Why Not Become a "Double Threat"?

When it comes to boxing, there are a lot of good fighters that I like. But I have to say that one of my all-time favorites is Marvelous Marvin Hagler. As a fighter he was incredible. He possessed a vast array of boxing skills which he could utilize to adapt to any opponent he fought. He was an amazing switch-hitter who could seamlessly transition between right and left leads. He had fluid footwork and well-honed body movement skills. And he had fast speed and tremendous power. Add to all these the fact that he was exquisitely conditioned and had a true warrior mindset.

In boxing parlance, some fighters are referred to as ‘boxers,’ meaning that they possess a high level of technical skill, speed, precision, etc. Others are referred to as ‘punchers’– they’re fighters who, while they still possess boxing skills, like to crash in on an opponent and overpower them by slugging it out with them.

Hagler, however, was recognized as a “boxer-puncher,” meaning that he possessed both the technical skill and movement of a pure boxer and the devastating punching power of a slugger. Hagler could do well against a pure boxer because he could match their speed and power, and with his extra power he could stop an aggressive opponent who liked to swarm in and duke it out. This quality gave Hagler unpredictability to an opponent and offered him variety in both attack and defense, which in turn made him a double threat.

Now I’d like to cross over into the martial art realm and relate the above idea to kicking.

In Muay Thai, the fighters are barefoot. Their kicks are slammed into the opponent using the shin and are often compared to being struck with a baseball bat. By way of comparison, in Boxe Francaise-Savate the combatants wear shoes. The Savate kicks are very ballistic and percussive in nature, and are, as Robert Paturel once described them to me, like ‘a hammer at the end of a string.’ Both types of kicks possess knockout power.

My point is not to argue as to which type of kicking methodology is better. My teacher, Dan Inosanto related to me that, at the time he was training with his teacher, Bruce Lee, when it came to kicking, most people at the time would be considered ‘sluggers’ with their legs, and that while Bruce Lee could do indeed do that, at the same time he could also be very sophisticated and literally ‘box’ with his feet and bring major damage to an opponent.

So here’s the thing, being proficient in either kicking methodology is great, but if you possessed the ability to use both when fighting, you could, like the Marvelous one in boxing and Bruce Lee in martial arts, become a double-threat to an opponent.