This is one of the most useful boxing tips I’ve ever received. After you’ve come forward throwing a jab-cross combination at least 3 times, change it up by starting with the cross then jab. It’s so simple, anybody can do this. It doesn’t seem clever or special, but it’s gold I tell you. I got this tip early on in my sparring experience and had had no prior luck leading with a right hand, but it worked like a charm.
Why It Works
See when you slip your opponents jab you move your head to the right. This is because your opponent’s jab comes from his left hand and travels on a slight angle from your rightside to left, making it easier to slip your head to the right as the jab passes by. On the flip side crosses are easier to slip to the left. So slipping a 1-2 means moving your head right then left.
This trick lulls your opponent into a rythm of slipping jab-crosses: right-left, right-left, right-left, then boom! His head goes rightwards into they way of your cross! To make it more convincing you can feint the jab and throw the cross leaning slightly to your right to hide the right hand.
I especially have luck with this when I’m sparring an unfamiliar partner. One time I sparred a pro boxer from a visiting gym who beat me up and completely outclassed me. I had difficulty landing even a single jab against this guy, but after 30 futile jab attempts this trick even worked on him. Hell, it was the only good thing I can say about those 2 rounds.
The trick is not to do it too much. You have to set it up with lots of 1-2’s. I’m telling ya, of all the boxing tips you’ll receive, this one is gold.
