Best Defensive Drills

I’ve come to appreciate that defense is the unsung hero of boxing. It’s not merely about avoiding punches; it’s a strategic cornerstone that can dictate the flow of a bout and conserve valuable energy. Most of the time, beginners are pretty hype with hitting mitts or heavy bags during the day because it feels good to hear the “thud’ sound. As much as I love trying out different combos while hitting mitt, I still work on my defense. In this discussion, here are my best defensive drills that I practiced which you can apply. Learning defense is as important as offense.

1. Head Movement

Head movement is underrated because of how hard it is to execute and master.  Here are 3 general head movement that makes a lot of difference which can be added to your defense drill practice with or without partner.

Slip

This is harder than it sounds but most of us never consider moving our head in our boxing drill. Head movement can be moving right to left, back to front with still maintaining our chin tuck down. Think of slip in 2ways. Another way to slip, is 45degree to your right or left and bow.

Duck / Weave

Some coach call it duck others called it weave. Both are the same drill. Weave is using your hip and waist, almost a short squat and moving your head like an imaginary U shape in front of you (a left or right hook is coming to your head). Mistake while doing the weave is pulling your rear shoulder back and dropping the rear hand low. Weave or duck uses your lower body more so you will use more energy while executing this. 

Pull

For pull is basically moving your upper body back like swaying back. Or you do this with your back foot only stepping back slightly and still be balanced so this way you can counter back another punch. For some, this might take a toll on your lower back so take a break from this defense drill if you have to and work on other defense drills like footwork (e.g. step in and step out) that I mentioned at the end of this blog.

2. PARRY

Parry is the simplest defense that involves using a small, quick motion to deflect an opponent’s punch away from you. If you are able to parry a jab or a cross, this will disrupt your opponent’s rhythm. By successfully parrying, you can create opportunities to counter with your own punches, often catching an opponent when they’re most vulnerable. In my personal opinion, this is something I practice over and over again because of how short my range is. 

3. HIGH GUARD

Here is how you do a high guard. Place your fist on your temples and keep that guard tight so no punch can come through your gloves. You can tense your high guard pretty hard but you can always move your head and feet while in high guard. 

This was the defense that got me through my first boxing match in the second round and 3rd round after being clipped in my head many times by my opponent’s punches. My head coach kept telling me “keep your hands up this way” and make sure my opponent can’t get through. It worked!

Above is me receiving instruction on high guard by my head coach on my first fight, The Chosen Wan. My cornerwomen, Sophia and May.

FOOTWORK

There’s great power in not being there to get hit in the first place. That’s where agility and footwork come into the picture. Having solid footwork means you can glide through the ring, making an opponent second-guess their offensive. Good punches start from stable, strong lower body and footwork.

Stepback 

In my personal opinion, stepback is the easiest to practice when I was a beginner. From your stance, use your front leg to push back. Just remember to maintain your stance and move your feet properly so you don’t cross them.

Side step

Side step is basically to create angles for defense so you can counter. Throw a jab and a cross, your weight will be on the front leg. Use your front leg weight to push to the opposite side. Here is a video of one of my coaches.

Pivot

The pivot turns you away from incoming punches, minimizing the area your opponent has to target. You drop your weight and this will allow you to speed up into the pivot. Lead with your heels. Heels off just slightly from your front foot, making sure you are still balanced as you shift and pivot.

Work on how much heels you need to shift because too much of it might cause you to slow down and look like a step a side drill. These are more intermediate level moves but still you can always learn the drill and apply. I was scared to commit to pivot but it wasn’t until I understood my own balance and used it to apply during training.

Hands Up and Back

Boxing is literally exchange of punches and defense. I am lucky to have found some of the best pro boxers who are now coaches where they teach us basic boxing. First thing we were taught in boxing fundamental school is always bringing your hands back as soon as it’s out.

Remember in boxing, learn everything basic, especially defense drills. The quote “hit don’t get hit” was created not for how fancy it is but it’s true. This might come in handy for self defense as well. Let me know in the comment below what other defensive drill you learned !