How To Move Diagonally With Youssef Boughanem
Footwork is the foundation that your entire fighting style is built on, whether you know it or not. Even if you see yourself as a more straightforward fighter who likes to pressure forward and close the gap between themselves and the opponent, the only way you’re able to do that is with footwork.
However if you want to actually be effective with your footwork and not just walk forward into shot, you are going to need to learn to do more than just follow your opponent and walk into them.
You need to be able to move to the left and to the right and not just straight to the left and straight to the right, you need to move in those directions diagonally or in a circle.
This can be hard to learn as a lot of fighters tend to fight in a straight line, only moving forwards and backwards, that’s why you need to know what to do, and then get a ton of rounds in training it.
That’s why we've brought in a top tier kickboxer to show you how it’s done. In this video Youssef Boughanem goes over how you can move diagonally around your opponent.
Who Is Youssef Boughamen?
Youssef Boughanem is a Moroccan-Belgian kickboxer and Muay Thai fighter who is currently reigning as the WBC Muay Thai world middleweight champion. He is also a former Rajadamnern stadium and Lumpinee stadium champion, the highest championships for Muay Thai in Thailand.
Moving Diagonally In Combat Sports
The video starts off with Youssef and his partner facing each other in their fighting stances. Youssef then has his partner move forward towards him. Think of this like your opponent moving in to close the gap and strike you.
From there, Youssef does what he calls the oblique movement. This is where he steps out to the side, but he doesn’t go straight to the right, he moves out on a diagonal. This way he is still facing his opponent and ready to strike but his opponent isn’t facing him.
To do this you don’t want to move your feet straight out to one direction, that’s just a normal step to the side. You want to step out on angle so that your lead foot will still be facing your opponent.
When you step out on a diagonal like this you will be keeping yourself safe from any potential attacks that your opponent is throwing at you. The other benefit of this kind of movement is that it will make you more mobile as a fighter over all and it puts you in a great position to land some great shots that your opponent can’t defend against.
Learn More From Youssef Boughanem
If you like this tutorial and want to see more from Youssef Boughamen, then check out his complete video series “Thai Boxing Fundamentals By Youssef Boughanem” available exclusively on Dynamic Striking!