Oct 16 2007
Body Punchers, the Multiheaded Threat
I think body punching is probably the most feared skill in boxing. This notion often seems counterintuitive to beginners, everyone is afraid of that big shot to the head. But I think most experienced boxers would tell you that they cringe at the idea of facing a good body puncher.
After you face one it becomes obvious why they are so dangerous. They stretch your defenses, they dish out a lot pain and they play on your fear of fatigue.
Body punches are a multi-headed threat:
- Body punches can cause KOs. Take a good shot to the kidneys or liver and you’ll go down paralyzed. I’ve personally seen a guy take 2 minutes to get up after taking a left hook to the liver.
- They effect your breathing, especially if your ribs get busted or badly bruised.
- They sap your strength. Nothing is more frightening than gassing against a fresh boxer.
- Head punches are alarming, they bring about blackouts or unconciousness, but they don’t cause overwhelming pain. Body punches on the other hand can really hurt.
- Body punches stretch your defenses. Defending the body often weakens the defense of the head.
- Body punching is a rare skill, so most boxers don’t get a lot of practice defending against this attack.
I’d say I’m a novice level body puncher, but I’ve gotten on the road to becoming a good body puncher. So far the skills I’ve developed have been very welcomed in my game.
Another thing I find helpful to remember is that the body is a large, soft target that doesn’t move very much. Therefore, it’s easier to hit.
Sometimes, when having a difficult time hitting my opponent’s head, I switch to a body attack and am able to score a lot more. That’s really important in amateur boxing where number of punches scored is usually more important than the power of those punches.
Additionally, even if you’re not hitting terribly hard, if you land several punches to your opponent’s body, he is very likely to drop his hands. That creates more opportunities for you to punch and score.
Excellent points.
One of my regular sparring partners moves his head a lot. But his body is often open, especially when he’s using extreme head movement.