Boxing is a both a martial art and a popular sport. It is also an excellent workout that can aid in weight loss, increase your muscle strength, and serve as effective self-defence.
Blocking and countering (i.e. answering the opponent’s blows with an attack) are the two primary principles of boxing.
Let’s look at what boxing classes in Brampton will teach you about both.
Boxing Classes in Brampton: All You Need to Know About Blocking & Countering
Here is everything you need to know about blocking and countering during a boxing match:
Blocking
Boxing is not just an offensive sport. Defensive techniques like blocking are the foundation of good boxing. It is not always possible to predict your opponent’s moves and evade their attacks. In such scenarios, blocking will greatly minimize the damage.
There are four main kinds of blocking techniques taught by our boxing coaches in Brampton:
- High Block: A high block is one of the first defensive techniques taught to beginner boxers. It involves blocking straight punches aimed at your face with your fists guarding your head. You can also bring your hands up to the side of your head to let your arms absorb your opponent’s attack. However, with the second kind of high block, you will need to be careful about your torso, which will be open to attacks.
- Low Block: Unlike high blocks, low blocks are meant to protect your torso from your opponent’s attacks. It involves bending your knees, lowering your body and keeping your hands up while blocking an attack. You will also have to move your lead or dominant leg back slightly as you move. Finally, returning to your original fighting stance is important after successfully blocking the attack.
- Catching: This technique is mainly used for blocking straight punches. It involves raising your glove to meet an oncoming punch with the palm of your hand. Effectively catching your opponent’s blows requires patience, practice, and quick reflexes.
- Parrying: This technique changes the direction of your opponent’s punches while leaving them open for a counterattack. You will learn two types of parrying in boxing classes in Brampton: lead side and rear side. Parrying a punch on the lead side requires the glove of your dominant hand to be perpendicular to the floor of the boxing ring and your elbow to be high. To execute a rear-side parry, strike downward with your backhand while ensuring your elbow remains raised high.
Countering
Countering (or executing counterpunches) is an offensive strategy in which the boxer evades an opponent’s punch and retaliates immediately while the opponent is left unguarded. Countering combines defensive (evading) and offensive (punching immediately) tactics.
A good boxer can provoke their opponent to initiate a punch, which they can then evade and execute a counterattack. You need to have good feinting ability, quick reflexes, and strong punches to land counterpunches properly. This is because an opponent whose punch you have evaded will expect you to counterattack. Thus, counterpunches are predictable. Moreover, your punch accuracy will also need to be better than average. Your opponent will likely try to evade your counterpunch, so you will have to aim at them precisely to land the shot.
There are countless combinations of punches and moves when it comes to counterpunches. However, the three main types are:
- The Timed Counterpunch: The first step to landing a timed counterpunch is to observe and study your opponent’s movements. Notice their offence and defence, and try to find an opening where they may be consistently leaving themselves open to attack. Then, you have to be patient and find a good opening before countering. It is important to wait for the right opportunity because trying to take arbitrary shots may end up in misses.
- The Bait-and-Switch Counterpunch: To execute this kind of counterpunch, you have to lay a trap for your opponent and make him think that you are open to attack. One way to do this is by lowering your hand a little. When your opponent takes the ‘bait,’ you will switch from a defensive position to an offensive one and counter with a punch.
- The Catch and Counter: This kind of countering involves catching or parrying your opponent’s punch and then attacking with your own combination of punches. You will need to keep your guard up at all times to understand which punch to catch and when to counter properly. The best way to get good at this technique is to practice until it becomes muscle memory.
Boxing requires both defensive and offensive skills. By joining a boxing class in Brampton, you can learn various blocking and countering techniques to improve your skills; these include high blocking, low blocking, and catching to defend yourself against your opponent’s attacks. Additionally, you will learn how to parry their moves. The class will also teach you different types of counterpunches. Whether you want to become an offensive boxer or learn self-defence, joining a boxing class can significantly improve your skills.