How the Mayweathers teach blocking

[Kickzilla]

So I found this interesting and never really noticed it until now, if you look at other footage of mitt work across Roger, Floyd Sr. and Jeff Mayweather, they teach a way to block power shots that is pretty characteristically different from almost every other style of absorbing shots on the gloves, or at least typical of the high guard shell with the gloves resting on the forehead. I think there's a useful and important place for the high guard/shell don't get me wrong, especially in the pocket. But I really dig the way the Mayweathers teach catching power shots on their own by not resting your hand on your head it significantly reduces the risk of absorbing the shot directly on the head itself. Keep in mind it requires "stiff arming", or holding the arm and hand strong and flexed during impact so you don't whack yourself with it.

What do you guys think? It's such a minor detail but I think blocking this way has the implications of drastically reducing the potential damage you absorb even from lighter shots.

***********

2:30 to 2:50: How to block/catch the right/rear hand.

15:47 to 15:55: How to block/catch the left/lead hook.

 

[Jimmy Jazz]

So I found this interesting and never really noticed it until now, if you look at other footage of mitt work across Roger, Floyd Sr. and Jeff Mayweather, they teach a way to block power shots that is pretty characteristically different from almost every other style of absorbing shots on the gloves, or at least typical of the high guard shell with the gloves resting on the forehead. I think there's a useful and important place for the high guard/shell don't get me wrong, especially in the pocket. But I really dig the way the Mayweathers teach catching power shots on their own by not resting your hand on your head it significantly reduces the risk of absorbing the shot directly on the head itself. Keep in mind it requires "stiff arming", or holding the arm and hand strong and flexed during impact so you don't whack yourself with it.

What do you guys think? It's such a minor detail but I think blocking this way has the implications of drastically reducing the potential damage you absorb even from lighter shots.

***********

2:30 to 2:50: How to block/catch the right/rear hand.

15:47 to 15:55: How to block/catch the left/lead hook.

yeah i thought it was pretty common to teach not to rest your gloves too close to your head, I've seen Canelo rest his hand directly on this head though. maybe he has a reason for doing it. I think you are right.

 

[Kickzilla]

yeah i thought it was pretty common to teach not to rest your gloves too close to your head, I've seen Canelo rest his hand directly on this head though. maybe he has a reason for doing it. I think you are right.

Is it? I didn't honestly know lol. Which might be mind blowing to some I guess. I grew up in dutch kickboxing and muay thai circles and everything in kickboxing circles with regards to basic defense revolves around the high guard and just taking everything like a rock em sock em robot.

 

[Jimmy Jazz]

Is it? I didn't honestly know lol. Which might be mind blowing to some I guess. I grew up in dutch kickboxing and muay thai circles and everything in kickboxing circles with regards to basic defense revolves around the high guard and just taking everything like a rock em sock em robot.

well the first time I heard this was from Bas Rutten, and his logic was that the force travels right through the gloves to your head. The guard is still high but the hands are held outward a bit. In muay thai I learned to hold the palms out with the hands pretty far from the face. I see mayweather has a similar principle with the lead hand, which also serves to cut the distance and time for the jab. From what I was taught in boxing, the lead hand should be flexed for the jab and to catch/parry the punches with the rear hand relaxed. You are right, I do see alot of dutch guys hold theirs very close to their face.

 

[Steve-French]

 

[Sinister]

^Hmm, only Pacquiao threw punches, missed, and got hit by Floyd.

If people don't teach proper blocking and catching (by proper, I mean that it doesn't get you hurt or hit while you're blocking or catching) then it's simply because they don't actually know how. The system taught to the Mayweathers (mainly Floyd Sr.) by his teacher covered that.

 

[shs101]

^Hmm, only Pacquiao threw punches, missed, and got hit by Floyd.

If people don't teach proper blocking and catching (by proper, I mean that it doesn't get you hurt or hit while you're blocking or catching) then it's simply because they don't actually know how. The system taught to the Mayweathers (mainly Floyd Sr.) by his teacher covered that.

Really interesting... I never see this way of blocking before..... I'm assuming you agree by your post (Sinister) but don't you think there's easier ways to get by this way of blocking than keeping your hands on your face?

In other words wouldn't a hard enough punch be too much for this? I've seen most trainers and was taught myself that in a situation like this your hand will hit your face (which does happen).

