Japanese-Style Boxing Defense and Footwork

Defense that handles the opponent's punches, and footwork that changes your position. These also show up as parts of combinations. 19 techniques

• Parry
  Parry
  A parry is a defense where you lightly tap the side of the opponent's punch with your palm, knocking it inward and off its line to your face. You don't have to move your body much, so you can go straight into a counter after it misses. You'll often use it against the opponent's left jab, and you turn it into offense by sending your own punch down the line the parry opens.
• Slip
  Slip
  A slip is a defense where you move your head slightly to make a straight punch miss. Both hands stay up in your guard and free, so it leads into the fastest counter right after the miss. Use it to make the opponent's left jab miss by a hair, then use the momentum of bringing your head back to your stance to fire a counter straight back.
• Step back
  Step back
  The step back is footwork where you move backward to cut the distance to the opponent. It isn't just retreating. You use it to make the opponent's punch miss and to set up your own next attack. Don't keep backing up once you've moved back. When the opponent steps in to close the distance, hit them with an attack of your own.
• Double slip
  SlipSlip
  Slipping the first punch doesn't mean the opponent's attack is over. This two-stage defense assumes a second punch is coming right after, so when you bring your head back, you slip again. Use it against punches that come in a row, such as a one-two, to stay ready after the first one instead of relaxing.
• Exit after punching
  Exit
  Exiting after punching means you never stay where you are once you finish punching. You always move out. There are three ways out: a step back, a slip, or taking an angle. The end of your punches is when the opponent most wants to fire back, so you move right then and make their counter miss.
• Slip, then step back
  SlipStep back
  Slip, then step back is a two-stage defense where you slip the first punch and step back on the second, taking away the distance itself. When it's hard to avoid two punches in a row with head movement alone, you use your feet to get out of the opponent's range. Use it against an opponent who keeps punching, to defend the first and second punches in different ways.
• Block (high guard)
  Block
  Blocking is a defense where you take the punch on your raised arms to protect your face and head. You can block without moving your body or changing the distance, so you can fire back right from that spot when the opponent finishes punching. As the basic way to keep your guard tight, it works at any distance, from long range to close range.
• Keep moving with small steps
  Small steps
  Keeping moving with small steps means always stepping lightly to keep a rhythm and never letting your feet stop. When you stand still, your body tenses and you react late to the opponent. Keep your feet moving while you think. In long rounds, stop briefly on purpose at key moments and use that pause to recover or to bait the opponent.
• Pivot
  Pivot
  A pivot is footwork where you turn your body around your pivot foot and get off the opponent's front. You keep a stance you can punch from, while only the opponent has to take the time to turn and face you. Add it as a set at the end of an attack, as footwork to get off the line of the opponent's counter after you finish punching.
• Angled step-in
  Angled step-in
  The angled step-in is how you step in when you close the distance to attack. By stepping in at an angle instead of straight to the side, you get closer while getting off the opponent's front. Use it together with a pawing jab: after the step, turn slightly to rebuild your stance, then throw the power punch as you turn back to face the opponent.
• Side step
  Side step
  The side step is footwork where you move straight to the side, changing where you stand and where your head is at the same time. You use it for defense and repositioning, such as shifting to the side after a slip or a step back, or making an angle to get off the ropes. Don't use it to go in on the attack. For that, step in at an angle.
• Catch (stopping the punch with your palm)
  Catch
  The catch is a defense where you stop an incoming punch head-on with your palm. Unlike a parry, which knocks the punch off course to the side, it stops the punch itself and breaks the opponent's forward movement and rhythm. Use it when you want to stop the momentum of an opponent coming forward, or when you want to cut the flow of their attack for a moment.
• Duck
  Duck
  Ducking is a defense where you bend your knees and drop your upper body straight down so hooks and other curved punches pass over your head. The basic movement comes from bending and straightening your knees, which is different from bending forward at the hips or back. If you drop correctly with your knees, your weight stays centered between your feet, and you can make your next move right after the punch misses.
• Head off line (in simultaneous exchanges)
  Head off line
  Moving your head off line is a defense for when you and the opponent punch at the same time: you move your head slightly off the punch's path. Don't insist on avoiding the punch completely. Keep your chin tucked so that if it does land, it lands on the front of your face, not the point of your chin. It assumes you keep throwing your own punch while you use it, rather than only defending.
• Double step back
  Step backStep back
  If you step back only once, you may still be within reach when the opponent follows you. When you want to cut the distance completely, step back twice in a row. Change the direction you back up depending on whether the opponent is throwing a left or a right, so you get off the path they're following.
• Weave (bob and weave)
  Weave
  Weaving is a defense where you go under hooks and other curved punches to make them miss. You use it at mid range, and its strength is that you can carry the momentum of going under straight into a counter. Fit it in after a one-two: go under the hook the opponent returns, then link into a body punch and a hook.
• L-step
  L-step
  The L-step is close-range footwork where you pull your front foot back toward your back foot and then move out to the side, tracing an L on the floor. You use it to get around beside or behind the opponent. It puts you in a position where only you can punch before the opponent turns to face you, so you go straight into your attack from there.
• Double step
  Double step
  The double step is footwork where you close the distance to the opponent in two small steps instead of one big one. Your feet spend more time on the floor, so you can react if the opponent counters while you're closing in. Use it when you're wary of the opponent's counter, such as when closing the distance before going in with a one-two.
• Step back, show your guard, then move sideways
  Step backGuardSide step
  Step back, show your guard, then move sideways is a sequence where you show your guard right after backing up to take away the opponent's urge to chase, then move to the side to gain distance. If you only step back, an opponent who follows you just closes the gap again. Showing your guard before you move sideways lets you change position safely without taking a follow-up attack.