WHAT ‘The movement of any body part or body parts to initiate a manoeuvre which will prevent an oncoming punch landing on the target area’

WHY Arguably the Golden Rule of Boxing is to “Hit without being Hit”, therefore having a full defensive repertoire is just as important as being able to punch.  In addition, the art of counter attacking (punching immediately after an opponent’s punch(es) relies on a sound defensive manoeuvre beforehand).

HOW There are 3 different categories of Defence, depending on which body part is being utilised:

  • Foot or Feet Defence 
  • Hand / Arm Defence
  • Trunk defence (evasive / dynamic movement at the waist & torso)

Foot Defence – Push Away 

Coaching Points:

  • From the On Guard position, use the front foot to quickly push away from the incoming punch (approx 10 cm, forcing the weight to the Rear Leg)
  • Simultaneously, slide the rear foot back, ensuring the distance between the front and rear foot remains the same 
  • Return to the original position by pushing back off the rear foot, consistently remaining in the On Guard position

General Faults:

  • Pushing away too far
  • Loss of correct base – sliding rear foot back too far 
  • Incorrect weight distribution – forcing too much weight to the rear when pushing away losing balance
  • Leaving chin exposed whilst moving back
  • Losing On Guard position during the movement

Foot Defence – Step Across 

Coaching Points:

  • From the On Guard position, push off the ball of the rear foot
  • Using the momentum from the push off, step across with the lead foot
  • Step across with the rear foot, the exact same distance covered as the lead foot

General Faults:

  • Taking too large a step to the side, over extending the base and losing balance
  • Delay in stepping across with the rear foot, opening up the stance for too long

COACHING TIP 

The skill of using the feet to defend is to evade the oncoming punch with the minimal amount of movement so as not to disrupt the boxing shape, thus providing a stable platform from which to launch a counter attack.

Hand / Arm Defence – Block 

Coaching Points:

  • From the On Guard position, turn the rear hand outwards quickly so the palm of the glove blocks the incoming punch 
  • The Rear Hand should block the incoming punch using a short stabbing movement 
  • The Rear Hand is then quickly returned to the On Guard position

General Faults:

  • The Rear Hand moves out too far to block the punch, exposing the target area
  • Losing the tucked elbow position in the Rear Arm by raising the elbow too far away from the body

Hand / Arm Defence – Parry 

Coaching Points:

  • From the On Guard position, use a short rotation inwards (rotating around the central axis) to deflect the opponents punch using the inside of the glove
  • Return the hand to the On Guard position
  • For the orthodox boxer, the Rear Hand parry’s the opponents lead hand, and the lead hand parry’s the opponent’s rear hand (reverse for the southpaw boxer)

General Faults:

  • The defending hand moves out too far to parry the punch, exposing the target area
  • Losing the tucked elbow position by raising the elbow away from the body

COACHING TIPS

The selection of the parrying hand will depend on which punch is being defended i.e Lead Punch “Jab”.  Also, the direction of the parry will determine which line of attack will be created on completion of the defence i.e. inside or outside.

Trunk Defence – Duck

Coaching Points:

  • From the On Guard position, bend down at both knees using an explosive movement
  • The upper body remains in the On Guard state, with the hands and arms in a defensive position
  • Return to the upright on guard position, maintaining the centre of gravity

General Faults:

  • Bending at the waist instead of the knees, placing the head in an illegal position
  • Letting the head / eyes drop
  • Allowing the centre of gravity to move to the front leg

Trunk Defence – Lay Back

Coaching Points:

  • From the On Guard position, rapidly straighten the front leg, bend the rear leg and lay the upper body back away from the incoming punch, shifting the weight to the rear leg
  • Maintain the correct On Guard position with chin down
  • Recover to the balanced On Guard position with weight evenly distributed

General Faults:

  • Initial movement too slow
  • Moving the centre of gravity too far back, causing the loss of the base support and head rising up
  • Squaring up to the opponent moving back from the lay back
  • Leaving the chin exposed by dropping the lead hand

Trunk Defence – Slip

Coaching Points:

  • From the On Guard position, slightly bend at the knee and quickly rotate at the waist to move the head and shoulders to the outside or inside of the punch
  • Keep the hands in the On Guard position throughout
  • Rotate back at the waist to return to the balanced On Guard position
  • For the orthodox boxer, when slipping inside a lead jab the weight shifts onto the lead foot.  When slipping outside the jab, the weight shifts to the rear foot. Reverse for southpaw

General Faults:

  • Losing the balance base by over rotating at the waist
  • Leaning into a square position rather than inwards or backwards
  • Lowering the hands when rotating at the waist

Trunk Defence – Elbow Block (can be categorised under Hand / Arm Defence also)

Coaching Points:

  • From the on guard position, keep the elbows tucked in and hands at the side of the head
  • Rotate / turn the trunk (moving at the waist) to move the correct elbow in position to block the incoming punch

General Faults:

  • Dropping the hands too low leaving the head exposed
  • Misjudging / timing the turn

COACHING TIPS

Although it is the arm (elbow) physically conducting the defence, the key to the manoeuvre is the rotation at the waist, positioning the arm in the correct position.  Therefore, it is essential the waist is rotated in the first instance.

Trunk Defence – Roll 

Coaching Points:

  • From the On Guard position, quickly bend at the knees to duck, applying more weight to the direction required to avoid the punch
  • Using the weight transfer, move the body across in the required direction whilst still keeping the body low 
  • Once the distance is covered to avoid the incoming punch, return to the upright on guard position by reversing the ‘rolling’ action
  • For the orthodox boxer, when rolling inside a lead jab the weight shifts onto the lead foot.  When rolling outside the jab, the weight shifts to the rear foot. Reverse for southpaw

General Faults:

  • Bending at the waist instead of the knees, placing the head in an illegal position
  • Letting the head / eyes drop
  • Forcing too much weight over during the roll, losing the stable platform thus balance
  • Dropping the hands during the movement exposing target area

COACHING TIPS

Trunk defences are an extremely effective “Positive Defence”, as the weight distribution process occurring whilst moving at the trunk provides the defending boxer the opportunity to take immediate “positive” action i.e. a counter attack.  For example, when defending a Straight Lead Hand to the Head with an Inside Slip, weight is transferred to the lead leg therefore triggering the starting sequence for the Lead Hook to the Head.