Thread: Anatomy for boxers!

Hey all,

Needed your advice/opinions on picking shots and integrating it into my training. Correct me if im wrong but these are the main targets;

1) Chin
2) Nose? For easy breakage/breathing impairment
3) Jaw below ear lobe
4) Solar plexus
5) Both sides of ribs, emphasis on their right side for "liver" shot
6) I read somewhere about the "pit" of the stomach?

These are correct? Now ive been working on visualising these specific parts when training, are there any others that need focusing on?

Also, is it a good idea to mark on a heavy bag/maze bag this or am I trying to be too complex and just use them as a general target. Those plastioc torso bags you can buy are ludicrously overpriced IMO.

Opinions appreciated, many thanks.

Originally Posted by Lord Harris

Hey all,

Needed your advice/opinions on picking shots and integrating it into my training. Correct me if im wrong but these are the main targets;

1) Chin
2) Nose? For easy breakage/breathing impairment
3) Jaw below ear lobe
4) Solar plexus
5) Both sides of ribs, emphasis on their right side for "liver" shot
6) I read somewhere about the "pit" of the stomach?

These are correct? Now ive been working on visualising these specific parts when training, are there any others that need focusing on?

Also, is it a good idea to mark on a heavy bag/maze bag this or am I trying to be too complex and just use them as a general target. Those plastioc torso bags you can buy are ludicrously overpriced IMO.

Opinions appreciated, many thanks.

Your usually told not to hit behind the head,thats generally considred to start at the ear,so the occipital bone is technically off limits.Im not saying it doesnt get hit,Im just saying

You want to include the spot right above the heart- read the transcripts of old bouts. This was a for-real ko shot. Right under the ribs on the left side of the body. Also, be sure you know where the solar plexus is- in the old days it used to be right under the second button down on a dress shirt, but I don't keep up with fashion much these days.
Also, try this. In the Toney/Holyfield fight Toney repeatedly punched to the "wing" muscle on Holyfield's back, with his left hook. (Is that the "trap"?) Holyfield visibly re-acted everytime. Its worth exploring.

I'f I'm not mistaken, the solar-plexus lies right on top of the pit of the stomach, therefore they are represented by the same target. You can call it whatever you want, the bread-basket, solar-plexus, or the pit of the stomach, etc. The spot is the depression which lies directly below your sternum. Back in the old days this was target was so sought after that it was called the "mark." I remember watching one of Kelly Pavlik's early pro fights and he stopped his opponent (who brought their guard up too high) with a hard right to the solar plexus.

It's a good idea to mark your mirror or punching bag. That way instead of hitting something like you're trying to rack up points, you're really thinking about how to setting up your punches before hand.

Anyways if you're interested, check out this link: http://www.saddoboxing.com/boxing_fo...html#msg680144

It's part of a study that I made to better understand where to hit, and I tried to explain it thoroughly when I could.

Originally Posted by greynotsoold

You want to include the spot right above the heart- read the transcripts of old bouts. This was a for-real ko shot. Right under the ribs on the left side of the body. Also, be sure you know where the solar plexus is- in the old days it used to be right under the second button down on a dress shirt, but I don't keep up with fashion much these days.
Also, try this. In the Toney/Holyfield fight Toney repeatedly punched to the "wing" muscle on Holyfield's back, with his left hook. (Is that the "trap"?) Holyfield visibly re-acted everytime. Its worth exploring.

this:



or this:

I should make clear that when I refer to the "heart punch" and the shot under the rib I'm referring to two separate punches. And, yes, Adam, it is the Lat that Toney was punching.

Whatever can tip the scales in my favor sounds good to me. I was just thinking about when you stop an opponent's punch right before they throw it. Let's say for instance that you shove your left palm into your opponent's bicep right before they can get their right hook off, sometimes moves like that can be disconcerting to an opponent, and if it leads up to an opening or to some sort of an advantage it's all the better. I think in recent memory this is one of the strong points of a younger Shane Mosely, he'd stop his opponent's arm while he was coming in to set up his combinations.

On a similar vein, I remember reading that one of the tricks that Benny Leonard would do especially if his opponent was concentrating hard trying to figure him out is to lay a glove on their shoulder. This would bother his opponent's and probably had it's advantages. I think that this is related to it's modern counterpart of jabbing at an opponent's right glove.

I think I should also give a brief mention to a few low blows. There's the punch to the hip/thigh which can give you a painful charly-horse making it hard for you to move around. There's also the pain in the butt of hitting your opponent in the butt cheek because of the sciatic nerve that runs through there. There's also my patented punch right on a low beltline, the bladder punch. It's enough to give any fighter trouble. Let your imagine run wild with this one.

All great responses, just what I was looking for thanks all! Howd you d this CC thing?

BTW awesome link Chris

You can't CC yet Lords, not til you reach 100 posts.

A place i find effective is just below the arm pit on the ribs, very litle protection there and my father once told me it effects the heart when you hit there....

I might work on finishing that article in the future. Knowing where to hit is the first part of it, the application part is to understand that you need a clever set-up just to be able to lay a glove on any of the sweet spots. Sometimes when you're lucky, or opponent gives you the perfect opportunity, and if you're prepared for it, then that moment can make all the difference.

BTW, 'CC/cool click' is one of those things that you get when you've made 100 posts.

Originally Posted by hitmandonny

A place i find effective is just below the arm pit on the ribs, very litle protection there and my father once told me it effects the heart when you hit there....

Hi don, does that mean that your father was a fighter?

Originally Posted by Chris N.

Originally Posted by hitmandonny

A place i find effective is just below the arm pit on the ribs, very litle protection there and my father once told me it effects the heart when you hit there....

Hi don, does that mean that your father was a fighter?

Heya Chris, good to see you!

Yeah my Dad and his brothers all fought.

That's great, maybe later on you can show your little hitman how to throw a punch.

Originally Posted by Chris N.

That's great, maybe later on you can show your little hitman how to throw a punch.

Well, i'm going to do what my did with me...

I never knew he boxed till i had about ten amateur fights under my belt...
If he (or she) would like to box il put all my efforts into his (or her) best interests, but it's not a sport id ever push my baby into...Football, athletics...all of those sports won't do too much damage, but force a child to box against their will and i feel it can do both psychological and physical damage.

Didn't your dad box too Chris?

Originally Posted by hitmandonny

Originally Posted by Chris N.

That's great, maybe later on you can show your little hitman how to throw a punch.

Well, i'm going to do what my did with me...

I never knew he boxed till i had about ten amateur fights under my belt...
If he (or she) would like to box il put all my efforts into his (or her) best interests, but it's not a sport id ever push my baby into...Football, athletics...all of those sports won't do too much damage, but force a child to box against their will and i feel it can do both psychological and physical damage.

Didn't your dad box too Chris?

Sorry to break it to you Donny,your gonna run in to a big case of Monkey see Monkey do.
My boy wanted to work the bags almost as soon as he saw them,best off just making sure they do it right so they dont hurt themselves