Breaking Down Videos

[Physic]

Breaking down a video is an important skill that every fighter that wants to improve their game should learn. Using this training method is a great way to look at yourself and others to figure out what needs adjusted in your training. This tool will also help develop breaking down an opponent before you fight them and while you are fighting them.

Lets us discuss what we look for when we watch ourselves and others.

[debuenzo]

I would look for commonly thrown shots that are both effective and that get me killed.

[bo1]

to break it down logically.

so start with foot work. balance, placement, movement, distance, changing stance, moving to logical positions. that is what i look for. now you can add anything that seems to make sence here.

then continue with any basics you wish.

grip, do you drop your weapon, is there shots you cannot throw with your grip. is there a possibility of injury.

stance, body position, ability to block and strike effectively, any limited movement. openings available, no hunching, wieght on back foot.

shot selection, high crossing to a minumum. using all the shot available. knowledge of when and where to throw them. not going A+B+A+B. no excess movement, unless feinting, even then to a minumum.

shield agressive work, pin opponent weapon, pin opponent shield. use foot work to set up. create openings, timing.

shield block work, base position, moving shoudlers not arms. using hips. minumum movement. no flailing.

sword block work, good position base. shoprt movement. good wrist control. proper body mechanics.

sword strike work, useing wraps effectively. not geting into patterns. varying location and timming. not high crossing forever, but using it when it is proper. knowing the names of shots and the mechanics of how they work.

basically you watch the video with one of these in mind. watch the whole thing then make notes of what was correct and what was wrong. then repeat with a new focus. once you make it through with eachj of the subjects you should have a good break down.

now you have to take into consideration, disparity in skill. great fighters often play with there food when fighting lwer skilled fighters. so they may seem unpolished, or take foolish shots. this is usually for the benefit of the newer fighter, nobody likes to get beat into the ground, well not too many people anyway.

another thing is openings that the other fighter gives. example, I fight a lefty that takes to blocking his left, my right, exclusively. so i step to my right and he moves even further, so i slide back and throw high cross. he knows i hate that shot, so he tries to take everything else away, and does. so i swat him on the * with the cross, eventually he will stop giving me that, but for now that is what i kill him with. so if you saw me spar him for 10 minutes, you would think i was a high cross addict, but i assure you, i am not.

[Arkin]

Bo is on fire today. he is playing his own game of NBA JAM with this forum.

When I am watching people fight I look for consistent openings. then I look at why they are opening up that way. I do not know what to add...

[bo1]

thanks,

also i forgot to mention, to be aware of the fighters fitness and exhaustion level. my form goes to crap after about 5 hours of fighting. so if you video me after i fought all day, i will look much owrse than when i am not burned out.

[Tails]

I will try these tools, thanks bo

[Bhakdar]

I like the pitch in about time till exhaustion. I noticed it a lot in the recently posted sparring at a Muxlovia practice. Sparring was a lot more intense in video 1 than 2 and 3.

Contributing to that matter, what gear style do people use and is it truly best for them? Does using a fiberglass longsword make you tired when you'd be better off training on spars with a shorty to broad length?

I really don't know about the value of breaking down footage if you're not in it, though. I honestly always looked at myself most in sparring footage, looking at where I flopped and where I was strongest. For sure you can see other people's preferred shots and patterns, but for example, I posted some sparring a while back and it got called 'playing' too much to evaluate its skillful content. People still died and people still had fun.

On the whole, I'm trying to contribute the point that I don't put too much stock in watching video as a training tool. You can get a lot more out of it if you're present, I reckon. Even if you see consistent patterns or openings, you don't know if you can exploit them effectively until you fight that person. Imo, its fun to watch video, its fun to see sweet moves & combos, it can be stimulating to break it down and see what you can soak up from it, its fun for a lot of people to yell about who they think is rhinohiding even though they're looking through an imperfect lens and aren't heralding the fight from 9 feet away.

Its fun. If you video tape and watch consistently with a dedicated group of sparrers with yourself in the mix, then its tremendously beneficial because you can break down what YOU'RE doing, which I think is way more important than what you think your opponent will do.

[Physic]

I prefer to watch myself as well but I also like to watch fighters that are better than me. I will usually study how they move, what there shot selections are, how they defend themselves. I take the best things that I see and try to incorporate those into my own style.

When I watch myself I really try to see how I move and what was wrong with my technique when I get hit. Right now I care less about how my offence is working. My defence is what Im trying to get a grip on. I have several bad habits that consistantly get me hit. When I watch myself it is nice to actually know what Im thinking when something happens.