footwork drills

Posted by: Ed_Morris

footwork drills - 09/12/06 09:58 PM

I'm interested in hearing about MMA's and/or BJJ's footwork drills. either a couple specific drills or better yet, the philosophy/theme/MO with examples....or pointing to a website/clip would work too.

sorry to be vague, I realize it's probably an extensive subject to ask an overview on, but since I've only trained in OMA's, I didn't want to phrase a specific question in my art's terms.

thanks for any info...
Posted by: Dereck

Re: footwork drills - 09/13/06 02:40 AM

I'm probably far from being somebody to add anything to this but I'll throw my hat into the ring.

One of the drills we do for footwork is working with a rope ladder on the floor. This can be worked in so many ways to try to get timing and speed. Other types of footwork we do is shuffling where your legs move as one as if there is a metal bar between them keeping your legs the same distance. Can be used for shuffling back, forward or to the side. Other footwork that we focus on is when punching to ensure then when throwing a power punch that your rear foot is turning like it is squishing a bug; that your whole body is incorporated to get the most out of the punch.

We do other drills such as when running to do high knees or kick our heels to our butts. Also shuffling from side to side around the gym, shooting forward with jabs, shooting backwards with jabs, etc. Also because we are Taekwondo we working on switching our stances in place without jumping up, sort of a quick transition so that we can attack or fake or set up other techniques. Plus other drills like shooting to the side while sparring or within our One-Step Self Defense Patterns; mainly used to move out of the way of an attack whether a kick or a punch.

That is my limited knowledge and what we do. There is probably other stuff as well that I'll remember later especially once I read other's contributions.
Posted by: ANDY44

Re: footwork drills - 09/13/06 02:42 AM





http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0jkez4CjfWk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WiAlWC9X49g&mode=related&search=



Posted by: Ed_Morris

Re: footwork drills - 09/13/06 07:08 AM

interesting videos andy, but you are again off-topic. footwork drills.

Dereck, thanks.
Posted by: ANDY44

Re: footwork drills - 09/13/06 10:26 AM

Hi ED.

Perhaps not as off topic as all that. Im being cryptic as you your good self are sometimes.

But my thinking is if your thinking of training MMA thus the request for MMA foot work drills then perhaps its better to look at the foot work used by MMA fighters?Be it good bad or none existent?

Then base your own drills around that?
The slow button is on the left of the vidio screen.

I think the first fight clinch is a good example of bad footwork from the guy who got thrown. So logicaly he didnt drill the correct foot work.
Not much point in using boxing/stand up kicks/ foot work drills in an MMA clinch if you get my point. Stand up wrestling foot work drills/partner drills might be better for the clinch?.


As you know John L is clued up on those. Im just drilling mine untill they are automatic.They are quite good when used on some one who doesnt know what they are. Lift them an inch and they are airborn!


Shall we dance da da da
shall we drill all the night time
till its right
da da da

so the song goes on

#

Posted by: Dereck

Re: footwork drills - 09/13/06 11:55 AM

Ed, I thought I'd mention for grappling we will work with a partner in stand up and clinch up and move each other around from side to side and back and forth. This is to get you comfortable in the resistance and to learn good balance. As we progress we will have the one partner try for a take down or shoot for your legs thus allowing your to work further on balance and to work on shooting your legs out for the sprawl, all the while maintaining good balance. For stand up in grappling it is important to have balance and to feel your opponent and adjust quickly to avoid the take down, these are just some of the ways we work on this. Again I may think of others as we go on and WHEN others contribute.
Posted by: Ed_Morris

Re: footwork drills - 09/13/06 11:55 AM

sorry andy, do you train or have trained in mixed martial arts or BJJ or even a non-kata centric style for that matter?

I don't think you do, since you haven't posted in this forum on technical subjects til now.....and your technical input is: watch a match and extract the drills?

you were being cryptic on this topic because you don't know what you are talking about.
Posted by: butterfly

Re: footwork drills - 09/13/06 12:30 PM

Ed,

This will be a bit hard to explain and nothing outside of class instruction will offer a substitue. This one-man drill was shown to me by three people: 1) Karate instructor who trained with the Machado's for three years; 2) Another purble belt formerly with the Machados who had a shoulder surgery and couldn't practice for awhile but could somewhat do this; and finally someone who studied with Quique (probably screwed that spelling up to).

