1st kickboxing bout

[Striker & Grappler]

I have my first kickboxing bout next month. I think it will be 3 rdsX 2mins. I think leg kicks will be allowed. I have about 1 year and 8 months of training.

This is my first striking oriented event. Questions:


1. What type of cardio routine do I need to have outside of class? Please provide specific examples. Gassing out is something I want to avoid.

2. What type of strategy should I employ for a wild slugging aggressive opponent (I've been told that many amatuer fights and fighters are exactly this).

3. If he is a good pugilist, how should I fight him?

4. Any general suggestions from those with competitive kickboxing experiance?

[Shinbone]

I'm not an expert, but I hope to give you a few tips.

1 Cardio: I would advice to do interval training with running and sparring. For example: 3 minutes of running/sprinting, one minute/30 seconds rest inbetween and do that 3 or 4 times, same goes with sparring, working the heavy bag, pads. (maybe some others can explain better) Always train more than you need in your fight. So train like you have to fight for 4 x 3 minutes rounds.

2: Amateur fighters are indeed very wild and aggressive. I would keep him at distance with left, right straight punches hard ones! No hooks, because that might give him room for a counter. A hard jab would work as well, and don't punch in an angle, punch straight!

Try to stop him with low kicks! Hard ones! If he is comming at you, give him a good hard low kick! But always keep you hands up while low kicking. If he's coming at you, and you have to go backward, don't walk backward in a straight line but go left or right.

3: Combinations is the key to victory. Always make combinations! Not just single low kicks or punches.

For example: make punches and follow up with a low kick. left-right-left straight punches and a right low kick or Left hook, right low kick.

You can make various combinations and stick to it. Try to avoid single attacks. Let you arms and legs do the job, not only your arms or legs, but both!

And block low kicks at all times. Do not put pressure on your front leg, because when your opponent low kicks you, it hurts like hell. You have to make sure that you time your low kicks, so when he is leaning on his front leg, you may kick him in his leg. If he puts his leg up to check you low kick, wait till he puts his leg down and low kick right away. ( when he's putting his leg on the ground)

Keep your eyes on your opponent at all times and try to fool him, so look low like you want to make a low-kick and aim for his head.

Chin on your chest and hands up.

If he's a boxer you can also try to kick his forearms with your shin real hard, that will stop him from boxing, if done properly.

If he is right handed you have to turn away from his right hand/leg, if he is left handed turn the other way around.

If he tries to go for the in-fighting at close range, keep your body as close as possible against his, so he can't do damage.

I hope it helps, best of luck!

[migo]

1-1-2-1 is a good combo in amateur fights. Most of them swing left-right, so it'll set up your 2 better if you double up on the jab, following your straight with a jab as you pull out makes it harder for him to counter.

[Titan]

First of all, I think Shinbone's advice was really good. I'll just add my 2 cents ...

1. What type of cardio routine do I need to have outside of class? Please provide specific examples. Gassing out is something I want to avoid.Running intervals. Find a track that you can run, and also mix up with full sprints up hills -- inclines are good -- and windsprints at various distances on flat surfaces. Builds a good foundation. In the gym, kick pads, but mix that up with physical excersise. For example, throw a roundhouse kick with full power against a pad, immediately dive down to the floor where you do 4-10 explosive pushups (fighters must be explosive), and get up again to repeat 10 times with each leg. Put together some things like that where you throw a technique, or a combination of techniques, at full power, and follow it up with some form of physical excersise before the next repetition. If you've ever fought at full power, you'll know you get extremely drained when throwing techniques unless you're well-conditioned this way, so that kind of stamina training on pads is very useful.

Gassing is also contributed to by being tensed. It's important to not go into the ring tensed, and definitely to not throw any techniques tensed. The same goes when running. If you go out running feeling stressed or tensed, you're going to gas quicker than otherwise. So concentrate on having your muscles relaxed, and also keeping your breathing at a good flow, even when you're sprint off at 100%. Running is a good time to train to relax, unless you already are laid back by nature.

2. What type of strategy should I employ for a wild slugging aggressive opponent (I've been told that many amatuer fights and fighters are exactly this).3. If he is a good pugilist, how should I fight him? Don't play your opponent's game unless you're better than him at it. A slugger comes out slugging because that's what he's good at, for some relative definition of "good". The same with a boxer that comes out boxing.

In both cases, from a defensive perspective, keep a tight guard and move your feet, and you should be fine. But, from the attacker's point of view, what are you good at? Here, the strategy you should employ depends on what you're good at, and it's basically: know what you're good at and use those techniques. Keep your eyes open at all times. Study your opponent for a minute, and look for what openings he leaves when he attacks you. Or see what openings he serves when you throw a certain technique. For example, if you feint a straight right to the body, does he forget about his own right hand and open up the chin for your left hook? Or when he's concerned about his lead leg hurting from all your low-kicks, does he get sloppy with his guard so you can look at his thigh and surprise with a roundhouse to the head?

