Thanks for the footwork drills . I am noticing that having mostly used parallel movement balance is a big part of getting comfortable with diagonal movement.

One more Q (I know I ask too many ) - The state coach advocates using diagonal movement when moving in without heading straight forewards but in a kind of zig zag motion to avoid being hit on the way in. This seems easy enough when throwing the jab and stepping to the right but feels a little dangerous moving back the other way as if you don't move fast enough you run into your opponent's cross (assuming they're orthodox). Would you use diagonal movement in this way? I guess you could leave your left hand in front of your face but I don't see that being a huge barrier against a solid right cross. Any better ideas?