Rare is the boxer who can hurt you while he is moving away from you. When studying those who do, a close look will indicate that they are not moving away at the instant they hurt their man [McGregor against Aldo, Robinson versus Grazziano, Ali versus Williams] but they are moving in many micro steps and subtle shifts and have the freakish timing ability to be able to stop and strike in less than a half step and then continue to safety.

However, when stick fighting, or fighting with any light extension weapon—which would include all swords except for bearing swords—you may strike with power while moving away.

Such a strike must be a slash.

Jabs, stabs and smashes do not pair with retrograde motion.

We have already covered the Pass Slash in a previous segment. The Pass Slash is the premier lateral movement strike. That one was a no brainer as the slasher and his weapon are travelling in the same direction, with the stick dragging through the target as it follows the body mass and the arm adds its flexor, tricep and bicep action.

There are two other retrograde slashes, both being devastating. In this section we will cover the shift slash, in three variations.

Note that all of these mobility slashes are borrowed from saber fighting and work perfectly with swords and machetes.

A forward shift slash would usually be ill-advised. When shifting forward a smash is most often called for. Therefore this is a reverse shift.

A shift is any change in which leg is the lead leg.

First you must practice shifting.

Stand in guard with your lead leg under the stick hand.

Imagine an opponent has just slashed at your leg.

Draw that leg back 45 degrees along a diagonal line with the foot, landing onto the flat foot with the heel barely touching the floor and the weight distributed over the ball of the foot, the toes pointing ahead.

Shift the footso far back that your head drops a full head height.

Shift again and again across the floor, stepping off 45 degrees to right then to left, then to right, your pelvis zigzagging across the imaginary center line that connects you and your partner.

When your heel hits the wall, or you have not enough room to take another long shift step, then forward shift, sliding the heel of your rear foot past the toe of your lead foot as if you were going to execute an inside stomp kick, but not. You step through with the foot turned outward at 45 degrees and step through with the other foot until you hit the far wall.

Repeat this sequence, aiming to condition your hip flexor on the advance, and stretch your adductors on the retreat.

Retreat across the floor again, varying the length of the step from a boxing stance shift to a long katana shift.

Change your depth and angle by doing some shifts straight back.

When you are about to feel your heel hit the wall behind you, shift, but shift out at 90 degrees, like a boxer’s side step.

When you have shifted out to 90 degrees immediately bring your lagging foot to the shifted foot, which is flat. The lagging foot will set down on the balls of the feet in the instep of the standing foot and then instantaneously the standing foot moves forward powered by the flexed calf of the lagging foot into a lunge.

You have just shifted into a wall triangle.

This triangle step may also be done off the 45 degree shift, with a stroke to very step, making for a wicked combination to walk your man into.

Having done this drill until your legs are feeling it, but before they are cramped or fatigued, take up your guard.

Imagine a stroke coming to your leg.

Pull that leg back quickly and to its maximum range as you throw a counter-slashing forehand.

This slash would appear to be simple armed-powered stroke.

It is not.

By the action of shifting so far back that your upper body is dropping about a head you are channeling body weight into the slash. You are also dropping your head down out of the strike zone just in case the opponent was feinting to the knee and looking for the head the entire time.

By making this your instinctual response to a leg slash you will inflict severe punishment on leg hunters and establish a psychological barrier to attacking your lead leg with impunity.

Stand in front of the bag and practice the three shift slashes:

1. Punisher: 45 degrees, the standard full power shift slash. I call this the Punisher. Plan on coming right back at him. Take his head off! You aren’t putting ass in this for nothing. Instill doubt, inflict pain and injury and impose fear, in one brutal stroke.

2. Machete Shift: 90 degrees, the half power parting slash. I call this the Machete Shift, where you are setting up your man to step into your wheel house as you angle around it delivering a three stroke three step combination, Shift, tuck, lunge, forehand slash, backhand slash, forehand smash. Check the footwork sequence above under the wall triangle.

3. Sword Shift : 10 degrees, the half power parting slash. This I call the Sword Shift, and is aimed at taking the arm or hand as you clear out. If he pursues hotly I like going to the Pass Slash or Machete Shift.

To condition the hips practice shifting up and down stairs. Do your forward shifts upstairs and your reverse shifts down stairs, for starters, slowly, very slowly.

There was an Austrian fencing instructor [1840s] who taught dueling on foot with the cavalry saber. Some instructors were advocating taking the blade low to parry leg slashes. He sneered at this, reminded the fencers that they were horsemen and could do without a leg, and told them to stand their ground and take the other man’s head off!

The point was, knowing this, would you go for his leg?