Hands high and chin tucked in to protect it - basic fundamental principle that many many fighters do and yet oddly many completely disregard it ? Why ?? I got to admit as a none fighter that it does feel a bit odd to tuck your chin right in almost as if to look at the floor as some fighters do...is that why many just don't like to do it ?
most just forget to do it in the heat of the battle. some just dont care. the hands also tend to go down the more tired you are
I do tuck my chin in standing side on hands high when messing about sparing. how fighters can fight head up hands down when attacking is beyond me .Braver than me thats for sure!
Having hands up, the opponent focuses on your face mainly cos that's where your head is and that's where your hands are. When they're lower down, the opponent has to focus on your head so they know what to hit but also has to focus on your hands so they don't get hit. Harder to deal with
High guard with a tucked in chin gives you a good defensive wall, but limits your offense. It's harder to be a fluid combo puncher from that position. A loser guard offers more opportunities to attack, at the risk of getting caught. Usually the loser the guard, the more movement is used as defense over blocking/absorbing incoming punches.
Defense in boxing is a complex thing. Imho, defense is the guard, the body's movement and the position in the ring. When you start boxing, your trainer will insist in having your hands up, and your chin down, because it's the easiest part of the defense to learn. But that's not the only part of the defense. Still a closed guard means nothing if you have in front of you a guy with a little bit of skill and experience, and you lack of the other parts of the defense. Once you get experience enough, you can evolve to your own (your trainer's own) style. Depending on the boxer, they will give more importance to the guard, the movement or the position. You will go classic with guard up and standar feet position (like EE fighters), you will go phillyshell having feet more parallel (improves your left hand, steals power to your right hand, but improves your counter capability), you will go pickaboo like tyson (head movement nonstop, chin between your shoulders and next to your chest, perfect to close spaces and hit with both hands), you can go full weird like foreman or hammed... you can go whatever it fits your style. Hand's position are optional (to EXPERIENCED REALLY EXPERIENCED FIGHTERS, not for us, I repeat, not for you and me), chin stuck to the chest and next to your shoulder IS NOT, that's mandatory no matter the style and no matter your skill. Btw, I'll give you my 2 cents, fight ALWAYS with your guard up. If you listen to me, you will not have to be wooped a good amount of times while trying to phillyshell until you realize you dont have the skill (like i had to). But, you know, I guess every one of us have to phillyshell and get wooped to learn, so, go your own way
Btw, I've read your post again, you will find top fighters with their hands down, you will not find top fighters with their chins up flying on the air (like mcgregor's). Once you get more experienced the chin's position becomes more natural, but never ever is up and flying, thats suicidal instincts.
1) that's not true. His shoulder covers his chin, so his chin is not up. AJ's average, but he's not that bad. 2) that's the reason why you need to cover your chin -> http://i.imgur.com/ABaNguG.gif
Fighting with hands high isn't the only way. It just is better for a beginner or someone that doesn't have that great of head movement because they can block a good amount of punches like that. That jab is easy to see coming from that stance. With the front hand low, the jab can come up in between the his guard and lift the chin up or put him off balance. Both have their advantages and disadvantages. It depends on what style suits you.
