The No.1 Defence in Boxing: Soviet Style Pendulum Step Explained

Summary

This video tutorial breaks down the pendulum step, a key technique in Soviet-style boxing. It focuses on footwork for efficient in-and-out movement and ring navigation. The video teaches correct technique, including weight distribution and ankle rigidity, and offers drills to enhance this footwork. It also covers how to throw punches like jabs and hooks while pendulum stepping, and suggests combinations to confuse opponents and improve overall boxing strategy.

Takeaways

• 🥋 The number one defense in boxing is footwork, which is central to the Soviet style's effectiveness.
• 📍 The pendulum step is a fundamental technique in the Soviet style, allowing for efficient movement in and out of range.
• 🔄 Pendulum stepping involves a rhythmic bouncing motion, using the feet to shift weight and change direction quickly.
• 👣 Proper stance is crucial, with 60% of weight on the back foot and 40% on the front for optimal balance.
• 🌀 Staying on the balls of the feet facilitates efficient weight transfer and helps maintain balance.
• 🦿 Rigid ankles are essential to prevent injury and maintain stability while moving.
• 🦵 Knees should have flexion to allow for efficient pushing in any direction.
• 🔄 The key to pendulum stepping is a slight dip in the knees, enabling smooth gliding in and out of range.
• 🤺 When moving in for an attack, use the pendulum step to create a rhythm that can catch your opponent off guard.
• 🔄 To avoid predictability, vary the rhythm of your stepping, mixing up the number of steps in and out.
• 📐 Taking angles can be incorporated into pendulum steps by pushing off at different angles to confuse opponents.
• 🥊 Only certain punches like the jab, cross, and long-range lead hook are recommended while pendulum stepping due to the need for foot stability.
• 🤼‍♂️ Incorporate head movement with pendulum steps to add an additional layer of defense.
• 💡 Practice drills such as shifting in twice back once, circular motion, and head movement with steps to improve pendulum stepping.

Q & A

What is the main focus of the video?

The video focuses on teaching the pendulum step, a fundamental footwork technique in Soviet-style boxing, which helps boxers get in and out of range effectively.

Why is the pendulum step considered a key technique in Soviet-style boxing?

The pendulum step is considered key because it allows for efficient movement in and out of range, taking angles, and maintaining balance while bouncing rhythmically, which is characteristic of the Soviet-style boxing.

What is the correct weight distribution for the pendulum step?

The correct weight distribution for the pendulum step is 60% on the back foot and 40% on the front foot, allowing for optimal balance and punch power.

Why is it important to stay on the balls of the feet during the pendulum step?

Staying on the balls of the feet during the pendulum step allows for more effective weight transfer and easier balance maintenance compared to pushing through the whole foot or heels.

How should the ankles and knees be positioned during the pendulum step?

The ankles should be rigid to prevent rolling and maintain balance, while the knees should have a slight flexion to allow for efficient direction changes and weight transfer.

What is the significance of having a slight dip in the knees during the pendulum step?

Having a slight dip in the knees facilitates gliding in and out of range and changing angles more easily, which is crucial for the pendulum stepping technique.

How can the pendulum step be used to deceive an opponent?

By maintaining a rhythmic bouncing on the edge of range, the pendulum step can trick an opponent into anticipating an attack, allowing the boxer to exploit their reaction for a counterattack.

What are some drills recommended to improve pendulum stepping?

Drills recommended include shifting in twice and back once, moving in a circular motion to practice taking angles, and incorporating head movement with the steps to enhance defensive capabilities.

Which punches are best suited for use while pendulum stepping?

The jab, cross, and long-range lead hook are the punches best suited for use while pendulum stepping due to their effectiveness in the long-range style and compatibility with the shifting footwork.

How should punches be timed with the pendulum step?

Punches should be timed to land as the foot lands, either the front foot when stepping in or the back foot when stepping out, rather than midair during the pendulum step.

What are some effective combinations to use with pendulum steps?

Effective combinations include the jab-left hook, jab-lead hook-cross, and variations that add another lead hook to the end of the sequence, all of which exploit the rhythm and range control of the pendulum step.

