Your response to getting punched

JP · Posted On: 7/21/2007 10:18am

1) In a fight or in a sparring match, what is the first thing you do when your opponent throws a head punch COMBO? (Note: Combo means 2 or more punches)

move, block, cover.

2) What is your favourite high probability counter move?

Block and punch him back, or kick him, actually usually its, get hit in the face.

2a) How did your coach train you to develop confidence and skill in using said counter?

Hit me. Had other people hit me.

3) If your counter did not work, and the punches connect, what do you do now? E.g. do you have a safety position that you'll default to?

Get hit. Cover.

3a) What will you do (now that punches are connecting) to get out of this situation, and counter his punches?

Cover. Hit him.

4) What kind of confidence building drills did your coach do to get you to be more comfortable with getting punched in the face?[/QUOTE]

Hit me.

**Jack Rusher** · Posted On: 7/21/2007 12:26pm

1 & 2) Cover / move / clinch.
2a) Fighting. Lots of fighting.
3 & 3a) Get hit. After which, see 1 & 2.
4) See 2a.

**TehDeadlyDimMak** · Posted On: 7/21/2007 1:11pm

If you're consistently sparring and getting hit is a confidence building drill actually necessary?

Wouldn't getting hit be enough psychological conditioning on its own?

**bobyclumsyninja** · Posted On: 7/21/2007 1:59pm

absolutely getting hit is the best thing, unless no one ever really tries to clock you and just taps...then it's not so much help

. I've seen stars from hooks, had my teeth jarred from crosses...red ear from hooks (even through the headgear), axe kicked in the head, roundkicked in the skull and face, nosebleeds, black eye from my girls roundkick (around a thai pad at that, just the toe), shin kicked in the nuts (accidentally, but often at first, till I narrowed my stance), I haven't been down, but I've been almost out on my feet, and still managed to stay up (exept the nut shots and self inflicted things). It's not necessary automatically to go through that sort of thing...but it helps when someone is angry in "normal" life and really trying to sock you...and because it's happened before when someone takes sparring too far, it's not foreign territory. It takes getting hit to learn to keep the eyes open enough, to come out on top in the exchanges. Too many light contact people wince, and get twitchy when it gets harder.
To break that habit...you gotta get hit, and survive, and get to respect what it is, and that it's not the end of the world to get clocked.

I don't like the students I spar coming at me hard suddenly, because they're frustrated and want to get one good one in. I kick a lot of people off so they do...but when they do, I just stay safe, keep a solid guard, and get in what I can in the gaps. It's not wierd and surreal like it used to be...I just go harder with my kicks until they get it, or get tender and have to adjust tactics.

**bobyclumsyninja** · Posted On: 7/21/2007 2:01pm

oh TehDeadlyDimMak, you train in San Da, you already know this well. Lessons are hard, but effective.

**meggaman7** · Posted On: 7/21/2007 4:48pm

1. Move and/or cover up.
2. Duck, cross+body, left hook up top
2a. He didn't
3. Clinch
3a. Get distance fast, push kick
4. See almost every answer to this question

**Necroth** · Posted On: 7/22/2007 2:55am

1) I will list in order of preference and, probably, usefulness. Move outside of power arm, ie. to the right against an orthodox, to the left against a southpaw. Or crowd the position and clinch if they are landing outside punches. Or throw out hands, using my reach to push the gloves into their field of view, ducking chin below shoulder line and then turning out from ropes before they decide to come underneath with uppercut or back off with leg kick.

2) Clinch and elbow. I actually would rather crowd a guy anyday of the week, as I work with elbows and knees far more than punches. Well, I did in my Thai days. Now that I'm in MMA, my whole gameplan has shifted. But in Thai rules, elbows are my favorite countermove. In Oriental rules, clinch and skip knees to kidneys. In the event I am being hosed into an International rules fight, I'll resort to boxing, left hook high, left hook low, right hook high.

2a) By peppering me with jabs and crosses from long range. I am 6'2" with 76 inch reach, he was 6'4" with 78 or 79 inch reach, so he always kept right outside of my jabs. When he started training me to use elbows and clinch, I worked exclusively on the half step entrance to clinch, ie. parry jab, counter jab, half step forward and clinch. I'd eat jabs and crosses for days on end until I could suck him in on a regular basis for clinch.

3) Safety position for a failed clinch is step out and roundhouse. Everytime. If they step out or retreat to keep out of clinch, I'm setup perfectly for a chopping roundhouse kick to exposed target. Low leg about 50% of time, ribcage about 40% of time, and head kick about 10% of time.

4) Alot of sparring with 16 oz. gloves. A little sparring with 12 oz. And a few days sparring with 10 oz. match gloves as long as I didn't have a match within the next month or so. And alot of jabs and crosses. Hooks to the body. Kicks to the ribcage and legs. Knees to the body. I actually somewhat like being hit. Not in a masochistic way, but more as a wakeup call to tighten up the defenses.

**PPlate** · Posted On: 7/22/2007 10:33am

Originally Posted by TehDeadlyDimMak

If you're consistently sparring and getting hit is a confidence building drill actually necessary?

Wouldn't getting hit be enough psychological conditioning on its own?

I feel it is.

Most people don't consistently get hit hard in the face in sparring. Unless it's a boxing gym. Man, boxers don't control their punches.

If even the pros do drills to build confidence in taking punches to the head, why are we any different?

Sparring partners also tend to pull back punches when they see you're being overwhelmed.

I'd rather do it more intelligently then saying you only get confidence by getting punched around alot. It works of course, but is there a faster and easier way, that's the question.

Some of us have day jobs, and I would like not to get brain damage before I hit retirement age.