Boxingstance

• ›Chin down, hands up.
• ›Two rails, not a tightrope.
• ›Weight in the middle, never on your heels.
• ›Elbows in to guard the ribs.
• ›Watch the chest (some coaches say the eyes) and see the whole body.

• ✕Feet in one line, like a tightrope, so you tip over sideways. Fix: move the rear foot a few centimetres out to the side.
• ✕Feet too wide or too narrow. Fix: roughly shoulder-width; too wide slows you down, too narrow costs balance.
• ✕Flat on both heels. Fix: lift the rear heel slightly and keep your weight on the balls of your feet.
• ✕Standing straight up with the chin raised. Fix: soft knees, chin tucked behind the lead shoulder.
• ✕Dropping the lead hand after the jab. Fix: bring the jab straight back to your face along the same line.

• •Every exchange: each punch and each defence starts and finishes here.
• •Whenever you reset, after a combination, a clinch break or a count.
• •Against an opposite-stance opponent, where the position of your lead foot decides who gets the better angle.

• •Lengthen the stance slightly to jab and move at range; shorten and lower it a little to fight inside.
• •Stand a little more side-on to present a smaller target, or a little squarer to use both hands and cover the body.
• •Against an opposite-stance opponent, set your lead foot outside theirs, as USA Boxing teaches.

• •A jab from the stance, then straight back to it
• •Step and slide in any direction
• •A stance switch, once both sides are trained

• •Feints that make you raise or drop your hands, opening the body or the head.
• •Timing your habits: Max Schmeling beat Joe Louis in 1936 by landing right hands over the left Louis dropped after jabbing.
• •Winning the lead-foot battle in open stance, which gives your opponent a clear line for the rear hand.

• •Make a well-set opponent move: feints and angles force them to step, and a stance is weakest mid-step.
• •In open stance, keep your lead foot outside theirs and circle away from their rear hand.
• •Study their habits between punches, such as a hand that drops or a chin that lifts.

Orthodox leads with the left foot and hand, southpaw with the right; everything else is a mirror image. A southpaw's jab and hook come from the side most orthodox boxers are less used to facing.

An upright stance suits boxers who move and jab. A crouch puts more weight over the bent lead leg, which gives explosive lead hooks; Mike Tyson fought from one.

A squarer stance brings both hands into play and covers the body; a more side-on (bladed) stance turns the torso away from the opponent. Coaches and boxing traditions differ on which to favour.

Squarer and more upright, with more weight on the rear leg so the lead leg is free to check kicks or throw a teep.

Usually wider and a little lower than a boxing stance, with the hands ready to frame or catch, because the opponent can shoot for takedowns.

Take your stance in front of a mirror and check feet, knees, hands and chin. Relax, step out, and take it again. Do 20 reps on your normal side.

Hold your stance while a partner gives light pushes to your shoulders and chest from the front and the sides. Absorb each one with your knees without stepping.

Shadowbox a 3-minute round of jabs and steps. After every punch, freeze for a second and check that your stance and guard are exactly where they started.

We teach it in Beginner Classes (Minimal Contact). A coach will fix the details you can't see yourself. Join now and book your first class for $20, paid online.