David's Online Journal

The point of having good boxing footwork is to go in and out. Don’t waste your legs and footwork skills by just plodding forward all the time or running away all the time. The point of “footwork” is to use your legs to go in all directions and changing directions as needed. At the very minimum, you should use boxing footwork to get yourself IN & OUT of punching range and use hit & run tactics all the time.
CREATE SPACE – When he starts to punch, step back and create some space. You want to backstep just enough to be out of range and make him hit air. Again you’re NOT running, you’re just making space.
IN & PUNCH – Right as he’s finished punching (won’t be long since you’re out of range), quickly STEP IN and throw some punches. Chances are, he probably stopped punching and started chasing you when you jumped in and caught him with his feet off the ground.
REPEAT Step 1 – You’ve stopped his forward momentum by landing some punches and he’s finally found his footing and started throwing back counter-punches but it’s too late because you already created space again.
REPEAT Step 2 – He realizes the counter-punches are too late and right as he stops punching you have once again slid into range and threw more punches.
http://www.videojug.com/film/how-to-learn-boxing-footwork

The big, bright, bodacious sun had finally peaked and now towered over all living things below. The scorching sunlight caressed the little boy as he frolocked about in a nearby forest. The trees stood as tall and strong as sacred pillars. The grass danced merrily as the wind blew ever so softly. The birds sang ever so beautifully, as the leaves on the trees were blossoming. Then at once a loud shriek of joyful laughter could be heard.

It was the young boy speeding around without a care in the world. He was enjoying a good game of Pirates, influenced by a television show he used to watch when he was younger. The boy loved this show as he loved the fact Pirates were free and did not abide by the rules of society.

Deeper and deeper. Darker and darker. This was no longer the safe, warming and welcoming forest the boy knew. The forest had now transformed into something less safe, more dangerous. Something less warming, more cold. Something less welcoming, more hostile. The further and further the boy went into the forest the more and more terrified and worried he became. Instead of turning back and running, it was if a strange and ominous force was pushing him insisting he should carry on. Until he hit it.

A fence. It stretched for miles and miles and it had barbed wires on top. It was a metallic grey and it had a sign on it which meant anyone who dared to touch it would get a nasty surprise. The boy stood and watched it, daring not to take his eyes off it for a second, He was worried that if he wasn’t sharp or alert he might regret it. All life on the other side of the fense was deserted and derelict. Then almost instantaneously there was movement. The little boy darted for cover but never took his eyes off the fence. The boy watched in amazement as he saw figures flood out from a distant, old, aging, worn down building.

The boy stayed hidden but now watching the figures in the distance as they got closer. The boy could now see them clearly, in their striped clothing. Then a wave of excitement slid across his face. He had found someone who looked his age. As the idea of making a new friend was the only thought capable at the time,  he stepped out of hiding, got as close as he could to the death trap without touching it and called over to the boy in stripes in the quietest squeak anyone could manage. He did this to make sure he didn’t catch the attention of anyone else. Luckily the little boy in the striped clothing heard him first time.

The boy in stripes walked over and they both stared at each other, not letting one intimidate the other. They both looked so different compared to each other.  On one side of the fence you had one boy who had a soft face, neatly groomed hair and big round belly from all the pampering he had received. The other, so skinny that you could see his bones with ease. The silence was strong and no one dared to fill it. Then finally, “What’s your name”, said the little boy bravely. “I’ve forgotten”, whispered the boy in stripes slowly starting to get his courage. “How can you forget your own name, mine is Steve”, chuckled the little boy. “They just call us by our numbers now, i am number 5.6.2.”, proclaimed the boy in stripes. “Ohh…. I like stripes it matches what you are wearing, I shall now call you stripes”, Stevey proclaimed with a wide grin, he was proud of the name he had thought of.” The boy in the stripes quietly repeated, ”Stripes, stripes…. Yeah stripes thank you I really like it.” “By the way, why are you wearing striped pyjamas?”, Stevey questioned. “ I don’t know, all i know is that they came and took me and my family and brought us here where we was made to work and were given numbers”, Stripes sorrowfully said. “That’s unfair!”, Stevey said regretfully. There was a long pause and nobody said a word. The silence grew stronger and stronger enhancing the tension and making it more powerful. “Would you like to play with me? I’m playing pirates”, Stevey asked innocently. “Maybe tomorrow”, Stripes replied. “Why?”, Stevey looking more and more depressed. “it’s going to rain soon”, replied stripes wisely. Almost instantaneously rain started to pitter down from the sky above. within 10 seconds it was now raining heavily. It almost felt like rocks were coming down from the heavens to punish the two boys. “ I have to go now, sorry”, Stripes said sadly. “okay but you have to promise to play with me tomorrow”, the little boy exclaimed happily, glad he had found a friend. “I promise….”. Stripes ran off into the distance and as soon as he was out of sight, lightning hit.
The next day Stevey travelled again through the forest, less scared than he was the first time. He reached the fence which was now familiar to him and he waited. 8 hours passed, yet Stripes never returned…

