Welcome Warriors! Lately I’ve been desperate to add a new activity to my fitness journey, and that is boxing!
While doing my research on the sport, I learned that it’s usually better to deliver a punch as opposed to receiving a punch. Right? Right. But one thing boggled my mind as I watch boxing matches; how do boxers see punches coming? How do they respond to striking maneuvers from their opponent, so that they don’t get hit?
When you’re anticipating when punches are coming, here some key points to remember:
- Boxing is a mental game (try to predict what your opponent will do before he does it)
- Know where to look to see the punches coming
- Know the Centerline
- Be on the lookout for habits from your opponent
- Know when to dodge or block a punch
- Know how to dodge and block different kinds of punches
Today’s topic will cover what I learned about how to see punches coming in more detail. I’m no boxing expert, but I do have a passion for the sport who’s learning a lot from it. And now I’m sharing what I learned with you!
Boxing is a Mental Game
One of the things that I learned about boxing is you want to try to guess your opponent’s next move. Even if your opponent might be faster or stronger than you, you still have a chance to “outsmart” him, so to speak.
One way you can do that is to never lose eye contact with your target, as that can really creep up on fighters if they’re sparring with a partner or in the ring during a fight.
Know Where to Look
I was checking out a post by Expertboxing.com, Where to Look During a Fight and I found some information that I learned from my boxing trainer as well. So if you’re face to face with your opponent, the most important thing is to always be watching him. Don’t let your eyes wander or get distracted. You especially want to keep a close eye on your opponent’s upper body, especially his chest, shoulders and arms.
You want to look at those areas of your opponent the most because those are the parts that are always moving. As well as trying to find an open target. It’s all so that you can anticipate what your opponent will do. Will he strike next? Or will he leave himself open for a second?
If you keep your eyes locked onto those parts of your opponent, it will be easier for you to anticipate when he will punch next, so you can react accordingly in response.
The Centerline
According to Evolve MMA’s How to Anticipate Punches in Boxing, the centerline is the center of both boxers’ bodies when they are squared up and facing each other, almost like a line of symmetry (for all you Geometry buffs). If you are constantly moving off the centerline, it will reduce your chances of getting a fist in your face.
On the other hand, if your opponent is always moving off the centerline, it will be more difficult to land punches on him. If you find that your opponent is on the centerline, go for a jab or a cross.
Look for Habits from Your Opponent
Evolve MMA continues by recommending that you identify habits from your opponent. You can use those habits to your advantage to try and land punches onto him, or to try and get out of the way so you don’t get punched. But watch out! Because your opponent will be doing the same thing…he will be trying to find your habits too!
This information relates back to what I mentioned earlier, boxing is a mental game!
Dodging Punches
One of the best defensive tactics you can do to protect yourself from your opponent’s punches is by dodging. But how do you know when to dodge? You would like to think it’s simply to get out of the way of your opponent’s punch by any means, right? Well, there’s a little more to it.
One way you can dodge is by “slipping the jab and cross.” According to How to Dodge Punches in Boxing and MMA by MMA Revolution, the way to dodge a straight jab or a straight cross is to lean your upper body to the outside of the punch (depending on if your opponent is right-handed or left-handed), out of the way of your opponent’s punch, while still in your normal stance.
Another way you can dodge punches from your opponent is by rolling into a hook. That technique is something I learned from my trainer.
The same post mentions that while your first instinct when your opponent throws a hook is to back up, out of your opponent’s reach. However, there is a better way that you can escape a hook unscathed. So instead of taking a step back away from your opponent, you want to advance toward your opponent and roll under him, with your head going into his armpit. Then roll to the outside. This will throw your opponent off guard and leave him vulnerable so you that you can land a punch or two on him.
Dodging Jabs and Crosses
Like I mentioned earlier, you can lean to one side to dodge a jab or a cross. Two techniques I learned from my trainer are that you can lean to one side, or slip. As well as lean backward, or pull back, while keeping your guard in front of your face, depending on which side you’re leaning towards. Another way you can slip a jab or cross is by leaning back and tucking your head behind your shoulder.
For example, if you’re in a right-handed stance and you lean to the right, you keep your right hand up in front of your face, and use your left shoulder to act as a barrier between you and your opponent’s punch. Now, if you’re in a right-handed stance and you lean to the left, you would do the same thing with your arms, only this time you add a pivot.
