The art of defence

“I don't want nothing comin' at me that I can't stop.” — Joe Frazier

Moving is liberating. Throwing punches in combinations is empowering. But doing both while not getting hit yourself — that’s magical. Once you get a taste, you want more.

Now would be a good time to clarify my definition of defence. Nobody is untouchable in a boxing ring. Even the greatest defensive boxers have moments when defence means exactly that. Sometimes you have to batten the hatches and weather the storm. An accomplished boxer should always have that safety net. On its own, it’s not enough.

If all you do is defend against attacks, you surrender initiative and momentum. If your opponent can attack without fear of any consequences, it’s game over. That’s all she wrote. You must develop an aggressive defence. There’s a phrase in boxing — “keep them honest”. Any opportunity your opponent gets should be through their initiative and skill. Don’t give anyone a freebie. At the same time, make them aware that you will punish any mistake they make.

Defences

Accomplished boxers learn and develop as many defences as possible. Different defences open up a wider range of counter punches. A varied defence makes a boxer unpredictable. The last place you want to be predictable and easy to read is in a boxing ring.

Defences come in three varieties:

1. Hand defences.

2. Trunk defences.

3. Feet defences.

Hand defences

Hand defences use hands and arms to stop and deflect. When coaching defences, I always start with hand defences. They’re an effective, first line of defence and also an emergency last ditch option.

There are three kinds of hand defences:

1. Block — stop the punch.

2. Parry — deflect the punch.

3. Wedge — intercept the punch.

There are a couple of downsides to hand defences. If you are using one hand to defend, it limits your counterpunching options to the remaining hand. Also, punches on your arms can still be painful and have a cumulative effect. Rocky Marciano would target his opponent’s arms. He’d pound away round after punishing round until they struggled to keep an effective guard. Then he’d unleash his famed “Suzy Q” right hand.

Heavyweight legend Joe Louis excelled at controlling opponents with his hands.

Trunk defences

Trunk defences use your body to manoeuvre your head out of range and off the line of attack. Holding your feet means you are in range to counter-attack.

There are four kinds of trunk defences:

1. Slip — move your head off the line of attack.

2. Duck — move your head under the line of attack.

3. Roll — move your head from one side of the line of attack to the other.

4. Layback — move your head out of range of the attack.

It takes skill to stand in range and make an opponent miss, but the rewards are worth the investment. Making an opponent miss can leave them exposed. This time you have both hands at your disposal to counter-attack with.

For a masterclass in trunk defence, check out James “Lights Out” Toney.

Foot defences

Foot defences move both your head and body out of range, and off the line of attack.

There are two basic kinds of foot defences:

1. Push away — moving out of range of the attack.

2. Step across and pivot — stepping off and around the line of attack.

To see the sweet science of defensive footwork, there’s no better study than the legendary Willie Pep.

Defences have an element of rock/paper/scissors to them. While one defence will work for one attack, they won't be suitable for another. For example, slipping works well with the jab and cross, but is of no use with hooks. Some defences work well with more than one punch.

Think of defences as a colour palette. Depending on your style, or the picture you paint, it’s unlikely you will use all the palette. Your physical attributes and style means you will use some more than others. But it’s a nice feeling to know you can dip the brush into that palette and select a strident pink when you need to.