Thread: How to crack a shelled opponent.

Ive been noticing more and more through my sparring that, I havent the first clue on breaking through or getting around an opponent with his arms walled up. I find that everytime i try to attack a covered opponent, say to the body or head, i just feel like the punches im throwing at him are being stuffed. Like im in too close range to get effective twist on the hook, to the small exposed sides of his head and body. Or else i'll jab a couple times at their guard and try and jab through their forearms, but honestly my attempts so far feel futile, and i usually end up just backing off of them. I also attempt an uppercut between the guard sometimes, but i dont think my uppercutting technique is honed enough yet to be used effectively in sparring. It felt too weak and stuffed by his arms also.

Now im pretty sure this should be basic stuff i should be learned about, but im still sitting there dumbfounded bouncing jabs off of their guard pondering my next move. Soo my online trainers, im calling upon your infinite boxing knowledge. I need a lesson in getting passed/breaking through the walled up guard of my opponent. Ima southy if it makes a difference. In depth instructions are good, but simple fundamental explanations always stick best with me. Any'll do. School me.

When somebody walls up theres usualy 2 reasons they are doing it to defend while they are looking to counter, or they cant work your distance and you will give it to them by what they make you do. Ive always loved fighters who could counter a counter its pure Boxing. While you stick your Jab just touch his glove, but while your doing it never leave yourself in the same distance level and angle keep stepping. Let him take the chance and risk make him do the worrying eventually he will commit and open up thats when your patiance will reep rewards.

High ,low your jabs and send your hooks or crosses to where the guard just had to move from,but you definitly want to hone that uppercut

a low blow will get his hands down every time.

Originally Posted by Scrap

When somebody walls up theres usualy 2 reasons they are doing it to defend while they are looking to counter, or they cant work your distance and you will give it to them by what they make you do. Ive always loved fighters who could counter a counter its pure Boxing. While you stick your Jab just touch his glove, but while your doing it never leave yourself in the same distance level and angle keep stepping. Let him take the chance and risk make him do the worrying eventually he will commit and open up thats when your patiance will reep rewards.

so you saying, just keep circling and pecking at his guard until he opens up to answer, then pow! alright thats one i'll remember.

Hi Walker,
Street fighting or MMA-wise, it's relatively easy to "crack" a shelled opponent as there are more lines of attack and avenues available to exploit. However, in boxing, with its sportive limitations and restrictions, it's a bit harder to do. The best tactics to use involve varying your levels, angles, and rhythms of attack to exploit and/or create openings. Even with the best of guards, no one is impenetrable. However, in order to "crack" him effectively and efficiently, you must hone your vision and timing to be able to exploit whatever openings your opponent "presents" to you at any given time at a moment's notice with no pondering thoughts behind your actions. You must develop an instantaneous "stimulus-response" action/reaction to openings with no conscious deliberations. If you have to see and think about attacking an opening or even create/set-up one, you'll be way too slow and get nowhere. Again, you must have trained, "reflexive" actions/reactions, dictated by your opponent's actions/reactions, honed through dynamic, gradient-progressive sparring.

With the aforementioned understood, technically speaking, in order to effectively and efficiently "crack" a crafty shelled opponent you have to discombobulate him through setting/opening him up by attacking high-low, low-high, high-low-high, low-high-low, low-low-high, high-high-low, low-high-high, and high-low-low while simultaneously varying the lines/trajectories and rhythms of attack and doing so in relatively "bewildering" (i.e. no set, predictable pattern) fashion. This ability is best honed through objective-based, attribute-emphasized progressive sparring supplemented with shadow boxing and the other two solo exercises I shared in the "defense" thread.

To start you off, here are four tried-and-true combos to play around with (for us southpaw fighters):
1) A right shovel hook to the body followed by a right uppercut to the head (you can, with more seasoning, throw this combo with the rear left hand instead of the right).

2) A right shovel hook to the body followed by a right hook to the head.

3) A right hook to the head followed by a right shovel hook to the body.

4) A right jab to the body followed by a right hook to the head.

