anyone have any good drills to practice defense (i.e. defending against the hook, jab, or straight right)?
Good routine is to drill in the defense after every punch. Eg: Jab... block hook Jab... block right Right hand... block hook Right hand... block right Left hook... block hook Left hook... block right Just drill them repetitively until it becomes automatic. That way, you won't be worried about counters because you've burnt in the defense no matter which punch you throw.
Let your training partner shoot a punch or 2 when working the mitts. Visualize being attacked when shadowboxing/working the bag. Spar attack-orientated fighters.
i agree i have bad defense and would love to improve it im not sure if its my footwork or my reactions or a combination of both i guess it comes wit experience but a few drills would do some justice
