training hands down?

[dudeguyman]

How effective do you think it would be to spar with my hands in a low position, almost like in a basic standing position arms side by side, but fists made and elbows slightly bent. How effective do you think it would be for training my ability to gauge distance so I can control it? My only concern is that i might train a habit of keeping my hands down. Thoughts?

 

[Reyesnuthugr]

You should probably train with them up when learning, until you have mastered footwork, distance, timing, angles, and overall movement. For most professionals, this means never.

I mean, you can always try it, but against someone who even partly knows what they are doing it's going to be a bad time for you unless you are naturally the elite top 1-2%. Or basically, you just have to be miles ahead in skill in comparison to all your opponents.

That's what I think. I don't mean to discourage you from experimenting.


Here are some other difficult things that the very best pros can sometimes get away with:

-- Leading a combo or single punch attack with your rear hand first (instead of a jab)
(Mayweather Jr., Berhard Hopkins, Ali)

-- Putting your hands behind your back, sticking your neck/face out to taunt your opponent into attacking and then knocking them out when they try (Roy Jones)

-- Using the pull counter repeatedly
(Mayweather Jr.)

-- Dancing literally while supposed to be fighting (several)

-----------------------------------------------------------------

So the only reason why you shouldn't train/fight with your hands down is if it doesn't work for you, it's kind of a bad idea at first because there's no way it can work in the beginning stages, and at the higher stages it's still extremely risky to your health UNLESS you have already demonstrated that you can pull that kind of thing off.

The sign that you can likely get away with something like that is if you are having too easy a time with all of your sparring partners and competition, to where it almost feels silly. If you're that much better, everyone will be able to see it manifestly (including your coach) and you can start getting away with bending or even breaking certain rules just like Muhammed Ali or prime Roy Jones.

Good luck with that, hope you don't die

 

[dudeguyman]

You should probably train with them up when learning, until you have mastered footwork, distance, timing, angles, and overall movement. For most professionals, this means never.

I mean, you can always try it, but against someone who even partly knows what they are doing it's going to be a bad time for you unless you are naturally the elite top 1-2%. Or basically, you just have to be miles ahead in skill in comparison to all your opponents.

That's what I think. I don't mean to discourage you from experimenting.


Here are some other difficult things that the very best pros can sometimes get away with:

-- Leading a combo or single punch attack with your rear hand first (instead of a jab)
(Mayweather Jr., Berhard Hopkins, Ali)

-- Putting your hands behind your back, sticking your neck/face out to taunt your opponent into attacking and then knocking them out when they try (Roy Jones)

-- Using the pull counter repeatedly
(Mayweather Jr.)

-- Dancing literally while supposed to be fighting (several)

-----------------------------------------------------------------

So the only reason why you shouldn't train/fight with your hands down is if it doesn't work for you, it's kind of a bad idea at first because there's no way it can work in the beginning stages, and at the higher stages it's still extremely risky to your health UNLESS you have already demonstrated that you can pull that kind of thing off.

The sign that you can likely get away with something like that is if you are having too easy a time with all of your sparring partners and competition, to where it almost feels silly. If you're that much better, everyone will be able to see it manifestly (including your coach) and you can start getting away with bending or even breaking certain rules just like Muhammed Ali or prime Roy Jones.

Good luck with that, hope you don't die

No, I don't generally exceed beyond expectations. I have been told I'm a sponge before, but I did kinda plan to start trying the technique on white belts and work my way up. I do feel its kind of bitchy to train like this when someone wants to spar, but my instructor doesn't specifically teach timing, distance, footwork, or head movement. In my school there is alot of respect in sparring. people have quit before because they couldn't hold back in sparring "If you don't hold back neither do we". I'm not dissing my school though. it has its strong points. its the only way i can think to teach myself distance right now. i'm aware of it but I receive no instruction on it. . .i'm not in a position to add boxing to my training right now.

 

[ARIZE]

If you want to go through it, start with a trustworthy friend... If someone i don't really know, or I don't like was trying that with me in sparring, i would take that like a sign of disrespect, like you are taunting me. Which mean i wouldn't hold my strikes, specially after I've connected. (To teach your a lesson)
Or at least, explain what you want to do and why, before sparring... But there is always a little ego in sparring, some times more than in a real match.
I don't know how people are there, but maybe it's safer to try it with more experienced people who can control their power...

 

[cakemuncher]

How effective do you think it would be for training my ability to gauge distance so I can control it?

You can train your ability to gauge distance with your hands up.

