Bad guard and punching habits - should I be seriously concerned?

**gzk** · Posted On: 6/30/2008 9:04am

My shoot instructor is helping me with a couple of bad habits I seem to have developed of winging punches and not snapping them back to my guard properly at certain points in certain combinations. Now, while I know even pros. make technical mistakes, is it normal to be falling into habits like that after 18 months of training, or is this cause to evaluate my training regimen more seriously than just fixing the aforementioned habits?

***WhiteShark*** · Posted On: 6/30/2008 10:07am

Everyone deals with bad habits and ruts. Bad striking habits can be a sign of not sparring enough or not having sparring partners that push you by capitalizing on your mistakes. Unpunished mistakes are what build bad habits.

**Kaoz** · Posted On: 6/30/2008 10:28am

Originally Posted by WhiteShark

Unpunished mistakes are what build bad habits.

QFT Nothing educates your defense like skilled training partners.

**MMAMickey** · Posted On: 7/01/2008 5:22pm

yup, the best way to learn exactly what is wrong with your fighting is to spar skilled opponents..

your punching habits are probably more dangerous than a bad guard though, seeing as an unexpected counter is much more likely to put you on your back wondering wtf happened than a hit you saw coming but failed to block

**1point2** · Posted On: 7/01/2008 7:20pm

You will fall into bad habits approximately every six months. Don't worry about it.

Cartmell & Beneville explain it thus:
"Constantly iron out the kinks in your movements. There is always some detail you ccan improve on. Learn to recognize those details."

**Anna Kovacs** · Posted On: 7/01/2008 7:41pm

Read: No BS Martial Arts - View Single Post - Sparring videos

and

No BS Martial Arts - View Single Post - OK, my striking guard is up, but how wide/tight should it be?

The first one will tell you how to fix whatever position you're holding your hands in, the second one addresses more general concerns about punching. Read the posts and they should help. But basically to sum up my views on punching, your hips and shoulder must remain entirely connected, they move in unison, they are what makes your arm go forward, they're what brings your arm back, the faster and harder you can rotate your hip and shoulder (which will turn your rear foot along for the ride while you push off it) the faster and harder and straighter you will punch.

Punchin is almost all in the hips and shoulder working as a unit.