Uppercut in boxing is again, is used as an attacking-scoring shot, again a clean connect could possible end in a knockout. This shot is less risky compared to the hook, this is because when you throw the shot, there isn’t as much of a target compared to the hook. The uppercut is a punch used in boxing that usually aims at the opponent’s chin. It is, along with the cross, one of the two main punches that count in the statistics as power punches. It is known for causing more damage at a closer range.
1) From the boxing stance, the first action is a drop of the knees; a duck. The duck is a very simple skill which you can find out how to do by checking out the article ducking in boxing.
2) As the duck is taking place, there is an explosive thrust from the ball of the back foot. This thrust both initiates the shot and provides the power to rotate the hips and upper body. This action is what gives the shot it’s power.
3) The thrust from the back foot generates massive counter-clockwise rotation of the hips and upper body. Keep your back straight and rotate around your central axis, as covered in other videos on the site, for instance for the mid-range right uppercut to the head.
4)As the rotation of the upper body reaches it’s farthest point, the back hand (right hand for orthodox, left hand for southpaw) begins it’s journey to the target. The fist must accelerate toward the target and not travel at a consistent speed. Think of the ’crack’ of a whip lash, this crack is caused by the acceleration of the whip.
5) The same principle is in play when throwing any boxing shot, the right uppercut to the body included.
6) To be a true uppercut, the punch must land with the forearm aligned with the opponent’s vertical, central axis. If this is not the case, then the punch is a short right hook.
7) Having landed the shot, return the arm to the guard position instantly (as with the boxing stance).

The hook shot is a very attacking shot in boxing, it is used to damage the opponent with a clean connection would score points for them. Although it is an attacking shot, if thrown and missed your opponent may be able to throw a counter punch, this is because it leaves you open once you’ve thrown the shot. In boxing, the hook shot is known more as a power shot where you are trying to cause damage to your opponent by trying to hit him to the ground and ultimately trying to finish your opponent off. As well as this, the hook wont always knock your opponent to the mat, but you still get points for a clean connection.
1) From the boxing stance, the first action is a bend (or ‘drop’) of the knees. This is covered in the article on ducking.
2) As the duck is taking place, there is an explosive thrust from the ball of the front foot. This explosive thrust generates a clockwise rotation of the hips and upper body.
3) As the rotation of the hips is taking place, the lead arm is accelerated toward the target. The arm should hold a given form depending upon how far the fist must travel to the target. So, if the target is at true close range, then the arm should undertake only minimal movement. If the target is at mid range, then the arm will ‘arc’ more and result in an ‘L’ shape at point of impact.
4) The rotation of the upper body must deliver plenty of torque to direct the most power possible to the target whilst remaining totally in control. At the end of the rotation the fist clenches and impacts the target.
5) After the shot has landed, the arm returns to the guard position and the boxing stance is returned to normal.

