Stance
Footwork, punching and pretty much everything else come from a sensible foundation
1. You don’t want your stance to be too wide or close together; the best way is to keep your feet just a little more than shoulder-width apart. That gives you a good, solid base.
1a. My hands stay up, my lead hand extended slightly forward in front of my chin as I want it to get to the target – and back – as quickly as possible. The rear hand would preferably be nearer your temple than your chin, but you may have to bend your knees more so as not to open up too much of your body.
1b. You shouldn’t be leaning to heavily on either your front or back foot, balance is so important. In the amateurs, a lot of work came off the backfoot but in professional boxing you need to generate more power so neutral balance is better, as you need to be able to easily transfer your weight from the front to the back and a solid base allows you to do that.
1c. My back foot would always be up on the ball of the foot, allowing me to pivot, but my front foot would be flat, providing a solid base. I don’t want to be bouncing up and down to much because it takes a lot of energy, so you just want to be edging forward.
Footwork
The essence of an effective attack and defence is intelligent movement
1. As an orthodox fighter, if I’m moving forward or to the left, front foot first. If I’m going to the right or backwards, right foot first. So first you move the foot closest to the direction in which you intend to go.
2. Top tip
The best way to start practising is to go up and down a line drawn – or sellotaped – on the gym floor and go forwards and backwards along the line, then side to side, then incorporating the punches with it.
3. Common mistake
You should never have your feet too close together or cross your feet as it leaves you off balance and prone to being knocked over.
