Over the last forty years of training and coaching, I have noticed a few patterns that lead to success in fighting, either in self-defence or in sports such as kickboxing or MMA. Boxing hands is one of the best ways to achieve your goals when it comes to overwhelming and knocking out your opponent.

I began formal training in boxing in 1977 and have been incorporating it into my training and coaching ever since. I utilise it in Kickboxing, Muay Thai and MMA. From the mid-seventies, I had a relatively standard amateur boxing skill set, but in 1985, I got to work privately for five months with a sparring and gym partner for Thomas Hearns.

This experience changed how I viewed a boxing match; in the clip below, you will see a fight between Thomas Hearns and Roberto Duran, both legendary fighters; I am a super fan of both. I learned that everything Mr Hearns did from the starting bell was planned and worked out. He totally controlled the fight against a fellow boxing legend like Mr Duran.

Please take the time to watch this short clip because it shows what I try to relay and pass on to my students.

Scary right?

Let your hands go to overwhelm your opponent’s defences.

If you are fighting, you need to hit without being hit by a controlling measure, which allows you to time your opponent. You also need to be able to drop the hammer by passing the defence, and the last punch of the fight would be a great example.

In my KORA coaching group, we blend our boxing skills seamlessly into my Savate for a very sweet and beautiful combination. It has worked well in Vale Tudo, MMA, and kickboxing fights. We have also used it in self-protection mode.

We mainly use our boxing skills for sport but also as part of our self-defence system and are always mindful to note the impact of gloves and hand wraps in our offence and defence. I ensure the student forms the correct fist and uses the proper structure and power base. We primarily train in MMA and the larger boxing gloves to protect against cuts.

Ever mindful of the effect of repeated impacts to the head, we engage in light technical sparring, combined with a lot of hard and fast work on focus pads and bags. I have found that this is the best solution for building a skill toolkit and protecting my students.

I taught the straight right/cross and the lead hook during yesterday’s class. This shows how the correct body movement leads to a slight slip of the head and power generation, then how to drop into what I call the well of power. I also showed where and how to hit the head. Next week, I will blend this with our Savate tool kit.

I teach group and private sessions if you like what you read and want this skill set. If you are based in South London or near our HQ in Purley, Surrey, please do not hesitate to contact me.