Become Fighter
Short punches on the inside: Boxing guide
Win the close exchanges with compact hooks and uppercuts.
Inside, there is no room for big punches. Hooks and uppercuts are short and the elbows stay close. Your head position matters as much as your hands. Keeping your forehead near their chin, slightly off to one side, protects you and blocks their punches.
The aim is to land two or three clean shots and get out, or to angle off. Standing still in this range turns the exchange into a brawl, which favours the stronger and fresher fighter.
Key points
- Keep the elbows tight and the hands near your face. Punches travel only a few inches.
- Put your forehead near their chin or collarbone, and stay off their centre line.
- Bend the knees to power uppercuts and body hooks.
- Punch in twos and threes, not in endless flurries.
- Exit with a pivot, a step back or a clinch. Do not just stand there.
Common mistakes and how to fix them
- Swinging wide hooks from close. Keep the elbow tight. The punch travels only a few inches.
- Putting the head in front of their chin. Stay off line. Straight in front of the chin is where their uppercut lands.
- Staying in too long. Two or three punches, then out. A slow brawl wastes your edge.
The rest is in the app
The step-by-step breakdown, the timed drill with the coach calling the shots and the quiz are part of Become Fighter Pro, where this lesson sits in the Body attack and inside fighting module of Boxing fundamentals.
Get it on Google Play. Coming soon to the App Store.
More from Body attack and inside fighting
- Changing levels to the body: Boxing guide
- Head and body combinations: Boxing guide
- Clinching and breaking: Boxing guide
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.