Become Fighter
How to hold your guard in boxing
Where the hands and elbows live so your head and body stay protected.
The guard is your default defence. Hands up, elbows in, chin down. Every punch you throw starts from it and ends back in it.
A good guard is relaxed. If you hold it with tension, your shoulders tire and your punches slow. Keep it close and loose, and tighten only when something arrives.
Key points
- Both hands up near the cheekbones, gloves in front of the face.
- Elbows tucked in to protect the ribs and body.
- Chin tucked down, looking over your gloves.
- Lead hand a little forward, rear hand glued to the chin.
- Shoulders relaxed. Tension tires you quickly.
Step by step
- Take your stance. Build the stance first. The guard sits on top of a balanced base.
- Raise the rear hand. Bring the rear hand to the side of your chin, glove touching the cheek. Keep the elbow pointing down.
- Set the lead hand. Hold the lead hand a few inches in front of the face, slightly lower than the rear. It is your range finder and first shield.
- Tuck the elbows. Draw both elbows toward your ribs. Your forearms and gloves now form a wall in front of your body.
- Drop the chin. Lower your chin so your eyes look over the gloves. Your lead shoulder rises to cover the jaw.
Common mistakes and how to fix them
- Hands drifting down after a punch. Finish every punch by returning the hand to the face. Touch the cheek on each rep.
- Elbows flaring out. Pin the elbows lightly to your ribs. Open elbows leave the body exposed.
- Chin lifted to see over the gloves. Tuck the chin and look over the top of your gloves instead of raising your head.
- Gripping the guard tight. Relax the shoulders and hold the guard loose. Tighten only for an incoming punch.
Drill: Guard rounds
3 rounds of 60 seconds, with 30 seconds of rest. Safe to practise alone.
- Hold the guard still. Check hands, elbows and chin, then relax your shoulders.
- Hold the guard and shift side to side slowly. The guard should not move.
- Shadow-throw one slow punch at a time and return to the guard after each one.
Train it in the app
In Become Fighter this lesson comes with a short video, a timed drill with the coach calling the shots, and a quick quiz to check you've got it.
Coming soon to the App Store and Google Play.
More from The foundation
Combat sports training is hard on the body. Warm up, stay within your limits and check with a doctor first if you have a health condition. Practise in a clear space and stop if you feel pain or dizziness. Learn partner work only under a qualified coach.