So basically, your lead hand would be protecting your face, while your rear shoulder would act as a barrier. You would pivot your rear foot and turn your upper body in the direction of your lead hand, just like you’re throwing a cross. It’s a great technique to use to ensure your opponent will end up getting your shoulder instead of your face.
Dodging Hooks
When you’re dodging a hook, there’s many ways you can do it without getting hit. If your opponent is going for a hook to the head, you can lean to the left or right, like you would with a jab or a cross, or you can duck down, out of the way of the punch. When you duck, the way to do it is to bend your knees and drop into a squat position. Don’t lean forward or hunch over. Bend at the knees and squat. Remember to keep your guard up!
If your opponent is going for a hook to the body (toward the chest or the gut) I would suggest you use the pull back technique, which is where you lean backward with your guard up, just in case your opponent tries to follow up a hook with another blow.
Now, you don’t want to take a step back away from your opponent. What you should do instead is roll into the hook. To do this, take a step towards your opponent to make him think about landing a hook on you. Then as he throws the hook, by ducking and rolling your upper body to the outside of the hook. That will leave your opponent vulnerable so that you can land a few punches of your own onto him.
Blocking Punches
While dodging punches is one way to avoid getting hit in the ring, blocking punches is another effective strategy to defend yourself.
I was reading the Mighty Fighter’s blog about How to Block a Punch, and I learned that you have to keep your hands, or your guard, up at all times so you can protect your face. Keep your hands at eye level so that you can see your opponent and protect your face at the same time.
You want to stay in your stance so you don’t lose your balance and leave yourself open. And whatever you do, do not take your eyes off your opponent. If you let anything distract you, your opponent will seize the opportunity and the next place you’ll end up is on your back. To learn more about different boxing stances, check out my post that addresses that here: What is the Best Stance for Boxing?
You will also want to consider countering your opponent’s punch with a punch of your own. A lot of times I’ve seen fighters block a punch and then counterpunch. This is a very good move to create space between you and your opponent and to give yourself some breathing room.
Blocking Jabs and Crosses
When your opponent throws a jab or a cross at you, you can do a couple of different techniques so that you won’t get a fist in your face. The first is simply holding your guard up in front your face, so that your opponent can’t punch your face.
Another technique you could do to block a jab or a cross is by catching the punch with your glove.
Blocking Hooks
When blocking hooks, your opponent’s hand that is punching should be blocked by your opposite hand. For example, if your opponent throws a lead hook, you need to try to block it with your rear hand. If your opponent throws a rear hook, you need to block it with your lead hand. This depends on your stance.
When blocking a lead hook, you should turn and pivot your body inward toward your opponent (as if you were throwing a cross). Then catch the punch with your rear hand, and counterpunch with your rear hand. When blocking a rear hook, catch the punch with your lead hand and then counterpunch with your lead hand.
Blocking Uppercuts
When blocking uppercuts, the same defensive strategies when blocking hooks apply. You want to catch your opponent’s strike with your glove. However, because uppercuts curve upward, it is critical that you do not lean forward while trying to block one. Otherwise your opponent will punch your lights out.
Leaning forward is something my trainer told us not to do when we’re in our stance. Leaning forward will make you vulnerable to getting hit with an uppercut. Because even if you have your guard up, there is a little bit of space in between. That means that your opponent can easily land an uppercut right on your chin if you’re too slow to react to his striking blows.
Other Things to Consider
You’ll get a lot of these techniques if you practice them on the bag, in the mirror, and with a partner. What I like to do at home is practice each technique in front of the mirror, to make sure I’m doing the moves correctly.
When I’m in my hourly boxing session at Title Boxing, my trainer will call out different punch combinations and add in dodge moves as well, like bob and weave, roll, and pull back. We would repeat the combinations on the bag. Incorporating the dodging maneuvers with the different punches on the bag is another effective practice method.
Practicing your dodging with a partner is really effective because you two will be simulating what could happen in the ring. Having a partner can really help you practice blocking punches. You’ll get to anticipate when the punches are coming from a real person so that you can react with one of the dodges or blocks that we learned about.
If you or your partner has focus mitts, that’s a really effective way to practice blocking. As your partner throws the punches, you can practice catching them with the focus mitts using the different blocking techniques that were discussed in this post.
Closing Words
Protecting yourself in boxing is a must. You don’t want to be KO’d, do you? If you practice these defensive maneuvers on a regular basis, you will become a pretty difficult guy to punch.
Let me know in the comments if you know of any other defensive tactics you can use to anticipate different punches for boxing! Let’s share our knowledge and experiences, and GO INTO BATTLE!