In the first two combos, doubling up on the right shovel hook to the body is a "sweet" thing to do. With the third combo, you can follow up the right shovel hook to the body with a left uppercut to the head or body depending on relative positioning and what's open. With the fourth combo, you can follow up the right hook to the head with a straight left hand to the head or an overhand left to the head depending on relative positioning and distance. IMPORTANT POINT: Don't forget to vary your rhythms. Play around with quarter, half, and full beats. Applying different rhythms to your punches at varying times can make a world of difference with a combo's effectiveness.

As a member alluded to, be cognizant of being countered and/or being set up to be countered by your opponent as you are trying to "crack his shell." Often times, this is his "game" to lull you in. So, after each combo you execute, MOVE (footwork, head, body, and arms as appropriate and able) and have your own guard up (chin down, hands up) until you throw your next combo. Don't ever stay in one/same place...

Another tactic you can do with a nut that's hard to crack, is patiently circle and pepper him with single and double jabs to the head and/or body, inserting the ol' one-two (right jab-straight left hand) to the head and/or body intermittently, to either goad him into countering your potshots so you can counter his counters or to lull him to sleep with one type of rhythm then suddenly pounce on him with a high-low/low-high combo in another rhythm.

Oh, there are some "dirty" tactics you can use to open your shelled opponent too, but...

Anyway, hope this helps...

Take Care,
Lito

ameteur boxing in the states wise, just keep hitting the match will be called cause he ain't defending himself...real simple, real easy...feel cheap? yeah it is...

Originally Posted by Walker Smith Jr.

Ive been noticing more and more through my sparring that, I havent the first clue on breaking through or getting around an opponent with his arms walled up. I find that everytime i try to attack a covered opponent, say to the body or head, i just feel like the punches im throwing at him are being stuffed. Like im in too close range to get effective twist on the hook, to the small exposed sides of his head and body. Or else i'll jab a couple times at their guard and try and jab through their forearms, but honestly my attempts so far feel futile, and i usually end up just backing off of them. I also attempt an uppercut between the guard sometimes, but i dont think my uppercutting technique is honed enough yet to be used effectively in sparring. It felt too weak and stuffed by his arms also.

Now im pretty sure this should be basic stuff i should be learned about, but im still sitting there dumbfounded bouncing jabs off of their guard pondering my next move. Soo my online trainers, im calling upon your infinite boxing knowledge. I need a lesson in getting passed/breaking through the walled up guard of my opponent. Ima southy if it makes a difference. In depth instructions are good, but simple fundamental explanations always stick best with me. Any'll do. School me.

Hit him hard on the arms and shoulders then he won't be able to hold his hands up that high

He's got his elbows in and is making "ear muffs" with his gloves? Take your right hand and punch his left glove, moving it out of the way for the left uppercut you throw behind it. Throw a left hook behind both his gloves and pull them down to clear the way for your right hand.
Really, folks, watch some tapes. Sugar Ray Leonard vs. Davey Green and DLH vs R Ruelas come to mind, just off the top.

Ray Leonard may have been the best at beating up a ear muffer. Those left hooks he squeezed in there were nothing nice.

Originally Posted by greynotsoold

He's got his elbows in and is making "ear muffs" with his gloves? Take your right hand and punch his left glove, moving it out of the way for the left uppercut you throw behind it. Throw a left hook behind both his gloves and pull them down to clear the way for your right hand.
Really, folks, watch some tapes. Sugar Ray Leonard vs. Davey Green and DLH vs R Ruelas come to mind, just off the top.

CC#164 Grey,,,,Not many guys utilize hitting the gloves themselves nowadays...I would have to almost beg some of my guys to do it...I would try and drum it in their heads that you are not going to move the arms of a guy with a good shell or who wears muffs...it will taks a while of beating the arms sore and who knows if it will be successful...you might punch yourself out first...Hit the glove and the hand will move....also I used to try to make them understand that if you punch at the wrist when they have the shell up there is a better chance of splitting the gloves...and always double up with the same shot this way if the first one moves the glove or splits the defense then the other gets in and lands flush....

Originally Posted by Ice Cold Boxing

Hit him hard on the arms and shoulders then he won't be able to hold his hands up that high

That reminds me of Marciano, he'd often turn his gloves over palms up, and nail his opponent with the side of his gloves where there was less padding. I think it was Archie Moore that said that it was like getting hit by a blackjack (club) all over. Rough.

