Were to watch?

Rite, I'm quite new to boxin and still got alot to learn. I was wonderin, when in the ring, should i be looking at my opponents hands to watch out for punches, or at their face to look for shots? cheers.

Terry downes once said he was told to watch a boxers eyes but nobody had ever hit him with an eye so he watched their gloves

I always used to watch their eyes (you often get a 'tell', like a poker player and don't fall for feints), but lots of other people watch gloves.

It's best to do what comes naturally on this, I think. If you feel happier looking at the gloves .... fine.

I watch all over... eyes, shoulders... chest gloves... even the feet give clues. It's something that can't be taught really... you just have to get in there and spar to learn it yourself

Depends on the head gear you're wearing. For example if you're wearing something that limits visibility you won't be able to catch everything thats happening. Try to find headgear that brings best visibility.

I find best results when I'm not focusing on anything. I'm just looking at the general shape of his body from around chest level with the rest of his body picked up by my peripheral vision. The body moves before the gloves and so this way you can watch his tip off movements for things like his jab, his right hand, etc.

the reason I think its bad to 'focus' is because it locks your vision (and therefore your concentration) to one thing and you go blind to other things because you're so intently locked into that one thing that you lose sight of other things that may be happening.

In boxing you only ever get hit when you aren't paying attention to something. The idea must then be that one should try and maximize their awareness of their opponent as much as he can. In terms of where to look, I believe this extends to the idea that one should look at the general shape of an opponent's body instead of any one thing.


There are ways to sharpen your perception of a person's body. Two ways primarily.

1, shadowbox in a full mirror. This allows you to see the way your body looks when its punching and moving. It gives you an appreciation of the way the body looks as it is fighting. the little tip offs and slight movements. In short, this will give you a greater understanding of the body.

2, Try to get your trainer or someone else to stand in front of you and throw punches at you. Not hard or trying to hurt you but just regular punches to practice slipping or blocking with. This will help make you better at picking up the way the body looks as it is getting ready to punch and also how to react to the punch. You can gauge your distance in relation to your opponent and in general you get a good feel of your opponent. He becomes part of you.

I keep a look at everytthing really, but by and large I'd be looking at their upper chest/neck, behind their guard, or their elbows, one twitch from either place and it's time to slip.