BBC Sportboxing

Defence

Counter-attacking

Good defensive skills are just as important as good attacking skills.

It is no good delivering blistering punches if they just leave you open to counter-attack.

This is especially true if your opponent is avoiding most of the damage from your blows with his own defence.

You need to be agile and have lightning reflexes to develop good defence skills

A good boxer will also be able to anticipate his opponent's next attack.

A large part of a fight may be won by simply avoiding your opponent's punches and tiring him out without wasting energy yourself.

There are several ways to defend yourself from a punch: Sidestep, snap back, sway to one side, stop the punch with your forearm, shoulder or elbow, stop the punch with your glove, duck down, parry, or deflect to one side, or cover up.

It is all very well avoiding or deflecting an opponent's punches - but you must be ready to strike back too.

This is called countering.

A skilful, intelligent boxer will have good countering skills.

In developing good countering skills a boxer's real talent comes to the fore.

Believe it or not boxing requires brains too - you must out-think your opponent.

To counter well you must think on your feet and respond to every opportunity with style and imagination.

Left jab counters

The punch you will face most often is the left jab.

So it is crucial that you know how to deal with it.

You will have no chance in a fight without a good defence against the jab.

Catch your opponent's left jab with your right glove and deflect it over your left shoulder.

Then deliver a counter left jab to your opponent's chin.

Another good tactic is to duck beneath your opponent's left jab and return a left jab to his body.

The advantage of ducking or slipping to the side is that you have two free hands ready to counter.

You can also counter with a straight right to your opponent's body.

To do this bend your knees to get your shoulders in line with the target.

Keep your trunk upright and twist your hip and shoulders to drive right through the target.

Carry your left hand high in a guarding position.

Counter-punches to the body are very effective.

This is because they score points and can wear down an opponent, taking the bounce out of his legs.

Straight right counters

A good boxer should never be caught by a straight right.

This is because the path of the punch is in his line of vision all the way to the target.

The easiest defence against it is to step back out of range.

But this is a negative form of defence and does not leave you in a position to counter-attack.

A good safety-first form of defence for the beginner is to block the punch with your left shoulder.

Shift your weight to the back foot and turn the body sharply to the right to catch the punch high on the left shoulder.

Keep your chin hidden behind this shoulder.

Then counter with a straight right.

Another option is to roll underneath the straight right.

This is an aggressive form of defence because it keeps your opponent under constant pressure.

Bend your knees and duck down, rolling your head in a 'U'shape under the punch from 'inside' to 'out.'

This move leaves your opponent exposed and enables you to stay in a position to counter punch with either hand.

Last but not least you can simply sidestep to the left to avoid the punch.

This opens up space to throw a straight right to your opponent's head just inside his left arm.