In any case this is a solo drill for warm-up and movemet and reminds me of breakdancing.

You start with your belly up and arms bent behind you, legs bent, feet touching the floor. You look sort of like a coffee table, doing a crab walk and you are now going to attempt a game of Twister.

Now with this position, you are basically trying to keep your position and move your body and acquire angles.

For instance, lifting up one leg and putting it behind the other leg and then twisting the torso and moving the body around to now face the floor. Similarly, you can move the arms and twist around and do monkey rolls while trying to keep in place.

It's a nice little warm-up drill that has some basic BJJ body movements included.

-B
Posted by: AndrewGreen

Re: footwork drills - 09/13/06 12:36 PM

Here is some basic theory:

http://innovativema.ca/forum/view.php?pg=footwork

But at the end of the day it all comes down to what you are trying to do vs what they are trying to do. MMA footwork is pretty complex, due to the fact that there are many possible strategies from both sides.
Posted by: MattJ

Re: footwork drills - 09/13/06 12:49 PM

Good stuff from Brad and Andrew. A lot of the footwork drills that I have done in BJJ are partner-driven, reactive drills. A big part of the deal is learning to instantly re-adjust your center to resist being pushed over. Most times in grappling, the opponent is not going to try to push you straight over. They try to get you sideways or otherwise push on an angle. Learning to place your feet properly to resist this is essential. CroCop is a master of this.
Posted by: Dereck

Re: footwork drills - 09/13/06 12:52 PM

I am familiar with these drills that Brad has supplied. Some other ones we have done is you are on all fours making a square. You bring your right foot and exchange it with your left hand while keeping the square. Then you exchange your right hand for your left foot still keeping the square. You do this in one direction for "x" amount or repetitions and then go the other way. Again, others to be added as I remember them.
Posted by: ANDY44

Re: footwork drills - 09/13/06 02:18 PM

Quote:

sorry andy, do you train or have trained in mixed martial arts or BJJ or even a non-kata centric style for that matter?

I don't think you do, since you haven't posted in this forum on technical subjects til now.....and your technical input is: watch a match and extract the drills?

you were being cryptic on this topic because you don't know what you are talking about.



Sorry ED but most top boxers including Mike Tyson spent hours and hours watching and studying other boxers on film.
The boxers I know that compete now do the same thing.

So what makes it different for you? Or judging from your response you more than likely didnt know these things
Nothing out of the norm in that

Ok Ed, Interesting reply as usual Regards my experience
There was technical advise in what I wrote.

OK let us compare experiences.You doubt mine and I think you have no fighting experience at all.
So perhaps we could find out?. Only If you would like to that is?

Scenario
Two MMA,s on the mat, in a ring what ever.
One throws a right hand punch the left foot is forward.
Right foot is at the rear.
The other attempts a two legged take down counter(shoot) and the punch misses
The person doing the two legged shoot manages to get hold of the legs?
what would your counter techniques to the two legged take down attempt be?
Perhaps you could describe all of them?

Just saying sprawl would indicate to me you have no experience at all or even bothered learning any techniques ?

what is the new objective of the person who threw the rear hand?
Then when you have correctly worked out that scenario how are you going to train it?
And if you would like to discuss the foot work drills involved in that scenario then which part?
The getting the rear hand in?
The attempted take down ?
or the counter to the take down attempt?



If you havent done MMA its very complexed as other have stated on here.If you have never fought at all then it will be equaly dificult.

Can I ask you if you have ever fought?Not sparring? I dont think you ever have.

Just a small point the karate kata based systems from what I am finding out have a lot to offer MMA and self defence

Thanks



Posted by: Ed_Morris

Re: footwork drills - 09/13/06 07:34 PM

all - thanks for the info, the question was more a curiosity than a request for instruction. I'll get back on topic in a sec...first, I have to address this bozo throwing challenges out to strangers:

Andy4, nice to see your real colors, I knew they'd come out when pressed. I don't take challenges, besides I have NO fight experience. since you already know you would 'win', there is no point in challenging people online, is there?

but whats that got to do with footwork drills?