Outlines

00:00

🥊 Introduction to Pendulum Stepping

The first paragraph introduces the concept of pendulum stepping, a fundamental footwork technique in Soviet-style boxing. It emphasizes the importance of foot movement for effective defense and offense. The speaker outlines the goal of teaching the correct technique and providing drills to enhance this skill. The technique involves a specific stance with weight distribution and the use of the balls of the feet for efficient weight transfer. The paragraph also discusses the importance of rigid ankles for balance and the role of knee flexion in facilitating direction changes. A simple drill of moving forwards and backwards is suggested to practice the pendulum step.

05:00

🏃‍♂️ Advanced Pendulum Step Techniques

Paragraph two delves into more advanced applications of pendulum stepping, such as taking angles and moving in a circular motion to confuse opponents. It explains how to maintain a rhythm that can be unpredictable, making it difficult for opponents to time their attacks. The paragraph also covers how to incorporate punches like the jab, cross, and lead hook while pendulum stepping, with an emphasis on landing punches as the foot lands to maintain balance and effectiveness. The discussion includes strategies for breaking rhythm to prevent opponents from predicting movements.

10:01

🤼‍♂️ Combining Punches with Pendulum Steps

This paragraph focuses on the integration of punches with pendulum stepping, particularly for long-range boxing. It advises maintaining a side-on stance for stability and selecting appropriate punches like the jab, cross, and long-range lead hook. The paragraph details the mechanics of throwing each punch in conjunction with the stepping technique, highlighting the importance of timing and hip rotation. It also introduces combinations that utilize these punches effectively, such as the jab-left hook and the jab-lead hook-cross sequences.

15:06

🏋️‍♂️ Drills to Master Pendulum Steps

The final paragraph provides three drills to improve pendulum stepping skills. The first drill involves shifting in and out of range in a specific pattern to build muscle memory. The second drill practices moving in a circular motion to enhance ring navigation and angle taking. The third drill incorporates head movement with stepping to improve evasive tactics. The paragraph concludes with a suggestion to combine these drills with combination punching to develop a well-rounded pendulum stepping style.

Keywords

💡Pendulum Step

The pendulum step is a key footwork technique discussed in the video, originating from the Soviet style of boxing. It involves bouncing in a rhythmic motion, allowing the fighter to move in and out of range quickly and efficiently. This technique is crucial for maintaining distance, setting up attacks, and avoiding counters by shifting weight between the front and back foot.

💡Soviet Style

The Soviet style of boxing emphasizes footwork, precision, and tactical movement over brute strength. Pendulum stepping is a core element of this style, which helps boxers control distance, take angles, and move fluidly around the ring. Boxers like Bivol and Usyk are cited as practitioners who prioritize effective movement over heavy punches.

💡Weight Distribution

In pendulum stepping, maintaining a proper weight distribution is essential. The recommended stance involves 60% of the weight on the back foot and 40% on the front foot. This balance helps boxers move in and out of range efficiently while staying ready to throw punches or evade attacks. The video emphasizes shifting weight during each step to remain agile.

💡Rigid Ankles

Rigid ankles refer to the need for boxers to keep their ankles strong and stable during footwork. In the video, it is stressed that weak or flimsy ankles can cause injury or lead to poor balance. Rigid ankles are critical for bouncing in and out of range without losing control or rolling an ankle.

💡Soft Knees

Soft knees involve keeping a slight bend in the legs to allow for more flexibility and quicker direction changes during pendulum stepping. This flexibility is contrasted with stiff knees, which can hinder movement. Soft knees enable the fighter to push off efficiently in different directions, making footwork smoother and more effective.

💡Angle Change

Changing angles is a crucial aspect of ring movement, allowing boxers to reposition and attack from different sides. The video explains how pendulum stepping can be used to shift angles by pushing off the front foot, enabling the fighter to attack or defend from unexpected positions. This tactic forces opponents to constantly adjust, giving the boxer an advantage.

💡Jab

The jab is one of the key punches discussed in relation to pendulum stepping. It is often used while moving in and out of range, timed to land when the front foot touches the ground. The jab is also used to provoke reactions from the opponent, creating opportunities for follow-up punches or counters.

💡Lead Hook

The lead hook, particularly the long-range lead hook, is highlighted as an effective punch to use while pendulum stepping. It can be thrown either while stepping forward or backward, and is often used to counter an opponent's right hand. The video mentions fighters like Dmitry Bivol using this technique effectively in their bouts.

