To circle right or to circle left

[Anonymous]

I just watched the Barrera/Juarez fight. One thing I noticed in this one was that Barrera seemed to circle almost exclusively to his opponents right, even though they were both right-handed. I guess he was trying to get away from his opponent's left hook, but didn't this also increase his chances of being hit with a right?

Ordinarily, we are told to circle toward the opponent's left hand side (if he is right-handed), away from his strong side.

What are the advantages/disadvantages of circling either way and how often, on average, should one change the direction one is moving into during a fight? Or is it better to mostly move into one direction?

Any comments/experiences?

[G.V.]

What I noticed several times was Barrera circling to Rocky's left, and Rocky nailing him with that left. Nice. Good fight,

[Anonymous]

Yeah, that's why he probably started going the other way! The fight was pretty exciting. Barrera's face was mashed up nicely.

[CLFMak]

Generally, its better to zone away from your opponent's right hand (assuming a left lead). It increases the time you have to react to a rear arm or leg attack, and will often times make it easier to move to the outside for striking or grappling when they go for a lead punch or kick. There's some interesting material on this and other footwork aspects and how they are applied in boxing in the Dog Borthers Kali Tudo DVD set.

[Anonymous]

Are there any books on the subject?

[CLFMak]

I'd look for a thick book about boxing.

[Anonymous]

I'll check Barnes and Nobles.

[CLFMak]

You might also look for footwork in regards to stickfighting or filipino martial arts. Utilizing the male and female triangles, for example, can be applied to movement patterns in sparring. Anything on Panatukan would be ideal, because the structure is similar to western boxing, which is similar to krav.

I'm a big advocate of doing lots of light sparring- the kind you don't get injured doing and can look forward to. Light sparring gives you a chance to experiment with these things. You might find that if you circle away from the right hand, his left hook will get you, but you might find it a good opportunity to enter for infighting, or if you slip or dodge it, you might be able to check/pin his left shoulder back so you can deliver big right hands or greco roman style takedowns (but watch out for a spinning backfist/elbows). Its also useful to be able to use either lead, because an open or closed stance has different advantages, and if you develop the triangular footwork you kind of need to be comfortable with either lead.