How to build footwork

I learn my technique from "Shua Jiao". . . My master said it was one odd technique I use with my MT training, but so far it has worked for me. Some of the guys in the gym see me do this for about 10 min and asks "what are you doing"? I just reply with a smile "I'm kicking your ass" and smile.

It helps a lot when you are preparing to fight someone as well. Imagine fighting him and you may find some way to beat him, but remember, it's theory. At the day of the fight, he may have changed his tactics. If he hasn't you should have a small edge over him.

Well this shadow box helps me co-ordinate my movement better and it helps me get the "tools" working correctly as well. Sometimes, after a while I find that I am able to chain certain moves together, like elbow to knee strike.

-Taison out

Just Do It - Nike .

the easiest way i find to train on my footwork is again the imagineation approach or most of the time football:D

when im imagining my opponent he is stood stationary as if just stalking watching my every movement so i side step bounce aroundmoving at all angles to acustom my body to the different levels of balance needed in each movement. after my body ahd got used to this and started to balance itself i started throwing punches and upperbody attacks to my imaginary opponent whilst still moving around bouncing and side stepping. After a few weeks of this your body should get used to the movement of your feet and the movement of your upper body creatin a stance that will keep you balanced while throwing upperbody attacks. then do the same but work in leg attacks and carry on with your upperbody attacks. after weeks of this your body will have adjusted to the movement of your feet aswell as throwing different combinations of lower and upperbody attacks.

to keep yourself acustomed to this play a game of football use your new stepping skilz to outstep your opponents oin set plays this will get you ready for wen you are fighting a real opponent.

hope it made sense

The most important thing with footwork is the acquiring of proper range for a strike- as such your "artillery" should remain balanced and ready at all times. This is why I am a fan of practicing the simple lunge, with a number of techniques- punch, side kick etc. Focus on cutting out unnecessary movement so no backward motion or "winding up."

With the lunge, make sure that the technique ends as the lunge ends. your feet hardly come off the ground and the whole movement is fluid and balanced. I will quite happily practice the lunge for an hour at a time, because it is that useful for acquiring range.

Skipping and shadow boxing are also very useful for building up co-ordination. I am also a fan of ladder drills- however I accept that this is more from when I played basketball, so it is not as useful for MA footwork.

Some said:
1- Jump rope. Yes- great excersice (try alternating and only bounce on the tip of your toes)
2- running up and down stairs (maybe- but not really foucses on it)
3- Shadow boxing (great drill for foot work) But also bouncing around a bag does the same

I can't believe noone said bounce to some music. Feel the rythem and have fun with it. You'll feel it.

As Bruce lee said " Don't think, Feeeeel"

do you know how to punch and kick fast like bruce did. if you dont can you point me in the right direction

A solo drill to build good footwork? Uhhh, forms?

Apart from jumping rope, plyometrics, shadow boxing, etc. Think about how you are moving and why. Stay light on your feet, don't plant your heals and look at it strategically.

Same Lead

Generally you keep your lead foot lined up with his lead foot.

You're going to use your jab as a set up for just about everything you do. Step in every time you throw one, and throw lots of them.

The danger hand is the rear side, so if you want to avoid being hit you circle away from it.

In order to shoot (centre step) on him your lead foot needs to be inside his lead foot. This puts him in a position to throw crosses and hooks, if you can time it on those there is one opening.

In a matched lead you are always pretty even, if you're inside, he is inside, if you're outside, he is outside, if you can shoot, he can shoot.

Opposite leads

Here positioning becomes more relevant, as you are no longer always equal.

You want to keep your lead foot outside his lead foot.

If you are lined up, you are even. You're jabs will clash in the middle, You don't really have a good angle to shoot from, etc. It's all kind of awkward.

Get outside him, now:

- Your jab crosses over his, if you both throw yours will land, his will be deflected by yours. - You can get hooks around his defence, he can not. The lead hook becomes a very important tool. - You can shoot an outside step shoot, if he shoots straight with his lead side there is nothing in front of him. - You're cross is lined up, his is not.

General tips

Move forward on every punch, there are exceptions, but as a general rule keep pressing in, otherwise he simply won't be there by the time you get to your second or third. Drive him back and keep him off balance.

Be ready for the shoot, always train to sprawl while punching.

Hit and move, get in get out, don't give him time to counter.

Finish with a high jab. Even if it's not meant to hit throw it anyways. It will get you back to position safely and discourage him from following you out.

Learn to hit while circling. Throwing jabs at him, while circling is hard to counter.

After you hit, get off his line of fire. Most counter punches will come at your head, get it out of the way. Pull out to either side, or drop then pull out. And whatever you do, don't pull out the same way every time, he will learn to predict your movements.

When you are squared off use straights. When you are angled off use hooks.

Lead with jabs, that is your main tool.

Keep covered while you punch. Your chin should be covered on BOTH sides when you punch. Eyes are generally at the level you are punching at. Try to avoid punching down at a target.

Stationary targets are easier to hit then moving targets. Don't leave your head in one place.

If you get in trouble go forward, not back. Clinch, shoot, but get in tight. Backing away keeps you getting hit.