💡Pivot

Pivoting refers to the act of rotating the body while stepping, enabling a boxer to change angles quickly. During pendulum stepping, pivots allow the boxer to move out of an opponent's line of attack and set up new offensive positions. The video demonstrates how weight shifting can facilitate pivots as part of a continuous movement strategy.

💡Head Movement

Head movement is incorporated into pendulum steps to add an extra layer of defense. By slipping inside or outside while shifting in and out of range, the boxer makes it harder for the opponent to land punches. The video suggests incorporating head movement drills with pendulum stepping to improve overall defense and make the boxer less predictable.

Highlights

The number one defense in boxing is footwork, which is the foundation of the effective Soviet style.

The video will teach the pendulum step, a key technique in the Soviet boxing style.

Pendulum stepping allows for efficient movement in and out of range and around the ring.

Correct pendulum stepping technique and patterns will be explained.

Learn to throw punches while pendulum stepping.

Join the free school community for boxing improvement with over 3,400 members.

Pendulum stepping is a rhythmic bouncing technique used in Soviet style boxing.

Weight distribution is key, with 60% on the back foot and 40% on the front foot.

Stay on the balls of your feet for efficient weight transfer.

Rigid ankles prevent injury and maintain balance while moving.

Knees should have flexion to efficiently push off in any direction.

Pendulum stepping involves a slight dip in the knees for easy gliding.

Drills are provided to improve pendulum stepping skills.

Constant pendulum stepping can trick opponents into predicting your rhythm.

Breaking up rhythm can prevent opponents from anticipating your movements.

Taking angles with pendulum steps can confuse opponents and set up attacks.

Pendulum steps can be done in a circular motion for more dynamic movement.

Punching while pendulum stepping requires being side-on for stability.

Only certain punches should be thrown while pendulum stepping: jab, cross, and long lead hook.

Punches should be timed to land as you step, not midair.

Effective combinations using pendulum steps include jab-left hook and jab-lead hook-cross.

Drills to enhance pendulum stepping include shifting in and out, moving in a circle, and incorporating head movement.

