7 Boxing Footwork Tips to Avoid!
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- Опубліковано 4 лют 2025
- www.myboxingcoa... - In this video I am going talk you through a range of boxing footwork ‘tips’ that I found on UA-cam. I will identify the top 7 of these ‘tips’ that I consider to be either of very limited use or just downright dangerous. I will also describe some alternatives that are much more likely to give you a positive outcome.
Boxing Footwork Tip #1 - The Shuffle Step
This first boxing footwork tip is interesting, because any coach (like me for instance) would call a boxer out on this one as a fault.
This is the action where as you move forward the feet come together, almost meeting directly under your body. From a certain viewpoint it actually looks quite good, rhythmic almost. However, it is a real vulnerability, exposing you to quite a bit of risk.
When your feet are together (in what I consider to be the most serious boxing footwork fault) you are unable to launch an attack or to effectively defend yourself. You are not fight effective. You should always seek to maintain your boxing stance.
Boxing Footwork Tip #2 - The Extended Step
This boxing footwork tip should be avoided simply because it encourages you to try to cover too much ground in one movement. It is the approach where when launching an attack you might be encouraged to cover a much larger distance than is actually required. So, rather than seeking to move 6 inches or so you may try to cover 18 inches.
Boxing Footwork Tip #3 - The Silly Side Step
I made up the title ‘Silly Side Step’, but I believe it describes perfectly this boxing footwork tip. Rather than performing a properly executed side step you are encouraged to go entirely square on and simply dance side to side. In doing this you are bringing your feet together and open up your full body to attack.
I think that the principle of putting this tip out there is for those moments where you do not want to engage with the opponent. I think this is assumed from watching professional bouts where there are times when a boxer will disengage to take the pressure out of a situation. Some might call it ‘running.’
In a short duration bout, that is an intense 3 or 4 rounder, you must be fight effective at all times. You must be able to put pressure on the opponent. If you are backing away and not delivering effective punches, you are losing the contest…it is really that simple.
When moving side to side, aim to do it under control and whilst remaining fight effective.
Boxing Footwork Tip #4 - The Back Pedal
Muhammad Ali was easily one of my all-time boxing favourites, no question. However, the back pedal is a legacy of the Great Man that we could do without! It is the action of ‘going on a bicycle’ and backing away from the opponent. Looks good, but it adds nothing to the ultimate aim of winning the boxing match.
Rather than helping you win the fight, back-pedalling is more likely to alienate judges and discourage them from giving you a decision. Similar to the silly side step, you should remain fight effective and if you need to back away from an opponent (which is absolutely fine), back away under control and ideally delivering shots on your way out. Not a problem giving ground, just ‘take a payment’ for it!
Boxing Footwork Tip #5 - The Switch Step
The Switch Step is an interesting boxing footwork tip. Many boxers incorporate it into their style, but they are not very likely to be coached in it. It’s something that they do as a sort of ‘cheat’ in order to open new angles on their less favoured side for movement (that is moving away from the lead foot, so for an orthodox boxer moving to their right side).
The move actually involves pulling the front foot backwards and stepping off to one side. Other ways to do this would be a sort of angled side step or even a move away and pivot. I also describe another Ali technique in the video as an alternative.
Boxing Footwork Tip #6 - Learn to Walk
This tip involves, when in full fight mode with an opponent, simply walking away. Backing away with steps as opposed to the controlled way we would expect of competent boxers. This is the ultimate in not remaining fight effective and is likely to result in at least a visit to the canvas due to a loss of balance, or maybe a visit to the canvas due to a loss of consciousness.
If you want to back away, please, please do so under control and defending yourself. It’s not rocket science!
Boxing Footwork Tip #7 - Lower Your Hands
Speaking of defending yourself, this one is easily the most ridiculous of all of our boxing footwork tips and should be totally avoided.
This tip suggests that you should simply lower your hands, I suppose in the way that a tightrope walker uses a pole to improve balance. The suggestion is that this in some way improves your boxing footwork and balance. Utter garbage.
Not the flashiest on net But Definitely one of if not the very Best Boxing coach online. This knowledge is priceless. Let's continue to support this channel.
Haha. Thanks Scott, that's very kind.
Fran Sands on the "flashiest" comment I was referring to videography.... From across the pond, Have a great weekend Coach....
