BOXING : LESSON ONE - PERFECT STANCE

Good boxing technique begins from the ground up.

With a heavy bag, a pair of pads or – even worse – a sparring partner in front of you, it’s easy to get carried away and sucked into throwing punches using only your arms. But if you want to build punching power, reduce tiredness and have a good defence, you need to a proper stance: everything else is built on a good starting position.

Here’s a checklist that will help you assess the quality of your stance.

1) Find a line on the ground. Now position your feet so that the toe of your front foot touches the line, while the heel of your back foot touches the same line. Your front foot should be facing almost straightforward. The back foot should point outwards at a 45-degree angle. Now lift your back heel and bend your knees.

2) Beginners and Thai Boxers often stand too upright for boxing (image on the right). If you plan to develop your boxing, you want to make sure that your knees are bent so that the muscles in your legs are activated (image on the left, although the back foot is turned too far out in this picture).
Bent knees will give you additional agility in your slips and evasive footwork, and allow you to throw punches with maximum speed and power.

3) Your shoulders should be angled at 45 degrees: standing square makes you a bigger target. Your backhand should be glued to your cheek, while your front hand can sit about a fist’s distance from your jaw.

4) Don’t forget to tuck your chin, and to roll your shoulders slightly inwards.

Now all you have to do is consistently move around in, and come back to this position… Practice this in shadow boxing!