I've never trained in MMA (I mentioned that in the opening thread...hence the question). nor have I done any significant groundwork. I don't pretend this, the people's opinion I respect on this site, and a few I've trained with in person know I've only ever worked stand-up arts.

I didn't catch the part where you mentioned your vast experience working footwork drills from a MMA perspective. not from watching a video you googled and guessed, but from actually training in a gym.

your scenarios are off topic. besides, I wouldn't know the answers...I don't know how to fight - remember?

my 'conclusions'? no, I was guessing when I said you probably don't know what you are talking about when it comes to MMA footwork drills. and I STILL think that....but that opinion could change based on whether or not you address my original question instead of challenging me to a fight for calling you out.

the whole time you've been on this site, you've never put a technical post in this forum...and NOW you are suddenly a cage fighter looking for challenges? bozo.
lol
Posted by: ANDY44

Re: footwork drills - 09/13/06 07:57 PM

Quote:

all - thanks for the info, the question was more a curiosity than a request for instruction. I'll get back on topic in a sec...first, I have to address this bozo throwing challenges out to strangers:

Andy4, nice to see your real colors, I knew they'd come out when pressed. I don't take challenges, besides I have NO fight experience. since you already know you would 'win', there is no point in challenging people online, is there?

but whats that got to do with footwork drills?

I've never trained in MMA (I mentioned that in the opening thread...hence the question). nor have I done any significant groundwork. I don't pretend this, the people's opinion I respect on this site, and a few I've trained with in person know I've only ever worked stand-up arts.

I didn't catch the part where you mentioned your vast experience working footwork drills from a MMA perspective. not from watching a video you googled and guessed, but from actually training in a gym.

your scenarios are off topic. besides, I wouldn't know the answers...I don't know how to fight - remember?

my 'conclusions'? no, I was guessing when I said you probably don't know what you are talking about when it comes to MMA footwork drills. and I STILL think that....but that opinion could change based on whether or not you address my original question instead of challenging me to a fight for calling you out.

the whole time you've been on this site, you've never put a technical post in this forum...and NOW you are suddenly a cage fighter looking for challenges? bozo.
lol


------------------------------------------------------------
You stated
sorry andy, do you train or have trained in mixed martial arts or BJJ or even a non-kata centric style for that matter?

I don't think you do, since you haven't posted in this forum on technical subjects til now.....and your technical input is: watch a match and extract the drills?

you were being cryptic on this topic because you don't know what you are talking about
-------------------------------------------------------------
In response i stated what i did
Now you choose to call me a bozo?

Your realy showing your colours here ED

Firstly I am not a bozo as you put it
Secondly you doubted my expereince so I suggested to put it to the test by going throught the scenario I stated by answering the questions
Thirdly there was no challenge to a fight or calling you out
fourthly Yes I am 53 I have a past and in that past i have had a hell of a lot of fights.Just because i am now studying kata based karate doesnt give an indication to my past
Fifth
footwork is a means of applying technique
If you cared to learn about mma then the foot work question would answer itself

If you read my input on the self defence forums then you wouldnt come up with your conclusions. Strange how others have reached a different conclusion?


Any way back to the topic
Im afraid if you cant answer the questions I asked then how are you going know what foot work to use?

Mohamed Ali had his own style of footwork as opposed to say tyson?

Different techniques require diffent foot work thus different foot work skills,So no specific technique means no specific footwork, I have asked you questions if you answer them then the foot work could be discussed and the relevent drills.

Or any body else for that matter answers them then foot work for those specific techniques could be discussed
The scenario I gave you is one I have used many a time




Posted by: butterfly

Re: footwork drills - 09/13/06 08:06 PM

Andy,

No offense on this side, but....

Quote:

OK let us compare experiences.You doubt mine and I think you have no fighting experience at all.
So perhaps we could find out?. Only If you would like to that is?




Can be construed as calling someone out for a "talking to."

Perhaps this was not your intent, but it kind of "sounded" that way. And I know, posts are hard to get across what you exactly mean without vocal and physical clues.

I am not defending Ed, but stating I can see what he means.

