Can't see 'em coming

Hi, I find that a lot of time I don't see punches coming at me till it's too late. I know your supposed to know almost before they throw what's coming but often times I don't even know what hit me. Obviously I try to keep my eyes on the shoulders or chest of an opponent, and I try to read what's coming, but it seems like everyones too fast for me. And not just the really good guys either. I grabbed a couple of kids off the floor to work drills with me mostly jab/defend jab I still wasn't seeing everything. I don't know if this is the sort of thing one can advise on but if it is I would greatly appreciate the help.
Thanks,
Raif

A lot of potential variables here
You could be twitching your guard over your eyes,you could be blinking,or you could just need more sparring time

Play some ping pong. Or some racquetball to work on you hand eye coordination.. It don’t hurt as bad ! Then after a few months you should see some improvement in reaction time.. There are other drills with a double end bag that can help ., Mr. Scrap will be able to help you . ;)

Hazmat, how long have you been Boxing

^ exactly :)

That's what we need to know... there are a lot of signs that you need to look for to know a punch is coming... a punch is quick... if you're only waiting for the glove to move you're gonna have to be amazingly fast to block it...

Spar for ages and all the signs will become part of memory... your opponent moving into range, a look on his face, his left shoulder comes forward so he's gonna throw a right hand etc...

Some people can even defend punches by looking at your feet ;)

Just spar and it'll become instinct... you don't react to the punch but you know it's coming.

Also the defences become instinctive... instead of 'argh he's gonna hit me block it! block it! parry! clip it with your right palm' you just think 'parry'... not even that... you just do it.

:)

Adam spot on cc

Hi, Thanks for the replies. I've been boxing for a year or so but only sparing sporadicly. I've been stepping up the sparing and am getting frustrated. I'm pretty impatient. But this is all good advice and deep down I guess I know that it's just a matter of doing my time in the ring. I guess I was hoping for some drills or exercises that could get me there faster. My gym only has sparing on Saturdays ( lordsboxing this sound familiar? ). You're allowed to spar whenever but people generally don't. I need to just start asking everyone if they want to spar when I get in and try and get a few more rounds in.
Thanks for the advice.
Raif

Its true that you need to be paitient when it comes to sparring and getting better.
In boxing... some people can disagree if they like...but you cant rush things. Figuring something out for yourself not only gives you more confidence in the ring but outside as well.
As for drills and excercises to "get you there faster" is quite difficult.
Think of it this way.
How many different sparring partners have you had or is it just the same guy?
If you want, watch THEM sparr or shadow box prior to sparring with them.
Start from the feet up.
DOes he have bad footing? Can you out maneuver him and hit him from an angle?
Second, watch his hip rotation. Does he over-rotate when he punches. Be specific with that too, look for an over-rotation in Hooks or cross etc etc.
Thirdly, watch his shoulders and his arms. Does he relax when he moves around or is he a pent up bull? If he is all tight, HE might feel the power, but youll only really feel a 3rd of it. Thats another little mental thing too.
In watching his shoulders, look at his breathing. Does he exhale when punching or does he hold his breath. He will tire easily if he does hold it in. Watch if he keep his mouth open too. A hanging jaw is much easy to connect with AND a KO is easy to achieve in this case. In watching his mouth, look to see if his chin is tucked in constantly.

Finnaly, his punching. Watch to see if he lowers them at ANY point of his punching.

Hopefully by studyin your opponent, YOU YOURSELF can find out a common flaw and exploit it.

Thats my two cents worth

Hey, since I posted this I've been spar between 4 and 8 rounds about 3 times a week. I spar with anyone I can find, I even spared against a little chick couldn't of weighed more than 100lbs. She was good golden gloves bla bla bla, and I wouldn't say it was a waste. Anyway, my position is that I'll spar with anybody I can find and as a result I'm definitely getting better. I'm also filming it and studying it later. in fact if you want to see some rounds here is where they are posted.
http://youtube.com/profile_videos?us...alahelDinHarik
I'm the one all in black not the real tall one and not the shorter one in the other match.
**edit** ok I'm the one not wearing a tank top and not wearing the silver headgear **
I'll be posting them for critique when I have some better footage.
Anyway, I still have a hard time seeing the right hand coming, which is odd since it's coming the farthest way, but I just eat them up. I guess I just still need more experience.
thanks for your two cents. I'll re watch my vids and look for these properties.

Your covering your line of sight
Even when you dont directly flinch your gloves in front of your eyes,and try to lean out,you do it with a pawing attempt at a jab,that puts your glove directly in to your sight line
Basically you cant see them coming because gloves arent transparent,try modifying your defensive stance by putting your jab hand slight further out,and your power hand slightly lower

2cents? They've given you hundreds worth!

you're probably just inadvertantly looking at their eyes. Plus, many people look great on the bag and mitts, but it all goes to shit when they spar. Why? Becasue getting hit is a shock to the system so you're not comfortable with the idea of trading a punch for a punch. You're looking to HIT but you're expecting NOT to get hit. And when you do get hit, it's "HOLY SHIT, where did THAT come from? I didn't even see it!" As soon as you come to grips with the idea theat you will get hit and you become comfortable GETTING hit and realize that you're not going to get hurt like you think you will, seeing them will become easier. That's when you'll loosen up, gain more confidence and start becoming a slicker boxer who hits better and is harder TO hit.

Hey M, ya, I was going to say something to the effect that it was a lot more than two cents but I got distracted. I appreciate all the feed back and help.
And thanks for viewing my clips. I guess that makes sense. I do keep my gloves pretty tight to my face. I will definitely try to modify that this sat. when I spar next.
As for your second point. You are correct in what you are describing, but I don't believe it applies to me. I get hit plenty and plenty hard. The Oh shit! that I get is really more of a "why the hell didn't I see that coming" or a "Why the hell do I keep getting hit with that shot". I'll trade jabs, but I don't like to trade right hands if I can help it.
Also I think when you say I put a little pawing jab out you are refering to me sort of blocking but sticking my hand out to meet the punch rather than to just catch it. And your right. This is crap and I am correcting it. And now that I think of it this kind of makes it look like I'm afraid to get hit. I don't know. Anyway
Thanks,
R