If you defend punches today the same way you did as a beginner, something is wrong! Let’s make sure we’re training smarter, not just harder.
Here are some tips from Sensei Alec Rains of The Mat Martial Arts in Austin, Texas to help you defend against punches more efficiently and effectively.
I recommend watching the video, of course, but a short summary is also typed up below. 🙂
Tips to Defend Punches
According to Sensei Alec, the biggest mistake new students make when defending against punches is DOING TOO MUCH!
The fear of getting hit causes beginners to swat at punches like a fly! Unfortunately, trying to push and shove an attacker’s arms away from you is NOT an efficient self-defense strategy.
The problem with such big, gross motor movements is recovery time. When you commit yourself to a big push or deflection, you not only risk throwing yourself off-balance, you also require more time to flow into your counter or escape.
The trick to more effective punch defense is to only move as far as you NEED to move.
Think about it—a miss is a miss. It doesn’t matter if a punch misses you by a foot or the width of a hair. In fact, it could even brush up right against you and you’ll still be okay!
Most people, however, don’t feel comfortable letting a punch get so close to them. Even martial artists!
So, how do you get better at staring down punches? Go stare down some punches!
1. Grab a partner.
2. Ask them to throw punches at you.
Start off slowly. You can use your hands to guide the punches, BUT think of them only as training wheels. Instead, focus on moving your head and body out of the line of fire.
Of course, you can choose to strike or parry an attacker’s punch in a real fight, but in this drill, just focus on letting the punches slide past you as close as possible.
3. The next step is to put your hands down or behind your back. That will really put the pressure on your head and body movement!
Remember, the goal is to train yourself to feel comfortable standing in the pocket. That means you should challenge yourself to do less and less, not more and more.
Only beginners should get tired doing a drill like this! Coach yourself to keep breathing, keep your eyes open, and stay loose.
Don’t forget that jumping back or bobbing and weaving when you don’t need to not only wastes energy, it takes you out of position to fight back.
Sure, if you are able to escape an attack, then a quick shove might be the perfect move. But if you are forced to fight back, you need to stay close enough to strike or grab. Pushing the bad guy far away makes following up with a counter-attack more difficult.
For more discussion on blocking punches with an offensive mindset, check out my video, How to Block and Dodge Punches. But for now, remember this—
When your defense is more efficient, your counters will be more effective.
So, grab a partner and train yourself to defend punches like a pro, not a beginner.
I think this would work only if the punches were directed to the face or the chest what if the punch was directed towered the stomach?
Same principle, my friend. Don’t do more than you need to do! Efficiency!