[The BadBoy]

This kind of comes from the Question of the week thread. But not quite. Umy if you feel this would be better served in the Boxing Q&A then please delete and put it in there.

Every fortnight or so I will try to put up a heading regarding a certain aspect of boxing. Until the next heading goes up I would Like everyones thoughts and ideas as relating to that particular subject. Actually now that I think of it I think that I will let the dialogue continue till it dies and then put up the next heading.

I'd like to dicuss different styles of boxing the success these styles have had and why. Also I'd like to discuss strategies to use in boxing, and ofcourse the base mechanics of the techniques etc.

So let's start...

Base

As in practically all types of combat arts, the base is one of, if not, the most important part of the fighter?s make-up. With boxing too it is very high up the list; the fighter must have a wide (yet not uncomfortably wide) base, with a tendency to shift his weight from leg to leg trying not to become too static. The rear leg should be used like a spring; therefore the rear foot should be carried on the toe, with the knees slightly bent. The rear foot should also not be too far to the rear of the body, but practically underneath. The front foot moving forward, away from the body carries out the widening of the base. Remember power is generated from the legs, so it is imperative for the base to be correct; the biggest fault with novices is to carry the rear foot too much in line (when looking from the front) with the front foot. This creates problems when throwing the rear hand in power (lack of) and distance.

I know this is kinda covered in the Q&A but those are the opinions of the boxers. Here I would like the opinions of anyone who has one. Thanks and please discuss.

[Umy]

Im gonna leave this in here, I started the Q&A more for specific problems or questions the guys have, this is something you want people to discuss about so I dont see why I should have to move it

A strong base makes a strong fighter, boxers who dont have a strong base, who dont keep a shoulder width gap between feet all the time, who dont bend their lead knee slightly, who dont have their rear foot up to act as a spring are very easy to knock down because they will be off balance which is a key fault in many beginners.

One prime example is that of prince naseem hamed, nas only really ever got knocked down when he played around with unorthodox footwork and didnt have himself in a balanced stance or a strong base, try standing with your feet close together and then get someone to bull rush you, in about 5 seconds you will end up on your butt :P

A strong base isnt just important for balance but as badboy mentioned for stong punches as well, try throwing a flurry of hooks with your feet close together, now try throwing some with correct stance, you can really feel the difference.

[The BadBoy]

When throwing punches I find that I'm off balance if I feel my weight further forward than my lead knee. Especially if this knee is then over my toes. Therefore I try to keep my weight behind my lead knee. As soon as I feel it going over I feel myself reachig for the punch and slightly off balance.

[Umy]

I think that this is also a good point, you have to make sure you keep your trunk straight as you confortably can and not lean too forward when punching as once again, you will lose that balance that keeps you on your feet and off the canvas

[The BadBoy]

Another thing which stems from punching and base is 'sitting on your punches'

My take on 'sitting on your punches' is basicall shifting maximum weight to the leverage foot. Like when you throw a right cross you put ALL your weight on the lead leg and when you throw the left hook you put ALL the weight on the back foot as you pivot hard on the left.

It limits your reaction time and mobility, but you hit much harder. This is what I do when throwing 100% punches. Now what most people new to boxing don't realise is that a boxer seldom throws 100% punches. If they did they would noway last the duration of the bout. Boxers will usually throw 60 - 80% punches. The difference that comes with experience is that they will know when o start sitting on their punches and teeing off on the opponent.

[Umy]

Yeah your basically the same as me, no point throwing big power shots and leaving yourself off balance and tyred unless you need to, again i always stress it but its the punch you dont see that knocks you out, 6 or 7 light shots will scare you more than 1 big one very often (phycologically anyway )

[The BadBoy]

C'mon, I know there are more than two people on this forum who might have something to say about boxing?

[Gong||Jau]

I have a couple of questions. How does sitting on your punches affect your balance if you miss, and would you still be able to do it in an MMA environment? In other words, would it make you overly susceptible to leg kicks or takedowns?

[MrApollinax]

Originally Posted by The BadBoy

When throwing punches I find that I'm off balance if I feel my weight further forward than my lead knee. Especially if this knee is then over my toes. Therefore I try to keep my weight behind my lead knee. As soon as I feel it going over I feel myself reachig for the punch and slightly off balance.

I think this happens a lot to people in different striking arts. The idea of using the floorcraft, footwork and your lower body to generate the force behind the punch is something that is realtively new to beginners. So the motions are over-exaggerated and they really start leaning into a punch rather than sitting (or for our internal MA practitioners, "sinking") into the punch. The net result may seem the same but leaning past your center throws it too far forward making your balance almost tight-rope like, very precarious. To me i think a majority of knock downs come from this, a person over-commits and their balance is too far forward, if the defnder slips and throws a solid hook to the head or body and lands it 9 times out of 10 that person will go down since they have no connection with their center to the floor. Comments? These are just my observations, I'd like to hear what everyone else thinks.

[The BadBoy]

Gong Sao, sitting on your punches should not effect your balance. over commitment and reaching will as MrA pointed out. In MMA you can sit on your punches just as you would in Boxing, but again only when the time is right to tee off. Otherwise having too much weight on say the front leg will leave you suseptible (is that a word?) to leg sicks and singles etc.

MrA: Agree 100%