/endthread

 

[j123]

Train with the basics then when you have the fundamentals down, try new material

I recall you said you've been training for 1.5 years. That's still very green. Work with the basics to a high level, then when you find you want extra material that makes things better for your game, do it, til then don't.

I'm guessing you're training at a MMA gym or at leass a MT gym (I can see @ARIZE trying to crucify me for calling north 'merican KB as MT).

A reason why new guys don't get range, head movement, and that fun stuff is because new guys are extremely terrible at that. The gameplan for your coach is to send guys to compete. Novice fighters, range goes out the window. The name of the game here is aggression, ring control, and clinching. Watch any "C-class" MT/KB fight, its both guys pressing forward not wanting to back down, and ends up being a fight in the pocket then clinch. Any semblance of range happens for 2 seconds, then its gone.

Guys who do have great knowledge of range and can implement it are sandbagging and hiding their records, going in as brand new novice, but are in fact closer to the intermediate level (exp. wise).

Around intermediate to experienced, is when fighters shine with range, footwork, and head movement. Before then its too much for the head to process on top of learning how to fight in the pressure environment that is a fight.

 

[dudeguyman]

Thx guys these are helpful responses, it was just a drunk thought after watching a clip of nyugen or whoever bomb some dude from hands down last night. Keep em coming though. Love the advice.

 

[DoctorTaco]

You have to have a system in place and away to drill those systematic responses. When someone throws a jab at me, I have 3 standard responses ready. I’ve drilled those 3 responses tend of thousands of times each. I know the strengths and weaknesses of each response and when best to use them. From each response I’ve got 3-5 attacks that I’ve also drilled relentlessly.

If you want to learn to fight hands down you need to be able to effectively drill a multitude of responses and counters to every move (footwork, punch, etc.) your opponent does. You have to use proper technique and drill under less and less parameters until you can hit your ‘responses’ live in sparring

 

[spacetime]

I mean, you can always try it, but against someone who even partly knows what they are doing it's going to be a bad time for you unless you are naturally the elite top 1-2%.

Or have excellent footwork (Don't think elit level is required). But that is going to tire him way more than simply keeping his hands up.

So if you got the cardio, go for it. BUT, once you switch to a more orthodox guard, you are less "on your toes" and can relax more

 

[listrahtes]

Or have excellent footwork (Don't think elit level is required). But that is going to tire him way more than simply keeping his hands up.

So if you got the cardio, go for it. BUT, once you switch to a more orthodox guard, you are less "on your toes" and can relax more

You "think" elite level is not required or you have experienced that yourself against competitors of equal skill? Its imo a bad advise you give as even many pro fighters cant fight like that and the ones who did were the absolute elite.

I do see benefit in doing something like this but that is after you have mastered the basics in footwork, timing, distance control to perfection in real fights. There imo has to be an extraordinary level of talent as basis and years of experience. Maybe TS has it I dont know.

But well there are way more experienced people on this forum than myself.

 

[MisterHappy]

How effective do you think it would be to spar with my hands in a low position

Only effective when combined with the chin up, way up, technique.

 

[spacetime]

You "think" elite level is not required or you have experienced that yourself against competitors of equal skill? Its imo a bad advise you give as even many pro fighters cant fight like that and the ones who did were the absolute elite.

I do see benefit in doing something like this but that is after you have mastered the basics in footwork, timing, distance control to perfection in real fights. There imo has to be an extraordinary level of talent as basis and years of experience. Maybe TS has it I dont know.

But well there are way more experienced people on this forum than myself.

TS is not sparring against the elite. And yes, I know for sure he can make it work.

 

[dudeguyman]

thx guys i think i'm getting better distance advice on here then when i made a thread explicitly asking for it. or at least equal. i'd have to look again. . .

 

[Silver tongue samurai]

Reminds me of this Duke Roufus video I found a while ago. No idea if this would help you with distance but here ya go

 

[ironkhan57]

How effective do you think it would be to spar with my hands in a low position, almost like in a basic standing position arms side by side, but fists made and elbows slightly bent. How effective do you think it would be for training my ability to gauge distance so I can control it? My only concern is that i might train a habit of keeping my hands down. Thoughts?

You might get hit a few times, but watch people like dominick cruz, stephen thompson, and micheal page, just work on movement with your feet and head, and counter striking, if your doing muay thai it may be harder, but if your doing boxing it should be slightly easier. I usually spar like that with the new people in the gym i use to train at, mostly so they can learn, if i did that with someone with atleast a year experience they would hit me more and more.