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In The Arena Blog

How to Use Punches to Lay Down Cover Fire

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In this Tip of the Week, Striking Coach Vince Salvador shows how to lay down cover fire, meaning he throws punches to help him move to the angle he wants. This lesson is good for Boxing, Kickboxing or MMA.

VIDEO TRANSCRIPT:

Coach Vince:
How’s it going? I’m Coach Vince from the arena and this is your striking tip of the week.

 

A lot of times when you’re striking, your exit plan is almost as important as your entry. So what way I go after I punch is really important. If I throw my left punch and I move this way, he’s going to hit me with something that’s in that direction.

 

So when I use punches to move, I’m setting myself up by laying down cover fire before I actually take the angle. It could be this side, this side, it doesn’t really matter. If I want to go this side, I punch with this side. So if I’m throwing my right hook, in kickboxing, we’re in this range here. But I throw here, I can use this to step off to the angle. He has no time to throw a hook, no time to throw anything.

 

And what I’m doing is I’m putting a defense in my offense and I’m moving my head, my feet, everything off the center line. And when I do it, I’m not swinging my head wild so he can kick me in the head, knee me in the head. I’m just using this head movement to get me into a better angle.

 

If I want this side, it’s the same thing. I could use it in combination, punch it and move to the other side, but if I punch in that direction, his counter will be a little bit late before after I move. So if he throws anything after that, let’s say an uppercut, when I move my head, I come offline by setting off that trap and taking the easy way to the angle right here.

 

If I want to use it in combination to the other side, I can do it this way, get to the corner. If I have a more a higher IQ or ability with my stances, I can switch my feet. I can be southpaw. I can do it on this side, too. Same thing. They all work in the same idea of me punching in a direction that I’m going.

 

If it’s pure boxing, simple boxing, it’s the same idea. If I throw my left hook and I move this way, I’m a lot safer. Same thing with kickboxing and MMA. It all applies.

 

So tip of the week, punch into the direction that you’re going. Don’t just go without laying your cover fire.

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