You may be wondering if you can use the spinning backfist in boxing after seeing it MMA fights.
At first, it looks like a handy tool to catch your opponent off guard and win via knockout in style.
So are spinning backfists allowed in boxing? Keep reading to find out!
Are Spinning Backfists Allowed In Boxing?
No, spinning backfists are not allowed in boxing.
To start, you’re not allowed to turn your back to your opponent.
This rule is for your safety. The back of your head is an extremely vulnerable area and can result in severe injury if hit hard enough.
Furthermore, even if the referee doesn’t take away a point from you for turning your back, it looks bad to the judges if the fight goes to a decision.
Along with elbow strikes and forearm strikes, backhand strikes are considered illegal blows in boxing and can result in a point deduction.
Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Use The Spinning Backfist
Besides being illegal, you shouldn’t use the spinning backfist in boxing because:
- The Spinning Backfist Does Less Damage Than A Regular Punch
- The Spinning Backfist Gets You Off Balance
- The Spinning Backfist Is Hard To Set Up
- The Spinning Backfist Leaves You Open To Counters
We think that the spinning backfist is a high-risk, low-reward move.
Like the Superman Punch, the spinning backfist doesn’t have a good place or purpose in boxing.
The Spinning Backfist Does Less Damage Than A Regular Punch
First, you shouldn’t use the spinning backfist in boxing because it does less damage than a regular punch.
This move can be effective in MMA since you’re not using padded boxing gloves.
When you hit your opponent with the back of your boxing glove, this will feel like a slap to a boxer who is used to taking sharp jabs and heavy hooks to the head.
With the greater surface area and padding of your boxing gloves, your spinning backfist won’t have the same force as a straight punch, especially if your weight isn’t behind the strike.
By throwing straight punches with good form, you can do more damage with boxing gloves than fists.
As a result, you reduce the striking surface area and transfer the force of the punch more effectively.
The Spinning Backfist Gets You Off Balance
Next, you shouldn’t use the spinning backfist in boxing because it gets you off balance.
The power of the spinning backfist comes from the rotational force of your body.
To generate more power, you have to swing your body more wildly.
When you do this, you’re put at multiple disadvantages:
- First, you lose your balance and connection to the ground for a crucial moment while you’re attacking.
- Next, you lose sight of your opponent and will have to adjust your vision after the attack.
- Lastly, if you throw a spinning backfist with your right hand as an orthodox boxer, you’ll end up in the southpaw stance.
Even if everything goes right with the attack, you’ll still end up in an awkward position.
The Spinning Backfist Is Hard To Set Up
Next, you shouldn’t use the spinning backfist in boxing because it’s hard to set up.
In muay thai and mixed martial arts, you can set this up by:
- First, throw a lead hook or jab across your opponent’s body.
- Next, step towards and across your opponent’s body with your lead foot to wind up your attack.
- Lastly, release the tension by swinging your body in the opposite direction and extending your rear arm to land the attack with the back of your fist.
On the other hand, there are few moves in boxing that require you to turn your body for a full rotation.
The best way to set it up in boxing is from your lead hook, since you can generate momentum from this attack if you miss.
Otherwise, it’s difficult to set up with a feint or add it into a combination.
Compared with the time of throwing a hook, the spinning backfist takes longer to land especially if you don’t have the right momentum.
For a boxer, it’s better to throw a hook since it can be done without spending too much time or energy.
The Spinning Backfist Leaves You Open To Counters
Lastly, you shouldn’t use the spinning backfist because it leaves you open to counters.
When you turn your back on your opponent (which by itself looks bad to the referee and judges), you give up your stance and lose sight of your opponent.
While you risk it all on this one move, your opponent still has options.
He can treat it like a hook and defend against it by:
- Raising his glove to block it
- Pulling
- Rolling under
If your opponent anticipates your move and makes you miss, he has an extreme advantage.
In the case that you turn into your opponent’s counter, a regular punch will increase in force exponentially.
It’s also extremely dangerous to expose the back of your head to your opponent.
If he strikes your head at the exact moment that you’re turned around, this can result in serious head trauma and injury.
Conclusion
Even though the spinning backfist is effective in other combat sports, it’s not worth your energy in boxing.
At first, it looks like a handy tool to catch your opponent off guard and knock him out.
However, you shouldn’t do it because the risk isn’t worth the reward.
If the spinning backfist was legal in boxing, it could be handy if you had an opponent who tried to escape along the ropes towards your backside.
In this case, we’d use a hook to the body instead to make sure that we’re still able to face our opponent.
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