I'm curious as to how some of you guys go about dodging punches. Im fast and have gotten away with dodging blows to the head by moving as soon as i see movement (not for the jab). I figure that when my opponents punch is thrown he is aiming for where my head is at the moment he lets it fly, so the sooner I move the more time I have to counter. Any tips and or suggestions? :think
That is basically it. I will talk from the perspective of a guy hitting you and nullifying it... You MUST incorporate something else other than a (single) dodge. Most guys only have a handful of such fakes. Once an opponent feints a few times he knows how a guy LIKES to escape. So he sets the trap accordingly. One trick I employ after learning this is following a garbage shot up with a MEAN second shot. The first shot makes you dodge/counter and the second shot goes to where your head WILL be. I try to take your head off with that one. So if that first dodge left you feeling "safe"? :hey Personally, I always make sure though to have a sequence of dodges/attacks that I can continue if the offensive attack continues. That is all built around the guys "money" punch though. For example if I can handle his speed and he favors a cross: -- Pull back from the jab (counter lead hook?) -- Slip over while closing in (cross should sail over left ear/shoulder/glove) -- Jab/block/spin out -- dip into opponent -- hold As you see after the first shot I am not "resetting". I am moving into another step in an evolving sequence. At any time if the guy stops punching I IMMEDIATELY am able to take advantage of offensive opportunities. The last step is to just hold him because obviously I have been overwhelmed. I think it is VERY important, especially for a fast guy, to NOT expect to get away and ALWAYS plan for the other guy to nullify his dodging. If you think "I can dodge!" and incorporate this false truth as a foundation in your game then you are SCREWED when you meet a guy who you can't dodge. I speak of "pulling back" from the perspective of being balanced and rocking back a short 3-4 inches by lowering your rear heel, bending the rear knee and shifting your weight onto your back foot NOT leaning back at your waist like the limbo. Doing that should put you in an optimal position to strike back, i.e, with a cross or lead left hook. I know people say "don't pull back" but I think that in a fight, you do what you can get away with and NEVER become predictable. Fighting is fluid. If a guy is too fast and accurate you are just as screwed attempting to slip punches. Just like if he is too strong and his combos to complete you are screwed blocking.
I rarely get missed. I found that a simple bob to my right (kind of a half-dempsey crouch) gets me away from most anything, and follow that up with a big step in and just like that I've got you smothered. Typically I try to pick off the first shot with one of my gloves and move in or out before worrying about the next one. Out--I reset or counter. In--I try to slip followup shots and then counter. Once I'm on the inside and I'm actually in physical contact with my opponent, I really push/lean into them if they let me (most people won't, but some guys will). If I feel them punching, I know to roll under or get out.
