the high ear muff defence style - why is this mostley the favoured style in amateur

nice to know

 

Honestly, personally i don't stick to style. My style is mixing everything up, sometimes i do high ear muffs but when i can predict the hook comin in.. other times i just put my glove up and tighten myself and lean towards the punch a bit.

 

tons of guys use high guard in pro

ever watch boxing from europe lol

 

See the punch coming. There's a difference between a high guard and covering up/cowering.

 

Points not damage.

You get much more leeway in the pros.

 

Back in the day, gloves were smaller, and I doubt people could even use that style.

 

balance and a solid stance (which promotes balance). It also helps if you see the punch coming.

 

AM judges rarely score body shots also.

The key is to roll and counter w/ the High Guard. Don't be a heavy bag, you will get pushed around, and believe me you can still get hurt by a strong opponent with the earmuffs on if you dont move your head.

And by 'endurance' with your shoulders... get some heavier gloves and just work the bags and shadowbox with the them.

And for heaven sake.. save your shoulders by lowering your guard when out of range!

 

Personally, I've never taught the ear-muff style of defense. Won't tolerate it. I agree with Haislett (author of the best 'how to...' boxing book ever) that it has no place in the tool box of the skilled boxer.
In my opinion, the whole essence of boxing is being willing (and available) to fight, making the other guy miss and hitting him back. Hard to counter from the 'ear-muff.' Some years ago in Arizona I watched a touted amateur end his pro career in two for real four round sparring sessions because he put his gloves up and got outworked by a guy that didn't get tired of belaboring his gloves and arms.
And straight punches work against that defence. Sling a hook at the ribs and come back down the middle to the solar plexus, and uppercuts are can't miss.
In the long run you are much better off to learn to get your lead hip towards your opponent and roll your shoulder (which is so freaking easy it is astounding), or to learn how to smother punches with your arms and shoulders.

 

you don't think hands should be up AT ALL?

I find im in 2 camps on this

if i have my hands up i catch ALOT more stuff on the outside and ALOT more counters land on my gloves but i'm not as versatile and i don't feel as comfortable.

i have a habit of holding my lead left by my chin and my right up high by my ear, means if someone has a good jab i consistently get tagged with it until i get my hands up..

would love to have the ability to slip the jab everytime but im not experienced enough yet.

 

If you get an angle to your body and keep your right hand up, you should be ok. See, you don't need to react to every punch. Be mindful of range, catch the jab in your right glove, block the hook with your right elbow or right glove. The right hand comes from so far away, is in sight for so long, you can see it forever, just roll it off your shoulder. Which, by the way, is no mystical move taught only by gurus, and only to the gifted. That used to be, so to speak, the industry standard defense against the right hand. Dig up some of the instruction manuals from back when the colleges had boxing teams...But then came the rope-a-dope and the peek-a-boo and a generation or two of punch drunk boxers because everybody squares up and makes earmuffs.
The left hand should be free to counter- it is closer to the other guy- and the right hand stays home and defends.