipping training move -
Be tricky - block the jab, block the jab then slip to the left, then slip to the right
Then mix it up block, block, block, slip (hours of fun can be had by one and all
with all the thousands of combinations of defensive moves)
what you are describing here is what i call an "element of randomess" glad to see this brought up. throughout my experiences with boxing i had always attempted to rationalize it as a perfectly deterministic system, that is to say, all reactions are known and can be predicted with absolute certainty. imagine the look on my face when i found out how wrong i was! something like this i think it was
you see i was under the false assumption that -- according to game theory -- boxing was a zero sum game with perfect information. let me just say now while i am on the subject it would be wise for you all to read up a bit on game theory which is a branch of mathematics that focuses on stratgegy. always a good idea to become framiliar with the works that have been published on the subject of strategy. anyway back to my point, while it is true that boxing is a zero sum game (one can only win by "dealing damage" to his opponent), it cant quite be considered a game with perfect information (all moves are known to both players as they happen: chess, tic tac toe). this is because things happen so quickly one cannot possibly, say, jab his opponent, wait to see what his reaction is, stop, digest the information, then figure out what to do next. things move to fast in boxing to go through this process. when i actually jab my opponent he has several possible reactions at his disposal that he can choose from: he can slip to either side, counter jab, parry, etc etc. all of which i am not in actual control over. that is to say, if i want him to counter my jab with a straight right, so i can in turn counter his straight right with my own stright right to his solar plexus as his body turns to punch, i cant actually
make him react this way. that option is up to him and if he doesnt choose it, my counter punch doesnt land.
i was pretty upset upon the discovery of this. after all it completely flew in the face of what my concept of boxing strategy had been up to that point. was boxing really just some random punch fest i had no actual control over? this whole time i had been trying to explain the world of boxing, bringing reason into a seemlingly chaotic system only few men have ever figured out. it all seemed to be slipping away. but just as it is with everything else in life, you eventually learn from your mistakes. you see this finding eventually made me realize that in boxing, one must systematically limit the "element of randomness" that is your opponent. this is the key to landing punches. it is true you cannot make him react the way you want him to everytime with absolute certainty but you can limit his options. by this i mean, when i jab he has several choices to react back with, but by showing him advantage and disadvantage i can manipulate what reactions he chooses ever so indirectly. if i leave my parry hand off of my face the chances increase that he will attempt a counter jab in response (advantage). if counetr his straight right with my own straight right to his solar plexus he no longer will throw his straight right (disadvantage) and he is forced to choose a different reaction. this process continues until my opponent is so limited in what he can do that he becomes almost absolutley predicatble. you see by doing these things i can indirectly influence what i want him to do. understanding things in this manner, my opponent can only do to me, only that which i allow and he is random no more.
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