Just finished watching the Mayweather comeback. It's not the most exciting fight but if you want a textbook example of great boxing defense, then look no further than Mayweather. To be fair, Marquez isn't the best offensive fighter, he's actually more of a counter puncher. Unfortunately, Mayweather is a bad match up for Marquez's style. Counter punching relies on having an aggressive opponent and being faster than him, both things Marquez did not have in Mayweather. Let's recall what made Mayweather shine in the match.
A left hand that can rule the world
If you want to see how to use the jab effectively in a boxing match, watch this fight. He absolutely controls the fight and the distance with his jab and with his speed, his jab continued to land in Marquez's face. Not that Marquez's hands were particularly low, but it looked like Mayweather had an open lane to Marquez's nose the entire time. This is deceptive, it's not that Marquez was open, he was just slow to react and couldn't parry the jab the entire night. Mayweather would throw the jab offensively but more importantly he would throw it defensively to keep Marquez at bay and when Marquez did close the distance, Mayweather would make him pay with a quick right cross following his jab.
Mayweather with legs astride, steps his left foot forward to throw the jab, keeping his right foot back like an anchor. Then he snaps the jab out and steps his left back to his stance, safely out of range of retaliation. It's that rear right foot that lets him pull back without back pedaling, it's the deep forward step that lets him reach his target from out of range. Up until now I have been throwing my jab mostly from the shoulder, sure I step forward with my left but I had been doing so as a formality without truly realizing how to apply it. I need to take a deeper step w/ probing jabs.
Shoulder roll
The shoulder roll style of defense is pretty tricky to utilize but a great defense and one Mayweather essentially has mastered. His right's always up protecting his face, his left shoulder is raised to block his chin, his left arm covers his body and if need be his left elbow raises to block any incoming rights to the head. When his back would touch the ropes, which didn't happen enough to Marquez's likings, he would cover up in a more traditional ear muffs style of block w/ his elbows tucked in tight. Try as Marquez might, he had very little success of landing any meaningful punches to Mayweather's chin and body. He certainly connected but nearly all glanced off Mayweather's defense. My own defense is more of a peek-a-boo style so the shoulder roll isn't really my style but there are times when I'll slip into it after certain attacks or if I happen to drop my left after an attack and can't bring it up fast enough to block a counter. I do however have a bad habit of not keeping my elbows tucked in tight enough and could learn a thing from Mayweather.
Turning the opponent
In boxing, there's a saying that you want to turn your opponent. That when you step around your opponent, you cut an angle and make him have to turn to face you again. Often, Mayweather would land a counter right when Marquez tried to sneak in with his own left, then react fast enough to Marquez's incoming right and duck right under the punch, cut the angle, and turn around to his back. Generally you don't want to step to your opponent's right because you're in danger of stepping into his power hand. (assuming all orthodox stances) However sometimes when you're in punching range or if your opponent is coming towards you and you don't have enough time to react you have to do what you can. Being able to react and duck that right like Mayweather did and turn, that's talent. I myself like to counter punch in boxing range, which I've come to realize requires great reaction speed to point blank punches. It's something I'll have to keep practicing.
It'd be interesting to see what would happen if Pacquiao and Mayweather fought. Everybody wants it, it's just politics and money preventing the fight. The two top contenders for the pound for pound title, the king of offense versus the master of defense, it'd be a hell of a fight. Honestly I'm not sure how you can beat Mayweather, his defense and speed is phenomenal, but maybe Pacquiao's own speed and power is the answer.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Monday, September 21, 2009
Who was that masked man?
I love Halloween. Actually, that's a lie. I love chocolate and candy but I'm indifferent to scary/spooky/gorey/gross/haunted and every other adjective associated with the so called holiday. Honestly, I really just love dressing up in a costume and on Halloween I can justify my secret love affair with cosplaying without people looking at me like I'm an absolute freak. Cosplay is short for costume play, it's where super fans (nerds) of comics/anime/movies/videogames/science fiction show their affection for their favorite comics/animes/movies/videogames/science fictions by dressing up as their favorite characters. A lot of "hardcore" cosplayers will construct their costumes from scratch, the skills and patience which I lack. These cosplayers tend to gather at convention shows and congregate with other cosplayers and fans. Goofy posing for pictures ensues. I've been to one anime convention, I was there to watch Spencer and Tai play Smash Bros at a game tournament, the nerdness was overwhelming.