No worries Scott, really kind comment. You have a great weekend too mate.
scott johnson
I'd rather have this than flashy, flashy gets you knocked out.
@@styleyK no being stiff does
I'm a black belt kickboxer n my coach is Terry Mcelhinney ex British middle weight champion and he always sends us to your site for online tips, he thinks very highly of you. You may know him we're only down the road in Huyton. With him it's footwork footwork footwork and apart from minor variations cos we kick too it could be you coaching us.
Paul Brady Thanks Paul. it's really flattering that Terry feels that this stuff can help his students, that's made my week mate. Nice one!
i
there are no black belts in kickboxing.
@@uriel528 Some schools give them, it's kinda up to the school. If the ex middleweight champion awards them it may be just another way to keep students motivated, keep them on their toes, and inspire younger fighters to improve. Belts mean a lot when you're a child, you feel a sense of achievement when you get them.
professorbuglefarts1 yes it’s more like house rules type ranking rather then actually rankings in k1 it would still be quite an achievement I would think
No Cheesy intros, no nonsense music. Open the video, straight to the point. Spot on ! Love your vids and your ability to coach, keep up the great work 👍🏻
easily the best coach ive watched on here.
Thanks mate
I agree, 100%. I used to be coached by guy who fought DeLahoya, Jorge Paiez, Carlos Palomino and that guy from africa in same wt class back in the day. Was one of Oscar's first few fights. He was good but...........Fran what a wealth of info, Technique, knowledge and style. Great coaching vids.
Outstanding coach
Yeah keep it down, or everyone will catch on!
steven halliday EASILY!!
Pure British aba gold knowledge. The people who disliked this video clearly didn't maintain stance and lost a few brain cells in the process. Kudos to all the lads at Sefton.
This is the first boxing video I've watched that addressed the difference in difficulties between right , and left lateral movement. Well done, and thank you.
You are welcome, thank you very much.
Wow. This man only has 54k subscribers. It's always the good things in life that get taken for granted. This man's channel is PURE GOLD.
1:10 bad advice in boxing hurt and u get knocked out
1 3:20 the shuffle step
not getting too close lose balance
4:45 rt way feet still keep distance
2 5:00 the extended step conr style
5:45 here !!(conr does it to ko porer)
3 6:15 silly side step
7:10 do what u want out of range
4 8:50 switch steppin /or L step side shuffle mike style
9:50 out of range /front foot not far away
11:25 another one
12:25 hands down danger
13:20 Boxing is about risk vs benefit
14:00 try everything try everything different coaches say
Try it and find out why it dosnnt work or why it does
7 tips start at 3:25ish
Love the timestampers
“Maintain the Stance.” Every beginnings video should start with this, but this is the first video I’ve seen, and the most crucial information I was looking for. Thank you sir!
this channel should have more views and subs than it does now
+b6amino Thanks, very kind
+b6amino New subscriber and boxing novice here! Explanations are very clear and make sense.
+Fran Sands it's true fran you give professional advice
+b6amino Totally agree! Very good stuff demonstrated here!
Completely agree.
The side step comment "what is that?" LOOOOOOL!
Honest and humble, totally straight through. This is the way good coaches and masters pass on their knowledge. Much respect given. As you said,”If you make a mistake in boxing you can get hurt”. And trust me, I do have been hurt a lot. Thank you ever so much for sharing your knowledge. I only wish I lived on Liverpool to be coached by you. I would finally find someone that would teach me how to box.
The entire online content based businesses, entrepreneurs, influencers industry are getting a pure demonstration of one of their greatest principles. ALWAYS create content of "high value." Well, due to the sheer nature or topic of Fran's content, he's already picked a subject (defense, avoiding danger, health) that inherently caries unprecedented value. ON TOP OF THAT, (as pretty much every comment mentions) Fran is the "Creme de la Creme" Cream of the Crop, Best of the Best, how ever you say it. That's all I have to add. Thanks Fran... I just discovered 7 YEARS LATER. I don't Box, but when I do I will again thank you, and I just turned 42.
Best advice I've seen on youtube regarding footwork. I see it too often especially in amateurs where footwork isn't prioritised or taught in its basic form.
"Stumbling across the ring like the village idiot" 😂 Brilliant Fran!
One of the most well spoken and understanding instructors out, informative and well detailed.
