Rarotonga Training Pt 2 - Learning to Strike

THE FUNDAMENTALS OF STRIKING

Another fun training session on the lovely island of Rarotonga, Cook islands.

This video parallels well the difficulty young Eddie and I have in learning a new skill.

His being learning how to stand, and mine being learning how to kick and punch! Eddie does a great job of demonstrating our collective frustration over not being able to master our respective skills.

There are some great basic tips in here for those looking to know more about the art of punching and kicking technically and efficiently.

A wrap up of the important lessons i learnt on this day:

- Keep the shoulders packed down, and allow the neck to extend and relax while keeping the chin slightly tucked. (A common symptom for most people, particularly those who sit at a desk on a computer a lot, is to keep the shoulders shrugged up around the ears - monitor yourself next time your at your desk or hitting the pads!)

- Circle to the outside of your opponent ie. to the outside of their jab. This puts you in a better position to strike and keeps you clear of their lead punch.

- Use the ground to generate the force required to kick and punch. Stomp the floor and allow that energy to travel from the floor, through your body, and out through the fist or the foot. Loose hips are essential here.

- Dedicate time to the understanding and practicing of punching and kicking correctly - undoing bad habits is much harder than starting correctly and building your way up.

- Do NOT eat tuna and eggs moments before training. It will come back to haunt you. Thank you Al.

Thanks Tee.