Break down the Philly Shell defense for me.

[devante]

Where the fuck has Sinister been these days?
Anyway, the Philly Shell is something I do for shits and giggles in hands only sparring. I've actually gotten reasonably good at it and can use it against people who match me in skill. What its taught me is that rolling your shoulder doesn't necessarily have to be done out of the Philly Shell stance, it can be done with your hands up. Rolling your shoulder to deflect punches is much better than taking it on the glove especially in mma where the gloves are smaller and will hurt more when they crash into your face. It also loads up the right hand beautifully.

Also whats all this nonsense about it requiring special athleticism? James Tony was never a particularly athletic fighter and always had pretty slow feet. Its his positioning not his speed that allows him to fight like that.

1)not sure, maybe he is training for an actual fight; he was doing work as a sparring guy and said there might be a chance he would be prepping for a fight, only thing i can think of..unless its something else.

2)toney isn't any roy jones jr type; but he had very good timing, coordination, reaction time and handspeed...above average at least, probably waaay above avg honestly.

 

[ssullivan80]

Anyway, the Philly Shell is something I do for shits and giggles in hands only sparring. I've actually gotten reasonably good at it and can use it against people who match me in skill. What its taught me is that rolling your shoulder doesn't necessarily have to be done out of the Philly Shell stance, it can be done with your hands up. Rolling your shoulder to deflect punches is much better than taking it on the glove especially in mma where the gloves are smaller and will hurt more when they crash into your face. It also loads up the right hand beautifully.

Also whats all this nonsense about it requiring special athleticism? James Tony was never a particularly athletic fighter and always had pretty slow feet. Its his positioning not his speed that allows him to fight like that.

What!!!?????? James Toney was exceptionally quick, both hands and feet. Let's not forget, James Toney of recent is not James Toney of old. He was without a doubt one of the most athletic fighters of his time and other than RJJr, there were not many guys that could outquick JT. Even Roy commented that James was "deceivingly fast" and one of the fastest guys he ever fought. See clip below, looks pretty damn quick to me!

The "philly shell" is used by allot of fighter. It is a defensive style that really has little to do with how fast or athletic a guy is. Really, it is a defensive style that is best suited and best used by tuck n roll fighters. There are dozens of great fighters that use the "shell defense" or variations there of. The key to shell is using the lead shoulder to roll shots and then knowing the proper footwork that incorporates allot of pivots and circling to pass your opponent through and create countering opportunities.......... Also, knowing how to come in narrow and use the shell to "jam" your opponent and how to posture your upper body to keep control of your opponent is imperative in using it effectively. Either way, another topic that could warrant countless pages of why, how, when, etc..... to use and execute effectively. Not to mention, there are more than a few different ways to use it effectively

Good Examples: James Toney, Lucian Bute, Bernard Hopkins, Vitali Klitschko.... All use the "shell" type defense really well, but all did it a bit differently.

YouTube - James Toney Tribute

 

[jasonbray]

I love this stance, I have been using it for awhile now and didnt even know it. My friend told me yesterday that I use a philly stance and thats when I googled it and came here, some really great posts, I'm trying to learn more about it. Thank you all!

 

[sukotsuto]

When I fight southpaw (up close usually), it's all "philly shell" for me (right handed btw). Like an earlier poster said in this thread, it keeps the jab outside eye level, which makes it deceive and hurt more, and since my lead hand is a power hand, I can counter with my power hand straight jab faster and with greater frequency. Once disengaging from close range, I start "whipping" my jab from different angles, angles made easier due to the hand placement. It also works for kickboxing for me, since my staying in southpaw puts my power leg (left leg) on the back as my power shot. It still has its weakness though, especially against guys who uses lots of straights from far range.

 

[SAAMAG]

Yea--I mean if Ryu and Ken use it--it's gotta be good!

Honestly, I only use this stance when I'm going boxing only, and because I'm a counter fighter by nature. If you have good upper body movement and fast footwork, and fast hands, and like to use your jab, it's a great stance IMO. Just not suited to novices or beginners who haven't gotten the fundamentals yet.

 

[thirteen]

It is frustrating as a fuck.