Sun, Jan 19, 3:16 PM (7 days ago)
I hope everything is well James.
Nico Hernandez, amateur standout Olympic medalist 6 fight unbeaten pro flyweight has signed on to fight bare knuckle. What's your thoughts on this and how would you recommend he modify his training?
Take care
Big Ron
After reading this article I have to say good for him. I would be surprised if the money is much better, but based on the small purses for small gloved fighters in the U.S., he might be making good money wise, as a fresh talent score for a new and growing promotion.
Imagine if the early UFC had recruited Floyd Mayweather [assuming he could wrestle]?
As for training, I am surprised how poorly boxing coaches are adapting to a return to their roots.
On the off chance that a gloved guy looking to go bare knuckle reads this, here are the basics.
In gloved boxing, the hooker is better served in the pocket or wheelhouse and the straight puncher wants to be on the outside. In bareknuckle boxing the straight puncher can stay on the inside and do damage.
Body punches count for more in bareknuckle than with gloves.
Elbows are very hazardous to the hands in bare knuckle so:
Throw palm down punches under his elbows
Throw thumb-up punches to his chest
Throw palm up punches to his face [if in close, even with the rear hand], with the up jab targeting the eye
If it is legal, and your man leaves his head open, not worrying about you hitting it because he wants you to break your hand, than:
Slap him in the ear or on top of the head with a pivot
Hit with the heel of your hand in a lateral hammer-fisting motion, which can be done like a spinning backfist or as a way to catch a guy who has bobbed under your hook and is popping back up of has slipped your rear straight, by slamming the side of your fist into the side of his head while pivoting off the opposite foot and dropping the heel of the foot under the hand you are hammering with.
To set up the spinning backfist, just get him to back up a step and launch.
Shovel hooks to the chin are better than Philly hooks to the head.
The jab should be used for power, not just targeting.
Use more feints. My favorite bare knuckle feint is a loop-3:
Fake the lead rear straight,
Then fake the shovel hook
and either jab hard or throw the rear straight off of that.
When he goes for the body, really drop those elbows on his hands.
Golden Info as usual
" I am surprised how poorly boxing coaches are adapting to a return to their roots"
If I may respectfully add...It would be good to start a hand conditioning regimen to aid in not breaking one's hands. Putting stress on the bones will signal the body to strengthen the bones. See also Wolf's Law. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wolff%27s_law Some examples:
wrap a pole or structural basement 4x4 with a judo belt a few times and hit it (lightly at first). Or for the guy who has little room in his living quarters, fold a sock put it in a sock, pull the sock on the striking arm and hit an immovable object (again, lightly at first of course) Just drop it in.
Press the immovable object with the fist at various ranges to strengthen the entire range of each of one's major strikes (hooks, straight, jab, hammerfist or whatever). This will both strengthen the muscular/neurological pathways used when striking at speed and condition the knuckles.
Get a 5 gallon bucket with sand and hit it with the fist. Then with an open hand and then close it with a fist full of sand trying to crush the sand.
Knuckle pushups. Or just hold the pushup on the first two knuckles then repeat on the bottom three.
When the fists get sore put water in a pot and slowly heat it up while the hands are in it. When it almost gets too hot stop the heat and let it cool. A couple of rounds usually helps.
Exercises like that will signal the bones to become denser.
Thanks!