Transcripts

the number one defense in boxing is your

feet that's what's made the Soviet style

so effective so in this video I'm going

to be breaking down the pendulum step

which is the fundamental pillar of the

Soviet style helping you get in and out

of range as well as around the ring more

effectively you'll leave this video with

the knowledge of the correct pendulum

stepping technique along with some

patterns to make this more

multidimensional I you can move in

different directions whilst pendulum

stepping you'll also learn how to throw

punches whilst your p pendulum stepping

and I'm going to give you some drills to

make your pendulum steps better as

always make sure you join my free school

Community where there's over 3,400

people in there all helping each other

get better at boxing the Link's in the

description so what is pendulum stepping

pendulum stepping is typically a Soviet

style of boxing or a part of Soviet

style of boxing where it's a footwork

technique where you're bouncing in a

sort of Rhythm in and out of range right

you're not really stepping like this

you're more just pushing off with either

foot to get in out of range or taking

angles CU we'll we'll cover those

patterns later but pendulum stepping is

using the change in Direction with our

feet shifting our feet forwards

backwards or in different directions to

move ourselves in and out of range and

around the ring let's start by breaking

down the basic pendulum step technique

so we want to get in our stance 60% of

the weight on our back foot 40% on our

front foot as always this is going to

all allow us to be in the right weight

distribution for punches even whilst

we're pendulum stepping now pendulum

stepping we want to be on the balls of

our feet we can push through the balls

of our feet a lot more effectively and

with a lot staying on balance a lot

easier than if we were pushing through

the hole of our foot or definitely not

our heels so we want to stay on the

balls of our feet like this it's going

to allow us to transfer our weight

forwards and backwards a lot more

efficiently we also want our ankles to

be rigid rigid ankles nice strong ankles

that aren't flimsy like this means that

as we skip forward forwards and

backwards we're not going to roll our

ankles like this injure ourselves and it

generally just keeps us more on balance

and more stuck in the ground as we

shift the next bit is coming up to the

knees now the knees want to be sort of

the opposite of that having flexion in

your knees allows you to angle the

bottom part of your leg to push off at a

whatever Direction you want to go if my

the bottom of my leg's angled like this

then it's easier for me to push

backwards and then I'll go forwards

right same the front foot if my knee is

angled like this and I can

push that way push the ground that way

and I'll shift backwards more

efficiently so the main part well the

the key technique of pendulum stepping

is having this slight dip in your knees

that way if we have our knees dipped in

slightly like this with rigid ankles and

we stay on the balls of our feet SE then

it'll be much easier to Glide in and out

of range change the angle what have you

so looks like this rigid ankles soft

knees super easy for me to push off

either side as opposed to if my knees

were stiff and my ankles were going all

over the

place it's not going to be as effective

when we push forwards we're pushing

through our back foot and that means

that all of our weight is effectively

going to be in our back leg so we

starting in the 60/40 weight

distribution and as I push forwards I'm

basically transferring all my weight

onto this back foot and I'm lifting this

foot up slightly to be able to Spring

Forward however when I land all my

weight now pretty much goes into this

front foot in particular the front ball

of my foot and that's how I push off

going backwards so it's a constant

transferring of weight from one leg to

the other you need to get comfortable

with that so doing a simple drill like

this going forwards and backwards W so

what's going to help you get used to it

pushing off either

side now if you stay on the edge of

range and you do this constant pendulum

stepping it tricks your opponent into

thinking okay when are they going to

attack so if you just there on the out

in the edge of range like this you're

sort of set in a rhythm and then you can

go forward twice and that's when you'll

land your attack right but if you

constantly bounce on the in and out of

the edge of range it's kind of like

you're fainting making and then react

and then off their reactions you can

throw your attacks one thing you need to

watch out for when you're bouncing in

and out of range is your opponent can

predict your Rhythm so if you're just in

out one step at a time then your

opponent could literally step in as

you're about to step in yourself and

throw a punch so you want to sort of

break up your Rhythm and you can do that

for by bouncing in and out different

amount of times so for example I could

go two in one out two back one and I

could just keep switching this

up and just keep them guessing like

this so we know how we can get in and

out of range effectively with the

pendulum step what if we want to take

angles now a well small ring craft

lesson for you you kind of want to be

attacking moving out taking an angle

attacking again right so imagine I've

come in here throwing some punches then

I want to get out of range I want to

take an angle and then I want to get

back in if you keep repeating this cycle

throughout a boxing match then your

opponent is constantly going to have to

be like adjusting to where you are and

that time where it takes them to adjust

you're already throwing your next attack

now you don't have to come all the way

out of the range when you do this you

can Prett you can come into range stay

there throw your punches take an angle

throw more punches take another angle

but when it comes to the pendulum step

we can do this as we're moving around

and this is like a we can do this in a

circular motion with our pendulum steps

and how we do that is we're going to

bounce or step in once and then when we

get here I'm going to push off with my

front foot at a slightly different

angle till I'm here and we'll get back

in and then another angle

and then we can go back the other way

another

angle and that's how we can change the

angle as we're coming in and in and out

with our attacks so it looks like

this I could be throwing punches as I do

this but we'll cover that later we can

use this constant transfering of weight

to incorporate pivots into our pendulum

steps and we do that by let's say I've

stepped in as I'm pushing out all my

weights on this back foot which allows

me then to push off and take an angle

with my

Pivot my weight will be on my back foot

again so then I can push back in and

continue that pendulum Step In

Motion can also do the same with the

other way so I'm pending stepping like

this weight goes back and then I can

push and I'm back to here so it should

look like this

[Music]

