Training Room ... ... Stance: It is impossible to describe or learn a proper boxing stance from a book. It must be learned in the gym, and it must be taught by a trainer. There is no other way. Remember, though, that a proper stance relies upon proper footwork, balance, and centeredness, the first three of the five BoxingArts Principles. A good stance lets a fighter throw a jab, right-hand, or check-hook without adjusting his stance. Once one of those punches is thrown, the boxer immediately brings his hands straight back and returns to his stance. This takes practice. Never drop your hands. Shadow-box in front of the gym mirror to make sure you aren't dropping your hands as you bring them back into position. Hooks and upper-cuts require the boxer to shift his position and adjust his stance. They must be thrown close in. Hooks and upper-cuts should never be thrown from the outside. The boxer's stance for inside fighting is different from his stance for outside fighting. It is tighter and more protective. There is less time to react and limited vision to see punches coming. Every boxer's stance is slightly different, based on his own physique, and fighting style. ... Movement: All movement has a purpose. Boxers who move for no reason are just wasting energy and time and have no plan. Boxers should only move for a reason. They move in or out to establish range. They move right or left to force their opponent to shift his position and expose himself to openings. They move back or to the side to avoid an opponent's assault. A fighter can also move in to avoid an assault. Never move for no reason. Never just dance around. Boxers who move for no reason are usually nervous and lack confidence. They often have what in American football is called "happy feet", where a quarterback keeps dancing around in the pocket because he has gotten hit too often and is afraid of getting hit again. A fighter must learn to calm his mind to calm his body and settle down. This takes time and practice. ... Range: Control the range and you control your opponent. When you control the range, you force your opponent to react and put him on the defense. When your range is right, punch. Punch automatically. Don't think about it, and don't hesitate. Punch in combination whenever you can. Then move and re-establish your position. Then punch again. If your opponent is being aggressive, let him, but move away or to the side to avoid his punches, or move in to smother his punches. Either way, make him work. Let him wear himself out. Never let your opponent take control of the fight by establishing his range. ... Style: Every fighter's style is different. It is a reflection of his character, his physique, and his overall boxing skills. There are three basic fighting styles: boxer, puncher, and boxer-puncher. The best style, of course, is the boxer-puncher. Punching with power comes naturally to some. They are born with it. Movement, timing, quickness, and speed comes naturally to others. If you are a natural pncher, work on your movement and timing. If movement and timing come naturally to you, work on your punching power. Don't rely on your natural talents. Work on becoming a complete fighter, a boxer-puncher. ... Punching: Punching, many would say, is what boxing is all about. Those who oppose boxing, whether on moral, sociological, or psychological grounds, or for health reasons, often say that boxing is just two guys punching each other, that it's all about punching. But a lot of (so-called) boxing experts say the same thing, that it's all about clean punching, one of the four criteria used to judge a professional boxing match. That is an oversimplification of boxing, and appeals to the simpleminded. It dumbs down the art of boxing, exposes it to critics, and opens the door to less-sophisticated fighting styles. It also misleads young fighters into focusing exclusively on punching and ignoring all the other things that a boxer needs to know to be successful, and all the other things that make boxing an art. That being said, punching is, of course, an essential component of boxing ... so let's take a look at it. The first thing to remember is that the fist is only the last part of a punch; that punching, especially power punching, starts with the feet. Many trainers call it Kinetic-Linking, the way that your muscles move in sequense to deliver power from your feet, up through your legs and torso, through you shoulder and arms into your fist. This is explained in more detail in the Power page. ... More to come ...