Footwork Question--Pushing Off With the Trailing Foot

[ThaiBoxerWithNoHandsSon]

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The answer is, yes we are pushing with our following foot. In fact, the movement is INITIATED this way so in some sense the foot that moves last is the one leading the foot that first changes its position -- i.e., the one in direction of motion may move first, but the movement STARTS from the other foot pushing (if that makes sense.)

My instructor insists on this. Fran's MyBoxingCoach.com videos are explicit on this point. I have heard others here confirm (and more accept) this method.

Not all of the books specify this method -- it isn't explicit in all of the "Title Boxing" videos (which are pretty popular, but it is consistent with most of such sources even if it isn't explicitly stated or demonstrated.

A way that I think about it (Fran or others my say this is irrelevant so we'll see):

As long as your following foot initiates and controls the action by PUSHING it isn't possible (or it's at least unlikely) that you will make these mistakes:

1. Step too far
2. Tip off your next move BEFORE you can take it
3. Move your balance the OPPOSITE way before you make the step

You can only 'push' as far as the following foot has correct purchase and balance to accommodate the movement -- so it is very unlikely you will 'push too far' but the converse mistake 'to step too far' is very easy to do by accident.

By pushing, your following foot moves you BALANCE to the next position before and while the leading foot takes the step -- nothing to see until the lead foot and the actual movement is underway even though you have been 'pushing' for some milliseconds.

If you just step with the lead foot, it is quite likely that you will first put you weight BACK towards the other foot, thus your center of gravity or balance point is going the WRONG way. This takes longer, is another way to telegraph the movement, and can get you caught with your mind going forward and your body (balance) going the opposite direction.

By pushing, you ensure that your supporting (following) foot and leg are fully loaded but SENDING you (i.e., your center of gravity) in the correct direction.

Maybe these three ideas are not technically correct -- or maybe there are more than three -- but by THINKING about it this way, I am able to move my CENTER of GRAVITY to the correct position and my feet naturally KEEP UP rather than the other way around. [Maybe this itself is a four distinct reason.]

The other way around, the feet move, and move one at a time, but THEN the center of gravity has to catch up or at best be fine tuned.

It's much more difficult to undo the feet if you change your mind -- especially if the balance and center of gravity have not yet stabilized to the correct position.

On the other (good) hand, if you start to push, and change your mind you merely STOP PUSHING, or push the another way and move the feet to fit that mental intention.

On the other hand, I could be full of beans....

--
HerbM

great post Herb. exactly the kind of detailed response I was hoping for.

I've read quite a few boxing books now, and watched a lot of different instructionals from the internet, and I'm surprised the only two instances I can remember it explicitly being said to push off the trailing foot is in Christy Halbert's boxing book (which is excellent), and Fran's videos, which are also very good.

This is the way I'll be practicing my footwork from now on. Considering what a seemingly small point this is, I can't believe how awkward it is for me to do. But reading your points, especially about it minimizing the size of your steps and helping maintain your center of gravity--two things I struggle with--I can definitely see the importance of it.

The main problem I'm having with it right now is not telegraphing the movement, i.e. if I want to move forward, I drop my weight onto my back leg and let it bend a little bit like a spring, and then push off it. For some reason I have hard hard time just pushing off it as it is. Going backwards and side to side, man, its even worse, but I'll get it.

Thanks for the response man.

[HerbM]

Clarifications:

First: I don't think it "minimizes the size of your steps" so much as is "sets an effective maximum size".

You (almost) can't step TOO big this way, but you are still free to take any size step from an inch to whatever your maximum balanced step might be.

Second: Do NOT transfer your weight back to the following foot -- this is a large part of what pushing is supposed to limit and prevent.

Try this -- it might be wrong, but I had trouble too until I started thinking about or doing it this way, and my coach immediately stopped correcting my push:

Press with the pushing foot too to TAKE more weight/pressure rather than setting yourself back on that foot to transfer.

This is what I think/do. I don't really "rise up" but I ALMOST think of it like this sense my PUSH much either raise me up or push me in the desired direction -- at the moment where I WOULD rise up or shift my balance towards the lead foot the lead foot uses this pressure to step in the desired direction.

There are four main ways to move (assuming orthodox stance, reverse for Southpaw of course): Push front foot to go back or circle right. Push back foot to circle left or move forward.

Pushing to go right (away from front foot) is the most difficult since you front toes are the closest thing to the new desired location -- it's almost like push to PULL yourself around to the right.

Also, because moving right is usually a (big) PIVOT -- not simple a side step so putting more pressure on those toes is a little more likely to add friction resistance to that pivot on the same toes (the front/following foot.)

This (move right) is the most awkward or unnatural for me, and I suspect it is for this reason. So, I tend to ACCENTUATE the "push up to take the weight" onto the front foot in this case.

Notice PLEASE: I am not suggesting that you are actually bobbing upwards, but rather that you are THINKING this way and immediately using the weight TAKING transfer (taking weight by pushing) to allow the moving foot to move freely (as the weight comes off it a bit).

Remember, the weight is coming off the leading foot NOT because we shifted to the following foot but because the following foot PUSHED to take on more of the pressure/weight of the stance.

I really believe this is that is going on so if it helps you use it, but do continue to treat this as unconfirmed rumor since...

I might be full of baloney (and beans.)

[WayneFlint]

its all about balance, if you had to slide a tall standing refridgerator across the ground where would you push it at the top or the bottom?

[Scrap]

Francis was a good Fighter some years ago. He talks a lot of Sense for a Scoucer