Defense and footwork
Keep moving with small steps
Small steps
FlowSmall 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.
| Type | Defense and footwork |
|---|---|
| Footwork and defense | Small steps |
| Goals | Footwork Techniques |
| Guard | Written for orthodox (left foot forward) |
Keep moving with small steps: step by step
- Staying in your guard, take small steps, bouncing lightly off the floor with both feet.
- Keep stepping even while you think about your next move.
- Partway through a long round, stop briefly on purpose to recover or to draw the opponent in.
- After stopping, start taking small steps again.
Keep moving with small steps: key points
- Standing still makes you tense and slows your reactions. Small steps keep your body from locking up.
- Don't stop your feet while you think. When you stop, the opponent can take aim at you.
- When you stop, stop briefly and on purpose. Keep a pause for recovering or baiting separate from stopping because you're tired.
Keep moving with small steps: common mistakes
- Your feet stop when you think about your next move. Then your body locks up and you can't react when they strike first.
- You make your steps too big. Then your body bounces up and down, and your feet aren't on the floor when you want to punch.
- You stop and don't start moving again. Then they take aim at you and hit you again and again.
Keep moving with small steps: how to practice
- In shadowboxing, keep punching, avoiding punches and thinking without ever stopping your steps, so you notice the moment your feet stop.
- On the heavy bag, keep taking small steps between punches, and add moments where you stop briefly on purpose and then start moving again.
Related techniques
By goalFootwork Techniques
Left and right are written for orthodox (left foot forward). If you're southpaw, swap left and right as you read. How to read the notation
This is Japanese-style boxing: techniques as taught at a boxing gym in Japan. American or Mexican coaches may teach some of them differently.