There's good cosplay
and then there's so absolutely god awful that your face melt like at the end of Raiders of the Lost Ark.
Still the dedication some fans have to be able to create their own costumes is admirable (if not, obsessive and borderline creepy) and there's something cool about a really well done costume. Dressing up like your favorite super hero can be a lot of fun, hero worship is endearing to me and so every year when Halloween rolls around I really contemplate and plan out what I want to dress up as eagerly.
This year I've narrowed it down to about three choices. They are as follows:
Little Mac from Punch Out!
Pretty easy costume really. Some green shorts, a black under shirt, and some boxing gloves. The boxing gloves are the hardest aspect, since they're green and all. I could spend the money on some real green boxing gloves, which I can also get long term use out of w/ my actual boxing, or I could just buy some cheap ones and a can of spray paint. I have fond child hood memories of the original Punch Out game on the ol' Nintendo and with the new "remake" that came out for the Wii this year, this is a very viable costume. It is kind of too easy though, what with me actually being a boxer and all and only the video game savvy will be able to distinguish the subtlety of being Little Mac and not just a generic "boxing" costume.
The Spirit
As far as comic book super hero's go, none are as stylish as Will Eisner's the Spirit. Sure the movie came out late last year and sort of flopped but I loved Frank Miller's slick movie. The costume wouldn't be too difficult to construct either, the hardest piece being the signature black trench coat. Sadly there aren't too many cheap trench coats around so the coat could be costly, but I did happen to find a red trench for fairly cheap for my Dante costume last year so it's plausible. Plus, who doesn't love the opportunity to wear a fedora?
Kato from the Green Hornet
This is a costume I've been wanting to try for a while now but never could figure out how to get the materials cheaply enough. Kato is another comic book hero that is very simple and stylish in design, hailing from a similar era as that of Will Eisner's the Spirit. Of course, Kato was brought to life by the one and only Bruce Lee. For a while now I've toyed with the costume idea, the chauffeur's cap is easy enough to order online but buying the coat is rather difficult as I could not find a cheap alternative to the pricey jackets online. Recently though I read on a website that a chef's jacket could play as a cheap alternative and sure enough I can order online a black chef's jacket that'll help me look the part. Along with a domino mask, now fairly easy to find thanks to Kill Bill's crazy 88s, and some black foam nunchucks, this costume is now a very viable possibility.
I also considered a costume inspired by the movies Watchmen or GI Joe. However, Rorschach is likely going to be a very popular costume this year and a quality looking Snake Eyes/Storm Shadow, while it would be fun to dress up as a ninja again something I haven't done since elementary school, would require a lot more ingenuity and money.
I had some time to kill this weekend and was in the near vicinity of a Halloween store so I moseyed in and took a gander at what they had to offer. A lot of hats, a lot of prop weapons, some rubber masks, and packaged ensemble costumes, most of which were priced ridiculously in the 60 dollar range. They're complete quick costumes for the lazy and uninspired but I guess there aren't really a lot of places you can pick up a chicken suit. As I walked through the adult costumes I noticed something about adult male costumes and adult female costumes. Adult male costumes for the most part tend to be perverse gag/joke costumes. The hot dog vendor, or pickle vendor, or dick in the box, or some other play on the dick in the box sketch form SNL. At least there are some character costumes you can buy. Yet ladies have it worse, everything they have to choose from look like stripper outfits. Even their character costumes are "sexified." I suppose that's to be expected when Playboy starts selling sexy Halloween costumes. Now I'm not complaining that ladies seem to like dressing up in sexy outfits that on any other night would pass for lingerie. I'm pretty sure Mean Girls made a good observation about this same phenomenon. I just thought it peculiar that the preference for Halloween costumes and the intentions behind them are so different from my own. Some people seem to want to get lucky on Halloween. I just want to dress up as a super hero. Man, I'm a dork.
There's good cosplay
and then there's so absolutely god awful that your face melt like at the end of Raiders of the Lost Ark.
Still the dedication some fans have to be able to create their own costumes is admirable (if not, obsessive and borderline creepy) and there's something cool about a really well done costume. Dressing up like your favorite super hero can be a lot of fun, hero worship is endearing to me and so every year when Halloween rolls around I really contemplate and plan out what I want to dress up as eagerly.
This year I've narrowed it down to about three choices. They are as follows:
Little Mac from Punch Out!
