One of the kids I train with has some really good attributes and has potential to be a good defensive fighter. He has good movement and footwork, makes good use of the ring....he just doesn't let his hands go. He's more of a jabber and he'll either throw one jab and circle out, or the odd time, maybe a one two - or the odd body shot....but simply doesn't do enough offensively. It's like he only throws punches to create space and get away. He hasn't competed yet, but i'm afraid the way amateur fights are scored, he'll lose a close fight simply on the lack of offense/aggression. It's hard for me to put myself in his shoes, because i've always been a come forward brawler type. I've never had this type of hesitation. So for anyone who's ever started off this way, what helped you get over your apprehension to throw punches? Is it a mental thing....conditioning... I know some of you might be thinking, if you can't let your hands go, you might as well give up on boxing. But he's got some real potential, and he's only done it less than a year, so I think everyone deserves a fair shake and if he can get over this, he's got some talent that can be developed. I don't think I want to change his style, there's definitely benefits to it. I just want to understand the hesitancy. Maybe he needs to get comfortable with his defence, maybe he needs more inside work, maybe he needs more sparring partners his size (he's the smallest guy - i'm a bit bigger by about 2 inches & 15lbs, but I definitely pull my punches and ease up on the forward pressure as it can overwhelm novice fighters).
It's mental. Kids I have worked with like this do this for one reason: They are afraid of getting hit. He has to learn the "fighting" aspect of this. Kids like this are ones who have never been in many street fights, or have non-aggressive personalities. You have to have to do some brawling drills to get hit used to getting hit and coming back with his own shots. Have him backed into a corner. Adjust the timer to 30 second work/30 second rest. You go into a shell, and have right work on a 2 punch counter then a defensive move and repeat. He doesn't have to go 100%, but still needs to throw power shots under control. While you catch his shots on your guard, throw short punches back and hit him too. Ex: he throws a left hook, right uppercut then ducks. Then short right, left hook and roll. You hit him with a light left hook, he comes back with a short right, left hook and it continues. Start off with all head shots. When comfortable, he then can work the head and body and even do a 3 punch combo. I usually stick to 2 punches then a defensive move. ** And plus with this kid's style, he wants to be outside. If he gets trapped inside, get off a quick 2 punch combination and pivot out.
Great suggestions - thanks for the insight. I will definitely try this and keep you posted on the progress.
Have you watched him on the Bag? Or in Shadowboxing? Does he throw low volume on those? Because it could be kinda ****ing up his mental tempo. Have you tried showing him fights of fighters with similar athletic qualities and a similar style... that just throws more? I was thinking Sergio Martinez, as likes to keep range also... Sometimes with guys.. if they see a fight, they will kinda get hyped to do something similar.
LongJab is right. Just don't make him go against his own style. You don't want to bust the kid up for no reason. That will just hurt his confidence and make him quit. I've seen coaches that forced kids to do this. They would make them fight squared up, and tell them to walk foward, and basically take a beating for no good reason.
Real good advice so far. It's definitely mental: Either he isn't a fighter at heart (doesn't mean he can't be a winning fighter) or he isn't confident in his conditioning. Don't be afraid to pressure him and overwhelm him. That's exactly what everyone he fights is going to do, and he has to learn how to bite down and fight his way out. Flip that around. Make him spar in situations where he has to keep the other guy on the ropes or in a corner. Call it a finishing drill or whatever. Basically teach him how to beat someone up, not just outbox them. Once they escape, start it over and keep on doing it until he learns how to pressure someone (up close or from a distance). Also check up on little things like punch resistance. A lot of guys I've seen with that style aren't necessarily afraid to get hit, but they know what happens if they do get hit and try to avoid it at all costs. This leads to them keeping their chin high, poor balance, jumpy footwork, etc. Make sure he's keeping his chin protected and TEACH HIM TO AVOID PUNCHES BY SMOTHERING. This is a great skill for an outfighter, especially if he likes to hit the body. Slip a punch, smother, push him back, rip a body shot, pivot out with a head shot, repeat. He needs to understand that he's in there to hurt the other person so badly that they have to stop fighting. That's really hard to do when you run away all the time.
Again more great suggestions. I will take those suggestions to develop him more in the ring. Also, I will encourage him to do a lot of visualization exercises to picture himself throwing more offense. Sounds cliche, but totally helped me when I was starting out too. I'm a big believer in visualization. Also Killsomething you touched on an important point. When sparring with him, I change my usual forward pressure style and become more of a defensive counter puncher thinking this is easier. But when I was starting out, sparring with a bigger & faster guy who constantly counters can actually be MORE scary cuz they catch you with quick shots you don't see or expect coming. It actually hurts more. Maybe i need to mix it up a little more. I really appreciate all the help guys - thanks for your feedback!
Why do you say he has attributes to make him a good defensive fighter? It sounds to me like he doesn't understand how to defend himself yet, that he doesn't know any way to avoid getting hit other than to avoid exchanges and to stay away from his opponent. So of course he is unwilling to throw punches. I don't think it would be good to tell him that he needs to get used to getting hit, either. I would start him with real basic stuff- jab at him and teach him how to catch the jab, pivot to his left and jab back in one motion. Parry the jab and jab back, and so on. With every defensive move, always teach the return, the counter punch, and ALWAYS practice them together. Get him good at avoiding a punch and landing the first counter- then get him stringing punches together off the move. But make sure he gets the first one down. You can teach a guy to skip around or cover up and let the other guy punch, then to 'let his hands go' in turn, but that isn't boxing. It is just throwing punches. Teach defense and offense at the same time, as the same thing.
