Boxing: How To Deal With The Punches

If you expect to walk away out of the ring without getting hit you are either the round girl waving a big placard in between rounds or your nickname is "Pretty Boy." But even the undefeated Mayweather receives a lot of punches when he fights and you as a round girl is out of the question.

The fact is, when you wear boxing gloves, step into the ring and face your opponent, once the bell rings, you cannot escape getting hit. Even if you have the greatest defense, you are only kidding yourself if you believe that you can defend every punch.

You are going to get hit in the face, on the sides and every inch of your upper body that is visible to your opponent. Yes, that's just the way it is; but if you are planning to become a decent boxer, they you have to prepare for the incoming punches. It will be tough at first. "Learn the hard way," they say. But it can be done.

There are 3 major things to remember when dealing with the punches: Keep your eyes open, move as much as you can, never flinch.

1.) In baseball, a study was made to prove that a 95mph fastball is faster than a blink of an eye. And it does! From the pitcher's mound to the home plate (the distance of 60 feet) a ball can travel faster than a blink of an eye. The point is, if a fastball can travel that fast from that distance, how much more will a boxer's punch from a distance of just 2 feet? Well, you can argue several points here but it is clear that if you can't blink when hitting a baseball, you definitely can't close when you are about to get hit by a punch.

Never, in any circumstance, should you close your eyes and turn your back from your opponent. If you want to avoid the onslaught, open your eyes. Obviously, this will allow you to see what's going on, where the punch is coming from and where it will most likely land (if it will land).

Keep your guards up. Do not think that by just closing your eyes, your opponent will get tired and stop. That's not going to happen. Remember: you cannot fight back if you have no idea what's going on.

2.) In boxing, there is one dominant rule among all other rules: if you are not punching, you are moving. No more, no less. So unless you plan to be a sitting duck throughout the fight, punch, move, punch again, and move again. When you get hit, and that's not an "if you get hit" kind of thing, never stick your head or the part of your body where it got punched in the first place.

Move! Step, dance, duck, weave or do something that your opponent cannot guess what your next stunt is going to be. If he throws a jab, do not whip back and then come straight towards him.

3.) Never Flinch. This may be a natural reaction to something that is coming right at you, but you have to control it. If you flinch, you are only making yourself more vulnerable to your opponent. The best trick to avoid this is to remember number one, get used to things coming at you, and keep your defenses up.