Pretty easy costume really. Some green shorts, a black under shirt, and some boxing gloves. The boxing gloves are the hardest aspect, since they're green and all. I could spend the money on some real green boxing gloves, which I can also get long term use out of w/ my actual boxing, or I could just buy some cheap ones and a can of spray paint. I have fond child hood memories of the original Punch Out game on the ol' Nintendo and with the new "remake" that came out for the Wii this year, this is a very viable costume. It is kind of too easy though, what with me actually being a boxer and all and only the video game savvy will be able to distinguish the subtlety of being Little Mac and not just a generic "boxing" costume.
The Spirit
As far as comic book super hero's go, none are as stylish as Will Eisner's the Spirit. Sure the movie came out late last year and sort of flopped but I loved Frank Miller's slick movie. The costume wouldn't be too difficult to construct either, the hardest piece being the signature black trench coat. Sadly there aren't too many cheap trench coats around so the coat could be costly, but I did happen to find a red trench for fairly cheap for my Dante costume last year so it's plausible. Plus, who doesn't love the opportunity to wear a fedora?
Kato from the Green Hornet
This is a costume I've been wanting to try for a while now but never could figure out how to get the materials cheaply enough. Kato is another comic book hero that is very simple and stylish in design, hailing from a similar era as that of Will Eisner's the Spirit. Of course, Kato was brought to life by the one and only Bruce Lee. For a while now I've toyed with the costume idea, the chauffeur's cap is easy enough to order online but buying the coat is rather difficult as I could not find a cheap alternative to the pricey jackets online. Recently though I read on a website that a chef's jacket could play as a cheap alternative and sure enough I can order online a black chef's jacket that'll help me look the part. Along with a domino mask, now fairly easy to find thanks to Kill Bill's crazy 88s, and some black foam nunchucks, this costume is now a very viable possibility.
I also considered a costume inspired by the movies Watchmen or GI Joe. However, Rorschach is likely going to be a very popular costume this year and a quality looking Snake Eyes/Storm Shadow, while it would be fun to dress up as a ninja again something I haven't done since elementary school, would require a lot more ingenuity and money.
I had some time to kill this weekend and was in the near vicinity of a Halloween store so I moseyed in and took a gander at what they had to offer. A lot of hats, a lot of prop weapons, some rubber masks, and packaged ensemble costumes, most of which were priced ridiculously in the 60 dollar range. They're complete quick costumes for the lazy and uninspired but I guess there aren't really a lot of places you can pick up a chicken suit. As I walked through the adult costumes I noticed something about adult male costumes and adult female costumes. Adult male costumes for the most part tend to be perverse gag/joke costumes. The hot dog vendor, or pickle vendor, or dick in the box, or some other play on the dick in the box sketch form SNL. At least there are some character costumes you can buy. Yet ladies have it worse, everything they have to choose from look like stripper outfits. Even their character costumes are "sexified." I suppose that's to be expected when Playboy starts selling sexy Halloween costumes. Now I'm not complaining that ladies seem to like dressing up in sexy outfits that on any other night would pass for lingerie. I'm pretty sure Mean Girls made a good observation about this same phenomenon. I just thought it peculiar that the preference for Halloween costumes and the intentions behind them are so different from my own. Some people seem to want to get lucky on Halloween. I just want to dress up as a super hero. Man, I'm a dork.
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Lessons Learned - Matt and Kim
Have you seen the Mojito Bacadari commercial that's been playing lately? This one I mean:
It's a pretty cool commercial and the song is super catchy. That song is Daylight by Matt and Kim and I saw them live for the second time this year last Tuesday.
I was in Fort Collins one night earlier this year seeing my friend Amy's band Post Paradise perform at the Aggie. I was hanging out w/ the FoCo crew and sipping on my beer when this crazy catchy song comes on, followed by more frenetic and catchy music. I was really digging the band but they were completely foreign to me so I literally walked up to the DJ and asked the guy who the band was playing. He had it on shuffle and didn't even know himself (some DJ) but it turned out to be Matt and Kim. I made a mental note and enjoyed the night.
Practically the next day I see a flyer in the Psychology building for a concert, Cut Copy feat. Matt and Kim. I figured what the hell and picked up some tickets.
These guys were soooooo much fun to see live. Matt and Kim are just up there having such fun on stage that their joy really transmits and infects the audience; it's impossible not to have fun with them playing as far as I'm concerned. I mean they do crazy antics on stage like walk on the crowd, posing and pointing to the sky, and jumping around while playing and the fans are clapping and singing and jumping like crazy. I was only saddened that they were the opening act and could only play half a set list. Not to take anything away from Cut Copy though, they turned out to be really good live as well. After the show I actually got the chance to talk to Kim and it was pretty cool, I got her to sign a copy of their cd and she told me that they were coming back in September and I told them I would be there.