The idea of the jab is that it is a shot that people score from, it is also a shot that boxers use because it enable a player to judge how far or how close a player is, it also doesnt take up a lot of energy to In boxing, there are several types of jabs in boxing, they are:
Regular – The regular jab or the standard jab is just that – a jab. To throw the jab from the basic position, step forward with your lead foot as you extend your arm out towards your opponent. As you recover your lead arm, the rear foot moves forward to return you to your basic stance.
Tapper – The main point is to use the tapper jab to get your opponent’s defenses up. This is a light punch that is used simply to make your opponent put up his defenses to give you time to land a harder punch or to skip out of harm’s way.
Space-Maker – This is the same as the tapper jab except that you leave your arm almost fully extended so your jab is quicker but weaker since it lacks the distance to generate power.The space-maker can be thrown multiple times as you circle around to your opponent’s right side. (Left-handers will do the opposite). An important thing to notice about the space-maker jab is that it’s mainly there to just distract the opponent. It is VERY important to keep an eye out for your opponent’s right hand since extending your left arm leaves you vulnerable to punches on that side of your head. Also, ALWAYS be moving around when you use the space-maker; if you stand still and stretch your arm you will get hit with the hard right counter.
Power Jab – A power jab gets its power from your legs, your body rotation, and your angle on the opponent. For the legs to generate power into the jab, you have to step forward. You have to step swiftly and powerfully without lunging. A lunging jab might be the perfect weapon to catch your opponent off guard but don’t do it too much or else you’ll get countered. The easiest way to rotate your body as you jab is to circle to your opponent’s right side, which is your left side. While circling, your upper body will have to rotate a little to give you a straight angle shot at your opponent.
The Double Jab – The double jab is exactly what it sounds like – one good jab followed by another. The double jab works well when followed by a straight right to the head or body. Another way to use the double jab is when you find yourself in a jab contest where both of you are trading jabs and trying to throw 1-2 combinations.Your first jab will trade or nullify with his jab, and your second jab will intercept the right hand and score the point.

Dear Ms Samantha Taylor,

I have read your view on teenagers and their interactions in the digital world and I strongly agree. As a teenager myself I believe we don’t all depend on social media. In your article you mentioned how people think teenagers are unable to socialise face to face and how teenagers leave themselves prone to attack over social networking. Although I believe this to some extent I am writing this letter in response to your article and hopefully you will see things from my point of view.

“All those countless hours glued to Facebook has turned teenagers into screen – enslaved social inadequates”. I believe that this description of us is cruel and harsh because even though we might text a lot on our mobile phones or spend hours on social media, we are still able to have physical relationships with others around us. This view is supported by Shira Lee Katz who stated that “Teenagers feel that social media has a more positive than negative impact on their social and emotional lives. It helps their friendships, makes them more outgoing and boosts their confidence.” A research study consisting of more than 1000 teenagers (13-17 year olds) showed that 28% believed that’s social networking made them feel more outgoing verse the 5% who made them feel less so. It also showed that 29% believed that it made them feel less shy verse the 3% who believed it made them feel more introverted. When it comes to relationships with friends, more than half (52%) of teens said social media has made them better versus just 4% who said it has negatively affected those relationships. However I do agree with the fact that us teenagers use social networking religiously; that can be seen as a positive as well as a negative because it will mean that we would be able to meet new people and expand our friendship groups. If anything I believe that teenagers spending a lot of time enables them to strengthen their more important relationships instead of weakening them as they will be able to keep in touch and speak even when they aren’t together.

In your article you mentioned that social media was creating a “uniquely shallow and trivial culture”. Shallow is defined as being superficial and not capable of serious thoughts. Trivial is defined as being of little value or importance. From these definitions it can be seen that you perceived teenagers relationships to not be deep and meaningful also that the relationships that social media is creating is of little value. I disagree with this because if you are far away from someone social media helps you stay connected with them meaning your relationship won’t weaken.and this is supported by a research that was conducted with teens whereby nearly 9/10 teens say social networking helps them keep in touch with friends they can’t see regularly. About half of all teens believe that it helps them stay more connected with  family and friends. 57% of teens have said that it has connected them with new people with whom they share a common interest or hobby. On a whole although it can be seen that teenagers can spend an endless amount of time on social media, the overall impact of social networking outweighs the negatives impacts.

Empathy is the capacity to share or recognise emotions experienced by another person or fictional being. In your article you said some parents fear that giving their teenagers mobile phones would stop them from developing empathy. Others believe that giving teenagers mobile phones could lead to the raising of a hedonistic generation who live only in the thrill of the computer generated moment and are in distinct danger of detaching themselves from what the rest of the world would consider the real world. By this I mean that teenagers who enjoy the thrill created on social media would

I believe that these statements are incorrect as social networking is part of the real world and in fact it actually benefits the real world majorly also social networking actually improves empathy to some extent as u can tell the way someone is feeling by the way they text or by the emoticon they send. But equally you can say that a teenager wouldn’t be able to tell how someone is feeling by their facial expression but I believe that’s not true as this is a skill you grow up with and won’t be able to lose no matter how much you text.