Excellent 👍
Just started at an amateur boxing club in London. I need a lot of improvement on my footwork and you are by far the best online coach to help me when practicing at home. Great channel
This channel is amazing. It doesn't have the production value that some others have it but who cares. This is real coaching. Some of the tiny details he mentions is priceless.
Thanks pal
You’re the first UA-cam coach I’ve been in total agreement with. When I was coaching, I spent at least half my time teaching kids to maintain their stance. You focused on the defensive aspect, but there’s also an offensive advantage to maintaining the stance. When you narrow the stance or cross your legs, you can’t throw a punch! If you maintain the stance, you can punch going forward, backward, or sideways. All it takes is timing the punch to land while the back foot is down. Range, footwork, and balance were my top priorities. Aside from punching techniques, that is. Watch a basketball coach running footwork drills sometime. They use almost identical techniques.
This really helped me a lot. Best channel to learn boxing.
Some of the soundest boxing advice on the net. Thanks Fran! wish I had you as my coach
+nomadik7 Thanks, that's really kind
The 68 people who dislike this are learning to walk!
Haha
I love how huge boxing is in the UK. Here in the US it's not nearly as big as it once was. I live in a suburb of Philly and it's still very much culture here but as far as nation wide it's gone down the shitter since the MMA boom
Never thought I'd hear someone from Philly say that, the spiritual home of the fight game stateside. Amazing fight city. MMA is certainly taking lots of mainstream fans no question.
Sierra 117 Since the TUF reality show (2006) MMA has really taken off here. Jujitsu and Muay Thai dojo's popping up all over the place
I used to live in the burbs of philly too and went to an awesome boxing gym, where I got to spar numerous champs, pros, and olympic hopefuls. Now I live in Oregon and the closest gym here is an hour and a half away and their roster is a bunch of little kids and old people.
@@Arthurdankarelli why would pro boxing not appeal more as a sport than pro MMA or kickboxing?
Boxing still pays way more even if MMA is super popular.
Amateur boxing is also an Olympic sport unlike MMA or muay Thai. So kids actually have a chance on getting on Olympic team and earning a govt salary for an amateur sport. Being an olympic athlete is also incredibly useful for getting into a good university.
@@dfpguitar mma means mixed martial arts, many martial arts including wrestling exist in this sport, boxing as well. Wrestling is an Olympic sport, mma is just a place where all martial artists around the world can compete, no matter the art.
This is a really technical level of instruction that is missing from UA-cam and from most gyms. I did martial arts for years with some boxing cross training. I really wish we'd had this level of instruction in terms of basics.
Wow. Thanks very much, that's a great comment, I appreciate it.
Really helpful footwork advice Fran, there's a lot of footwork videos on social media
and people like myself could easily get into the wrong habits. Much appreciated mate, Thank You
You're welcome, thanks for watching pal 👍
Stumbled lately on your channel, that is pure gold, excellent stuff, presented to be understood and not leaving you clueless after. Thanks Fran Sands.
Thank you, really apprciate you taking the time
Hi Fran. Ive just started coaching boxing in Cardiff. Find your videos straight to the point but highly effective,especially highlighting the importanve of the basics.Ive got a lot of great tips from the vids.Keep up the great work,
+michael ward Thanks Michael, more stuff always in the pipeline. Well done for taking on coaching mate, welcome to the community :-)
I've learned alot from your videos you deserve so much more subs
A minute in and I immediately subscribed. One of the more sensible, pithy and proper coaching channels I have had the pleasure and fortune of viewing. Thank you so much for your contribution, Coach Sands, and for sharing proper knowledge of the Sweet Science. Please keep making videos as helpful as the ones you've made so far and don't mind the other channels that have far more views/ers. When I score better, box better, than my future opponents, I'll make sure to let them know who I learned from.
Thank you Enzo, that's really kind feedback - I very much appreciate it
This channel and precision striking are the best boxing channel on you tube... Greetings from colombia south America..
The best video on the matter ANYWHERE,on the internet.Thank you for sharing.
I used to watch some other videos and today randomly I found your profile,I can see lot of difference .
Thankyou for sharing sir
Subscribed 🙌🥊
Most important thing I got from this is "MAINTAIN THE STANCE". Thanks coach
Thanks again Fran! Not come across those videos myself but I'm glad you put those ideas to bed! One person I like out there is Marvin Cook. His teachings are very simple and effective and he is very watchable. But of course your #1 out there on UA-cam!!
