5 Super Simple Boxing Combinations Drills

To get good at throwing boxing combinations you need to incorporate boxing combinations drills in your boxing training session.

Forgive me for stating the bleeding obvious, but it appears to me that too many people feel that they have either a) a God given right to throw blinding combinations without any real practice or b) they can use some Internet-discovered gimmicky hoodoo to bestow upon them the magical art of boxing combinations.

I find both of these scenarios disappointing at best, downright irritating at worst! I have produced this article to provide you with some sensible structure and rigour for you to apply during your training. This will give you benefits whether you are using boxing training purely for fitness or if your goals lie within the ring in competition.

After working through this article, you will be able to:

• Use 5 boxing combinations drills that will enable you to practice simple but very effective boxing combinations.
• Understand why these boxing combinations drills are effective.
• Provide you with the necessary core skills videos that form the basis of the boxing combinations.

No gimmicks. These drills are very simple and I have used them for many years with active boxers. If you incorporate these drills into your training you will get better at throwing solid and reliable boxing combinations. Using good technique will make you fitter and better!

Some Boxing Combinations Ground Rules

Firstly, I want to start with my definition of a boxing combination:

Boxing Combination (adjective) – A series of boxing skills deployed in quick succession and without a pause and containing at least two punches.

I say “A series of skills” because to my mind great boxing combinations incorporate not only punches but also body movement and footwork skills.

In their most simple form, boxing combinations consist of punches alone. However, you can really make boxing combinations dynamic by for example interspersing the punching with slipping or rolling, or using the pivot or explosive foot movements. So, I would not want you to restrict your thinking on boxing combinations by thinking punching alone. At the same time I am going stick with basic ‘punch’ combinations here so as not to try to run before we can walk.

OK, in terms of how we are going to work here the following should be noted:

1. Each of the following 5 boxing combinations will consist of only 2 punches and will not incorporate other skills as described above (I want to keep things simple here).
2. Each of these combinations assumes that you are at close or mid-range. Range is an incredibly important aspect of boxing and therefore is a vital component within the MyBoxingCoach training regime. After you have worked through this article, check out Range In Boxing – Fight Tactics Depend Upon It. It’s a detailed breakdown of the 5 ranges in boxing.
3. These boxing combinations are isolated. That is, there is no coverage of getting into range and then getting out of range.
4. Focus on getting the technique of the individual punches right. If each shot within the combination is thrown with technical precision then the entire combination will work.

Point 4 above is particularly important. If a boxing combination fails, that is the boxer cannot progress beyond a couple of shots without losing balance, this is absolutely the result of the individual skills within the combination not being executed properly. If you throw a 2 punch combination with technical excellence then there is no reason why you can’t throw a 22 punch combination. Keep this in mind and you will get the most from these drills.

The 5 Super-Simple Boxing Combinations

Below are the 5 boxing combinations that we are going to work on and then I’ll give you some tips on next steps.

Boxing Combinations #1 – Double Left Hook to the Head

‘Doubling up’ on punches is very common in boxing. It a very effective basis for a combination for 2 main reasons. Firstly, the first shot can ‘open up’ the defences of the opponent when it lands leaving an opportunity for the follow up shot to land. The second reason is based purely upon the logic that if the first one lands, why should the second one!

When doubling up on the same shot delivered to the same target area, put the power into the second shot. You can achieve additional power on the second left hook by incorporating an inside slip before it. Basically you use the first shot as the ‘pathfinder’ and you deliver the bang with the second shot.

One more thing, you can use a mid range left hook for the second shot as this offers a nice variation of angle.

Short Left Hook Head:

Mid Range Left Hook Head:

Boxing Combinations #2 – Left Hook (Body)/Left Hook (Head)

Our first combination in which we ‘switch attack’ from one target area to another, in this case from body to head. I often refer to this as ‘channel shift’ as you are changing the channel of attack. Incorporating channel shift into boxing combinations is highly effective. By striking with the body shot first, the opponent’s defensive focus is switched to that area and in some instances away from the head area. Maybe the elbow will drop and the body will lean into the incoming shot. The opponent’s response to the first shot not only causes an opening for the second shot, but by the opponent shifting weight toward that second shot it’s power will be increased.

