Skip Steps (Patreon)

• LMA Curriculum

Skip steps wouldn't be considered one of the fundamentals. In fact, if you've drilled the previous footwork drills enough, this should feel really awkward because it goes against what's already in your muscle memory.

Though skipping won't be used often, so avoid using it unless you have to, it's still important to know.

Rather than leading with your lead leg and pushing off your rear, you lead with your rear leg. Rear being the leg furthest from the direction you're going. Rather than stepping, you're skipping.

What this does is it leaves your front leg light, and your weight shifted further back. The strength is it helps avoid kicks and punches as you're moving. The weakness is it brings your feet closer together, leaving you out of position. This is why you want to start long and why you want to take small steps, especially going forward.

We'll get more into this later in the curriculum, but skipping will allow you to lift your leg as you go forward, whether to check or avoid a low kick. And going back it allows you to avoid a kick altogether or lift to check or avoid then move away.

– Sam