[YT]/watch?v=fvHTQgYJJ7U[/YT] one of my sparring partners is one of those guys that leans back all the time. thought i'd post JT's video -usually when he leans back, I try to double up on jab or keep stepping in with more punches -the easiest way is fake, let him lean back prematurely, and give him a leg kick -another thing is never run after the head, because thats all they're focused on moving but their body is closer and more vulnerable (with that said, whenever i go to his body i eat a counter lol) what are your tactics?
Double jab is great. Also triple or quadjab. I even done a quintuple jab that landed And a punch to the body also is nice, because it doesn't lean back with their face, instead, it opens up and presents itself.
When someone leans back they are unbalanced. There is to much weight over the back foot. To much weight to comfortably move it. I would exploit them being unbalanced by circling in to either side of them. Circling in and forcing them to move or get hit. Force them to move that heavy back foot.
Now for me, countering the “pull back” or “lean” is something that depends on a few variables. The first variable is if my opponent is using it properly or not. What I mean by properly is, is my opponent using the lean back, then slipping to his left or right in order to change his head slots? Because if he is not, then you can exploit that by simply throwing in combination. If someone is leaning back as an answer to every punch, then by stepping in with a jab you can still reach them with another straight punch. Imagine yourself stepping in and jabbing and your opponent attempting to lean back, he might be out of range and escape the first jab BUT then you throw a right hand and he attempts to lean back even more, he will be caught with the second straight punch because he has already leaned as far as he can and he has not changed head slots and is still vulnerable to a follow up straight punch. The second variable is, how much taller is my opponent then me, because if the height difference is only a few inches then I can simply double up my jab, even triple it or throw a step in jab right hand combination and reach my opponent with ease. But in extreme cases more may be required. For example I am 5’9 and have sparred with guys who are 6’4-6’5, so I have dealt with a severe reach disadvantage. For me just doubling the jab was not enough to penetrate the lean back defense, so I had to start punching in combination. For me in cases where a step in jab right hand was not enough to reach my opponent, I got creative and kind of started doing something similar to what Dominick Cruz does, which is changing stances during mid combination in order to increase the length and reach of my combos. For example: Step in Jab, Right Hand, rear uppercut (while simultaneously bringing my read leg forward, switching my stance to southpaw), finish with a lead hand southpaw jab. Manny Paquiao in my opinion has fathered this style of combination punching, people always say he is off balance or he moves his feet too much when punching but he does it in order to lengthen his combination and further his reach. You watch him fight guys like Algeri or Margarrito and you see him throw combinations whilst moving his feet in order to get closer and close the reach gap. Paq is like 5’5, and Margarrito is 5’10/5’11, that’s a pretty impressive reach gap, and guys like Algeri who fight tall and use the “lean back” as a defense are perfect fights to watch if you want to see Manny adjust his combinations in order to get in range to touch the taller man.
Do you mean lean back like swaying? Or actually backstepping constantly? If the earlier, step forward and throw your combinations. Headkicks are nice as well. If the latter, chase him down, pursuit combinations are great.
I can't see the video (on android mobile) so sorry if I am misunderstanding what you are talking about. I think you mean they are leaning slightly backwards using head movement to avoid your strike. If this is the case I usually double up on the jab to close distance and then throw an overhand right when within range. If you still can't get within range double/triple up on the jab and throw a shot to the body (mix it up with straights and hooks). That usually gets them to bring their head back forward and you can throw a hook to the head. Good luck! Hahaha my old sparring partner was 6' 7" and I am 5' 10", I feel your pain!
I will work off of feints in different ways if I see a guy trying to pull back a lot. Feint, stab him with body jab. Feint, cover ground with a left hook (hard to dip from the furthest point of the "pull," they'll usually have to come forward a bit or give ground entirely to get their balance/posture back, which walks them into a hook). Feint, work in carefully behind active guards, small steps, and probing punches just aiming to occupy the area, not even touch until he has no more ground to give.
