Boxing is a sport that requires punching skills, movement and the ability to block your opponent's punches. The history of boxing shows that boxers who can combine great punching power with movement skills, plus the ability to block or evade punches, usually perform the best. Great boxing champions like Muhammad Ali, Sugar Ray Robinson, Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao combined all of those skills.
Jab
The most important move in boxing is the jab. Most fighters are right-handed, and throwing a hard left jab does several things for a boxer: it sets up other, more powerful punches that can be thrown in combination, stuns and hurts your opponent, and keeps him on the defensive. A good jab is delivered in a fraction of a second, can blunt an opponent's rally and start one of your own.
One-Two Combination
Punches thrown in combination make a fighter dangerous. The one-two combination is almost always a left-handed punch followed by a right-handed power punch. This can result in a knockout or lead to more powerful punches thrown shortly afterward. One of the keys to throwing a one-two combination is having good footwork that allows you to throw consecutive punches without getting hit yourself. If you are right-handed, circle your opponent to your left; if you are left-handed, circle to your right.
Blocked Punch
Defense in boxing does not get as much attention as knockout blows. However, the best fighters are often excellent at blocking and evading punches. A right-handed fighter should use his right forearm to block the left jab and his left forearm to block right-handed power punches. The best fighters turn defense into offense by blocking the punch and countering with a punch of their own. If a fighter can block his opponent's right-handed power punch with his left arm, he can then step inside and bury a left hook to his opponent's ribs and follow with a right cross to the jaw. This punch block, followed by a combination, could lead to a knockout.
Jab
The most important move in boxing is the jab. Most fighters are right-handed, and throwing a hard left jab does several things for a boxer: it sets up other, more powerful punches that can be thrown in combination, stuns and hurts your opponent, and keeps him on the defensive. A good jab is delivered in a fraction of a second, can blunt an opponent's rally and start one of your own.
One-Two Combination
Punches thrown in combination make a fighter dangerous. The one-two combination is almost always a left-handed punch followed by a right-handed power punch. This can result in a knockout or lead to more powerful punches thrown shortly afterward. One of the keys to throwing a one-two combination is having good footwork that allows you to throw consecutive punches without getting hit yourself. If you are right-handed, circle your opponent to your left; if you are left-handed, circle to your right.
Blocked Punch
Defense in boxing does not get as much attention as knockout blows. However, the best fighters are often excellent at blocking and evading punches. A right-handed fighter should use his right forearm to block the left jab and his left forearm to block right-handed power punches. The best fighters turn defense into offense by blocking the punch and countering with a punch of their own. If a fighter can block his opponent's right-handed power punch with his left arm, he can then step inside and bury a left hook to his opponent's ribs and follow with a right cross to the jaw. This punch block, followed by a combination, could lead to a knockout.
Posted in: Boxing