Knowing how to parry punches is an essential skill for all boxers.
Doing so allows you to deflect your opponent’s attacks without taking heavy impact and set up your counter punches.
Keep reading to learn how to parry punches!
How To Parry Punches
To parry your opponent’s punches:
- Redirect Jabs With A Down Parry
- Deflect Crosses With a Side Parry
- Redirect Hooks With A Forearm Parry
- Turn Punches To The Side With A Circle Parry
- Stop Straight Body Shots With A Low Parry
Parry to redirect your opponent’s punches instead of absorbing their impact and use their momentum to set up your own counters.
The harder your opponent throws, the more effective the parry. It allows you to knock your opponent off balance and is more efficient than dodging every punch.
Keep in mind that these parries work best with straight punches.
With defending against looping hooks and uppercuts, you’ll have to find another way to protect yourself.
Redirect Jabs With A Down Parry
First, redirect jabs with a down parry.
As your opponent throws a straight jab, catch the shot with your rear hand and paw down just as your opponent’s glove makes contact.
Keep the parry subtle; you should be able to return to your standard high guard with little effort. If you overextend, you leave your head exposed and you can easily be fooled with a feint.
With your opponent’s glove down and out of position, counter with your own jab or cross.
You can also use this parry against your opponent’s cross, but since a cross has power, you’d still absorb a lot of the impact.
Doing this also risks redirecting the punch into your chest or stomach.
Deflect Crosses With A Side Parry
Next, deflect crosses with a side parry.
Redirect the cross to the side using your lead glove.
This works best against crosses since you don’t absorb any of the impact.
With a step to the side, you can take an angle against your opponent and have him off balance at the same time.
You can also use this parry with your opposite hand, but be careful since it leaves your face wide open.
Again, keep the parry subtle. Too wide and you’ll leave your head open for a straight punch.
You can also perform this parry with a shoulder roll, which works perfectly with the Philly Shell.
See the video below to study how you can combine the previous two parries with a slip to set up a counter.
In this case, he’s parrying with the opposite glove and body combined.
Block Hooks With A Forearm Parry
Next, block hooks with a forearm parry.
As a hook comes towards your head, raise your forearm and deflect the attack upwards.
This can work against regular hooks, the overhand right, or the gazelle hook.
This parry is high risk and high reward. Raising your forearm exposes your rib cage.
Your opponent can change the direction of his looping hooks and overhand rights mid-punch, making them difficult to predict.
When it’s done correctly, this parry has many advantages. It opens up your opponent’s inside and forces them off balance.
Keep in mind that this parry doesn’t work against hooks to the body or uppercuts.
Turn Punches To The Side With A Circle Parry
Next, turn punches to the side with a circle parry.
Get on the top of your opponent’s jab or cross, redirect it down, and then circle it out to the side.
The circle parry is like fencing, if you imagine both fighters using swords instead of their arms.
Use the rotation of your arm to follow up with a lead hook if you’re using your jab hand to parry or a rear hook if you’re using your rear hand to parry.
If you’re a boxer that likes to keep your hand outstretched like Wladimir Klitschko, treat your hand like a fencing sword.
Your lead hand is in a perfect position to circle parry at long range.
Stop Straight Body Shots With A Low Parry
Lastly, you can stop straight body shots with a low parry.
With your rear or lead hand, redirect straight body shots downward so that they don’t hit your stomach.
You can also redirect these shots outwards, like a circle parry.
This parry is effective against jabs and crosses against the body, but it’s less subtle and leaves you with one hand to guard your upper body and head.
Unlike the other parries, it’s hard to use the momentum of this parry to counter since your defensive hand goes out of position towards your waist.
Most of the time, it’s best to block body shots with your elbows since they’re already in position.
Common Mistakes When Parrying Punches
Some common mistakes beginners make when parrying punches are:
- Parrying The Same Way Every Time
- Over-Reacting
- Not Attacking After A Successful Parry
Parrying The Same Way Every Time
The first mistake beginners make when parrying punches is that they do so the same way every time.
Your opponent is always looking for patterns in your movements.
If you always redirect jabs with a down parry, he knows that you’re probably not going to move your head or feet to avoid them.
Here you’re vulnerable to a double-jab and cross combination.
Instead, use your parries sparingly and at the right time.
Over-Reacting
The next mistake beginners make when parrying punches is that they over-react.
One way to stop overreacting is to pay attention to what your opponent likes to throw and what he has landed so far.
If he’s throwing accurate jabs, then you should use more parries.
However, if he hasn’t landed one cross in the whole fight, you can worry less about having to parry this punch.
Another way to stop overreacting to punches is to understand your opponent’s range.
If your opponent is out of range, you don’t need to use your parries to defend.
Not Attacking After A Successful Parry
The last mistake beginners make when parrying punches is that they don’t attack after a successful parry.
A well-timed parry will get your opponent off-balance and put you in the perfect position to counter.
After a parry, you’ll have a split second to launch your attack. If you don’t take advantage of this moment, your opponent will be able to defend himself again.
Conclusion
Now that you know how to parry punches, practice these techniques in your next spar or fight!
Since these parries work best for long range punches, make sure not to overextend and leave yourself open.
Good parries are subtle and efficient; it shouldn’t look like you’re flailing your arms.
Keep in mind that there is no parry that works against hooks to the body or uppercuts. For those you have to choose between dodging and blocking.
You can use these tips if you’re facing an opponent that parries too much:
- Throw tight, controlled shots and be careful of your opponent’s counters.
- Feint to see which parries your opponent likes to use.
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