For beginners in boxing, stepping into the ring for the first time with an opponent is overwhelming.
When you’re not flinching from your opponent’s punches and shelling up behind your gloves, you’re having trouble locking onto a target.
So where you should look when boxing? Keep reading to find out!
Where Should You Look When Boxing?
When boxing, you should look at your opponent’s shoulder line or upper torso.
This is a good start for beginners, as there isn’t a specific point that is best for everyone.
By focusing on your opponent’s shoulder line, you can still see what the other parts of his body are doing without focusing on one specific part.
When you become more experienced in the ring, you’ll find that you’re looking at everything, while focusing on nothing.
If this sounds confusing at first, one good way to think about this is to look at your hand.
You can focus on the individual fingers and watch them move, or you can focus on the palm and still see your fingers move.
Another good way to think about this is to go for a drive in your car.
If you stare at a traffic light too hard, you’re bound to miss that the car in front of you has stopped.
So it’s best to see everything: the traffic light turning yellow, the car that is braking in front of you, and the exit that you have to make farther down the road.
Similarly, some boxers have said that looking past their opponent helps them to see the big picture.
If you’re a beginner in boxing, you’ll be more relaxed and enjoy yourself more in the ring once you train your eyes to see this way.
Reasons Why You Should Look At The Shoulder Line
You should look at your opponent’s shoulder line while boxing because:
- You Can See Punches Coming Easily
- You Won’t Fall For Eye Feints
- You’ll Always Know Where The Head Is
- You’ll Know Where To Aim Your Punches
When you look at your opponent’s shoulder line, you gain much more information about his next move compared to only looking at his eyes, hands, or feet.
You Can See Punches Coming Easily
First, you should look at your opponent’s shoulder line while boxing because you can see punches coming easily.
Many boxers generate their punches from the torso and shoulders outward, especially for their power punches.
Even with their jab, some boxers don’t snap it out like a wet towel, but instead throw it from the shoulder.
If you focus hard enough, you can see your opponent’s twitch muscles in the shoulders move before he throws a punch.
You can also see if your opponent clenches his fists and gloves before throwing a power punch.
Though this information will vary per opponent, you’ll be able to see if your opponent is telegraphing punches.
You Won’t Fall For Eye Feints
Next, you should look at your opponent’s shoulder line while boxing because you won’t fall for eye feints.
In boxing, the eyes will give you a low amount of information (the hands give away the least since they can move anywhere).
Your opponent can look down at your stomach and easily throw a punch upstairs, or look at your eyes and throw a punch to your stomach.
If you use your opponent’s eyes as your target, you’ll end up headhunting and will be frustrated by an opponent who uses good head movement.
Sometimes you can get good information from glancing at your opponent’s eyes.
For example, you can tell at a glance if your opponent is getting frustrated or if he’s hurt by the last shot you landed.
However, most of the time the information from your opponent’s eyes is misleading, especially if he’s experienced.
You’ll Always Know Where The Head Is
Next, you should look at your opponent’s shoulder line while boxing because you’ll always know where the head is.
Your opponent’s head will always be attached to his torso, so there’s no need to stare at it or chase it.
Of course, you’ll miss some punches if your opponent has good head movement and slips easily.
But you’ll also land punches without having to look directly at your opponent’s head.
Like when you hit the double-end bag, you can aim in a general direction and have a good chance of hitting your target as long as you have good timing.
You’ll Know Where To Aim Your Punches
Lastly, you should look at your opponent’s shoulder line while boxing because then you’ll know where to aim your punches.
By paying attention to the big picture, you’ll notice key features about your opponent’s guard and how he reacts to your attacks.
Focusing on your opponent’s whole body lets you see that there is always an opening, no matter how good his guard is.
For example, an impenetrable high guard always leaves the body open to attack.
On the other hand, if you’ve been staring at your opponent’s eyes this whole time, you wouldn’t have noticed this at all.
Conclusion
Looking at your opponent’s shoulders while boxing will help you immensely in the ring.
We think that training your eyes is the hardest skill to teach if you’re a beginner who is starting from scratch.
Now that you know the reasons why you should look at your opponent’s shoulders, begin to think about what your opponent is looking at in the ring.
If he keeps looking hard into your eyes, frustrate him with eye feints and good head movement.
However, if he has a blank look on his face and doesn’t seem to be looking at anything in particular, you can be sure that he’s scanning your whole body.
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