“Digital communication is not just prevalent in teenagers lives but it is teenagers lives”, “Social networking sites are changing teenagers brains”.

As you know already there are negatives to social networking such as cyber bullying and the underdevelopment of relationships, however research has shown that there are many positives such as teens being able to stay  touch with relatives e.g. cousins or siblings in a different country or friends who have changed school also it has allowed teens to meet with people who have the same interests as them which builds on their confidence.In my opinion I believe the pros outweigh the cons and i hope you can see this too.

Yours Sincerely,

David Ndanema

1) You cannot hit below the belt, hold, trip, kick, headbutt, wrestle, bite, spit on, or push your opponent.
2) You cannot hit with your head, shoulder, forearm, or elbow.
3) You cannot hit with an open glove, the inside of the glove, the wrist, the backhand, or the side of the hand.
4) You cannot punch your opponent’s back, or the back of his head or neck (rabbit punch), or on the kidneys (kidney punch).
5) You cannot throw a punch while holding on to the ropes to gain leverage.
6) You can’t hold your opponent and hit him at the same time, or duck so low that your head is below your opponent’s belt line.
7) When the referee breaks you from a clinch, you have to take a full step back; you cannot immediately hit your opponent–that’s called “hitting on the break” and is illegal.
8) You cannot spit out your mouthpiece on purpose to get a rest.
9) If you score a knockdown of your opponent, you must go to the farthest neutral corner while the referee makes the count.
10) If you “floor” your opponent, you cannot hit him when he’s on the canvas.
11) A floored boxer has up to ten seconds to get back up on his feet before losing the bout by knockout.
12) A boxer who is knocked down cannot be saved by the bell in any round, depending upon the local jurisdiction’s rules.
13) A boxer who is hit with an accidental low blow has up to five minutes to recover. If s/he cannot continue after five minutes, s/he is considered knocked out.
14) If the foul results in an injury that causes the fight to end immediately, the boxer who committed the foul is disqualified.
15) If the foul causes an injury but the bout continues, the referee orders the judges to deduct two points from the boxer who caused the injury.
16) If an unintentional foul causes the bout to be stopped immediately, the bout is ruled a “no contest” if four rounds have not been fully completed. (If the bout was scheduled for four rounds, then three rounds must have been completed.) If four rounds have been completed, the judges’ scorecards are tallied and the fighter who is ahead on points is awarded a technical decision. If the scores are even, it will be called a “technical draw.”
17) If a boxer is knocked out of the ring, he gets a count of 20 to get back in and on his feet. He cannot be assisted.
In some jurisdictions the standing eight-count or the three knockdown rule also may be in effect.
18) In other jurisdictions, only the referee can stop the bout.

The push is usually used for keeping the point alive and creating offensive opportunities. A push resembles a tennis slice: the racket cuts underneath the ball, imparting backspin and causing the ball to float slowly to the other side of the table. While not obvious, a push can be difficult to attack because the backspin on the ball causes it to drop toward the table upon striking the opponent’s racket.
1. Open the racket
2. Bring your wrist back, and bend your wrist
3. Bring your racket down and forward, grazing the bottom of the ball
4. Snap your wrist forward
Tactics
Because this shot is defensive, the tactics of it is to mainly keep a rally going but hopefully try and catch your opponent out because of the back-spin that happens when playing this shot.
Bring the racket slightly up and back, while keeping the elbow at your waist. Bend the wrist back. Swing forward with a downward motion, and when the racket reaches the ball snap the wrist forward for extra racket speed. With an open racket, graze the bottom half of the ball. An ideal contact point is right after the ball bounces. Never push a ball at the top of the bounce, because the resulting return will pop the ball high enough for the opponent to execute a smash. Try to hit the ball in front and slightly to the right of your body. Follow through forward and slightly down, and return to the ready position.
http://library.thinkquest.org/20570/basitech.html