And I was. And it was unbelievable.
What's cool is that as I was coming to the bluebird, I was wearing my Matt and Kim t shirt I had bought from when they opened for Cut Copy, and I'm walking towards the theater and I see this guy approaching from the opposite direction. He notices my shirt and points at me in recognition and I recognize the guy as well. It's Matt! From Matt and Kim! And I shook his hand and told him I was excited for the show. Haha. I got a lot of feedback on my Grand t shirt, maybe Matt and Kim should consider re-selling that shirt again.
Inside the venue I staked out a spot up in the pit and waited w/ the help of a Heineken. I probably ended up waiting an hour or so for the show but I much rather arrive early than fight for a spot when arriving late. There was this girl w/ this guy hanging out at the front of the stage also and this girl had this long thick brown hair and she would run her fingers through it and flip it over to one side and tease it every now and then and every time she played with her hair, I wanted to pin her against the wall and devour her. If there was ever any doubt, I know now, I really have a thing for voluptuous hair.
As the pit and theater filled in, finally the opening act came on stage. First it was two dj's that were spinning and laying down some great dance beats. The crowd though wasn't really into it all that much from where I could tell, which is lame because how can you come to a concert and not dance? Didn't bother me, I was having fun dancing and the beautiful blonde next to me that was also dancing away sure didn't hurt.
Then Amanda Blank came on and really impressed. Here's a lady who can rhyme, has dance flavored pop beats, and also can sing. She reminded me of the Ting Ting's Katie White, if, you know, she were an dark haired American from Philly who rapped about naughty things.
I really dug her and picked up her cd and even got to get her to autograph it after the show, she was cool and I've been trying to pass her music onto my friends. Seriously, "Might Like you Better" has been stuck in my head since Tuesday.
Then the roadies came out to rearrange the stage and the ladies next to me where inquisitively asking if one of the roadies was Matt. I just smiled quietly to myself having known that I had recognized and met Matt just outside the venue before the show. T.I.'s "Bring em Out" came on and some of the fans that I recognized had also been at the Cut Copy show started to get excited along w/ me, knowing that Matt and Kim came out to that song the last time they played.
As frenetic as their album is, they are a million times crazier on stage. They play everything as fast as they can and as loud as they can. What was really cool was that this time around, the audience was there for Matt and Kim and so they were really into it this time around. Lyrics were sung, hands were thrown in the air, there was clapping and jumping and Denver Colorado went crazy!
*Right after this, they played and "retired" their rendition of Final Countdown. Haha!
They also played Lessons Learned live, which is my favorite song and one I was sad they didn't play when they opened for Cut Copy. If you haven't seen it, check out their music video for the song. It's NOT SAFE FOR WORK mind you but it's a simple and cool concept of saying to hell with everything, thus symbolized by them going streaking in the middle of times square in the dead cold of February.
When they opened for Cut Copy, they closed with Silver Tiles (posted above). This time, they closed with Daylight!
After the show they dived into the crowd and danced their way all the way to the back where they signed t shirts and cds and posed for pictures a good full hour after the show had ended. Usually main acts don't really do that but Matt and Kim were cool enough to stick around. I got to talk w/ them briefly, Matt actually remembered me from before the show even!
All in all, I love the Bluebird, it's such a nice venue. Moreover, I love Matt and Kim! They put on such an amazing concert and they're just so much fun live and I highly recommend seeing them if given the opportunity. What's more, I get to go back to the Bluebird tomorrow and do it all over again with Gaslight Anthem. Haha. I love live music.
*Thanks to Youtube user jodiesconcerts for uploading the vids of the concert!
It's a pretty cool commercial and the song is super catchy. That song is Daylight by Matt and Kim and I saw them live for the second time this year last Tuesday.
I was in Fort Collins one night earlier this year seeing my friend Amy's band Post Paradise perform at the Aggie. I was hanging out w/ the FoCo crew and sipping on my beer when this crazy catchy song comes on, followed by more frenetic and catchy music. I was really digging the band but they were completely foreign to me so I literally walked up to the DJ and asked the guy who the band was playing. He had it on shuffle and didn't even know himself (some DJ) but it turned out to be Matt and Kim. I made a mental note and enjoyed the night.
