Powerful and Effective Martial Combat In The Street Footwork

Footwork is the foundation of all human movement, indeed it is the foundation of all athletic, martial arts and martial combat endeavors. From all-time great quarterbacks, to hall of fame tennis players, Jack Dempsey and Bruce Lee
themselves; it was the foundation of their footwork that allowed them to amaze and dismay all their worthy opponents.



Bruce Lee said," Footwork can beat any attack, and a properly maintained distance will baffle any skilled opponent." While maintaining distance in real life dangerous situation is not always possible I still none the less, 100 % agree with the great ones statement.


In order to throw a smart, effective and powerful strike, be it punching, elbows, knees or kicks you need to possess smart, effective and powerful footwork. But you know what? this is the single most overlooked component of both combat sport and martial combat (self-defense)


Jim Driscoll in his book "The Straight Left and How To Cultivate It," observed this; all men who hit straight, and use the left hand as it should be used, are fully aware of the fact the feet are as important as the hands in the boxing game.


Jack Dempsey wrote in his book"Championship Fighting: Explosive Punching and Aggressive Defense" the following. He said boxing was "being taught wrong nearly everywhere." Than he went on to list the incorrect applications he was referring to and four of those reasons involved footwork, he pointed out that:


* Beginners are not grounded in the four principle methods of putting bodyweight in fast motion: (a) falling step, (b) leg spring, (c) shoulder whirl, (d) upward surge


* Explosive straight punching has become almost a lost art because instructors place so much emphasis on the shoulder whirl, that beginners are taught wrongfully to punch straight without stepping whenever possible.


* Failure to teach the falling step (trigger step) for straight punching has resulted in the left jab being used generally as a light, auxiliary weapon for making openings and "setting up" instead of as a stunning blow.

* Beginners are not warned that taking long steps with hooks may open up those hooks into swings.

Who are we to argue with the great Jack Dempsey. After all he had a lifetime percentage of 79% knockouts to decisions and was a champion who fought much heavier opponents than he. And he was Champ for seven years in a row.


Footwork is more than merely a means to get from point A to point B - yet even today many instructors still only gloss over their students footwork, preferring instead to concentrate their attentions on the upper torso; wrong, huge and deadly mistake. This is why their punches are lacking - in short they are powder-puff punchers not power punchers.


Even the slew of so called power punching coaches we find on You Tube today gloss over this, yet they too mention so hollowed and powerful techniques as the fall step, leg spring, shoulder whirl and upward surge.


But alas they teach it wrong thus coming close but missing the mark, and in combat or deadly situations a miss is as good as being DEAD!!!


Punching mechanics are determined by alignment, and our alignment begins at ground level. How we position our feet determines the alignment of our legs.


Our legs are attached to and determine the position of our trunk. And our arms are attached to our trunk. So if we begin incorrectly how in heavens name are we going to end up correctly?


Answers is we cannot.


Even for punches like the hook and upper cut, the arm should merely be along for the ride, not the over-ridding factor in the punch. It is the body (in motion - not stationary) that should do all the work. Because as we all know this is where all the true weight is. The principle of force is F = ma.


This means the more acceleration we create in the direction of the strike the more powerful the strike will be; and acceleration starts with the feet pushing of the ground and moving.


You want to stop being an arm puncher than start learning how to move your feet properly.


This same principle of force applies to our defensive posture as well, remember Newtons third law of motion:

" To every action there is an equal and opposite reaction." Meaning that you can not hit someone without being hit back with an equal and opposite force. This is what aggressive defense action is all about.


On top of Newtons third law or because of it, we need to remember that in order to remain in a balanced position of stability as well as mobility, we cannot rely on moving only from the waist up.


You must correctly position your center of gravity (CG), and in order to accomplish this while in motion, you need footwork.


A forceful punch means absolutely nothing if you are not in a position to use it. And of course, if your close enough to use it than your close enough to be hit.


If your familiar with the term "fighting measure" than you know it refers to the distance between your opponent and yourself that is too far to either be hit or hit. This is a crucial aspect of martial combat, and if you master the long straight lead than this principle can be used against your opponent.


But in order to master the long straight lead you need to master footwork.


And of course your lead foot is your distance regulator. Whether you step forward, push-off, or spring, surge, whirl and drop, it is your lead foot that enables you to reach your opponent - it is has nothing to do with your upper body or arm reach.


Remember if you over-reach you end up outside your center of gravity (CG) and therefore not balanced. Proper footwork will stop this from happening and in the rare occasion that it does happen you will be able to correct it as quickly as possible.


When we talk about footwork, at it's most basic level there are only four directions in which we move; forward, backwards, left and right. But the variations of those four directions are infinitely more complex and endless.


There is the Step and Slide - this is your garden variety method that most martial combat practitioners use, and even in this most are wrong in it's application. It is not supposed to be used to launch an attack (yet most do and even than they step,slide and stop before punching) - it is suppose to be a distance regulator.


There is the Push Step - Where the Step and Slide is a two step process the Push Step is a single step process and when done properly should drastically reduce the time between when your back foot pushes and your front foot lands. This is an explosive movement that is seldom seen and should be a requirement in every martial combat practitioners footwork arsenal and is a great defensive weapon.


There is the Push-Off - This is an offensive weapon and should be used with the leg spring to create a nice stiff jab versus a powder-puff "feeler" type jab.


There is the Pivot Step - which allows you to move at an angle and is great as a counter, allowing you to first move out of harms way than deliver a counter strike form a balanced and set position of power.


There are also half-beat steps that allow you instantaneous action such as :


Punching with your weight up front - when we step and slide there is a brief moment where our weight is shifted to our front foot and the other is in the air. This technique allows you to fire off a quick shot before your opponent has time to react because unlike the step and slide which is a two beat movement, this technique is done on a one beat; results - surprise and a stunned opponent.


There is the Pendulum Step will allow you to maintain leverage in a situation. There is the Stealing Step which creates a little more explosion and allows you to reach your opponent quickly. There are many other variation of the basic movements. All of which allow you to dictate range and rhythm and thus keep you in command of the situation.


So as you can see it is your footwork that will at the end of the day allow you to create explosive offensive and defensive strikes, keep you in a position of balance, and ultimately allow you to survive. So the next time you hear a martial arts or martial combat instructor say," just follow what I do with my upper body and don't worry about the feet they'll come along for the ride", do yourself a favor and grab your wallet and run away as fast as you can - because your in the wrong place.


In closing I'd like to leave you with a quote from the legendary basketball coach John Wooden.


" I believe in the basics. Attention to, and perfection of, tiny details that might commonly be overlooked. They may seem trivial, perhaps even laughable to those who don't understand, but they aren't. They are fundamental to your progress in basketball, business, and life. They are the difference between champions and near champions."


And I like to add this "Details are the difference between survival and death." If you pay attention to them while preparing and training they will be instinctive and automatic when the moment comes to spring, surge and drop into action.


So pay attention to your footwork...