The fundamentals of boxing

Self-defense has been a mainstay of media for a while now and with good reason. Everyone dreams about being a sort of sleeping tiger - amicable and friendly, but dangerous and effective if threatened. Well, self-defence skills are possibly the most physical way to express that. Now, you might think that such skills are out of reach (as I thought initially), demanding years of training and shaping up. After some research, I was surprised to find that it is not the case… at all. Today, I want us to take a class with one of boxing history legends to learn how to apply such defensive principles to real-world situations. Let‘s begin!

Weighting in

Our teacher will be Jack Dempsey. You might not know him, but he can hardly wish for a more experienced mentor. He was probably the first modern boxing superstar - being the first to feature in a million-dollar exhibition match. He was also heavy-weight champion from 1919 to 1926 - that is seven years. Not a bad resume.

Dempsey truly believed (and so am I) that anyone can learn boxing. It‘s not about being tall or muscular or even “in shape“ for that matter. Rater, it‘s all about weight. We all have weight. The key is to learn how to launch that weight into fast motion effectively. For that, we can rely on our lower-body muscles. They are much more powerful than you may realize. Just remember that is what you use to jump and what is jumping other than launching your full weight at great speed? But jumping isn‘t that practical to defend yourself (or maybe unconventionally so). For that, better to know how to throw a punch - a real punch that is.

Punching through the power line

A punch doesn‘t start with your fists. First, we need to set your weight in motion. A punch made with only a movement of the arm is only partial. There are many ways to put your weight in motion, here‘s one given by Jack. Let‘s get in position. Place your right foot to the rear and to the right of your left foot. Bend your knees slightly. Bend your body forward just a bit to shift your weight forward onto your left foot. Your right foot should be resting on the ball of the foot. Make sure the position is balanced and comfortable. Then, lift the left foot and let the body fall forward in a quick step. The left foot should end up flat on the ground. Jack repeats profusely that it is very important to practice that movement a lot and without any preliminary movement of the right foot. By “falling forward“, you can set your weight in motion without much effort.

Now that your weight is launched, we need to relay that force to your target. This is where your fist comes in - as the point of impact. This is where we use what Jack called “the power line“. This is an imaginary line running through your shoulder, your arm and the first knuckle of your little finger. If you follow your motion with a movement through that axis, you can leverage it to amplify the impact. Be warned that the little knuckle is very fragile. Jack recommends using the knuckle next to it (that is the ring finger‘s knuckle) instead. In that way, you should aim your target with the second knuckle or your hand.

There is also the matter of what movement your hand should do itself. When throwing a punch, you should bring forward your punching hand half-openened - through the power line of course. But then, as the hand speeds forward, you should close your hand (fingers closed and thumb over them) in a quick, almost convulsive grabbing motion. Make sure that the second knuckle stays on target. That‘s it. You have now thrown a REAL punch. It will need practice, but nothing to worry about.

One last note here. Jack points out that you should use your left hand to throw a punch if you're left-handed. Why? It will be easier for you to follow the punch with another or the appropriate defence in that way. Your left shoulder will also shield you a bit. Remember that while throwing a punch, you should always prepare your next move with the other hand.

Choose your stance

Jack takes also a lot of time to explain the main stances and with good reasons. How you stand before and after throwing a punch will dictate how fast and defensible you can be. As such, Jack lists 3 appropriate stances:

The simplest is the upright stance. As you could guess, this is standing straight up with your weight evenly distributed on both feet. Excellent in defence, since you have more freedom to move your feet in whatever way you want. Keep in mind that this position was reputed to be easier to be knocked off balance from. It‘s not very useful offensively either.

The opposite stance would be to be almost comically crouched forward. That is the full crouch stance. Useful in close quarters, it maximizes the effectiveness of evasion techniques (bobbing and weaving). But it demands you to adapt your punches. This stance demands to use hooks and uppercuts. Such punches follow the same principles that the one I teach you, but do not follow directly the power line. As such, you will need more practice to know how to “bring them back“ to the power line where they need to end up. Being crouched makes you a smaller target too. Sadly, you lose foot mobility. Keeping that in mind with the fact that this stance requires extensive training, this is probably not your best option for now.

The final stance is the one you should reach for - the semi-crouch. Simply put, it is a compromise between both previous stances. What are its advantages? First, your weight is just enough forward for effective punches. Then, you are harder to knock off balance while still free to do what footwork you require. Lastly, Jack personally finds it more comfortable, a plus. It might be a dangerous situation but that doesn‘t mean you should be at your ease.

Ringing the bell

I have so much more to tell but I would be running pretty long. I will therefore end with a quick node to defensive techniques - that is how to prevent a punch. Remember that throwing a punch in itself can be seen as a way to defend yourself. After all, attack is the best defense and it is clearly the philosophy in boxing. There are 3 main ways to prevent a punch - evading it (the preferred way), deflecting it and blocking it. To evade, you can go down (bobbing) or left-right (weaving). Remember that an effective evasion uses minimal movement and prepares a counterpunch. To deflect, use your hand and try to block the upper arm. If you limit the arm, the hand itself will never reach you. Lastly, to block a punch, the best way to do so is with a half-open hand. Do remember to ALWAYS keep your both eyes on the target when you try to block.

That is all for today. Thank you, Jack. As you can see, self-defence isn‘t just about physical strength. We all have the strength needed. Rater, it‘s all about technique, awareness and strategy. By knowing how to move the dance and sing the song, you‘ll be a lot better equipped to protect and respond in an emergency. I won‘t lie that I hope that you will never need to use these skills but with your now more capable hands, you will know what to do if the time comes.

On that, see you next time.

References

Dempsey, Jack, Championship Fighting Explosive Punching and Aggressive Defense, 1950.