 

[Ilk]

Sinister how many types of blocking there are. My old school boxing coach mainly tought me how to block by rotating the body. Like how they teach side stepping in Eastern Europe boxing by rotating the hips. There is the monkey guard used mostly by kick boxers due to the big gloves and then the Muya Thai cross blocking where they basically cross their hands. I ve noticed Golovkin uses a lot his elbows and arms to parry or block hits. What can you say about the types of defence.

 

[Haj01]

Sinister how many types of blocking there are. My old school boxing coach mainly tought me how to block by rotating the body. Like how they teach side stepping in Eastern Europe boxing by rotating the hips. There is the monkey guard used mostly by kick boxers due to the big gloves and then the Muya Thai cross blocking where they basically cross their hands. I ve noticed Golovkin uses a lot his elbows and arms to parry or block hits. What can you say about the types of defence.

then there's Nick Diaz who blocks punches with his head

 

[Sinister]

lol^

Really interesting... I never see this way of blocking before..... I'm assuming you agree by your post (Sinister) but don't you think there's easier ways to get by this way of blocking than keeping your hands on your face?

In other words wouldn't a hard enough punch be too much for this? I've seen most trainers and was taught myself that in a situation like this your hand will hit your face (which does happen).

A hard enough punch would be too much for anything. You can't ask a question dealing with a limitless variable. Get what I'm saying? It's hard enough...hard enough for what? If it's hard enough to get through a guard it's hard enough to get through a guard. Logistically speaking, I'd rather have it get interrupted a tad further out than right AGAINST my face. I'll take against my face if that's all I can get, but I'd rather not. Gluing your hands to your head won't stop the concussive force of the blow all that much, either. So in theory, best remedy is not get touched at all, if the punch is hard enough.

(I answer questions like this from skeptical students every damn day. Jaja!)

Sinister how many types of blocking there are. My old school boxing coach mainly tought me how to block by rotating the body. Like how they teach side stepping in Eastern Europe boxing by rotating the hips. There is the monkey guard used mostly by kick boxers due to the big gloves and then the Muya Thai cross blocking where they basically cross their hands. I ve noticed Golovkin uses a lot his elbows and arms to parry or block hits. What can you say about the types of defence.

There's A LOT of types of blocking. I couldn't give an honest answer for how many there are. To me it's just all about two things 1) how well does it protect you and b) what does it get done FOR you? I see a lot of modern trainers just happy when a glove is in the way of a blow, but their fighter is essentially crippled from responding. I don't like that. I myself try to instruct ways to defend that will GET the opponent hit when they were the one trying to hit. The upper-hand.

 

[MadSquabbles500]

Sorry, I do not notice anything remarkable or different.

 

[Kickzilla]

Sorry, I do not notice anything remarkable or different.

Sinister echoed my thoughts rather well and succinctly about the notion of mitigating risk when you can, blocking is just one aspect of a defensively responsible martial artist/fighter afterall. I wasn't trying to imply there was something special or remarkable about this detail but I do think a lot of trainers in my experiences thus far don't teach this. The implications, for me at least are significant because I've been a lifelong martial artist and in a shit ton of sparring sessions now over the years with an eye to do a couple of amateur fights. I want to keep doing this shit and I know the risk I take to my brain even with light but regular sparring, let alone hard sparring with pro fighters.

Learning to block safely means less damage down the road, and this really isn't taught at all up here and I sense in a lot of gyms across the world and honestly that kind of pisses me off..in the sense that as human beings who train others and mold them into fighters, why the fuck wouldn't you? Is it not the responsibility of trainers to teach the best methods of ensuring their students and fighters are safe in the ring? I think in part it's a loss of knowledge and a lack of respect for detail and consistency in the passing of knowledge. The other aspect I think is this stylistic preference to have everyone banging away at each other, but this comes at a cost IMO, even for hobbyists. The mounting evidence over concussions, and TBIs is growing, and even simple harmless contact done regularly contributes to it.

 

[MadSquabbles500]

Sinister echoed my thoughts rather well and succinctly about the notion of mitigating risk when you can, blocking is just one aspect of a defensively responsible martial artist/fighter afterall. I wasn't trying to imply there was something special or remarkable about this detail but I do think a lot of trainers in my experiences thus far don't teach this. The implications, for me at least are significant because I've been a lifelong martial artist and in a shit ton of sparring sessions now over the years with an eye to do a couple of amateur fights. I want to keep doing this shit and I know the risk I take to my brain even with light but regular sparring, let alone hard sparring with pro fighters.