-B
Posted by: Ed_Morris

Re: footwork drills - 09/13/06 08:08 PM

1. ok, I stand corrected.
2. you didn't mention drills (read the other people's posts as example).
3.
Quote:

OK let us compare experiences.You doubt mine and I think you have no fighting experience at all.
So perhaps we could find out?. Only If you would like to that is?


4. I never asked. and don't care. this thread is about footwork drills.
5. I agree. but often in training there is a concept of isolating techniques...these are called 'drills'.
Posted by: ANDY44

Re: footwork drills - 09/13/06 08:22 PM

Quote:

1. ok, I stand corrected.
2. you didn't mention drills (read the other people's posts as example).
3.
Quote:

OK let us compare experiences.You doubt mine and I think you have no fighting experience at all.
So perhaps we could find out?. Only If you would like to that is?


4. I never asked. and don't care. this thread is about footwork drills.
5. I agree. but often in training there is a concept of isolating techniques...these are called 'drills'.




ED I didnt call any body out
I gave you an example of a scenario often found in fights and MMA,s with questions that will lead to footwork drills

Posted by: ANDY44

Re: footwork drills - 09/13/06 08:29 PM

Quote:

Andy,

No offense on this side, but....

Quote:

OK let us compare experiences.You doubt mine and I think you have no fighting experience at all.
So perhaps we could find out?. Only If you would like to that is?




Can be construed as calling someone out for a "talking to."

Perhaps this was not your intent, but it kind of "sounded" that way. And I know, posts are hard to get across what you exactly mean without vocal and physical clues.

I am not defending Ed, but stating I can see what he means.

-B


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

OK let us compare experiences.You doubt mine and I think you have no fighting experience at all.
So perhaps we could find out?. Only If you would like to that is?

Scenario
Two MMA,s on the mat, in a ring what ever.
One throws a right hand punch the left foot is forward.
Right foot is at the rear.
The other attempts a two legged take down counter(shoot) and the punch misses
The person doing the two legged shoot manages to get hold of the legs?
what would your counter techniques to the two legged take down attempt be?
Perhaps you could describe all of them?
_---------------------------------------------------------


It was related to the questions about techniques wasnt intended to as you say call any one out but im afraid if they doubt what i say then i should be allowed to prove it
which i think i did

Posted by: ANDY44

Re: footwork drills - 09/13/06 08:39 PM

Quote:

1. ok, I stand corrected.
2. you didn't mention drills (read the other people's posts as example).
3.
Quote:

OK let us compare experiences.You doubt mine and I think you have no fighting experience at all.
So perhaps we could find out?. Only If you would like to that is?


4. I never asked. and don't care. this thread is about footwork drills.
5. I agree. but often in training there is a concept of isolating techniques...these are called 'drills'.



Thats what I did with the scenario
Isolated set techniques used in MMA witht them comes the relevent foot work
Posted by: Ed_Morris

Re: footwork drills - 09/13/06 09:01 PM

I could word my question another way: does anyone train solo drills which improve footwork?

if so...I was wondering if yours and others look similar to this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6y0YYBUGP0

thanks again.
Posted by: ANDY44

Re: footwork drills - 09/13/06 09:10 PM

Quote:

I could word my question another way: does anyone train solo drills which improve footwork?

if so...I was wondering if yours and others look similar to this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6y0YYBUGP0

thanks again.



They are co ordenation exercises

If you ever watched ALI doing foot work drills then he would use what he practiced as a drill in the ring particuler against liston

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uzWynvBLJ...frisco%20boxing
Posted by: Ed_Morris

Re: footwork drills - 09/13/06 09:43 PM

I could word my question another way: does anyone train solo drills (to build coordination, speed, strength, etc) which improve footwork?

if so...I was wondering if yours and others look similar to this, for example: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6y0YYBUGP0

thanks again.

p.s. I'm not looking for fight clips to extract drills out of....I can do that myself. thought it would be an interesting thread to hear what actual isolated drills people do to improve footwork...from actual experience doing them. keep testing me andy.
Posted by: Dereck

Re: footwork drills - 09/14/06 01:06 AM

Quote:

I could word my question another way: does anyone train solo drills (to build coordination, speed, strength, etc) which improve footwork?

if so...I was wondering if yours and others look similar to this, for example: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6y0YYBUGP0




