Boxing experts agree that there’s one deadly punching mistake that most untrained people make that get them knocked out.
As a newcomer, it can be tricky to consider the 20 page textbook of potential mistakes each second of a fight. So instead of trying to cram everything into your head at once and fix every mistake- why not work on the biggest, most impactful ones first?
This one mistake causes the fighter to expend their energy while leaving themselves vulnerable.
Discover how to fix this error or take advantage of this:
I’m going to hit you with my right hand.
That’s called telegraphing- I’ve told you what I intend to do. Now it’s up to you how you want to react.
Telegraphing is the art of doing this without saying anything. When someone picks up a ball and wind back with their arm cocked- it doesn’t take a genius to figure out that they’re about to throw the ball. Signals like these can also be seen in combat.
Since most people are right-handed, their power hand tends to be their right hand. Untrained fighters tend to load up their right hand in some way as they believe it will increase the power output. Some telegraph by lowering their hand, others are going to wind back before throwing.
EASY COUNTER:
If you are a sharpshooter, you can intercept your opponent by popping a stiff jab. The fact that your opponent is showing their intention by loading up for a big punch shows their intent of going forward; should you intercept them with a stiff jab, this will surely stun them for a brief second and take the power out of the power hand. Be ready to slip, parry, or block the right hand after throwing the jab as there is no guarantee that a jab will stop the right hand from being thrown.
SELF DIAGNOSIS:
Record a movie of yourself hitting the bag or sparring. You might be surprised how far your hand drops before you throw your punch, or how slow the entire punch is. This error can also be evident in sparring if you find yourself being countered as you throw every punch, or if none of your punches are landing.
