| How to Dodge a Punch Posted: 04 Apr 2016 05:00 PM PDT Skill in dodging punches mainly comes down to practice, not innate reflexes. Reading this guide once won't make you a master fighter, but it will teach you the correct form to use while practicing. Try to turn these motions into second nature, and remember the vital tips for minimizing injury. EditPreparing to Dodge - Hold your fists up. Hold your clenched fists in front of your face to protect it. Keep them around cheek level to protect as much of your face as possible.
- Clench your fists with the thumb on the outside, not the inside.
- Keep your elbows at your side. Your arms and shoulders should be relaxed for easy movement, with your elbows kept down to protect your torso.
- Tuck your chin down. Keeping your chin down makes your face a smaller target and protects your neck. Don't tuck it so far down you have trouble watching your opponent.
- Adopt a defensive stance. Turn slightly sideways with one leg (usually the right leg for right-handed people) further back than the other so your torso isn't facing the opponent.[1]
- Your legs should be at roughly shoulder width or a little wider.
- Keep your knees bent so you can stay balanced and mobile.
- Don't turn too far sideways; if you are standing at right angles to your opponent you can be knocked to the side.
- Stay alert but don't stare in one place. Your eyes detect movement faster from the side of your vision than from the front, so an unfixed gaze will serve you better than a close stare at your opponent's hands.[2]
- Be aware of your opponent's shoulders, eyes, and foot movement as well as their hands. If a particular opponent always steps forward before punching, you can use that information to react more quickly.
- The more practice you have, the faster your movements will be.
EditDodging a Punch by Moving Back - Combine these steps into one movement. If you successfully dodge with this method, you will end up on the outside of your opponent's punch, ready to move further away or throw your own long distance punch.[3]
- Remember to keep your fists up during the dodge to keep your guard in place.
- Rotate onto your rear leg. Rotate your hips and body clockwise (if your left leg is in front) and shift a little weight onto your rear leg.
- Optionally, you can take a step backwards with your rear leg as part of this movement.
- Pivot both your feet in the same direction. Keep your knees bent and your torso above your hips for maximum balance.
- Use the movement of your knees and hips to pull your head back out of the way. You can lean back with your neck a little as well, but the main motion should be the sideways rotation of your feet and torso.
- Minimize bending from the waist, as this can make you severely off balance.
- Only move as much as necessary. You only need to move a short distance to avoid a punch. Smaller movements keep you more balanced and give you more time to make your next move (whether that's a counterpunch or knocking your opponent over and running).
- If you can't avoid a punch to the face, take it with your forehead. Tilt your chin further down so the blow lands on a hard part of your skull rather than your nose or jaw.
- Simultaneously move back or rotate your head in the same direction the punch is traveling to minimize the force of impact.
EditDodging a Punch to the Face by Moving In - Only dodge punches to the head this way. The goal of this dodge is to end up on the inside of your opponent's punch (next to his body), ready for a strong counterpunch. If your opponent is aiming for your body, you might end up moving your face right into a fist.
- This dodge works best against a straight, strong right-handed jab.
- The bigger the punch, the better it is to dodge since your opponent will be off balance and spend more time recovering. You may want to block shorter jabs or feints or dodge them by moving further away instead of closer.
- Rotate onto your forward leg. Rotate your hips and body anticlockwise (if your left leg is in front) and shift more weight onto your forward leg.
- The main motion should come from your hips, not your waist.
- Pivot your rear foot in the same direction. Keeping your whole body in line with your hips keeps you balanced and mobile.
- Duck down with your knees and shoulder. Move your shoulder rapidly downward and inward at a 45ยบ angle across your chest to get your head out of the path of the punch.[4] Bend slightly with your knees as well.
- Don't overdo this movement. You only need to move your head about six inches (15 cm) to dodge a straight jab.
- Don't lean too far forward, as this makes it hard to balance and to watch your opponent. You should be using your knees and shoulder much more than your back.[5]
- If you're as tall or taller than your opponent, you may be able to dodge the punch by raising your head instead, so the fist passes below your chin as you rotate to the side.
- Raise your rear hand slightly. Be prepared to use it to block or deflect a follow up punch from the other hand.[6]
- Step closer (optional). If you need to, use your leading foot to take a short step toward the opponent. This is useful for constraining their movement for the next punch, but mainly for setting up a counterpunch.
- Counterpunch (optional). Once the punch is dodged, you can take advantage of your close position to retaliate with a punch of your own.
- Bob back up in a U shape. As you return to your original position, weave in a "U" shape around the punch. If you simply move straight back up you may walk right into another punch.
EditRolling with a Punch to the Body - Clench your stomach muscles. This protects your internal organs from injury.
- Exhale sharply through your nose just before impact. A short, quick burst of air will automatically cause your abs to flex and further protect yourself.
- Block the punch with your hands. Try to push your opponent's arm away with your hand to deflect the punch, or at least receive the punch on your knuckles rather than directly on your torso.
- Move with the punch. Step back or rotate your body in the direction of the blow. If the point of impact is moving in the same direction of the punch the force will be greatly reduced.
- You'll naturally respond to a punch to the face by closing your eyes. Try to keep your eyes open as much as possible to see where the next punch is coming from.
- Stay in shape. Exercise regularly so you can always stay on your feet.
- If you can, go for the neck, press down hard on the Adams apple and your opponents first priority is to get your hand away as this really hurts, leaving them open to attacks.
- Be careful dodging too much with the same method. A clever fighter might feint, then follow up with a real punch right where you're moving your face. [7]
- Always keep your mouth closed and your tongue well back in your mouth to minimize injury from a hit on the jaw.
