Fighting off your back foot...

[Youngblood]

Tho naturally orthodox, I fight a substantial amount of time in southie. From here I tend to find myself often on the back foot. I find I do use it often as a counter, my left...but how it seems to work if I understand the mechanics properly, is that while backing up, I can give a strong shot with my right, to create the combo of a straight left to follow that when delivered done with a momentum or gravitational shift of weight forward.

Or something.

Do you use the initial switch to your advantage or the ending of the switch to your advantage or both? Do you trigger the move on their commitment and use the switch to go out of range on one side fast and counter with the other side? Not many people do it safe and right.

I believe it is both. I think I am slightly fortunate in that I have a fairly strong quick left and am comfortable switching up. I don't trigger the move by their commitment, but try to get them to commit by doing it. I think at this level it still confuses many opponents and sucks them into charging forward. It happens quite fast actually, and I just seem to find all sorts of room with the different angle to score. I've rewatched tape of it numerous times, and if you aren't paying attention closely enough, you might even think the other person is scoring because they are usually throwing, but not landing and getting countered.

[Andre]

I was just wondering because it does leave a gap in between your hands as you go through square position. for that reason I never tried it in front of anyone who was set and waiting. I liked to do it on their move so I went around their attack, in and out of range; out of their range and into mine away from their rear arm going around and controlling their lead arm the whole time. only works sometimes but its fun to get right.

Talking from a normal stance here, left forward: A good practice is to have someone poke a broom handle into your face with long smooth lunging jabs at first and you change feet so your head goes from right in front of the pole to the outside of it by doing a slipping switch stance (let it go over your left shoulder as you go into square stance then right away change feet and move forwards so your head follows them back in on the retreat and you close the gap into your counter distance ;slow at first and tape a cloth or a glove around the end,you soon find out which footwork works for which distance.you always head away from their rear arm so you go around the outside of lead jab.

Then once you got that practice getting your head from the inside of the pole to the outside of the pole and you'll notice you have alot less time so you adjust your footwork to pull back the front foot all the way behind your rear foot so you dont become square to them at all then switch around the end of the pole with your right foot moving out in a 45 angle;(you have moved back with the lunge and have switched feet underneath the end of it. then when its at its length you shuffle in to close the gap already swithed into south.That gives you more time and more distance.
If you can do that with your hands behind your back its all the more fun when you can check the end of the pole as it comes and deflect it over your shoulder and attack under it with your front arm that then becomes your rear arm on the way in and you close the gap for your right hand or the other way right first left after great fun finding out hwat you can and cant get away with. Anyone can help you out with that its great to practice just getting your head out the way by slight knee drops and slight leans and foot placments and ankle turns so long as they allow you to move freely after wards. You soon find out if youre doing it wrong.