Slipping punches is one of the key techniques in boxing.
While many people focus on the offense of boxing, the defense is just as important.
A good slip can help you avoid getting hit, take away your opponent’s momentum, and set up your counterattack.
Keep reading to learn how to slip a punch!
How To Slip A Punch
To slip a punch,
- Start With A Boxer’s Stance
- Imagine A Jab Coming Towards You
- Shift Your Head Off Center
- Add Some Footwork
Start With A Boxer’s Stance
First, start with a boxer’s stance.
Keep your hands up, chin and elbows tucked, and eyes up.
Your weak foot should be your lead foot and your body should be tilted slightly off center. This will make your body smaller as a target.
Relax and breathe. Don’t clench your hands and forearms.
You are now ready to slip a punch.
Imagine A Jab Coming Towards You
Next, imagine a jab coming towards your face.
Note that this step is purely mental.
When the time comes for you to dodge a punch, your mind will be ready and your body will not flinch and freeze.
Mental visualization deserves its own article and is undertrained by beginners.
Your mind makes the movement first before your body does.
Shift Your Head Off Center
Next, shift your head off center towards your lead foot and downwards slightly right before this mental punch reaches your face.
You can also slip towards your right side.
Note that your head moves off of two directions: the Y axis (imagine a line cutting between your eyes and through your nose) and the X axis (imagine a line cutting through your eyes).
This allows you to change your height level, an effective move in boxing.
Moving your head off the Y axis but keeping the X axis the same can also be called a slip, but it does not have the advantage of changing the height level or keeping a boxer’s body to tighten and stay balanced.
Plus it feels awkward to only move your head left and right.
On the other hand, moving your head downwards off the X axis but keeping the Y axis the same is a duck, rather than a slip.
Both can be handy, but for now, make sure to move off both axes.
Add Some Footwork
Lastly, add some footwork: take a small step in the direction that your head is slipping towards.
If you’re slipping to the left, take a small step with your left foot while shifting your weight and keeping your balance.
If you’re slipping to the right, take a small step with your right foot.
This small step opens a lot of possibilities. It gives you the option to pivot and change the angle on your opponent or to set your base and prepare for a cross or a hook.
Note that this small step is the first step to throwing a jab as well. Once you get the slip down, experiment and combine it with a jab or a cross.
Instead of stepping you can also pivot the opposite foot that you’re slipping towards.
This is another common pattern in boxing. Syncing your head with your feet’s movements results in strong defense.
Common Mistakes While Slipping Punches
Some of the common mistakes that beginners make while slipping punches are:
- Slipping Too Far Off Center
- Overusing The Slip While Fighting
- Not Bending The Knees
Like the jab, the slip can be repetitive and simple, encouraging boxers to get lazy and not focus on proper form.
Slipping Too Far Off Center
The first mistake that beginners make while slipping punches is going too far off center.
Keep in mind that your head contributes to a lot of your body’s weight. If you slip too hard and move far off center, you will be off balance.
A good slip will make a punch miss the side of your head by a distance of less than an inch (or a distance of a couple of centimeters).
Keeping your slips subtle and controlled will also allow you to slip easily to the other side of your body.
Overusing The Slip While Fighting
The next mistake that beginners make while slipping punches is overusing it while fighting.
If you bob your head left and right over and over again, your opponent will pick up on the timing of your pattern.
It is important to use the slip only when necessary, or to mix it up with other moves such as rolls or feints so that your movements are hard to predict.
Not Bending The Knees
The last mistake that beginners make while slipping punches is not bending the knees.
When you bend the knees while slipping, you are able to change height levels on your opponent.
This prepares your lower body for counters and power punches.
Without this step, you’ll just be bobbing your head side to side.
Benefits of Slipping Punches
The slip is an essential part of a boxer’s defense.
Consider that a boxer can only defend himself in three ways: by moving his head, hands, or feet.
With the slip, a boxer uses his head and feet to make his opponent miss.
It’s counterintuitive, but to a boxer it costs more energy (mental included) to miss a punch than it does to land a punch.
A landed punch gives a boxer momentum and confidence, while a missed punch takes it away.
This sets up the perfect opportunity for you to disrupt your opponent’s rhythm and counterattack.
Conclusion
If you want to dodge your opponent’s jabs while preparing for your own counterpunch, using the slip is the perfect tool.
Make sure to visualize a punch coming towards you when shadowboxing as a beginner or use the slip bag so that your slips have purpose.
Practice throwing a jab first and then slipping towards that side, or slipping to your rear side and then throwing a cross.
Both are realistic combinations that boxers use every day. These combinations will test your balance and control.
Learning how to slip transitions nicely into learning how to pull, which is stepping back with your rear foot and moving your head off center of the Z axis (imagine a line entering your forehead and exiting through the back of your head).
Slips also work well when rolling under a punch, which involves another paired head and foot movement.
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