The Evolution from Low Gaurd to High Gaurd

I've always wondered why the low guard stayed around so long. It seems pretty natural to have your hands where you can protect your face, while being able to be offensive at the same time. It actually helps the offense as well, as the distance for straight punches get shorter (chin to chin).

But as common sense as it seems with a high guard, a low guard is still utilised in both karate and kung-fu, isn't it? Funny, really.

 

You have to be a special fighter to work with a low or half guard these days: Hamed/Roy Jones/Ali

 

All about glove size. You try blocking a fist that only has a 4oz mitten wrapped around it, you'll soon find out why it used to be more preferable to lean straight back from the punch altogether.

 

No it isn't about glove size really. Just watch UFC. They are even more careful with their guard than boxers. They can't afford not to be. They block hooks/swings by bringing up the arm and bending it at the elbow and thus creating a triangle that protects just about the whole side of the head. This can also be used in boxing. Straight punches are blocked in the usual manner. There gloves doesn't make much difference.

 

Isn't leaning straight back seen as a major flaw today? Vitaly Klitschko gets criticized for his ugly style all the time, and he fights almost exectly like some of those pictures.

 

Ofcourse you can block and parry with small gloves, leaning straight back is a recipe for disaster, even Ali got dumped from doing that

 

The padding on their gloves is far more sophisticated than back in the late 19th century. They can afford to risk being hit.

 

Maybe, maybe not. Either way we're not talking about only the late 19th century here, but up until the 1940's.

Anyway, the padding of the gloves isn't really relevant. As I said, hooks and swings are blocked by the forearm, elbow and bicep in a triangle, and for blocking straight punches gloves doesn't matter really.

And if you've seen UFC you know they can't afford to take any risks. One clean, hard hit and it's usually lights out.

 

Adaption doesn't happen overnight, you know. It takes years for new techniques to catch on. To illustrate my point best I went back to the roots.

This doesn't hold up. Yep, it's definitely possible to block or slip or parry punches with small gloves, but what if you miss and cop one on the nose? It's going to hurt much less with one of those padded UFC gloves than a bare fist or those old horse hair mitts.

That's all I'm saying, it was the risk factor, that's why the old fighters opted to lean away from punches. It was more like fencing.

 

Great thread and first post Suzie. For all the advantages the high guard has, it can be nice to watch the art which fighters of the earlier eras used, as if they were fencing , each trying to feint and land off the other's mistakes

 

It is all about glove size. Back then it was viable to keep the hands a bit lower because covering up meant getting beat up. Feinting, body movement, parrying and intercepting punches were defensive methods. Not that many combinations were used, so the above techniques were quite effective. Plus, you have to realize that since there was a general lack of combinations, being in position to throw a good counter punch was pretty important as well.


As others pointed out, there are still plenty of modern boxers who don't use the high guard that religiously.

I do agree with most of the initial post. However, i do find it ironic that a picture of Ali is used. He couldn't block a left hook to save his life: just ask Frazier about that.

 

Wouldn't it be easier to parry punches with your hands held high?

 

I repeat: If it was all about glove size UFC fighters wouldn't use such a high guard. But they do, more diligently even than modern boxers.

 

It does hold up. Being hit by those UFC gloves is probably very close to being hit with a bare fist. I think they protect the hands much more than the opponents face. A high guard is also a more effecient way of protection than merely leaning back, which is very perilious. Furthermore, you can still lean back even with a high guard. It just makes more sense all around using one.