I don't think it was necessarily the way he threw the punches it was the pace and pressure which worked in his favor. A lot of times when we train for competition we get used to a certain pace because of the timed rounds and the ref not allowing a clinch for too long (particularly in boxing/kickboxing). Instead of looking at the types of strikes used focus on the pace and pressure they are used at.
what comes to my mind is a drill that i know Burton has used as he mentioned in a post awhile back about bjj. you drill from every position.it can be round robin style, aor bull ring style. you play everyone, in every position.
from your strong positions and your weak positions, this way you do not gravitate toward your comfort level, if you're not in it. you either try to pass/escape/submit depending on the position. works well for all aspects of fighting, standing, clinch, grappling, etc...
"in relation to the words on pace and pressure. "
training for competition and self defense may differ, but offensive and defensive skills in general transfer over. (aside from eye jabs, fish hooks and groin pulls)training primarilly for competition imho provides better skill and attribute development, as opposed to places that primarilly train for self defense. while training much of this has to do with the sparring variable, but training 100% on a sparring partner is not always ideal.
to be a complete fighter you need short rounds where you can work as if in "combat" on the street and you need rounds that match competition to develop attributes that corelate to competition that have transfer over to self defense. as well as you need rounds and situational training.
pace and pressure is a seperate variable. it's extremes could be added or detracted to focus on seperate aspects of figthing.
Cr8 cutting the ring or cage in concept is also critical as you mentioned, it actually came to my mind last week in class, simulating a ring or cage can be useful.
a comment on sparring.
many trains of thought on this...
in many boxing gyms the green guy is thrown in and tested to his limit. likely the first day or week. this has pros and cons. it immediatelly shows inherent attributes like heart, speed, agility, chin. but it can cripple the development of the less genetically gifted athlete and even in gifted ones. the green guy is either viewed as having it or not. black and white. to be trained or told to leave. this will quickly weed out the majority.
another way some call inducive training.
100% sparring has it's place but it is a small piece imho.doing it 10-30% of the time is a good gauge to me.. it's primary role imho is to gauge your level. more of an ego thin. in my mind for grudge matches or to develop mental toughness for an upcoming fight. this includes varying speeds. which may not always increase with force. this also does not mean i do not like going all out at times. sombrada comes to mind here.
we all get hit and there is always someone better.
*sparrings primary role imho is that of skill development. against less skilled opponents in general one should attempt to work on his weaknesses in general not there strengths. there's no glory or honor in beating down someone with less skill using your best attributes, but if you are able to work on your weaknesses against these less skilled fighters you will bring those weaknesses to a comfort level. even if the less skilled guy is using his best talents and you are using your weaker talents. sometimes he'll best you, but you learn. that is the objective imho. not how many times i tap or rock my partner.
***with that i do believe in scheduled fights. something for people to peak for. test themselves in the ring instead of in the gym, this will create more gym harmony instead of gym rivalry. i see my training partners as trainers, not opponents to knock down for a scratch on my belt. if i am catching joe schmoe because of a specific hole in his game i will help him not punch bigger holes in it.
for the fights-analyze the fight, plan a strategy, implement it, then evaluate and repeat.
feeding your partner and swinging like a wild man is a good drill.
other points on pace and pressure in the street-
"strike first, stikre hard, show no mercy"
see you guys in the gym.