Michael Dineen Thanks Michael, very kind of you pal. Will check Marvin out.
This is one of Fran's best. I appreciate his first point, but there's a definition ambiguity here. As far as I can see, there is no consensus of "shuffle step" in boxing. I think it's valid to indicate any steps where (like a shuffle beat in music) the steps are not all uniform at the same steady rate. Many coaches do call the standard slow boxing steps (small steps where feet never cross and a spread is maintained) the shuffle step. This is the most basic footwork that Fran teaches. Fran seems to reserve the phrase "shuffle step" for doing this with large steps where spread is not maintained, and that's the point of his first tip here. So, true according to his intention, but don't assume some coach is wrong just because he calls what he is teaching a "shuffle step".
Excellent teacher and an obviously humble guy
I was smiling noticing the little things that you picked up on that I do myself. Gonna try incorporate the tips in my next training session.
Great lesson. Definitely learned a few things here.
I was fortunate enough to attend a great boxing gym in the Los Angeles area when I was younger and what you explained matches exactly what I was taught. I've been helping my son with teaching him what I know about boxing and other forms of self-defense/fighting. I feel great knowing that what I've been teaching my son is consistent with what the best trainers are doing out there in their respective gyms. Thank you for making this video and helping people make better decisions about what they watch and what to look for when training, if they are looking to join a gym.
That's great Robert, I'm especially happy that this resonates with the guys from the gym in LA and that it helps with you bringing on your boy. Cheers
Subscribed. That makes a lot of sense, thank you sir.
+Yellow Salamandarin Thanks and you're welcome
Very easy to understand. Thanks
13:12 had me absolutely howling to myself. Brilliant video.
I have joined a mma gym that teaches boxing. I originally let my son do it when be was six an now seven. By just watching this utube channel i have learned a lot of what my mistakes are an what my son needs to work on. o became addicted after thay aloud me to spare a little in the ring. They do have a coach that specializes in each feild of there art or style. but my son has became more confident an lets him learn a skill that will stick with him untill his end an he can pazs on to his kids. He wants to fight competitively an i am letting him. But i feel better about letting him since i can learn on here what flaws an help him correct them. It's not that we have a bad coach but we have a lot of people in there at a time sometimes an we only have one coach to all the students an she does do a good job with what they have to teach with. I appreciate your time you put into this for the students who want to learn an the kids who do not have the money to have someone to teach them.
+Christopher Payne You're welcome Chris. Thanks for the comment and best of luck to you and your son.
I find when kicking and shoot fighting are part of the contest that the switch step is very important in limiting opponents targets. It also steals angles in close range combat, especially when takedowns are involved. I'm glad he didnt cut that one too hard lol, I teach and train it very often. The rest of these are techniques I have NEVER seen taught
Good thing I saw this video cuz I make a lot of these mistakes. Thank you sir.
24 people never know why they were beaten in the street by a dwarf
:-)
Cristian Ene Floyd has a style where it seems he is very close to his opponent by the way he positions his head.he invites them in but if you look at his back leg it's quite extended in the event he has to move away or even counter.hence his snap right counter
sorry buddy...I do not get it,,they were 24 unlike ,now are 28,this man tips are helpful,,,I do not think floyd stay two hours each day listening to fran,(sorry fran),,,,take it easy buddy,,))
Camera is far angled to show the feet movement. He isn t as short as you think. You gonna be bingoed big time
Keep on doing it sir you're teaching me a lot already especially form. We need more trainers like you
+Zapa KLC Thanks, will do
great tips as always Fran - the last 2 were just unbelievable that somebody would teach that ! Madness- walking away and dropping the hands 'for balance' ! Madness
+BoxerciseLtd Thanks Andy. Saw them with my own 2 eyes...they were the prompts for the video, just terrified me. The crap some people will shoot for 'views'
BoxerciseLtd I am going to hope the hands down one came from Olympic TKD were it serves an actual purpose(and not just "better balance"), since hands dont really score under those rules.
just started boxing about 2 and a half weeks ago and this video has helped alot. instant subscription
+osakaoneal Cheers and best of luck in our sport
This is good. Lots of videos how to throw punches and combinations, not so many about your feet. It all makes sense how he explains it.
fantastic mate. Dropping so much knowledge
you are correct because I am a boxing coach,my teaching is old school and i like to teach my fighters to push forward not to back down and not to run but to defend their territory,very good video
Solid advice coach. thanks for your feedback, always nice coming from a fellow trainer.
