how can i learn to slip punches?

[HerbM]

The tennis ball is a really good idea.

I had forgotten that we have a slip bag (or some name) tied like that. It's a small sand bag that you tie off at head leaven and then start it swinging back and forth. It's heavy enough that it's very mildly uncomfortable to get hit, but light enough it does no damage.

The idea of course is to slip back and forth, throwing punches while it is in it's swing and slipping when it gets near your head (front or back.)

Not hard to setup and cheap. Best is to have a fairly high ceiling or hang point so you get a pretty long swing without much input.

Look (now) at the related posts (or search for "Slip Bag") since that is causing the related posts to bring up articles about how to use this resource.

I just pasted in what was showing there (in Related Posts) for me so you would have something to search:

• Slip Bags and an Alternative By ThomasTabin in forum Important / Useful Posts
  
  
• Am i Using the Slip Bag Correctly? By RedTbShark in forum Ask the Trainer
  
  
• greynotsoold - For the Beginners: How to Slip a Jab By Chris Nagel in forum Important / Useful Posts
  
  
• Slip ball, anyone? By Von Milash in forum Ask the Trainer
  
  

[Scrap]

Slipping shots, isnt done with the Head, its done with the Feet. Move the Head without engaging the feet youre Off bBalance, and have to go back where you started, easy to read.

[HerbM]

Slipping shots, isnt done with the Head, its done with the Feet. Move the Head without engaging the feet youre Off bBalance, and have to go back where you started, easy to read.

That makes sense and fits my Systema training which emphasizes form (vertical, natural, balanced posture) generally avoiding 'kinks in the spine' or quickly restoring a vertical spine and balance if tactical necessity requires you to temporarily compromise your form.

My boxing coach however has us practice what he calls 'fading' -- bending at the waist, just far enough to take the head aside as the punch arrives, preferably outside so as to avoid moving the head in front of the opponent's other hand.

Mike Tyson at his height sure seemed to be able to use such movement to his advantages, and there have been boxers who specialize in bob and weave.

For myself, I have recently surprised myself by being able to use side to side head movement to avoid punches and deliver my own -- this is almost unnatural to me as my spinal mobility is somewhat reduced by arthritis and it is contrary to my nature and that Systema training mentioned above.

On the other hand, I have found that anyone who fades/slips predictably is pretty easy to track and hit, plus as you say Scrap it destroys their form/balance and they must (generally predictably) restore it to continue working effectively.


I don't know what the correct answer is, but it does seem worth discussing further and it is quite possible that the answer is to build this skill but use it judiciously.

[Scrap]

When Tyson stopped using joints to move His Head He lost it. His Feet became wide with no mobilty, and lost movement and the inabilaty for His Oral and Ocular cavity to work as it should naturally. His greatest asset He lost, movement at speed.

[Andre]

If you havent got a sparring partner you can tape a glove on to the end of a broom stick and get your misses to move around in jab fashion trying to land one on you.

They will enjoy that too. If they can get in ten clean shots in 3 minutes you'll do the sweeping for them.

Win /win

[Fran@myboxingcoach]

I'm with Scrap, well to a point as I don't really know what 'oral and ocular cavity' relates to (I thought I'd be more likely to find these on those 'other' forums that I visit!) Anyways, Tyson used to use slips to brilliant effect, mixing them in with various combinations to deliver crippling damage on opponents. All of his early work slipping was dictated by the legs, not the waist. As soon as his limited head movement was generated by waist movement, he started getting clipped with alarming regularity.

Set 2 simple rules:

1) The slips I perform will be technically perfect. I will assure technical perfection by using mirrors to ensure form is correct and the movement is as economical as possible, and
2) I will slip before and after every shot/group of shots. Do this during shadow boxing, bagwork, pads and sparring.

Ropes tied across the rings are good, as was Wayne's suggestion of a swinging tennis ball on a string.

Good luck

Fran

PS - remember that slips and rolls are also excellent methods of 'feinting' an opponent to prompt a reaction...multi-purpose skill!

[HerbM]

...Anyways, Tyson used to use slips to brilliant effect, mixing them in with various combinations to deliver crippling damage on opponents. All of his early work slipping was dictated by the legs, not the waist. As soon as his limited head movement was generated by waist movement, he started getting clipped with alarming regularity.

...

Would you please elaborate on the subject of 'legs' as opposed to waist in slipping?

If it is too difficult to explain in words, maybe this would be a good subject for your video clips on your excellent web site.

My spinal mobility is reduced, and my knees are really shot, but once I found out I could get advantage by using movement similar to Tyson's I started doing it.

I say similar, because I just started doing this due to some prompting from my sparring mates with no expectation it would help.

When I found I got hit less and could still get inside and hit (more) it became something worth doing. Prior to that, slipping was just something theoretical that I practiced (badly) because Coach aid to do so.

I also realized at this point that what I was doing was closer to Tyson's wild-looking weaving than to what we were practicing. [I am not saying Tyson did this wildly, but merely that the unpredictable nature of his movement looked wild and made him hard to hit when he entered.]

One of the differences in the Buster Douglas fight is that either Tyson was not 'doing it right' anymore or Douglas had it figured out -- Tyson couldn't reliably use this method to get inside.

I don't 'need' this skill much against other beginners, but I have been practicing it because it seems to be key to my success against the more skillful or experienced boxers in our gym.

For all I know I could be doing something terrible that will only show when working with even more skillful fighters (e.g., better than the best guys who are currently working with me.)

[Dizaster]

If you havent got a sparring partner you can tape a glove on to the end of a broom stick and get your misses to move around in jab fashion trying to land one on you.

They will enjoy that too. If they can get in ten clean shots in 3 minutes you'll do the sweeping for them.

Win /win

Is that because if you actually strap the gloves onto her hands, she'll really quickly get the urge to proper punish you for all the times you havn't done the sweeping?

"hey!! stop punching so much! i'm trying to actually learn something here"
"Sorry it's just fun (trying to punch your head in)"

That's how it's always gone for me... Just no control in girls..

[oakleyno1]

cheers guys, looks like im gonna get hit lots with the broomstick for the next few weeks haha