Quote Originally Posted by Chris N.
I'm not really at the point in my understanding where I can solve that problem. I really like Thomas's explanation on how he'd use his jab. His defense is solid, and and looking at Louis's picture, although he isn't in the position to throw a real left hook, he is in a great position to counterjab, and immediately after throwing a right hand his left side would be loaded to throw a good left-hook. Thomas's post give me a lot to think about, right now I'm just not not ready to tackle a problem like that.
Boxing, at its core, is not man vs man but strategy vs strategy. Whenever you fight your opponent you must first figure out his strategy before you can do anything. You can do nothing of any worth before you establish this. Its the first thing. For future reference always start from this point. Every boxer fights out of some kind of strategy that you must outline. Think of it as a map. With this map you'll know how to avoid and exploit his means of attacking. You'll know how to navigate him essentially.


The problem with many fighters is that they fight in such a way that its virtually impossible to outline an opponent's strategy. The opponent has no predictable strategy: he does this and then he does that all in very random, unpredictable order. The fighter ends up not being able to make a dependable map of his opponent because his opponent is too unpredictable to depend on! He has no concrete idea of what his opponent might do. He could very well do anything. Its all a blur to him. This is the worst kind of fighter.


As always in boxing, your actions dictate your opponent's actions. In less words: what you do = what he will do. Thus, you are in control of how predictable/unpredictable your opponent is. The greatest fighters make their opponents predictable -- very predictable. This is so that they can have an accurate understanding of what their opponent is trying to do to them. Working from this foundation, they are in the position of control that grey alluded to in his first post. This fighter holds control over his opponent and moves him when and where he wants them to.


Taking all this information in consideration lets try to see how you could defeat the strategy I'm using. Well to start with I'm circling you to my left. I'm not moving terribly fast but just enough so as to create constant distance. This allows me to limit our exchanges thus limiting randomness/unpredictability thus, increasing predictability. Taking this theme further, I am giving you a very non committed jab -- one that is not enough to counter. So, in order to hit me you are now limited to coming in and throwing lead punches. You can't counterpunch because I'm literally not giving you anything to counter. I choose not to counter your lead punches as doing so would constitute exchanging: where you could possibly be able to hit me while I've stopped to counter you. Instead I simply close up and slither away to repeat this process again.

As you can see I'm not doing very much and as a result you are unable to do very much yourself. The playing field is very predictable. You've been limited to just coming in and throwing lead punches which become blocked and I'm being extremely defensive and not opening up. In order to catch me in a state where I am able to be hit you need to catch me whilst committed in the act of punching. In other words, you need to counter me; as simply leading is having no effect. But I'm giving nothing to counter. This all changes when I begin introducing a good hard jab, which, contrary to my previous jabs, has enough on it to be countered. So now I've given you an opening.


Here is where our intellects will clash. The jab is now there for you. You could counter it but what if I'm only giving you that jab so that I can catch you with a right hand as you try to counter it? Does this thought enter your mind? How well have you thought this out?


Well suppose you knew all along that I was trying to set you up with this very punch. Suppose you knew that this had been my strategy from the beginning and that I had been carrying you along this whole time up to this very moment just for that. If you knew this then you could prepare for it and also exploit it. The right hand is a committed punch, and as such, can be countered. Could you set me up to counter the right hand I want to throw? If so, with what, and how?