Originally Posted by greynotsoold

He's got his elbows in and is making "ear muffs" with his gloves? Take your right hand and punch his left glove, moving it out of the way for the left uppercut you throw behind it. Throw a left hook behind both his gloves and pull them down to clear the way for your right hand.
Really, folks, watch some tapes. Sugar Ray Leonard vs. Davey Green and DLH vs R Ruelas come to mind, just off the top.

On another note, if their shoulder is open why not target it to create an opening? Say for instance, you drive a straight right into their left shoulder to turn them enough to give you an opening to land a left hook. Like wise you can drive a straight left into their right shoulder to spin them right into a right hook. Alternatively, if you can control both of their shoulders (or elbows, or elbows and shoulders, ala Willie Pep me thinks) you can also spin them off balance, and then catch them while they are turning back to meet you.

What would you do if they are shelling up in a different way? Such as angled at you sideways, with their left held lower to protect their body, their left shoulder protecting their chin, and their right hand protecting their right side of their body. What then? How would you create an opening?


Oops I messed up w/ the lefts/rights , it's all fixed now.

Originally Posted by Chris N.

Originally Posted by Ice Cold Boxing

Hit him hard on the arms and shoulders then he won't be able to hold his hands up that high

That reminds me of Marciano, he'd often turn his gloves over palms up, and nail his opponent with the side of his gloves where there was less padding. I think it was Archie Moore that said that it was like getting hit by a blackjack (club) all over. Rough.

Originally Posted by greynotsoold

He's got his elbows in and is making "ear muffs" with his gloves? Take your right hand and punch his left glove, moving it out of the way for the left uppercut you throw behind it. Throw a left hook behind both his gloves and pull them down to clear the way for your right hand.
Really, folks, watch some tapes. Sugar Ray Leonard vs. Davey Green and DLH vs R Ruelas come to mind, just off the top.

On another note, if their shoulder is open why not target it to create an opening? Say for instance, you drive a straight right into their right shoulder to turn them enough to give you an opening to land a left hook. Like wise you can drive a straight left into their left shoulder to spin them right into a right hook. Alternatively, if you can control both of their shoulders (or elbows, or elbows and shoulders, ala Willie Pep me thinks) you can also spin them off balance, and catch them while they are turning back to meet you.


What would you do if they are shelling up in a different way? Such as angled at you sideways, with their left held lower to protect their body, their left shoulder protecting their chin, and their right hand protecting their right side of their body. What then? How would you create an opening?

Chris did you ever see what Frazier said about Marciano ?? he said that if Ali would of done the rope a dope vs Marciano, Marciano would of broke his arms

But that tactic is actually good for fighters like Winky Wright, hit him on the arms and shoulders, if you hit him in the right place you can even give him a dead arm, i never see this tactic used anymore.

Yeah I was just about to say the same. Punch him in the shoulder. Theres no need even to work both. If you make him alter the position of one arm, both will move.

Originally Posted by Walker Smith Jr.

Ive been noticing more and more through my sparring that, I havent the first clue on breaking through or getting around an opponent with his arms walled up. I find that everytime i try to attack a covered opponent, say to the body or head, i just feel like the punches im throwing at him are being stuffed. Like im in too close range to get effective twist on the hook, to the small exposed sides of his head and body. Or else i'll jab a couple times at their guard and try and jab through their forearms, but honestly my attempts so far feel futile, and i usually end up just backing off of them. I also attempt an uppercut between the guard sometimes, but i dont think my uppercutting technique is honed enough yet to be used effectively in sparring. It felt too weak and stuffed by his arms also.

Now im pretty sure this should be basic stuff i should be learned about, but im still sitting there dumbfounded bouncing jabs off of their guard pondering my next move. Soo my online trainers, im calling upon your infinite boxing knowledge. I need a lesson in getting passed/breaking through the walled up guard of my opponent. Ima southy if it makes a difference. In depth instructions are good, but simple fundamental explanations always stick best with me. Any'll do. School me.

A simply way of taking advatage of sombody with a high guard is to move to the inside and go to the body with hooks.
When your gard is high you lose bit of mobility and also you cant keep an opponent off you.So just step inside and work the body.

Another way to take advantage of a hight gaurd is a long straight right to the body.

Show the punch a bit before you throw it to the body then after a few times switch to the head.