Stance and Guard
The position everything returns to. Get this wrong and every punch after it inherits the mistake.
Stance and Guard
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En esta lección
- Find your lead foot and set stance width
- Load the stance so both feet can drive
- Set hand height without burying your own vision
Clave del entrenador — Stand as if someone is about to shove you sideways — not forwards.
Why the stance comes first
A punch is a stance moving. Everything you will ever throw borrows its power from the way you are standing when you throw it, and every defence you will ever use is a small change to that same position. Boxers who never fix their stance spend years adding technique on top of a foundation that cannot hold it.
The stance has two jobs that pull against each other: it has to be stable enough to hit from, and loose enough to move out of. Too narrow and you fall over. Too wide and you are rooted to the floor.
Building it from the floor up
- Feet. Stand naturally, then step your lead foot forward about one stride. Your feet should end up roughly shoulder width apart side to side as well as front to back. Both heels never sit on the same line.
- Angles. Lead toe points at the target. Rear foot turns out to around forty-five degrees, with the heel light — not lifted, not planted.
- Knees. Soft. A visible bend, not a squat. If your thighs burn after thirty seconds you are too low.
- Weight. Fifty-fifty. You should be able to lift either foot without shifting first.
- Hips and shoulders. Turned slightly side-on. Your lead shoulder is closer to the target than your rear shoulder.
The guard
Hands at cheekbone height, not forehead height. The rear hand sits against the jaw; the lead hand floats slightly forward and slightly lower, because it has further to travel and does more work. Elbows stay down on the ribs — a guard with flared elbows protects your head and offers your body.
Chin down, eyes up. You should be looking through your eyebrows, not over your knuckles.
What usually goes wrong
| Mistake | What it costs you |
|---|---|
| Feet on one line | No lateral balance — a light push puts you over |
| Standing square | Both sides of your body exposed, no rotation to punch |
| Rear heel flat | Rear foot cannot pivot, so the cross has no power |
| Hands too high | You cannot see the punch that hits you |
| Locked knees | Nothing to push off; every movement starts late |
Drill it
Three rounds of two minutes. Round one: hold the stance and check the five points from the floor up, once every ten seconds. Round two: step forward and back the length of a room, stopping every fifth step to check nothing has drifted. Round three: have someone push your shoulder at random — light shoves, from any angle. If you have to step to stay upright, your stance was too narrow.