Learning to block safely means less damage down the road, and this really isn't taught at all up here and I sense in a lot of gyms across the world and honestly that kind of pisses me off..in the sense that as human beings who train others and mold them into fighters, why the fuck wouldn't you? Is it not the responsibility of trainers to teach the best methods of ensuring their students and fighters are safe in the ring? I think in part it's a loss of knowledge and a lack of respect for detail and consistency in the passing of knowledge. The other aspect I think is this stylistic preference to have everyone banging away at each other, but this comes at a cost IMO, even for hobbyists. The mounting evidence over concussions, and TBIs is growing, and even simple harmless contact done regularly contributes to it.

I just dont see how anything in the vid. It looks like normal tech.

 

[biscuitsbrah]

I just dont see how anything in the vid. It looks like normal tech.

I've dropped in at a couple boxing gyms and train at kickboxing gyms and I've never seen this kind of active block for hooks. I've seen a video of lomachenko training this block as well.

This might be normal technique from where you are from but I'm willing to bet most don't train blocking hooks this way

 

[GordoBarraBJJ]

So do you have an actual gif of Floyd running or just something some sour puss made?

 

[Uchi Mata]

well the first time I heard this was from Bas Rutten, and his logic was that the force travels right through the gloves to your head. The guard is still high but the hands are held outward a bit. In muay thai I learned to hold the palms out with the hands pretty far from the face. I see mayweather has a similar principle with the lead hand, which also serves to cut the distance and time for the jab. From what I was taught in boxing, the lead hand should be flexed for the jab and to catch/parry the punches with the rear hand relaxed. You are right, I do see alot of dutch guys hold theirs very close to their face.

My coach is a Bas Rutten lineage guy, the way I was taught to catch punches in the high guard was not my glove against my face but rather my palm on the top of my forehead, near my hairline, almost like a hairbrush but with the forearm more forward than to the side. You are catching the punch on your arm/glove, but because you're creating a frame against the hard bones of your skull most of the force dissipates into your arm, body, and the top of your head. I've never been rocked catching a punch like that, even ones hard enough to move me. It pairs well with the long guard too if you use your rear hand to catch.

 

[sourdiesel209]

The first block is similar to how Id block a straight right, altho I use the forearm and try to roll/deflect the punch. Havent seen that stif arm left hook block before tho, I mainly just use the crazy monkey and it works pretty good as long as your aiming your blocks right and deflecting the force of the punch, you can even catch overhands that would land on your ear.

 

[Yourstepdad]

In an ideal situation I prefer head movement over blocking anything. Use the hands to protect the body which is far more static.

Not always possible, and not everyone is capable of doing this I know.. (i aint no mayweather either)

But blocking punches also means blocking ur vision. Plus hooks will guaranteed come to the side of the head if you maintain the block for too long

 

[Jimmy Jazz]

My coach is a Bas Rutten lineage guy, the way I was taught to catch punches in the high guard was not my glove against my face but rather my palm on the top of my forehead, near my hairline, almost like a hairbrush but with the forearm more forward than to the side. You are catching the punch on your arm/glove, but because you're creating a frame against the hard bones of your skull most of the force dissipates into your arm, body, and the top of your head. I've never been rocked catching a punch like that, even ones hard enough to move me. It pairs well with the long guard too if you use your rear hand to catch.

yeah that seems inline with what he taught in his videos. I wasnt criticizing Bas's method btw. It seems like he was warning against having the glove against your face.

 

[freaky]

yeah i thought it was pretty common to teach not to rest your gloves too close to your head, I've seen Canelo rest his hand directly on this head though. maybe he has a reason for doing it. I think you are right.

I was taught to rest it on the forehead otherwise your hand will just ricochet to your head effectively blocking nothing.

Just saw the vid and his hands were also ricocheting.

I like Muay Thai's long guard in which the arms are stretched out. I see this in MMA. But when cornered they will do the high guard covering up/turtling. You see the same in MMA but with open palm. Big Foot Silva does this alot, backing up with open palms and fingers on forehead.