+Fran Sands thank you sir,I been following you alot
Just got into boxing now at the age of 29. Wish I started years ago! Your videos have been a massive help with my training. Thankyou. Wish I lived closer to your gym
You're welcome Jake, thanks for your comment
Bettewee wrwwhwwwrn
Better than starting at 92
I just recently discovered this channel Fran and I am so glad I did. Thanks for sharing your experience! I was a taekwondo athlete in high school and during university, years ago.But with that foundation I unfortunately never had a chance to learn how to box properly later. I hope i can fix that some time in the future, just for the fun of it!
You're welcome, thanks Serge
Mr Sands,...I really appreciate infinitely useful information that you bless us all,whom are interested in boxing!!,...priceless!!...,i started "messin' around" with a lonely,heavy bag in the gym,and i soon realized that boxing is so many levels of commitment,concentration,and dedication,all at once!!,...and it's the absolute best cardio challenge ever!! ...always room to improve,tune,and perfect !! ....thank you!!
+Frederick Kittrell Excellent, thanks for the comment, really cool contribution.
‘Get bingo’d big time!’
Love it
Thanks from Miami, very informative video.
Haha, this was a GREAT video. The last tip he was debunking about the hands for balance was hilarious.
I gotta say I appreciate your channel. I don't box but I do a martial art that has similar aspects of striking and I'm trying to get better at effective footwork. One bad habit that I am trying break and what you mention is bringing my feet together and it really messes up mobility and I notice this especially when i'm sparring with my teacher/coach/sifu how easily he can close the distance and how I have hard time moving because my feet crash into each other especially going backwards. One thing I try to do is treat my feet as two cars on two lanes and not having the risk of crashing into one another if one stalls in front. However as hard as I try I have really bad habits of not keeping a proper and consistent structure.
Excellent video.... i'm just setting out and you make it so easy to understand Fran
Hugely entertaining. Always great advice, explained in a simple way. I respect your channel. Thumbs up.
Thank you.
Footwork is very important to me, after all everything starts in the legs thanks for the knowledge coach.
Very true Victor - thanks
I wish i could join your gym, I would learn so much from you than what I am learning right now at my current gym
+biggideal Keep with it.
Very good tips👍. Thanks.
Great video … much to learn. Thanks Coach Fran 🥊
Thanks Soren 👍
This is my favorite video 🤣 “I’m going to get knocked out for being an idiot!”
Excellent tips coach-this has been a game changer in sparring!
Excellent, thanks for the good feedback, nice.
Proper orthodox/fundamental boxing coach! I want to be a coach like Mr. Fran. Thank you very much for sharing this invaluable knowledge with us coach! Lots of love from Pakistan! I am a coach myself.
Thank you, always nice when a fellow coach likes this stuff...means a lot to me
Fran Sands it is just sad that not many people teach correct boxing fundamentals anymore.
Thank u for the hard work and time u spend for us without acess to a trainer its much appriciated
You are most welcome, thank you for your kind comment.
First time i see you a bit emotional in your video :) This channel is a great mine of knowledge. Thanks!
Yes, a bit passionate :-)
Greetings from Poland! ;)
Count me in! Good tips and lessond can be learnt to complete my regular trainings.
+Wood MASTER Cool
You make good sense, Fran. I like your instructional videos. The information is solid.
+mike crook thanks Mike, very kind
Great advice coach. Love your videos.
Thanks for your videos. I have just started Boxing and really enjoy it. I will be looking at more of your videos. Thanks for being generous in sharing your knowledge.
+Charlotte Christie Thank you Charlotte, glad the videos help. Good luck with your boxing.
