How to Combine Punches in Boxing

You can't become a good boxer without learning to throw combination punches. One-punch fighters just don't last. Develop a good set of combination punches that you can throw automatically and put together in different situations, and you'll stand a better chance of the ref raising your arm at the end of the fight.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

1. Jab if you want to stay in the ring. It's the most important punch in boxing. It's a quick corkscrewing punch that snaps straight from the ready position to your opponent's face and snaps his head back when it lands. It's the first punch and the set up in every combination.

2. Add a second punch to form a 1-2 combination. For a right-handed fighter, the combination is left and then right. The second punch can be a hook, a straight right, a cross or an upper cut. These four, plus the jab, are the five basic punches.

3. Include another left to form the 1-2-3 combination. For example, throw a left jab and a right cross to the head, then a hook to the body. The sequence is fast and explosive, and it's important to throw a lot of punches to find your opponent's weak spots.

4. Bring in another right to build the 1-2-3-4 combination, like the pistons of an engine slamming left, right, left, right. Work these punches from the head down to the body and back up to the head. It's hard for any opponent to defend against this many hard, fast punches aiming at all parts of his anatomy.

5. Throw all five punches to get your opponent back on his heels. This 1-2-3-4-5 combination usually ends with the biggest punch last. The jab straightens him up, and the next three punches soften him up. The last one lights him up.

Tips & Warnings

• Always step in to throw a punch, especially at the start of a combination.
• Mix up your combinations. You always start with the jab, but change up the sequence of punches and where you aim them after that. A predictable fighter has a short career.
• Remember the ref's instruction at the start of every fight to protect yourself at all times. Your opponent is always looking for a chance to throw his own combinations.

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