Circling will protect you. He needs certain angles to do certain things, don't let him get those angles. If you are in the same lead and his foot is outside yours he can't shoot off his lead side. Circling not only keeps you from getting hit, it keeps you from getting hit.

Control the centre of the ring, don't back yourself into a corner, circle back to the centre. Don't follow him if he is circling back to centre, cut him off and trap him

Heels stay off the ground, weight on the toes when in close. If you are at a safe distance you can relax, but otherwise heels up, knees bent.

Footwork is the Key to stand up fighting. Keep yourself in position to hit him when you want to, and keep him from hitting you when you don't want him to. Control position and you can control the fight.

Very good tips there, Andrew. Welcome to the forums. We look forward to more quality posts like that!

i often find when i fight some lau gar kung fu people that they basicaly stand and wait,they are counter sparrers.im out of range bouncing around.trying to use footwork to get in.
now when im out of range,im tireing and my movement feels useless.so iv come to the conclusion that cant be good footwork.lol.
so is good usefull footwork subtle and only during attack and defences or is it continuose and exagerated and im just unfit with alot to learn.lol.?
it does work if i move alot when im close though if i only move then..they will know that im going to attack.
so there must be different kinds of footwork right? attacking,defending(obviously) and close and long range stuff.also would you move ,land yourfeet then attack?or attack as you move.maybe its different for feet attacks and hand attacks?

yup, apart from the obvious differences in footwork between different combat sports (point fighting vs boxing vs wrestling...) too.

Different people fight different, some like to drive straight up the center at you, so will hit and move, some will circle and counter. Basic principles are always the same though, and it is in your best interest to learn different strategies, even if they don't fit your style. Because they will fit someone elses and you can't fight them if you don't know them

Oh, and bouncing around is silly at the best of times, especially when you are out of range. Relax, fighting is largely attrition, you won't to expend his energy, not yours.

what I do is and will suggest to anyone who is serious about having good foot work; that being able to: remain balanced and quick on both offense and defense.
- Practice a punch combination several times..while you're practicing that combo think of how you would counter someone coming at you with that then switch..if your facing north move around a little then face south and throw that counter...
-then do the same thing with kicks
-then combine punches and kicks and do the same..
(In order for this to be fully beneficial you're going to have to consider not only the stike, parry, or block you would counter with but how you would position first your feet then you knees ; hips shoulders then arms.)
POSITION WISE
*Your feet are the foundation of every thing you do in martial arts especially in the stand up position..

To me good foot work is not only a result of doing drills but understanding "if my foot goes this way then the rest of my body follows in this way"..

Anyhow this is my opinion hope someone finds it helpful..

Hello,

This is what I usually do to practice footwork.

Footwork is all about being in balance so a kick or a punch can be performed as fast as possibly after a displacement. Usually when a technique is executed our body gains inertia which is hard to reduce on the instance of need.

You'll know you did bad footwork especially if the instance after you moved you tried to perform a punch or a kick.

I work my mobility system everyday by performing the following drills:

(Simple displacements)

do 20 displacements (forwards and backward) which each lead and with each type of mobility system (slide step, push step, etc). Always focus of starting from a good onguard position and finishing in a good onguard position. When finishing a displacement you'll need to use leg force and body weight to reduce the inertia your body has, as fast as possible. This will allow you to have balance on demand when a kick or punch is needed to be thrown.

(Combination of displacement and techniques)

Do a displacement and try to perform a kick immeadiatly afterwards. Do each combination of displacement and kick 20 repetitions with each lead, while moving forward as if attacking or moving backward as if counter-attacking in an afterwards situation.

(Corridors)

Have your partner hold you a kicking/punching paddle. Start moving forward while kicking (one different leg each kick [constant change of leads]) and do this for a distance of 60 to 100 meters. In the end you should feel your footwork and kicking as one.

The same exercise can be performed with punching but I usually use kicks. The difficulty is obviously higher. If you master these exercises with kicking, punching after moving is going to be a piece of cake.

Would you believe ballroom style dancing? Partnered dancing with choreographed movements really gets your feet moving and your mind working.

If that doesn't tickle your fancy then yes a jump rope and running and training on uneven ground are great ways to improve your dynamic balance and footwork.

i do fencing for my foot work as well as skipping, jogging, and yes stepping while always constantly trying to be light and loose.

Supplemental exercises like jumping rope are great for developing the correct movements for footwork.
However, it is important to note the jump rope is not actual footwork in itself. Good JKD footwork does not use the method of hopping up and down like you would while jumping rope. I've seen a lot of JKD practitioners who revert to hopping up and down while sparring since they used the rope so much during training.

One of the best solo training tools you can have is a wall mirror. The instructor will (or should) show you the proper positions and how to do each step. To improve the quality of the footwork, work on standing in the fighting position in front of the mirror and then move your center of gravity around. Use your hands momentarily to feel the position of your legs while the center shifts. Practice the steps for around 30 minutes at a time slowly, at no more than 50% speed. This will instill a proper feel and integration of the moves. The mirror will insure you have the foot positioning correct. After a while you will develop a better sense of balance while in motion. That is the main key of a foundation for footwork.
Other drilling, unfortunately, needs to be done with a training partner.