For Drill #1 & #2 he is working with a skipping rope which is similar to our rope ladder drills, however the rope ladder allows so much more options for coordination and speed. Drill #3 & #4 we do something similar with slammer shield that we lay on the floor, plus we do the same things within the rope ladder drills. #5 have never done. #6 is a lot like our shuffling drills. We will do this in class as a whole and the Instructor will call out "two shuffles back". He'll pause and then yell "three shuffles forward" and add on to it like "run to the side". Then each time it gets harder and harder with more combinations with "two steps forward", "three shuffles back", "step to the side", "step to the side", "front kick, front kick, roundhouse, back kick, three shuffles back". What ends up happening is if you can't do it then you must bow out. If he sees you screw up then you must bow out. Anybody who bows out goes to the side and does 10 monkey jumps, 10 squat thrusts and 10 clappling pushups.

We will also do leap frogs over each other around the gym till finally we are sitting on our butts with our legs out. They will then have to do bunny hops over your legs, heels to the bum, one legged hops, etc. Then everybody will spread there feet and you will have to do in/outs, scissors, quicks steps, etc. So some of these we do and some we don't
Posted by: ANDY44

Re: footwork drills - 09/16/06 12:04 AM

Quote:

I could word my question another way: does anyone train solo drills (to build coordination, speed, strength, etc) which improve footwork?

if so...I was wondering if yours and others look similar to this, for example: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6y0YYBUGP0

thanks again.

keep testing me andy.





I wouldnt practice footwork drills other than the the footwork /drills that were specific to the techniques being trained.So cant help you on that one.

Others might but I would only train what is specific to what I am doing.

Posted by: ANDY44

Re: footwork drills - 09/16/06 07:12 AM

A basic fitness drill incorperating boxing foot work.
In MMA,s etc it can go/might go from boxing/kicking etc to clinch work etc to throws take/downs to grappling/punching etc on the floor to then getting back up again.

Can be done with minimum equipment
So can be trained almost anywhere.
The reps are subject to present fitness and the amount that can be managed at this time. If its only 5 reps to start with then fine.

After a warm up stretching etc


Free standing Squats thighs to parallel 10 of ( done fairly slowly I don’t believe in bouncing to much where knees are concerned)
Drop to the floor then sit ups 10 of
Turn over press ups 10 of
Then stand up
Either fast sprint 20 paces or running on the spot 20 paces
or moving forward using a basic boxing stance while shadow boxing.Subject to first having got the boxing movements correct.
Then straight to

Free standing Squats thighs to parallel 9 of
Drop to the floor then sit ups 9 of
Turn over press ups 9 of
Stand up then
Either fast sprint 20 paces or running on the spot 20 paces or use basic boxing footwork for going forward while jabbing/shadow boxing
Then straight to

Free standing Squats thighs to parallel 8 of
Drop to the floor then sit ups 8 of
Turn over press ups 8 of
Then stand up
Either fast sprint 20 paces or running on the spot 20 paces or use basic boxing footwork for going backwards while jabbing /shadow boxing

Then straight to
Free standing Squats thighs to parallel 7 of
Drop to the floor then sit ups 7 of
Turn over press ups 7 of

Then stand up
Either fast sprint 20 paces or running on the spot 20
Paces or use basic boxing foot work for going side ways while shadow boxing
Each set decreasing the reps
Etc untill the last set is one of each

All done with out a pause in between.
The reps can be decreased or increased at the starting point to 20 upwards depending on fitness level.

Posted by: Ed_Morris

Re: footwork drills - 09/16/06 08:14 AM

thanks everyone! I appreciate the input.
Posted by: Supremor

Re: footwork drills - 09/16/06 08:19 AM

It's nice that you've taken the time to come up with this Andy, but isn't this the wrong place to post it? Ed is asking about footwork drills, not fitness drills.

Ed, most of the work I have done with footwork has been while playing basketball. For this we used SAQ, or ladder drills. They are very simple pieces of equipment which can be used in any number of ways. However, the footwork needed for invasion games is very different to that used for MAs, so I am not sure how readily the drills would translate.

I think personally that skipping (rope jumping in US?) and shadow sparring, as well as actual sparring, are the best ways to build footwork. They are the drills that are most sport specific.