Thread: Controlling your opponents hands

A post on another thread has got me thinking about this a lot lately. Which boxers do you think were the best at altering their opponents hand positions to land shots? What are the best methods to alter your opponents guard in order to hit him with subsequent shots? Which fights or knockouts spring to mind as the best examples of hand manipulation?

The poster referred to this knockout, with Leonard starting a number of combinations, including the last, with a right to the left glove:

Great Knockouts #5 - Leonard vs Green - YouTube

I am not really starting this thread, just picking up on another.

The 1st kd in the DeLaHoya/Ruelas fight was the result of Oscar feinting a hook to the body, causing Ruelas to drop his right hand to parry it, then left hooking his left glove out of the way, then landing a right to score the knockdown.
My friend that sparred with Emile Griffith for several fights in the late 60s, early 70s, said that he had a million similar tricks for creating punching lanes when fighting inside.
In the Rosario fight Chavez altered a number of the right hands thrown at him by bumping Rosario's right elbow with his left glove. Different, but sort of the same.

Theres plenty once you get used to what your doing its easy to just make them up as you go, not all fighters are the same, ill mention a few i like.

Jabbing the rear glove to expose for the liver shot, jabbing the elbow to expose for the left hook to the head, jab to the chest if you want them to parry your jab to setup left hook from feiting a jab, jab high to the forehead if theyre using philly shell or lead shoulder to cover your straight or overhand rights a lot, jab to the forehead if you want them to slip/weave or duck the punches sets up a feint then uppercuts and hooks through the middle, jab high to entangle and leverage block an overactive over hand right, jab to the glove to upset rhythme (works well for double jabs and jabs with L hooks on end), uppercuts setup straights and then feinting them sets up body shots, straights set up hooks, high' set up low's.
ts easy really, half of the orthadox boxing combos you learn at any boxing club are there for a reason, because often one punch sets up another during the combo, most of them can easily be adapted so they do, left hook their left glove then straight right, do this twice then left hook left glove and left hook head or body. straight right the right and left hook. every fighter is different, a new problem to solve, but youve gotta do it quick, and while your taking blows to the head its a skill in itself im not sure can be taught so easily. holding a glove over theirs is a nice basic one you can feel when they want to punch, apply pressure and they'll push bak to keep their hands up, let go and go low, applying pressure will also slow any oncoming shots because some muscles required are already engaged and must relax and then recontract to fire, holding/pulling their left elbowtoward you with your right hand, let go and step or pivot right to stop them throwing a good straight right, then after a few of this pull their left elbow with your right,using your left over their right glove to cover, let go and wait, done properly they will line up the straight right for you as you feint them in the wrong direction, sorry about the mess of a post, just a quick one its getting late.

Adjusting your feet or body angle so that your center line of firing across their elbow point makes life difficult for an instant; just being there automatically means you have initiated some control over and limited what they can do with their hands (without them adjusting to you.)
Also in very close, if you have their elbow point under your hand you have their fist and their balance under your control too. You can even bring their weight forward over their own front leg for an instant using all the above. Not impossible to do in boxing gloves Easier for mma though. Exchanging contact and refiring the lead is the go when facing the same stance. you are interrupting their movement,but then continuing it for them as they react and your answer is thrown right there.
Doing it and fireing the rear straight away as you move is the go when facing opposite stances. Same when landing in close you can drop that same glove into the crook of their elbow (this creates a new reaction that can open them to many things, so much more in maa though) because their in close reaction to what you have done is what you help out with; so the way they move in automatic reaction is the way you help them to go. (The reverse to what you first initiated).

Andre, do you know of any video clips of these angles and hand control, especially pertaining to mma? Very interesting stuff. Thank you.

Ill have to think more on it. Barrera does a type of block naturally (without thinking), you'll pick it up in one or more of the trilogys against Moralles.

When they are banging it out you will see that after taking a few and uncertain where Morrales is going to come from next, AMB puts a lead arm straight out withhis head in behind the shoulder and turns into Morrales like a search but youll notice it takes control because he has shifted his center line into the line of action with a feeler out.

Koysta used to use a feeler arm alot too, but not so much his center line he used to hide his intention behind his.

Originally Posted by mertlich11

Andre, do you know of any video clips of these angles and hand control, especially pertaining to mma? Very interesting stuff. Thank you.

Glad you could follow that first post .Its hard to relay into words.

Im not sure I've seen any Mma guys do any of that in close for control they tend to go straight for the elbow. I would love to show one so they could see what occurs.

Do you have any training videos, or descriptions of these techniques that could be used for mma?

I have some dvds but not with what we are talking about.

Some disruption of their movement isnt hard with practice at 3/4 distance, if a guy is out there with his lead arm and is also kicking at your front leg with his front leg all you have to do is move his lead arm down or pull it towards you slightly and he cant get power into his leg. Same if you push his lead arm towards his leg his leg cant complete its action. You can stop an axe kick on the way up like that but most people through their training break contact and go for the path of the leg instead.

Also if you pull his lead foot towards you with your lead foot as he moves in at you his arm cant fire properly. Mess with peoples steps and it disrupts everything else. Help their feet to where they are going, just a bit further and they are searching for balance.

If you can push his lead arm towards his rear arm from the elbow point it will diffuse it. Give it a try, try and hit someone with your rear while they shove your lead elbow point.

Disruption is as good as control sometimes, like attacking the lead arm on the way in to a grab. 99% of fighters tend to just shoot for the legs, why not mess with their arm and timing and balance on the way in and then grapple them down as they react?

Why not put your foot to their knee when they are taking just jabs at you?

An mma fighter has alot more distances to worry about you are in contact range at 4 feet out and can still hit at elbow range when his head is touching yours. So why not mess with all those distances in between?

Theres so many intermittent things you can get away with. Instead of stamping, kick a guys toes around into his own center line when you got him pinned against the cage use his own reaction to take him down.

I know these things are only done in some rare situations.
Like a couple of times on the weekend we saw Cotto duck out when he got caught and he had his right glove on Margaritos left elbow controlling him with the closest threat to him as he was leaving.
I was thinking imagine doing that but turning back inwards right there and stick to him like glue, Margo would react against the elbow (with outward pressure) and would turn to face Cotto who could of ripped him with a left upper cut when Marg opened up on reaction. Push,remove pressure, go up the opening. That sort of thing.

I would love
some instructionals on this. This is great stuff.

Not giving information on this but have never thought about it... Now thinking back, I think it comes naturally thinking back there's loads of things I wA doing