Some boxers can land shots on their opponents at will and avoid punches at the same time. What’s their secret?
The key is learning how to create angles with your footwork.
Once you learn how to create boxing footwork angles, you’ll always have the upper hand on your opponent!
Keep reading for our tips on how to create angles in boxing.
How To Create Angles In Boxing
Here are five ways to create angles in boxing:
- Use Lateral Movements
- Slip Punches
- Attack Your Opponent’s Lead Foot
- Change Your Level
- Clinch And Turn Your Opponent
To get the best position on your opponent in the ring, you may have to use some of these techniques at the same time.
With the right angle, you can land your combinations while staying safe from your opponent’s punches.
Use Lateral Movements
First, use lateral movements to create angles.
This is handy (and sometimes necessary) when facing an opponent with a tight high guard.
Instead of standing in front of your opponent for the whole round and trading shots, test your opponent’s footwork and use the whole ring.
You can use lateral movement in any way to create an angle, including:
- Jabbing around your lead side
- Feinting one way with your feet and going the other way
- Attacking your opponent’s lead foot
If you want to see lateral movement at its extremes, study how Mike Tyson uses his D’Amato Shift to trap his opponents against the ropes.
Slip Punches
Next, slipping punches can create an angle for you.
When you slip a punch, your opponent’s defense is broken for a split second even though you’re right in front of him.
This opens up new angles of attack towards the body or upwards towards the head.
To combine offense and defense, you can also combine a counterpunch as you slip.
For example, you can throw your cross or overhand right as you slip towards your lead side.
Slipping punches on your lead side also puts your weight on your lead foot.
Use this time to pivot out and create a new angle while your opponent’s hands and feet are out of position.
Attack Your Opponent’s Lead Foot
Next, attack your opponent’s lead foot to create an angle.
This idea, along with the triangle theory in boxing, is commonly taught to southpaws who have to face orthodox fighters.
Southpaws have the advantage of having their lead right foot facing their orthodox opponent’s lead left foot.
With this, they can easily step outside of their opponent’s lead foot and turn him out of position into a blind angle.
Another way you can attack your opponent’s lead foot is jump stepping.
Jump stepping involves exploding with both feet to a new position that basic footwork wouldn’t allow.
Professional boxers like Manny Pacquiao and Vasiliy Lomachenko love to use this technique, often pairing it with a jab to blind their opponent and set up a combination.
Change Your Level
Next, change your level to create an angle on your opponent.
Angles don’t always have to be about footwork; you can also create angles just by changing your height relative to your opponent.
On offense, alternate aiming for the body and head with your jab and see if your opponent changes his high guard.
After a round or two of unpredictable jabs, your opponent won’t know whether to use his high guard or to keep his hands low.
(And perhaps this is one of the reasons why the jab is so essential in boxing. It’s the threat of your jab, not your actual jab, that your opponent is worried about.)
On defense, you can crouch to dodge punches or use the momentum of rolling under a punch to set up a counterattack upstairs.
In these examples, the advantageous angle is upward, rather than to the side.
Clinch And Turn Your Opponent
Lastly, clinch and turn your opponent to create an angle.
Even though many beginners are uncomfortable with grabbing their opponents, we think clinching is an essential skill to have.
This skill may not work if you’re fighting in the middle of the ring, but it’s especially handy if you’re against the ropes and are looking to flip the situation.
By clinching and turning your opponent, you can get him off-balance against the ropes and create different kinds of angles.
Conclusion
Creating angles is essential to your success in the boxing ring.
Though some boxers prefer to stand in the middle of the ring and brawl, all the boxers with the best footwork in history use these techniques to great effect.
A simple way to incorporate these ideas into your boxing training is to move around the heavy bag as it swings.
As it swings towards you, slip towards your lead side and pivot out. Or pretend you’re attacking your opponent’s lead foot as it swings away from you.
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