Boxing: How to get in close

Neil · Orange Belt

Hi,

When I had my first boxing fight in the ring last Thursday, I found it really quite hard to get in close, that is without getting uppercutted or smashed in the face. I have a very strong punch, so the thing I need to work on is my guard, and how to make a gap or opening. Obviously the jab is the obvious one, but being quite stocky and short limbed, I can't quite reach. The put your guard up and charge in Marciano approach dosn't really work since I always keep getting uppercutted.

And my guard, I want to protect my kidneys as you might have read in the kidney post I made, so I think I'm gonna adopt a lower guard, since getting face hits are easy to catch.

Any help will be greatly appreciated.
thanks,

Neil

Guy_Who_Fights · Yellow Belt

Hm. It being your first match, you were probably against someone who was also on their first or second match. The unfortunate thing with a lot of boxers on their first few matches is that they tend to jump backward at the first sign of a punch, making it annoying to try and hit them. The more aggressive fighter gets extra points in the judges eyes, so good work on pressing forward. Unfortunately if your opponent keeps running backward to the extent I've seen many times, you may just have to stand your ground and force them to come to you, then counter. The good news is that as you fight more experienced fighters they will opt to move in when you punch because that is when you are the most open. Bad for you but it will in the end give you a better chance of catching them with something.
Throwing feigns is a great way of creating opneings, especially against fighters without a lot of full-contact experience. Feigning a hook punch will often result in their blocking arm extending way out from their body. So feign a hook and quickly pull it back and jab with it. Feigning a jab and going into a hook also works.
Going to the body might leave you less open for uppercuts.
It's tough to deal with people who run away. In essence you have won the fight in real life because they are running and not fighting, but in the ring this doesn't hold true.
Many boxers have success with standing their ground and countering at the same time the opponent attacks (a rather advanced tactic), or waiting until their opponent has finished attacking and then immediately attacking them while they are on their way "out" i.e. moving back.
It would have helped to know more about your opponent's tactics, but this should help you out.
Good luck.

Neil · Orange Belt

The guy I was fighting was the instructor. hes about 30, and I'm 16. He was just waiting there for me. I think I'm just gonna buy some Rocky, marciano videos and the like to see how them swarmers got in close. I have to say, when I was in the ring, I had this really big fear of getting kocked out. I didn't think I was gonna feel this, but when I got in the ring I really did not want to get nocked out. If I was fighting someone my age, and they said its gonna be full contact. I would just charge straight over and hit the hell out of him. But since this was the instructor i was very weary, doing jabs and the like, which I would never do against someone my own age.

Neil

SevenStar · Black Belt

How good are your bobbing and weaving skills? You have to be able to get inside - you can't just wait for him and try to counter. Once you get inside, body shots, hooks and uppercuts.

TJS · Black Belt

Work angles.

MMouse · Yellow Belt

Boxing is called the sweet science for a reason. There are so many factors that go into boxing, expecially boxing successfully. The "charge inadn smash style" you explain really isn't boxing, it's slugging. Here's a few of my thoughts.
1) Work your jab. Over and over and over until it is good. Then keep going. The jab is the staple of boxing. It is a great offensive tool, as well as an excellent defensive tool. Work it while standing still, moving forward, moving backward, to the side etc.
2) Practice slipping punches. In your post I didn't read anything about trying to slip punches. If you are going to be an inside fighter, you better learn to slip punches. If you think you are just going to charge in, you are going to have many many short fights. Learn to slip your opponents punches while moving forward, back etc. If you can slip, you will be able to get inside.
3) Is your instructer not passing any of t his along to you? I sparred with my coach when I boxed, and he was a former pro. Needless to say he whipped me, HOWEVER, he would tell me why he was able to do so, and how to avoid the mistakes I had made. If your coach will not teach you in a manner which makes you better with each fight, find a new coach, end of discussion.

Guy_Mendiola · Blue Belt

that's why you got to block your face and keep your guard up and try to throw in some jabs and some hooks and etc.

cross · Black Belt

One way to get in close is to draw your opponent into you..

One way to do this is to take a few steps back, making each step smaller has you go. If your opponent follows you he will be getting closer and closer. Then just move forward and you should be in close to him.

Neil · Orange Belt

Hi,

I'v finally managed to see Rocky Marciano on this show called Boxing Classics which was on Eurosport GB. It was a highlited match between Rocky Marciano and Joe Louis. Rocky seemed to get in close with relative ease. His guard was the most important thing I picked up on. His guard was in front of him, but they were just under his chin. I tried this and it works for me. The typical boxing guard where you have your fists right up beside your temples is useless to me, I can't seem to box properly, its more of a defensive gurad. Rocky developed a guard that always alowwed him to attack. To get in close he leaned to his right, and then found a jab to the body, and then charged in all over him and then backed of again.

Neil

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