Thank you for caring not only about boxing, but about boxers too 👍
Great vid.. so important to point out bad advice as well. Practice does NOT make perfect! It makes habit, doing it right or wrong is a crucial difference, Cheers for this coach.
brilliant objective points mate. Great video as always, love the golf and tennis analogy to. Thanks mate, keep it up
You're welcome, thanks for the feedback Ben
Dear Mr. Sands,
Thank you very much for this and other videos. Believe it or not, you are helping me a lot not only with my boxing but in my work as an opera singer! I'll be writing an article about for my blog in the coming weeks. Thanks so much! The basic skills and considerations I've been learning apply to much more than my time at the gym. Really a wonderful sport and art. I would be much worse off without you, because my Czech is not good enough to understand any explanations here. I get a bit, but mostly I just imitate the movements, and I know choice phrases about my repeated failures to move in more than one direction or look at what I'm doing instead of the floor.
I've seen a video on walking backwards n throwing a punch properly. I just couldn't get it. It makes more sense to me to be more considerate of Stan n his knowledge he shares then that other video. Thanks Stan, n to your team as well.
By far the best coach ever seen
great advice Frans this video really helped me. I've been doing the shuffle and trying to cover way to much ground. soon as I watched this I was like aaaah damn. I feel like I have a good start point to correct and practice in the morning.
+Timothy Hutton Good stuff Timothy
Agreed with your boxing tips, good coach!
Fran, no disrespect meant but you have the advantage of not looking like a typical boxer and you remind me of a karate teacher from Litherland who looked like you and I thought to myself that this guy can’t be much of a teacher, until I saw him in a flash, just stop short of high kicking a student under the chin- amazing! After that, I was more aware of innocent looking guys.
Originally from Edge Hill and then Longview Huyton, 30 years in Canada and now reside for the last 16 years in Derbyshire. Still love the humour of home. Keep up the good work mate. Cheers. Rob
:-) - Nice one Rob, brought a smile to my face that one👍
Anyone else thought that the thumbnail looked like Wing Chun?
Great video, Fran!
Thank you, Coach. Learnt much while I laughed at myself.
Excellent video Fran, really made me laugh! I wasn't sure about the walking "tip" at first, because I'd seen a clip on walking that wasn't so bad. So I looked again and found the one you are probably referring to... And yes..shocking stuff. You did good to point them out. Keep it up!
stephane david Cheers Stephane - will keep fighting the good fight! :-)
I love this video, you have a new sub from Sweden.
+Lorenzo Lopez Excellent. thanks
+Fran Sands when you were saying hands are up you're not even protecting your ribs
Mexicans in Sweden? Lol
Your stuff has truly helped. Thank you.
Good points ! Sadly there are a lot of boxing channels where the coaches have no idea, and unfortunately they are often the most prolific in posting videos. To be fair there are a lot of good channels too where the coaches have legitimate amateur / professional records and good skills. One other point is that boxing is both an art and science, so some fighters can get away with/ make things work / or even use effectively things that would be very bad advice for beginners or amateur boxers. Also professional boxing is about winning but also selling tickets and pay per views, I think that is why you see them doing more showboating from time to time.
Thanks so much, I really appreciate that. I have lots of years as a coach and just hope that I manage to explain this stuff in a clear way - it's easier when I have the boxer in front of me so I can get visual feedback. That's the reason I try to cover so many bases (and can lead to me talking a bit more than is maybe considered 'cool'). Thanks again, great comment
The most powerful teaching on boxing I have seen because I see poor fundamentals in a lot of boxers!
Thank you Elder
Great - am always looking for footwork vids and this was a goody. Cheers from Brisbane Australia
Glad you enjoyed it Gerald👍
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, if you’re prepared to take the time to listen, learn, and put the work in, Fran is the best there is.
Fantastic video Fran. Now I won't lie, I'm guilty on using the Shuffle Step (not to the extent of having my feet touch each other, but it's close). Guys I spar with are usually much taller with longer arms and I've found covering ground with the technique to work. But it looks like I'll have to make some adjustments. You were very correct in saying staying in stance is IMPORTANT!
M James0712 Cool. The key I guess is to keep checking your style, stance and technique and challenge what you are doing. Hope your adjustments work out for you :-)
Awesome video, very entertaining, and absolutely spot on. Thanks
Hi Fran, once again, cheers for a great video on footwork!
+david donoughue Thanks David
reaally good stuff here please teach us about lead uppercuts
My Respect This Guy Is Incredible
Thanks very much
I can't not like Fran...he's a great coach...understated and very knowledgeable
Thank you
New subscriber new fighter thanks a lot coach. Best online coach so far.