Why Footwork Matters More Than You Think

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Here’s what we got for you in today’s edition:

• The five physical characteristics that every good kickboxer must possess

• Why you should add external signals to your footwork drills

• Why your footwork training should take place before your regular training

IN OUR MAILBOX

Welcome to ‘‘IN OUR INBOX’’ where we answer your strength and conditioning questions related to your sport. Got a question? Please send it to [email protected]. Your question can be answered in the next edition! Let’s dive into today’s question:

Quick footwork is essential for many sports such as soccer, basketball, hockey, kickboxing, etc. With precise and fast footwork, you can quickly change positions and become harder to play against. What exercises can you use to train and ultimately improve your footwork effectively?

ON YOUR MARK

Kickboxing is one of the most popular martial arts in the world, attracting a lot of attention with its tournaments. Kickboxing is a sport where explosiveness and ironclad endurance are important. Research shows that a kickboxer must possess the following 5 physical attributes to perform at a high level:

1. The first characteristic means that he must be able to deliver explosive punches and kicks.

2. The second characteristic means that he must be able to sustain these explosive movements for an extended period.

3. The third characteristic means that after delivering these punches or kicks, he must be able to recover quickly.

4. The fourth characteristic means that he must recover quickly after the first punch and kick, but also just as quickly after the last punch and kick.

5. The final characteristic means that he must be able to continue making explosive and coordinated punches and kicks even when fatigue sets in.

In addition to the physical challenges a kickboxer faces, there are also technical and tactical challenges. Simply being able to hit hard won't bring you victory as a kickboxer; you also need to be able to dodge blows quickly and skillfully. In the ring, after delivering a kick or punch, you must quickly take a new position to avoid a counterattack and set up a new one. Footwork comes into play when it comes to quickly changing positions.

Footwork is used during a kickboxing match to quickly switch sides as well as to step forward or backward. With quick footwork, a kickboxer can assume a stable stance and deliver more powerful punches and kicks. Training footwork also helps an athlete improve their agility and stability without specifically focusing on these aspects. Training footwork is essential for any athlete in a sport where quickly changing positions is crucial.

When we look at the movements that make up footwork, they are short movements where coordination and explosiveness are important. Research shows that eye-hand and eye-foot coordination are crucial for effectively placing the feet.

Improving your coordination through cognitive exercises can enhance your reaction speed and movement precision. It is therefore recommended to combine traditional footwork drills with elements where you have to react based on an external signal such as sound or lights. This way, you train your body to quickly respond to external signals and adjust your position accordingly.

GET SET

In addition to being able to quickly respond to external signals, it is important to sustain these fast, explosive movements when fatigue sets in. Many athletes perform strongly in the early stages of competition but lose sharpness as fatigue increases. This is where the importance of coordination training comes into play. By improving your hand-eye and foot-eye coordination, you can ensure that your feet continue to move accurately, even in the later stages of a competition. This can make the difference between a good defense or attack and missing a crucial move.

It is important not only to choose the right exercises but also to pay attention to the intensity and the proper timing of execution. Footwork should be trained with a combination of high intensity and short, explosive intervals to improve speed and agility. Exercises such as ladder drills and cone drills can, for example, be performed in sets of 20-30 seconds, followed by a short rest period of 30 seconds to 1 minute. This simulates the short, intense efforts that also occur in a match.

Furthermore, it is essential to perform these exercises when your body is still fresh, for example, at the beginning of a training session after a good warm-up. By avoiding the exercises in a fatigued state, you ensure that your technique and coordination remain optimal and you make the most progress. As your footwork improves, you can increase the intensity by extending the duration of the intervals or shortening the rest time, so you learn to move effectively under increasing fatigue.

Boxers can improve their footwork and reaction time with specific exercises such as the ladder drill. In this exercise, you move quickly through a ladder on the ground, which promotes speed, coordination, and precision. By having a coach unexpectedly indicate a direction, the exercise becomes more challenging.

Another exercise is the cone drill, where cones are placed in a random pattern and the athlete moves quickly between the cones with unexpected changes in direction. This promotes quick adjustment of feet and body posture. These exercises can be adapted for other sports, such as soccer players working on agility during dribbles and badminton players using the ladder drill to change positions more quickly.

The reaction ball drill is a challenging exercise to improve your reaction time. In this drill, an irregular ball bounces on the ground, and the athlete must quickly react to catch or dodge the ball. This exercise enhances reaction speed and coordination and can be adapted to various sports.

GO

Welcome to the "GO" section, where we put ideas into practice. Before you start this training week, take a moment to answer these two questions below. This will help you understand and apply the information from the newsletter in your training. Let's begin:

AROUND THE STADIUM

Welcome to the "AROUND THE STADIUM" section, where you’ll find research links and helpful products to boost your performance.

The Locker Room

• Footwork in Martial Arts: Explores the offensive and defensive importance of footwork across different martial arts styles.

• Kickboxing Footwork: Highlights the critical role of proper footwork for effective kickboxing technique and defense.

• Agility Without Training: Research on how footwork training can improve agility without focusing on specific agility drills.

• Badminton Footwork Training: Study on optimal footwork training methods for enhancing strength and agility in badminton players.

• Agility Ladder for Football: Examines the impact of agility ladder training on improving dribbling skills in football players.

• Balance Training & Footwork: Investigates how balance training influences footwork performance in athletic movements.

Pro Kit

• Boxing Footwork Drills: Offers a set of boxing drills ranging from beginner to advanced to improve footwork.

• Advanced Boxing Footwork: Techniques to refine footwork skills for better performance in boxing.

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DISCLAIMER: None of the content provided in this newsletter constitutes medical, training, or performance advice. This newsletter is strictly educational and is not intended to be a substitute for professional guidance or personalized coaching. Please be mindful of your limitations and perform exercises at your own risk.