Footwork (martial arts)

Footwork is a martial arts and combat sports term for the general usage of the legs and feet in stand-up fighting. Footwork involves keeping balance, closing or furthering the distance, controlling spatial positioning, and/or creating additional momentum for strikes.

The characteristic footwork employed by most of the world's major boxing and kickboxing styles such as Western boxing and Muay Thai has changed little over the centuries, and has remained largely invariable between radically different cultures. The boxer relies on 'push stepping'. In which the leading leg advances first, then the rear, with the feet coming to rest in the exact relative position.

Rear movement is a reversal of this step, and lateral movement involves push stepping in the same fashion, with the foot closest to the desired direction stepping laterally, followed by the opposite foot, which is used to move the body.

For the pugilist, footwork is to be deft and simplistic, allowing the fighter to move in and out of striking range as quickly as possible. Footwork is key to generating sufficient power in the basic strikes shared between the major boxing styles. During the jab, the lead foot can move forward to close distance or remain stationary. During the cross, the rear foot pivots inward to launch the rear shoulder forward, allowing the cross a good deal of its strength. During the left hook, the lead foot pivots in an inward manner to transfer body weight. The right hook's pivot is identical to the cross (assuming the boxer is orthodox). The lead uppercut, like the jab does not use any pivotal motion, the power comes from the transfer of body weight to the lead foot. The rear uppercut employs the same inward pivot as the cross. To maintain balance, both feet can step, pivot or slide as appropriate. The jab may be thrown while moving forward or backward; for the other punches it is advisable not to throw while in motion.

Kickboxing employs the same basic footwork pattern as the styles that focus only on the upper body, with the one key difference lying in the defense and positioning for lower body strikes. The kick-boxer will often shift his weight backward onto his rear leg to allow his leading leg to react more quickly to an incoming blow as in a 'shield,'(right) a defense used against a round kick, or to execute swift kicking maneuvers such as foot jabs and the Muay Thai teep or stop kick. Radical pivoting and sudden lead changes also accommodate the wider, more powerful movement of the knees and legs. In styles that allow for the clinch, the debased balance forces movement to be more squared, and footwork to be replaced by powerful thrusting or frenetic skipping movements with the sole purpose of keeping on one's feet.

...
Wikipedia