There is a quick mantra that I say to myself when training: ‘head, hands, feet’. I repeat this to myself during my workouts from time to time to remind myself that I should be moving at least one of these three things at all times, ideally I should have two or three moving. You’d be surprised how many good boxers don’t stick with this and have limited their potential.
For example, ‘head’ and ‘feet’ mean that you are dodging blows and moving to create angles. “Hands” and “head” mean that you are slipping when taking shots. ‘Head, hands and feet’ means you are hitting while moving inward with your feet and slipping your opponent’s shots. Either way, the specific grouping is not important, the important thing is that your training and your boxing are dynamic! Constant movement, ‘head, hands, feet’. This is how you fight to be superior and this is how you train to win.
When you look at your boxing combinations, the stakes are high: rhythm, footwork, head movement, angles, fakes, set-ups, punches, counterattacks, speed, conditioning and situation; there is much more involved than just hitting. Hitting is the fun part, it’s easy. Getting to your opponent safely, hitting and then getting out of harm’s way is the hard part, he won’t take it lightly that you are going to knock him out.
Below are the stages of a real boxing combination, all your combinations in the gym and in the ring should have elements of each part, train with these components in mind and do not deviate from them.
1) Opening rhythm. There is rhythm in boxing, it is not a dance rhythm, it is a series of broken sections of rhythms that are fast, medium and slow. Your footwork, head movement, and speed set the pace for each attack. When you are facing your opponent you are expressing your rhythm, faking, going in and out quickly (pendulum steps), swinging your head back and forth, posing, circling your hands or holding them tight against your chin. Before throwing any punches, you want to eliminate the possibility of your opponent being able to time your tackle. Before throwing, fake your head, fake your jab, go in and out and then back in, circle your opponent left and right, etc. The last thing you want to do is stand still and go straight in, even advanced boxers tend to revert to this.
2) Jab. Most combinations start with the jab and I advise this 80% of the time, the trick is not to throw the same jab over and over again in the same way. Slide your head to the left and then jab, slide to the right and then jab, jab to the lower chest and then to the head, jab to your opponent’s hand jab and then jab to the chin, throw a jab of backhand and then pass with the right hand. Mix the power of your jab from a snap to a thrust. Read your opponent and mix it up.
3) Throw your combination. Most boxers rely on a set of combinations that work for them and I advise this, you must have “go to” combos that your mind will think of in the heat of battle. Believe it or not, the simplest combinations can work on the toughest fighters. In all my boxing I have had more success with this combination than any other: jab, jab, straight right, left hook. Not surprising, but it works. However, this combo alone is not good enough, you need a lot more.
You have to understand that the combinations are not just a series of blows, there can be quick breaks before restarting your attack. For example, jab, straight to the right, slide the head to the right, straight to the right, hook to the left. In this combo I applied pressure, then took a quick break by sliding my head to the right, on this break I can take one more step forward and avoid any counterattack from my opponent, then resume my attack. Again, it’s all about pacing, you have to learn how to throw a quick combo, move your head or step to a new angle and then restart the assault. The biggest problem beginner and intermediate boxers have is that they only land one series of punches at a time. Once you learn how to throw a combo, move your head and feet, and reset everything in a flurry, your boxing will see new heights.
4) Take a step back and move to an angle or step off to the side. Once you have finished your combination, it is essential that you do not stay alone there, you must get out of danger and this has to be part of all your combos in the gym. If you don’t practice this way, you’ll be an easy target when it’s time to fight. The only reason to stay put after your combo is if you know you are a better internal fighter and you intend to stay there. After expending energy on your combo, you will need a short one or two second cooldown period, this is your opponent’s best time to attack you and the time when you need to let him know that you will not be caught easily. Once you’ve finished your combo, get out. If you take a step back, be sure to step to the side immediately, don’t back off and just stand there.