After about 2 years of training, I think you've got a style of fighting already. It's influenced by many things For example, if you're a short heavyweight, you're normally good at moving laterally to stay out of reach, and quickly closing the (long) distance to your opponent to throw kicks or punches before moving out again. So, if that's you, this is what you have to use. The point of that story: keep your guard tight, try not to get hit, be aware enough of his strengths to avoid them, but trust enough in your defensive abilities to not worry about him! Focus on doing your 100%, and using what you're good at! :-)

[BEEF]

1) Besides the obvious and what others have said you need to sparr, sparr, sparr, and sparr some more. Round after round with 30 sec rest periods. If you can sparr 10-12 round medium pace comfortably, you will be fine for a 3 round fight.

2) One thing that people sometimes lack in amateur fights is knowing how to defend a flurry if they don't posess Roy Jones Jr. like speed and skills. The intuitive thing is to back up, but that is almost the worst thing you can do if you are getting flurried by punches. If you get flurried put up a HIGH and ROBUST guard along the lines of what Winky wright uses. Next, either circle out if you have the muscle memory and are calm enough, or my favorite, march right into your opponent and smoother him. Depending on the rules(freestyle, Muay Thai, Sanshou, etc). You can do a variety of things, but you made it a lot harder for your opponent to land hard shots on you because it's almost impossible to punch hard when moving backwards(which your opponent should be if you are marching into him with a high guard).

4) As dumb as this may sound, try to get used to being hit HARD. If you have been dropped before in training(as long as you don't break a nose etc.) it's the best thing that could have happened to you. Once you been hit hard and ate canvas, you know what it feels like and you should have less or no fear becuase you realize that life goes on after being hit. Of course you don't want to sparr hard a week before the fight though to avoid injury.

Also as shinbone mentioned CIRCLE AWAY FROM THE POWER HAND! This is one of the biggest mistakes beginners make.

[MZN]

I make nearly all those classic mistakes during sparring so I'll refrain from advice. What I do want to is wish you the best of luck during training and your kickboxing debut!

[Striker & Grappler]

2 weeks of training left. Thanks for all the great advice. I'll post pics, and maybe a video.

Any advice on my diet as far as the days before the fight, and the fight day itself?

[BEEF]

2 weeks of training left. Thanks for all the great advice. I'll post pics, and maybe a video.

Any advice on my diet as far as the days before the fight, and the fight day itself?


Depends on if you made weight already. Personally I don't like too much food in my stomach. I eat brown rice and beans before my fights because they keep your blood sugar nice and steady.

[Lord Gaul]

Good luck in your fight man, you know we are all behind you.

[Striker & Grappler]

Good luck in your fight man, you know we are all behind you.

Thanks! One week from tonight is the fight!

[Striker & Grappler]

Thanks for all the advice! I fight tonight! I can barely sit still!

[El Presidente]

Go jump on him Striker.

[( o Y o )]

good luck mate.

[Mago]

I'm also in the bandwagon! Best of luck!

[El Presidente]

Where is Striker? Either he is STILL partying after his win... or he is recovering in the trauma unit...

Hmmm

[Striker & Grappler]

Where is Striker? Either he is STILL partying after his win... or he is recovering in the trauma unit...

Hmmm

HUAHUAHUAHAUAHHAUAH

I wanted to wait until I uploaded some of the photos first. I'll post the fight very soon.

[Striker & Grappler]

I will post the results tomorrow! Thanks again for all the help!

[Striker & Grappler]

Entering the ring:

http://i10.tinypic.com/2u6n287.jpg


The staredown:

[Striker & Grappler]

View My Video (http://video.tinypic.com/player.php?v=30k4ojk)

The 2nd RD end of the fight. I'm in the red trunks.

[( o Y o )]

for those of us that cannot download the vid at work......did you win?????????? lol

[Shinbone]

Hhaha, funny how you walked back to your corner after you punched him out of the ring,really self confident. Yes, I also want to know, did you win?

BTW, did you worn shin protecters and shoes?

[Gigi]

congrats man,looks like you listened to advices-straight punches did the work
good luck in the future

[Striker & Grappler]

Hhaha, funny how you walked back to your corner after you punched him out of the ring,really self confident. Yes, I also want to know, did you win?

BTW, did you worn shin protecters and shoes?


Yes I won by TKO RD2 after knocking him through the ropes with a flurry of jab crosses, he was unsteady as the ref was counting and the corner threw in the towel.

Yes, we wore shin guards and protective shoes.

LOL @ my walk. I'm not really like that. I was just pumped to the extreme in that moment.

[Shinbone]

Yes I won by TKO RD2 after knocking him through the ropes with a flurry of jab crosses, he was unsteady as the ref was counting and the corner threw in the towel.

Yes, we wore shin guards and protective shoes.

LOL @ my walk. I'm not really like that. I was just pumped to the extreme in that moment.

Congrats mate, ahaha, your walk was really funny.