Rear hand guard position, jab, hook defense

[austin_b]

I have been training a few months and I am having difficulty defending the jab and hook primarily in differentiating them.
Keeping my rear hand roughly in front of my face lends itself to easier defense of jabs but greater risk hooks as opposed to the right hand glued to the right side of your head guard which can make hooks easier to defend but I find it difficult to block/parry jabs while also returning my right hand to guard to not leave it out too far.

1) I have been toying with out keeping my rear hand in front of my face (not out too far to invite left hooks) to pick off jabs and blocking hooks by rotating my forearm inwards which serves to slightly bring my forearm to my right to block the arc of the hook, while my palm is still in front of my face. What are your opinions on the this technique, pros and cons of this technique? Is it realistic? I think I have seen roy jones do something similar on an occasion

2) what are your thoughts on the archie moore style rear hand across the faces style defense

Any other suggestions are always appreciated
Thank you very much

 

[Brendon Katz]

Keep working at it. As you get better at reading hooks and jabs you'll be able to differentiate them. It doesn't come overnight. Also consider that movement can be used in conjunction with, or in place of, blocking. So if you're not sure if it's a jab or hook, move back and off the line of the jab so the hook falls short and you're outside (or inside) the jab.

 

[ssullivan80]

1) I have been toying with out keeping my rear hand in front of my face (not out too far to invite left hooks) to pick off jabs and blocking hooks by rotating my forearm inwards which serves to slightly bring my forearm to my right to block the arc of the hook, while my palm is still in front of my face. What are your opinions on the this technique, pros and cons of this technique? Is it realistic? I think I have seen roy jones do something similar on an occasion

Differentiating the jab from the lead hook does take a little time. IMO, there are a few nuances that will make it much easier.

First, don't focus or look at the opponents hand! The hand lies, the shoulders don't. Instead you want to be looking at the opponents centerline, think base of neck to middle of chest. You'll use your peripheral vision to differentiate shot's that come down the middle vs outside.

Second, I wouldn't suggest moving the rear hand forward, Instead, you'd be better served moving the lead hand forward a bit. If you keep your focus on the opponents center, get your lead hand out in front of your rear (imagine a field goal post rotated 45degrees, so hands are staggered), then you can use that lead hand as the guide. I.E: keeping your rear glove up, thumb on temple, once you see opponents lead come past the wrist of your lead glove you rotate your rear hand and parry (Thumb moves from rear temple, points at lead shoulder. so your basically looking right over top of your rear glove or parry hand). If your opponents lead hand comes out (again, focusing on center, not gloves or hand) and it's not in-between your guard (the field goal posts) then you're peripheral vision tells you that the shots coming around vs up the center. Building this habit won't only help you with differentiating between the lead jab and hook, it'll also make feint's easier to pick up and defend.

Lastly, defending the lead jab or hook should be as slight of a movement as possible. You don't want to get into the habit of reaching or swatting at the parry or turning and reaching out the forearm to defend the lead hook (for hook, subtle shift of weight or short lateral step vs reaching). Not to say there aren't instances where it shouldn't be done. But fundamentally speaking, It's not a habit you want to develop. It may work as a beginner, but a more experienced guy will simply use a feint to get you to over-commit, then counter or take an angle and smack the shit out of you. This is why I like using that lead hand as the guide for when to parry and counting on your peripheral vision to pick up shots coming around the guard. Sure, you're going to eat some jabs figuring it out (vs hooks, better option), but it'll pay dividends later.

Keep working at it. As you get better at reading hooks and jabs you'll be able to differentiate them. It doesn't come overnight. Also consider that movement can be used in conjunction with, or in place of, blocking. So if you're not sure if it's a jab or hook, move back and off the line of the jab so the hook falls short and you're outside (or inside) the jab.

Not that I don't agree with what your saying. However, I wouldn't suggest (to a beginner) to get into the habit of moving back to avoid the opponents lead. Without the refined footwork, that'll simply step them straight back into a straight cross or OH, or get them backpedaling and on there heels when a guy comes forward aggressively. Instead of moving back, i'd suggest simply adding a slight drop in elevation. Just bend the knees, tuck the chin and keep guard up. If anything, the jab lands on the forehead and the hook up higher on the gloves or top of head...... But often (more so with beginners) they simply glance off and put you in a far better position to be offensive, as your under and inside of your opponents guard.

 

[Brendon Katz]

Differentiating the jab from the lead hook does take a little time. IMO, there are a few nuances that will make it much easier.