Practically the next day I see a flyer in the Psychology building for a concert, Cut Copy feat. Matt and Kim. I figured what the hell and picked up some tickets.
These guys were soooooo much fun to see live. Matt and Kim are just up there having such fun on stage that their joy really transmits and infects the audience; it's impossible not to have fun with them playing as far as I'm concerned. I mean they do crazy antics on stage like walk on the crowd, posing and pointing to the sky, and jumping around while playing and the fans are clapping and singing and jumping like crazy. I was only saddened that they were the opening act and could only play half a set list. Not to take anything away from Cut Copy though, they turned out to be really good live as well. After the show I actually got the chance to talk to Kim and it was pretty cool, I got her to sign a copy of their cd and she told me that they were coming back in September and I told them I would be there.
And I was. And it was unbelievable.
What's cool is that as I was coming to the bluebird, I was wearing my Matt and Kim t shirt I had bought from when they opened for Cut Copy, and I'm walking towards the theater and I see this guy approaching from the opposite direction. He notices my shirt and points at me in recognition and I recognize the guy as well. It's Matt! From Matt and Kim! And I shook his hand and told him I was excited for the show. Haha. I got a lot of feedback on my Grand t shirt, maybe Matt and Kim should consider re-selling that shirt again.
Inside the venue I staked out a spot up in the pit and waited w/ the help of a Heineken. I probably ended up waiting an hour or so for the show but I much rather arrive early than fight for a spot when arriving late. There was this girl w/ this guy hanging out at the front of the stage also and this girl had this long thick brown hair and she would run her fingers through it and flip it over to one side and tease it every now and then and every time she played with her hair, I wanted to pin her against the wall and devour her. If there was ever any doubt, I know now, I really have a thing for voluptuous hair.
As the pit and theater filled in, finally the opening act came on stage. First it was two dj's that were spinning and laying down some great dance beats. The crowd though wasn't really into it all that much from where I could tell, which is lame because how can you come to a concert and not dance? Didn't bother me, I was having fun dancing and the beautiful blonde next to me that was also dancing away sure didn't hurt.
Then Amanda Blank came on and really impressed. Here's a lady who can rhyme, has dance flavored pop beats, and also can sing. She reminded me of the Ting Ting's Katie White, if, you know, she were an dark haired American from Philly who rapped about naughty things.
I really dug her and picked up her cd and even got to get her to autograph it after the show, she was cool and I've been trying to pass her music onto my friends. Seriously, "Might Like you Better" has been stuck in my head since Tuesday.
Then the roadies came out to rearrange the stage and the ladies next to me where inquisitively asking if one of the roadies was Matt. I just smiled quietly to myself having known that I had recognized and met Matt just outside the venue before the show. T.I.'s "Bring em Out" came on and some of the fans that I recognized had also been at the Cut Copy show started to get excited along w/ me, knowing that Matt and Kim came out to that song the last time they played.
As frenetic as their album is, they are a million times crazier on stage. They play everything as fast as they can and as loud as they can. What was really cool was that this time around, the audience was there for Matt and Kim and so they were really into it this time around. Lyrics were sung, hands were thrown in the air, there was clapping and jumping and Denver Colorado went crazy!
*Right after this, they played and "retired" their rendition of Final Countdown. Haha!
They also played Lessons Learned live, which is my favorite song and one I was sad they didn't play when they opened for Cut Copy. If you haven't seen it, check out their music video for the song. It's NOT SAFE FOR WORK mind you but it's a simple and cool concept of saying to hell with everything, thus symbolized by them going streaking in the middle of times square in the dead cold of February.
When they opened for Cut Copy, they closed with Silver Tiles (posted above). This time, they closed with Daylight!
After the show they dived into the crowd and danced their way all the way to the back where they signed t shirts and cds and posed for pictures a good full hour after the show had ended. Usually main acts don't really do that but Matt and Kim were cool enough to stick around. I got to talk w/ them briefly, Matt actually remembered me from before the show even!
All in all, I love the Bluebird, it's such a nice venue. Moreover, I love Matt and Kim! They put on such an amazing concert and they're just so much fun live and I highly recommend seeing them if given the opportunity. What's more, I get to go back to the Bluebird tomorrow and do it all over again with Gaslight Anthem. Haha. I love live music.
*Thanks to Youtube user jodiesconcerts for uploading the vids of the concert!
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