Kevin Bacon and Kenny Loggins were really onto something with Foot Loose.  Fighting is all about the footwork.  Those with good footwork have an enormous advantage over those who don’t.  Why?

Having good movement on the feet affords great advantages to fighters of almost any style.  For starters, you can move out of the way of an attack as opposed to taking the hit.  You can move with the punch or kick and not absorb the brunt of the strike.  Moving in with your strikes will add momentum to your beatdown.

Whew!  There are many advantages.  The first.  Getting hit hurts, even when we block the attack.  Eventually, our guard will tire of getting hit, and we will drop our arms because they are getting sore.  This is one of my favorite strategies.  I will wail on my victim and purposely let him block it.  After a solid round of it he is open for business.

Moving with the strike or away from it cause the other person to burn more energy.  Kicking the air with all my might is much more tiring and way more unfulfilling than actually hitting my opponent.  Hitting the target provides a stopping point, and therefore the energy is not wasted.  Swinging further than you want causes you to expel more energy.

Finally, good footwork makes you better on the offense.  This is because knowing how to position your feet will create a chain reaction in your body.  The proper pivoting of the feet will transmit loads of energy and power through the hips to the legs or to your fists.  Also, by getting foot loose you will be able to set up the next strike and deliver it much faster.

It is settled: win-win-win.  Now, how to improve?

Watch Bruce Lee movies and boxing matches to see the feet in motion.  Then research different types of footwork for your sport or art.  Once you know what to work on it is often very easy to find exercises and drills to practice.

Don’t overlook this tedious chore.  You will be passing up a major advantage.

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