Kidney shots

Is there any way to excercise the lower back so that kidney shots aren't so damaging (or even somehow get used to it!)? or is the only answer to defend the area and avoid it at all cost?
I got hit there sparring last night and it's sore. I was also caught there a couple of months ago, which back then was painful enough to restict my training for the next fortnight i.e. unbable to do sit ups or intense workout on the bags and roadwork.
Each time it happened I was ok to continue sparring, it was sore but bearable. However its the fact that its restricting my traing thats bothering me.

Any insight or tips would be greatly appreciated.

Don't get hit with them... ;) you can't build much if any tissue over them to protect them.

cheers, I thought as much. Do you struggle when you're hit with them?

they hurt but I can suck it up and stay composed. They just wind me for a few seconds which is where my conditioning helps me out... its best not to get hit with them at all :P Its even better if you can through a good body shot... :D love landing them... saps your opponent's strength, weakens and slows him and is likely to drop him, esspecially off a counter...

Online problem with them is judges don't like to score them and you can't really open up with a hard body shot most of the time.

Thanks again for the reply. We just happened to spar without headshots last night, so their was a lot of pounding to the arms and shoulders, I turned my body too much to the right and he landed a solid hook right on my left kidney.
The shots that I took on the rest of my body (stomach chest etc.) didn't seem to bother me, but most were landing on my arms anyway as it was easy to block when we didn't have to worry about headshots.

Try not to leave th kidney's open. The harder it is for him the reach, the greater the chance you can catch him if he tries to hit you there. (Is it the same sparring partner who keeps hitting you there, or is it different ones?)

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Originally Posted by Vodka

Try not to leave th kidney's open. The harder it is for him the reach, the greater the chance you can catch him if he tries to hit you there. (Is it the same sparring partner who keeps hitting you there, or is it different ones?)

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I've been hit there twice, two different guys. I'm not sure how deliberate they were, I turned side on with the second guy this week when he was hooking to the body (there were no head shots in that session) so that one could have been avoided. I definitely learned a lot about protecting the body that day. The first time I was hit there was quite early on in my sparring (couple of months ago) so I was very inexperienced and probably exposed my back, but I've sparred a lot against that particular guy and I'm sure there was no malice intended.
Anyway, the main reason I was posting was that it took a couple of weeks to fully recover the first time it happened and so was affecting my training, I think my body's starting to get a little tougher now since it's been a day and a half since the last one and I'm already feeling almost better. Anyway cheers for the reply, I'll try not to get hit there anymore.

Bomp, I've been hit there, on that left kidney, many a time. I assume you block rights with your shoulder then, well thats good to hear. The reason we often get hit on our left kidney when we get under our shoulder like that is we tend to bring the arm in a bit too much. Your left hand ought to be resting on your solar plexus (belly) with your elbow then poking out over the ribs, obstructing a clear path to your left kidney. You also must remember that you dont have to turn all the way to the side, but rather just enough to let their right hands slide off of you. You don't need to be all the way sideways for this. Watch James Toney and how he makes those rights slide off him, he isnt totally sideways, but just enough.

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Originally Posted by ThomasTabin

Bomp, I've been hit there, on that left kidney, many a time. I assume you block rights with your shoulder then, well thats good to hear. The reason we often get hit on our left kidney when we get under our shoulder like that is we tend to bring the arm in a bit too much. Your left hand ought to be resting on your solar plexus (belly) with your elbow then poking out over the ribs, obstructing a clear path to your left kidney. You also must remember that you dont have to turn all the way to the side, but rather just enough to let their right hands slide off of you. You don't need to be all the way sideways for this. Watch James Toney and how he makes those rights slide off him, he isnt totally sideways, but just enough.

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THanks, I'll keep that in mind. I haven't been boxing long enough yet to know which style suits me best, I just seem to sometimes go to the stance you describe without realising, as it does seem to be easier to get away from their right hands as you said. I've never seen Toney fight but I've heard about his style and that he's technically excellent so I'll try and get hold of some footage of him.

How long you been doing it for Bomp? focus on your fundimentals and basics before you worry about the types of Stances pros like James Toney use... ;)

I've been going to the gym since just before christmas, and been sparring for, I'm guessing, 10 weeks. I am concentrating on the fundamentals at the moment as you say, it's just that sometimes in exchanges I tend to go to a slightly side on stance without even thinking, and it seems to work for me defensively, except for the odd kidney shot :-\.
Anyway the main reason I started this thread was I was worried about how bad I was taking them (kidney shots), as I mentioned before, I was unable to train properly for two weeks the first time I got caught there. However, I might already be geting a bit more used to them now, since the second time it happened was on Monday, and it was a more solid shot as well, and I'm feeling better already.
Thanks everyone for the reply's cc's allround.

CC back :)

To what extend do you meen side on? You should always stand side on to a certain degree, if you square you can't balance or generate power in punches and you're a bigger target. ;)

I've always had the benefit that Winky Wright has in that I can cover my body and head at the same time and I've always taken a body shot well should they odd one get past my defence.

I know what you mean, I stand orthodox so obvioulsy my left side is always a bit in front of my right. I rotate my body to my right sometimes, usually when my opponent is on the attack, and try and slip punches over my left shoulder, I've had some succes doing this, unintentionally to start with, and it seems to have crept into my strategy. My trainer hasn't called me on it yet so I assume it's o.k.

When I'm going forward I have a more 'conventional' looking stance with my arms up. Unfortunately I don't have particularly long forearms so can't cover up both head and body completely :-\ like 'winky'. But I'm in pretty good condition and can take a shot anywhere on the front and side of my body, except round the back.