okay now I'm going to explain how to

punch whilst you pendulum step now

because this is a longer range style you

want to be as side on as possible now

the reason for this is being side on

offers more stability in the long range

because the only punches I'm going to

take here are straight shots because I

the only punches that can really reach

me whereas if I was closer range you can

be a little bit more Square on because

that offers more stability to the sides

because I'd be catching hooks from here

obviously the force would be pushing me

that way or that way as opposed to that

way or that way so you need to be nice

and side on when you're throwing punches

when your pendulum stepping now there's

only three or maybe four different

punches that you should throw whilst

your pendulum stepping at the same time

reason for this the rest of them sort of

require in particular the Right Hook and

the left Suppa they require your feet to

be a little bit more planted especially

body punches whereas if you're

constantly skipping in and out of range

it's very hard to plant your feet in

those little micr seconds in between to

get those punches off so the three

punches that are recommended that you

pendulum step with are the jab the cross

and the left hook in particular the long

lead hook the main rule with punching

whilst you pendulum step is that you

don't really throw a punch midair you

sort of want to time your punches as you

land either side so we'll start with

throwing the jab as you pendulum step

I'm only going to land my jab as I'm

pushing off with either foot so my jab

is going to land as my front foot lands

and when I'm pushing off with it and

same again when my back foot lands so go

there or with the back foot

and that is used to set up other punches

let's

say I pushed off with my back foot as I

jabbed that sets me up ready to push off

with my cross which we cover next so the

cross we still want to maintain that

rotation in our hips we throw a normal

cross we're rotating our

hips to let that punch go it's exactly

the same when we're pendulum stepping

but because we're shifting in and out we

need to sort of rotate our hips midair

so as I shift in I rotate my hips to

that position which means I'm pivoting

on my back foot and I land as my front

foot lands so be like

that so

[Music]

yeah the next punch we're going to cover

is the long range lead Hook when we're

doing the pendulum steps now I think

this is one of the more effective

punches you can use especially when you

hook off the jab like the likes of bivel

does so when we throw the lead hook

again we can either throw it as we're

stepping or pendulum stepping backwards

so it be then or we can do as we're

going forwards this is like less common

but as we push off forwards we can throw

it that way as well but the main time I

see this used is when you use it when

you step in with a

jab and then come out with a lead hook

so either faint with a jab or throw the

jab and step out with that if you

imagine if I threw a jab as I stepped in

that usually provokes someone to try and

counter with a right hand so if I push

off from my front foot and I shift back

out with a lead hook then I'll lightly

land on the Target and counter their

right hand as they step in to try

counter me so as I'm coming out they're

throwing their right hand to try and

count on my jab that's when I'd catch

them with the lead hook there

now when we're throwing the lead hook

whilst we're pendulum stepping we need a

little bit of hip rotation or at least

something that triggers that rotation CU

it's a rotational punch so when we step

in with a jab we kind of want to shift

our hips into more this position so when

we push out we can come back the other

way like that another way we can do this

is not by rotating before but by over

rotating past this point as we come out

to there there isn't going to be much

room to be able to rotate our hips

properly during this pendulum stepping

technique and that's why people who use

the pendulum step or generally Soviet

Fighters they don't or people with a

Soviet style they don't really punch

that hard unless you're talking like

Klitschko but if you look at like

Alexander yusk or you look at bivel they

don't really punch that hard they're

just really effective picking those

points getting in and out of range and

that's because they're not standing with

their feet planted and generating all

that force from their feet being planted

they're shifting in and out and picking

the picking points like that here are

some effective combos you can use

alongside your pendulum steps the first

one being a jab left hook as we were

just demonstrating so I step in with a

jab and as I push off push back and loop

that longrange lead hook in a look like

this so pendulum

stepping the reason why this is so

effective is because I said earlier

provokes that counter right hand so we

can counter the counter with that lead

hook the next one is building on that

combination and that is stepping in with

the jab stepping out with the lead hook

and then with all that Force we've got

all that that weight on our back foot we

can push back in with that cross and

then straight back out again so the

footwork mechanics is jab in left hook

out cross in and then step back out

be then building on that combination

again we can add another lead hook to

the end of that so we can step in with a

jab step out with a lead hook step back

in with a cross and step back out with

the lead hook again look like

this I just wanted to give you some

basic combinations that you can build on

with these three simple punches so work

with those three different punches and

see what you can come up with here are

three drills that will help you get

better at pendulum steps the first one

is Shifting in twice back once repeat

that and then it'll be back twice

forward once and repeat that so it'll be

two in one out two in one out two back

one forward two back one forward

the next drill is moving in a circular

motion so we talked about earlier taking

angles as we pendulum step we're going

to do one

360 anticlockwise and then one clockwise

so a bit like

this remember into cave knees in

Remembering rigid

ankles remembering to keep our

shape once we get back to here just get

back around again keep repeating that

and the last drill is incorporating some

head movement with our pendulum steps in

and out so as we're shifting forwards

I'm going to slip inside right so I slip

to there and then as I'm shifting back

I'm going to slip outside

so I'm Shi to here right remember when

we're slipping we're slightly leaning at

the hips and rotating our hips from here

so rotate our hips from here and lean

take our head off the center line same

going the other way we're just going to

be shifting in and out as we do that so

it look like

this then we can incorporate that with

some combination punching

[Music]

like so and you can build up your

pendulum Step In Style and become as

good as someone who does pendulum steps

really well safe

[Music]