How to Throw a Counter Punch Series in Boxing

In boxing, a counter punch is defined as any punch that a boxer throws immediately after his opponent throws a punch, taking advantage of a momentary slip in the opponent's defenses. Often, two competitors will spend the first few rounds probing each other's defenses, looking for weak spots. If a boxer is able to identify a weak spot in his opponent, he can exploit that weak spot later in the match.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Sparring partner
• Boxing gloves
• Protective pads

1. Take up a typical staggered stance facing your opponent, and keep your gloves up to cover your face and chest. Your sparring partner will do most of the punching. Get him to exaggerate dropping his other glove away from his face whenever he throws a punch. Focus on recognizing the drop in his glove just prior to the coming punch. This may take several practice sessions. As you progress, have your sparring partner punch more normally, making his weak spots less easily recognizable. Just keep watching and focus on keeping your gloves up to block.

2. Practice weaving out of the way of your sparring partner’s punches instead of blocking them. This entails dropping low at the knees and hunching the back in order to duck under a punch, then sidestepping and resuming your normal stance, all in one smooth motion. If your opponent throws a punch with his right fist, duck from the right and sidestep to your left before standing up straight. If your opponent throws a punch with his left fist, duck from the left and sidestep or bob to the right. Continue doing this for several more practice sessions until it becomes more natural to bob underneath a punch rather than block it with your gloves.

3. Throw counter punches. Weave as you have learned to do. You will want to begin throwing your punch just prior to standing back up entirely. If the weak spot is on the left side of your opponent’s face, start with a right cross. Simply twist at the waist while driving the glove squarely into the identified weak spot. Continue the attack by driving an underhanded body blow into your opponent’s gut with your left fist. Finish the counter punch series by leaning forward and swinging from your right to your left in a right hook to impact against the side of your opponent’s cheek. This is a right-left-right combination; if your opponent’s weak spot is on the right side of the face, then you will want to throw a mirroring left-right-left combination.

4. Repeat the series of counter punches time after time, making sure to incorporate identifying the weak spot as well as weaving prior to the attack. You will need to practice this series of moves many times over many different training sessions. Eventually it will become like second nature, allowing you to react with a series of counter punches far faster than a boxer who is consciously throwing punches could ever hope to match. In order to make this a sure win every time, you must be reacting as if by instinct rather than by conscious thought.

Tips & Warnings

• A single sparring partner will not be happy getting hit so often, so it's better to stagger your training sessions between multiple sparring partners.

Who Can Help Sponsored

• Tired of Being Tired? Fight Fatigue and Try FRS for FREE!