I think you understand what I'm saying. When i say my guard i mean using my forearms and clenched fists as a wall. However, sometimes it's defensive and sometimes offensive.

I am sometimes told to use this as I move in deliberately expecting it to be hit and punching out as my opponent is bringing their gloves back - timing my attack to take advantage of them. I find it difficult against heavier sparring partners - particularly those who are taller and have a longer reach. I feel like they can easily move back out of the way using me as a punching bag as they go. I will only catch them rarely with my third and fourth attacks if I can cut the ring well and they are not smart enough to upset my timing.

i am currently being taught this as if it is a simpler, more basic technique than slipping or parrying the punch while stepping in to breach the distance and countering. However i feel my guard is not strong enough to do this well and it is hard for me to punch out of it quickly after impact from my opponents punch so I don't quite time the counter as well as I'd like.

Scoring of amateur boxing in Australia has gone towards awarding a point to anything which knocks the head back even if it only knocks your guard which is pushed into your head. That and the fact this is a bit uncomfortable compared to slipping means i feel i need to do this really, really well or not at all.

Another bad habit i have is that when I'm concentrating i tend to unknowingly pace myself according to my opponents pace. i often don't set my own pace unless I'm told to just go for it - in which case I and my techniques look a bit feral! Thus, sometimes I'm fast and sometimes I'm slow. I guess for that reason it's important for me to learn both forms of defense. However I'm not sure that I need to use the guard offensively - especially since I'm the gym midget and can't spar people the same weight i will fight in competitions. what do you think?