- Remember, the only street fight you can win is the one you don't get into.
EditSources and Citations
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| How to Practice Guitar with a Metronome Posted: 04 Apr 2016 09:00 AM PDT Using a metronome is one of the few ways to ensure that you stay on time and on beat. While you should also practice along with other musicians to get used to playing in "real time," the ability to hold a rhythm is invaluable as a musician. Practicing even 10-15 minutes a day on a metronome is a great way to grow as a musician and a guitarist. EditUsing a Metronome - Set the rhythm of the metronome to 4/4 time. This is the most common time signature in modern music, the one counted out "1, 2, 3, 4 // 1, 2, 3, 4 // 1, 2..." The metronome will count out these beats for you, giving you a perfectly timed track to match up with.
- Not all metronomes advertise time signatures like "4/4" or "3/4." Some make you pick the note length. If it asks, set the machine to "quarter notes."
- Set your metronome's tempo to a comfortable, easy pace to begin -- around 70 beats per minute. Metronomes determine their speed in beats per minute, or BPM. While many songs are around 100 BPM or more, you need to focus on getting perfect rhythm across a variety of tempos. Start slow, then move up as you get better.
- Some people actually find slower tempos harder to match up to, helping you improve even faster. If you can hold at 70 BPM, then 120 will be much easier.
- Evenly strum the guitar to the beat, hitting just one strum per beat. Just work on one simple strum per beat. This isn't glamorous, but focus on hitting every beat perfectly for 1-2 minutes straight. Really try to get you strumming perfectly matched to the beat.
- Once this becomes easier, start upping the speed, still sticking to just one strum per beat.
- Try out a more complicated strumming pattern to keep improving. Once you can strum every beat, it's time to start playing "real" guitar. Pick a couple of chords you are comfortable with -- something simple, like G-C-D -- and start an up-down strumming pattern you can hold comfortably. Up the speed of the metronome, focusing on holding your rhythm even when you have to change chords.
- Set the metronome to cut out every other measure, forcing you to stay on time without a guide. This is a key feature for practice -- the metronome goes silent for a measure, but comes back in right on time. Your job is to come back on time with it. As you get better and better, keep making the intervals between measures longer and longer. Once you can stay on perfect time even when the metronome cuts out you will have the rhythm mastered.
- Try different tempos and time signatures each time you practice. Set the machine to eighth notes, or 3/4 time. Get really crazy and try out a song in 7/4, or drop the BPM so low you really need to focus on each well-spaced beat. Metronome practice doesn't have to be boring if you're willing to challenge yourself.
- Again, never just screw around or play halfheartedly, making mistakes without corrections. You need to actually work on staying with the metronome to gain anything from these exercises.
EditHelping You Stay on Beat - Move your foot or head along with the beat. This isn't just to look cool -- moving another part of your body along with beat helps you sink into the groove, making it easier to sync your strumming up. Tap a foot or nod you head.
- Count yourself in if you struggle to find the beat. With the guitar in your hand, simply count with the metronome -- "1, 2, 3, 4 // 1, 2, 3, 4 // 1, 2..." Once you feel comfortable with the beat, keep counting as you drop in with the guitar, letting your voice help guide you with the rhythm.
- If you're really struggling, adjust the tempo. Don't practice at a pace that forces you to make multiple mistakes -- you want to learn to hold consistent rhythm.
- Focus on the one. The first beat of every measure is a good benchmark to hit on time, especially if you're struggling. Counting out the beats, just focus on strumming on the first beat for a few measures. Get use to where the beat "resets." When playing with other musicians, the most essential beat to hit in any measure is usually the first one.
- Play with other musicians, or a jam track, to bridge your skills to real music. At the end of the day, you're not going to be on stage with a metronome -- you'll be with a percussionist, other guitarist, or no one at all. That said, many recording studios use metronomes, so you do need both skills. Never rely on just one or the other to practice rhythm -- both of them are essential to becoming a top guitarist.[1]
- Make metronome practice your warm up or cool down every time your practice. Even 15 minutes a day will make a huge difference after a month.
- Metronomes are not easy if you've never been forced to stick to a constant rhythm. But be patient -- you'll have the hang of it after a few days.
EditSources and Citations
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| How to Make a Tic Tac Toe Game from a Cutting Board Posted: 04 Apr 2016 01:00 AM PDT This is a fun way to make a board game out of an actual board. It's a good project to work on with kids, and a fun game bring with you to picnics or barbecues in the summer. - Gather the materials needed. You can get a cutting board for under $3 USD at a thrift store.
- Wash and sand down the cutting board.
- Apply stain of choice. This is optional.
- If you stain, apply a shellac to reduce dry time and for better paint application.
- Outline the tic tac toe game with tape.
- Apply alphabet letters.
- Paint forks and spoons opposing colors and let dry.
- Dip the forks and spoons directly into the paint.
- Paint the board.
- Allow paint on the board time to dry.
- Remove the letters and tape.
- Dip the spoons and forks in the opposing color to provide contrasting colors and visual interest.
- Outline the game with a gold leaf pen. Outline the letters and lines to your personal preference.
- Highlight the board with ribbon.
- Once the spoons and forks are dry, cut down the stem and highlight with accent paint.
- Enjoy your game of upcycled tic-tac-toe!
EditThings You'll Need - Cutting board
- Tape
- Alphabet stickers
- Paint
- 4 Disposable appetizer forks
- 4 Disposable appetizer spoons
- Wood stain and shellac (optional)
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