My question comes from reading several boxing books about throwing punches in combinations and whether it is smart to shorten some punches to set up others.
For instance, let's take the 1-2-3 (Jab, Cross, Left Head Hook). It says to throw this combination effectively, you need to move in with a hard Jab, land a short Cross (as opposed to a regular Cross that stretched out much farther) and land a hard Left Head Hook.
Another example is 2-3-2 or 3-2-3 combinations, where it is best to shorten the middle punch to emphasize the beginning and ending punch. Like for a 3-2-3, throw a hard Left Hook, followed by a shorter Cross, then a hard Left Hook.
When I used to spar a while ago, I would throw ALL my punches with proper technique and at full length, I didn't pull or shorten my punches to set up other shots. As I recall, I did fairly well, however I couldn't land huge flurries because I didn't shorten any of my punches.
So for those of you who spar regularly, do you shorten some of your shots to set up others and how successful have you done by doing so? And is it smart to shorten up punches to land other ones?
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