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Floyd Mayweather’s Offensive Tactics
In his early days, Mayweather was a devastating combination puncher, but maturity, numerous hand injuries, and moving up in weight have altered his style. Within the last decade, he’s settled into the role of a pot-shotter. Though he hasn’t eschewed combinations entirely, they have become shorter and more reserved. Instead of overwhelming opponents with speed and aggression, Mayweather prefers to limit their offensive output.
Throughout striking sports with more open rule sets, it’s a consistent truth that volume wins fights. Often, the winner of a contest is simply the one who is able to throw more. This makes it very difficult to win with a game built largely on a low-output of single shots. It requires an incredible degree of skill to equalize your opportunities when faced with a large volume disparity.
Mayweather is excellent at denying his higher-output opponents the opportunity to deliver their volume through footwork and defense. However, relying largely on single shots presents another challenge. Fighters don’t throw combinations just because more punches thrown means more chances to land, but because combinations have logic and a process built into them. For example, if you want to land your rear straight, you can lead with it, and accept the relatively high chance that your opponent is able to defend it. Then again, you could throw a jab to move their hand closer to their center-line, follow with a lead hook to widen their guard, and square their hips, and then throw the straight, which you are now in good position to land clean.
In broad terms, the way Mayweather solves this problem is by ensuring that his opponents cannot react appropriately to what he’s about to throw. More specifically, he modifies his punching form to prioritize speed over power. The speed increase offered by his punching form, combined with his athleticism and natural hand speed, causes his punches to approach with blistering speed and prevents his opponent from responding properly. Mayweather also has deception built into his offense, as he uses a similar delivery for certain punches, and can condition the opponent to expect one before switching it up.
Punching Form
Let’s start with his jab:
Mayweather shoots his lead foot out in front of him as he jabs, widening his stance, but his weight remains relatively centered. As soon as his lead foot plants, he pushes off it to pull his weight onto his rear foot in anticipation of a counter, while taking an angle to the inside of his opponent’s stance. Note also how he sets it up in the first clip by sneaking his rear foot forward, allowing him to cover more distance while keeping his weight underneath him.
Mayweather’s jab is both a tool of frustration, used to pick away at his opponent, and a trap. The window to successfully counter it is so minuscule that it serves as the perfect bait. By the time his opponent attempts a counter–in both clips–he’s already pulled out of the way, and their attempt serves only to open them up for Mayweather’s counter.
Continued here...
In his early days, Mayweather was a devastating combination puncher, but maturity, numerous hand injuries, and moving up in weight have altered his style. Within the last decade, he’s settled into the role of a pot-shotter. Though he hasn’t eschewed combinations entirely, they have become shorter and more reserved. Instead of overwhelming opponents with speed and aggression, Mayweather prefers to limit their offensive output.
Throughout striking sports with more open rule sets, it’s a consistent truth that volume wins fights. Often, the winner of a contest is simply the one who is able to throw more. This makes it very difficult to win with a game built largely on a low-output of single shots. It requires an incredible degree of skill to equalize your opportunities when faced with a large volume disparity.
Mayweather is excellent at denying his higher-output opponents the opportunity to deliver their volume through footwork and defense. However, relying largely on single shots presents another challenge. Fighters don’t throw combinations just because more punches thrown means more chances to land, but because combinations have logic and a process built into them. For example, if you want to land your rear straight, you can lead with it, and accept the relatively high chance that your opponent is able to defend it. Then again, you could throw a jab to move their hand closer to their center-line, follow with a lead hook to widen their guard, and square their hips, and then throw the straight, which you are now in good position to land clean.
In broad terms, the way Mayweather solves this problem is by ensuring that his opponents cannot react appropriately to what he’s about to throw. More specifically, he modifies his punching form to prioritize speed over power. The speed increase offered by his punching form, combined with his athleticism and natural hand speed, causes his punches to approach with blistering speed and prevents his opponent from responding properly. Mayweather also has deception built into his offense, as he uses a similar delivery for certain punches, and can condition the opponent to expect one before switching it up.
Punching Form
Let’s start with his jab:
Mayweather shoots his lead foot out in front of him as he jabs, widening his stance, but his weight remains relatively centered. As soon as his lead foot plants, he pushes off it to pull his weight onto his rear foot in anticipation of a counter, while taking an angle to the inside of his opponent’s stance. Note also how he sets it up in the first clip by sneaking his rear foot forward, allowing him to cover more distance while keeping his weight underneath him.
Mayweather’s jab is both a tool of frustration, used to pick away at his opponent, and a trap. The window to successfully counter it is so minuscule that it serves as the perfect bait. By the time his opponent attempts a counter–in both clips–he’s already pulled out of the way, and their attempt serves only to open them up for Mayweather’s counter.
Continued here...
