Sports

Boxing is a mix of technical skill, grace, speed and aggression. When all of these things come together, one is witness to a power and finesse which is incredibly awesome. It can be a brutal sport and is most commonly a sport for men. Although there are a few women who participate. In order to be good at boxing one must first master the basics in order to become great. One must develop a great offense with a repertoire of punches, defense in the form of blocks and movement, countermoves and footwork tying it all together.

First thing you need to do is get in your boxer’s stance. The stance is the basis for everything else you do. The theory behind it is to create a stable platform from which you can fight and not fall over or be caught off balance. To help you get started and to learn your stance you need to stand in front of a mirror with your feet about shoulder width apart. Now take a comfortable sized step backwards, moving the foot which is the same as your dominant hand and at the same time rotate your feet about 45 degrees in the direction of the foot that moved.

For instance if you are right handed you will need to take a step backwards with your right foot and rotate your feet 45 degrees to the right. If you are left handed, reverse the process. The heel of your back foot should be in line with the toes of your front foot. The position should feel strong. Bend your knees slightly and feel for the floor with your lower body. You should be slightly turned presenting a shoulder to your target. You should feel like no matter who came and pushed you, you would not fall over. It may take some time to get used to.

Next you need to tilt your head down bringing your chin to your chest. You must always protect your chin. If you are hit square on the chin with a punch, it does a lot of damage. One good hit can knock you out. With your head tilted down, it is as if you are trying to look up out of your eyebrows. Your hands are then brought up so the hand of your side which is forward is just below your left eye and the other hand (of the back foot) is right beside your chin.

If you are right handed then your left hand is partially curled and rests near your left eye, protecting your chin, with elbow tucked tightly into the body. Your right hand is partially curled to the right of your chin, elbow tucked into the body. This is the boxer’s stance and everything you do will stem from it. You should be relaxed and loose, never tight. Hands are not clenched into fists, but loose and ready to strike out. You are stable and knees are slightly bent. You are ready for anything, able to defend against punches and deliver your own offensive arsenal.

In boxing, you can basically move in four directions; towards your opponent, away from your opponent, and and to either side of your opponent. Think circles. To step towards your opponent, your lead foot moves forward and then the rear foot closes the distance so you are back in your stance. To move back, your rear foot moves first, taking a small step back and then your front foot slides back to maintain the integrity of your stance.

To move left, whichever foot is further left (left foot if you are right handed, right foot is you are left handed) moves first and the opposite foot quickly follows, sliding parallel to regain your stance. To move right, whichever foot is further right (right foot if you are right handed, left foot is your are left handed) moves first and the opposite foot quickly follows, sliding parallel to regain your stance.

Basically, the objective is to maintain your solid foundation which is provided by the boxer’s stance and when you move you take short steps, barely lifting your feet off the ground, it’s more of a slide. You never cross over your feet and you never bring them close together. Doing so can land yourself on the mat as your opponent hits you while you are off balance.