Left Hook to the Body:

Boxing Combinations #3 – Right Uppercut (Head)/Left Hook (Head)

Following an uppercut with a hook is a very natural thing to do. I mentioned earlier that in great boxing combinations the punches complement each other. Well, this combination captures that perfectly. The right uppercut is a shot that require a significant range of movement to land it correctly. However once the shot has landed, the position of your body (following major rotation of the hips) provides perfect torque for that follow up left hook to land with great power. Great boxing combinations that each punch is complementary and that openings will be created and exploited.

Another reason that the hook following the uppercut works well is a little more obvious. When the uppercut lands, it is very likely to lift the head of the opponent up and away from the guarding arms. This means that the head is very vulnerable to attack from a shot like the left hook. Hook after an uppercut goes like a sleep after a big meal 🙂

Right Uppercut to the Head:

Boxing Combinations #4 – Left Uppercut (Body)/Left Hook (Body)

This combination again is based upon a diversionary attack up the middle channel (into the solar plexus) with the uppercut to the body. Following this, and with the same hand, we launch a left hook behind the guarding elbow of the opponent and into the ‘soft’ area under the ribs. This will send shockwaves into the liver and has the potential to be a very hurtful punch.

Remember with the first shot we can aim to simply bring the opponent’s guarding arm forward to leave the opening behind it for the briefest of moments. So, speed with the left hook is vital. Also, whilst you need not ‘load up’ with the uppercut, it is worth ensuring that your placement is precise. Go for the area a couple of finger widths beneath the sternum. This has the maximum chance of achieving a grievous result unlike if the shot landed lower down therefore enabling the opponent’s abdominal muscles to better absorb the power of the incoming shot.

Left Uppercut to the Body:

Boxing Combinations #5 – Right Hook (Body)/Right Uppercut (Head)

For those Mike Tyson fans out there you will remember this little beauty from his 2 round destruction of Trevor Berbick (he followed this up with a left hook to the temple that left our Jamaican friend in enough of a legless stupor to fail to beat the count). Tyson often used this boxing combination precisely to capitalise upon the benefits of channel shift. Both shots are delivered with power as both are intended to do damage. Speed of delivery is key in order to minimise the risk of you taking incoming as deliver your shots.

This is the most strenuous of all of the combinations covered here. It requires massive rotation with each shot and there is no ‘bridge shot’ to prepare you for the uppercut. When I say ‘bridge shot’ I mean that if you used Right Hook (Body)-Left Hook (Head)-Right Uppercut (Head) you would find a ‘flow’ that is more efficient. Using the same hand for the two shots makes it more of a physical challenge to deploy. However, well worth the effort 🙂

Right Hook to the Body:

Boxing Combinations – Your Next Steps

In terms of how you can best use the information contained in this article, I would consider the following:

1. After you have performed an appropriate warmup, work through these drills, one at a time and for a minute each. That’s 5 minutes in total.
2. Be precise in the execution of each shot. Slow things down so that you can really nail the basics. If you have a full length mirror available then that would help considerably.
3. Exaggerate the movements, especially those involving the back-hand. If you really focus on rotation here by exaggerating the drive from the back leg and the resulting rotation, this is more likely to translate into effective technique during shadow boxing, heavy bag work and sparring/competition.
4. If you have a conventionally shaped heavy bag (i.e. the long cylinder), remember that you can still use uppercuts. Just put a little more length between you and the target so that the shot can land at a slight angle with your elbow being closer to you than your fist whilst still being on the same vertical plane.
5. Be like a golfer. Practice, practice, practice. Do it slowly and mechanically to instil the muscle memory then feel it become more fluent as each training session passes.

Remember, great boxing combinations are built upon excellent technique. A little guy with great technique will hit harder and more accurately than a big guy with poor technique. Another thing in common with golf!

I would love to hear your thoughts/observations below.

Cheers

Fran

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