First, don't focus or look at the opponents hand! The hand lies, the shoulders don't. Instead you want to be looking at the opponents centerline, think base of neck to middle of chest. You'll use your peripheral vision to differentiate shot's that come down the middle vs outside.

Second, I wouldn't suggest moving the rear hand forward, Instead, you'd be better served moving the lead hand forward a bit. If you keep your focus on the opponents center, get your lead hand out in front of your rear (imagine a field goal post rotated 45degrees, so hands are staggered), then you can use that lead hand as the guide. I.E: keeping your rear glove up, thumb on temple, once you see opponents lead come past the wrist of your lead glove you rotate your rear hand and parry (Thumb moves from rear temple, points at lead shoulder. so your basically looking right over top of your rear glove or parry hand). If your opponents lead hand comes out (again, focusing on center, not gloves or hand) and it's not in-between your guard (the field goal posts) then you're peripheral vision tells you that the shots coming around vs up the center. Building this habit won't only help you with differentiating between the lead jab and hook, it'll also make feint's easier to pick up and defend.

Lastly, defending the lead jab or hook should be as slight of a movement as possible. You don't want to get into the habit of reaching or swatting at the parry or turning and reaching out the forearm to defend the lead hook (for hook, subtle shift of weight or short lateral step vs reaching). Not to say there aren't instances where it shouldn't be done. But fundamentally speaking, It's not a habit you want to develop. It may work as a beginner, but a more experienced guy will simply use a feint to get you to over-commit, then counter or take an angle and smack the shit out of you. This is why I like using that lead hand as the guide for when to parry and counting on your peripheral vision to pick up shots coming around the guard. Sure, you're going to eat some jabs figuring it out (vs hooks, better option), but it'll pay dividends later.





Not that I don't agree with what your saying. However, I wouldn't suggest (to a beginner) to get into the habit of moving back to avoid the opponents lead. Without the refined footwork, that'll simply step them straight back into a straight cross or OH, or get them backpedaling and on there heels when a guy comes forward aggressively. Instead of moving back, i'd suggest simply adding a slight drop in elevation. Just bend the knees, tuck the chin and keep guard up. If anything, the jab lands on the forehead and the hook up higher on the gloves or top of head...... But often (more so with beginners) they simply glance off and put you in a far better position to be offensive, as your under and inside of your opponents guard.

I hear you and I agree, it definitely takes longer to develop solid footwork. That said, I think it's absolutely fundamental, and if the nature of the game dictates you must learn a few tough lessons (and it does), then so be it. Walking back into a cross or OH is a hell of a lot better than ducking into an uppercut though, and that's why I suggest what I do. Both are tough lessons though, and better learned sooner than later.

 

[BennyST]

I have been training a few months and I am having difficulty defending the jab and hook primarily in differentiating them.
Keeping my rear hand roughly in front of my face lends itself to easier defense of jabs but greater risk hooks as opposed to the right hand glued to the right side of your head guard which can make hooks easier to defend but I find it difficult to block/parry jabs while also returning my right hand to guard to not leave it out too far.

1) I have been toying with out keeping my rear hand in front of my face (not out too far to invite left hooks) to pick off jabs and blocking hooks by rotating my forearm inwards which serves to slightly bring my forearm to my right to block the arc of the hook, while my palm is still in front of my face. What are your opinions on the this technique, pros and cons of this technique? Is it realistic? I think I have seen roy jones do something similar on an occasion

2) what are your thoughts on the archie moore style rear hand across the faces style defense

Any other suggestions are always appreciated
Thank you very much

I think it's largely a case of really trying to get comfortable keeping that right hand back and not overextending it for either one. Don't reach for the jab and remember when blocking the hook to turn your head and chin down into your opposite shoulder and keep all movements as small and tight as possible. That's probably the hardest thing when learning these things, is to not overdo/exaggerate them.

Particularly the parry, you should hardly move your right hand from your chin. You're basically trying to block it when it's right at your chin rather than stopping it in its tracks half way there by reaching out. Reaching out is a hard thing not to do, but really important to try and get into the habit of keeping that hand back and just turning your palm forward and down to catch. This leaves them open, instead of you.

It shouldn't be an either/or situation. You should be ready to do both, rather than one more than the other. Also, I wouldn't worry about Roy Jones or Moore, two unorthodox guys. Focus on being able to switch between them with really tight, compact motions that aren't suggestive of one more than the other.

If you have your hand in front more, the better guys will bait you too easily into committing, eg. into a parry and come around with the hook and vice versa with the other way.