Page 53 - Fighting Fit: Boxing, Workouts, Techniques, and Sparring

Defensive moves

Boxing is 50% offense and 50% defense.That’s not so
easy to see when you’re pounding the heavy bag all by
yourself and checking out your oh-so-pretty punching
technique in the mirror.

What you already know
The boxer’s stance provides a great deal of protection
unto itself: chin is tucked, hands are held high to pro-
tect the head, arms are arranged to protect the lower
torso, feet are well apart and knees are flexed to pro-
vide a balanced and easily mobile athletic posture.With
footwork and head movement added, not only can you
survive an opponent’s initial attack, but you’ll be a hard
target to hit.

Basic stuff, yet easily forgotten. How many boxers have
suffered from ignoring the fundamentals? Leaving a
chin exposed. Dropping the hands late in a bout.
Standing stock still in an opponent’s striking zone.
Getting caught off balance. Or simply losing eye con-
tact. Like they say, — Keep the chin down and the
guard up — and you’ll prevent disaster a large per-
centage of the time. However, boxing like a dancing
turtle will not help you score or even survive for very
long against a capable opponent.

Jab catching
As a jab arrives, place your right glove in front of your
face with chin down. Pivot your right foot, brace the
right leg and catch the jab with your glove. Make sure
your chin is down so your glove bounces off your fore-
head and not your nose. Catch jabs as aggressively as
your opponent throws them. Recover immediately.

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