Boxing- Blocking and Evading: Essential Skills

Blocking in boxing is just as, if not more important than striking. Unlike in the action movies, taking punches hurts, throws off balance and results in your opponent gaining points. When you step into the ring, your goal is to make yourself hard to hit, while delivering some well-placed blows.

As a welterweight, I focused heavily on evading and blocking punches while in the ring. Even with a helmet and gloves, punches hurt.

Fighting Stance:

The first step is to angle your chin down and constantly protect your head, neck and chin with your lagging hand. Never let your lagging hand hang. Your training partner should emphasize this. Face your opponent in a tiger stance and do not "square up" with your opponent. The tip of your foot should face your opponent with the lagging foot angled.

Footwork:

Footwork is key, and should be a constant when you are in the ring. Boxing is like a dance, and you should be in movement at all times. Focus on moving in and out when launching an offensive. When you opponent begins to attack, move backwards and diagonally to avoid and off center the blows. Sideways movement can throw off a sustained attack.

Blocking:

Blocking is a learned skill. Blocking takes energy and force and requires you to engage with your opponent. When you cannot evade, you must block. Blocking requires you to watch your opponents movement and predict a punch.

When you are in the ring, watch you opponent's shoulders and elbows. Your trainer will simulate blows with punching bags.

Parrying and Rolling:

Use your opponent's movement against them. Unlike blocking, you don't meet energy with energy, you use your opponent against themself. Roll a blow off your shoulder or take your palm and rout their arm away from you. This takes practice and is an ideal defense. Once you parry or roll, you can throw a punch into your defenseless and stunned opponent.

Make sure you train daily and get a boxing trainer. Blocking and evading are key to boxing, and will help you avoid injury and win fights. You do not want to regularly take punches and this will extend your fighting life.

Recommended Resource:

https://www.expertboxing.com/boxing-techniques/defense-techniques/boxing-defense-techniques