Question for Punches - What To Do When Facing Them

[muaythai 1]

Hello sylvie and everyone,i got another question:P

Lets say someone is coming at me with punches(in sparring for example) how should i react?

-just raise my guard up and wait till hes done punching and attack back?

-move my head back and kinda keep distance with long guard?

-keep moving around the ring so when he punches me ill avoid him?

-directly punch back?(but doesn't that leave me expose?)

I usually do a combination of all these but i haven't really got it how to react exactly..

Thanks

[Fighting Frog 255]

It depends on the overall situation... putting up a tight strong guard and waiting for an opportunity to hit back is good; so is stepping out and away (quarter out and you can immediately kick them); so is backing up (to give yourself room to react); maybe a nice pushkick (or even a knee if there's a gap); or you can attack back. In my admittedly  limited experience I don't think there is an 'exact' way to react in this situation. I've used all of these reactions when my opponent is pummeling me vigorously. And same if it's me in the attack, and he has gone into a nice tight guard - how I continue depends on that particular moment in that particular session.

Just keep on sparring, and practicing, and watching fights and training sessions (whether professional stuff or other people at your club or whatever), and gradually you'll feel more confident and your body will start to do the reacting for you (maybe you're over-thinking it a bit!) It's also very helpful to film your sparring sessions and to watch them, and see how it's all playing out.

Main thing is to relax, smile, and have fun.

[Matty 43]

I think a combination of the things you've listed is already the right response. Change it up based on situation and make yourself unpredictable would be the main idea.

 

I would suggest to tack on a counter/offensive move after the responses you've listed above.

[fighthug 0]

You should go to the opposite side of the punch arm!

 

 

[Sylvie_vonD 1,688]

On 4/15/2018 at 7:40 PM, muaythai said:

Hello sylvie and everyone,i got another question:P

Lets say someone is coming at me with punches(in sparring for example) how should i react?

-just raise my guard up and wait till hes done punching and attack back?

-move my head back and kinda keep distance with long guard?

-keep moving around the ring so when he punches me ill avoid him?

-directly punch back?(but doesn't that leave me expose?)

I usually do a combination of all these but i haven't really got it how to react exactly..

Thanks

All of the above seems right. There's no single response that's  "correct," it's about adapting. Everyone has patterns. Everyone. So if you put your guard up and wait out the first punch or two, you'll have an opening. If you lean back, make sure you then counter. Play with it.

[Kevin von Duuglas-Ittu 819]

On 4/15/2018 at 7:40 PM, muaythai said:

Hello sylvie and everyone,i got another question:P

Lets say someone is coming at me with punches(in sparring for example) how should i react?

-just raise my guard up and wait till hes done punching and attack back?

-move my head back and kinda keep distance with long guard?

-keep moving around the ring so when he punches me ill avoid him?

-directly punch back?(but doesn't that leave me expose?)

I usually do a combination of all these but i haven't really got it how to react exactly..

Thanks

A good thing to work on, stylistically, is that when punches start coming: throw a spear knee, or throw a mid-kick under them. Eventually building awareness of where the "open side" is (where the belly button is pointing toward. It's common to think about trying to counter and defend up top when attacked up top, but knees (or if you like longer distances, kicks) are very high scoring in Muay Thai, and are natural counters to punching combinations. Punches extend and open the body. 

[Coach James Poidog 19]

For me it really depends on the my goal for the night. Wjat do I want out of this session? If its to minimize damage (say the person is a little outve control), id use a guard and footwork to clear space to keep the pressure off and look for openings to counter and shut the agression down. If my goal is to feel pressure and learn to deal with it, then I might shell up and accept their attack to feel it. I believe its important to counter asap regardless to keep from being run over. Most of the time my goal is to preemptively keep them from over whelming me with outside footwork at range. I usually keep moving so as to not make a tempting target and not let them get a bead on me. Their swings wiff air so I can counter.

[Eric Y 2]

I’m a beginner/intermediate level with no fight experience, but for me in sparring I use a tight “samson issan” guard with forearm infront. After a couple of punches, i get a rough feel of the punching power/rhythm and try to break the opponents rhythm by pulsing forward and push to create space. As the opponent tries to reset, teep/kick/knee or jab/knee combo. I also integrate long guard/ dracula guard to keep a constant range check and get myself composed again. 

Whether or not it is as applicable in a proper fight, not sure. I love watching and re-watching the muay thai library, it definitely helps me in trying out all sorts of answers to such questions! 

[Kevin von Duuglas-Ittu 819]

15 hours ago, Eric Y said:

I’m a beginner/intermediate level with no fight experience, but for me in sparring I use a tight “samson issan” guard with forearm infront...

This is the guard referred to!

https://youtu.be/EwdcTseZFl8

 

[Xestaro 7]

I'm also a beginner with no fight experience but your question is important for me as well as a lot of the people I did sparring with so far were quite punch-focused (and I am not).

2 Things that seem to put a break on a punchers advance (at least on those that are not leaps and bounds ahead of my skill anyways of course) for me are:

 

1. Long guard and keeping a hand towards their face to interfere, disrupt, annoy. The better one's tend to get around it sooner or later but I guess with more experience it can at least help. I am quite tall though so if you are a smaller build this might not work as well for you.

 

2. Quick inside leg kicks as they step forward to punch. This proved quite effective as far as my skills will allow. It unbalances them and makes them more vary to step in again. Also the pain starts racking up over time if you can sneak it in more often. Good footwork can of course only make it better. I've also seen this approach used to sweep people clean off their feet as they try to advance with punches (look at Karuhat for a technically godlike example)

 

Teeps seem to work, too but I'm not yet good enough with them to stay out of trouble while using them. Need to improve my timing and power I guess.

[Sylvie_vonD 1,688]

On 5/8/2019 at 9:39 PM, Eric Y said:

I’m a beginner/intermediate level with no fight experience, but for me in sparring I use a tight “samson issan” guard with forearm infront. After a couple of punches, i get a rough feel of the punching power/rhythm and try to break the opponents rhythm by pulsing forward and push to create space. As the opponent tries to reset, teep/kick/knee or jab/knee combo. I also integrate long guard/ dracula guard to keep a constant range check and get myself composed again. 

Whether or not it is as applicable in a proper fight, not sure. I love watching and re-watching the muay thai library, it definitely helps me in trying out all sorts of answers to such questions! 

This sounds very much like what Rambaa worked with me on at the end of our Patreon session (up now). It's basically a long guard (the arm doesn't cross over, so not Dracula) and the Spike Guard (as I call it, where you block with your elbow). Two ranges, but you block EVERYTHING with just that. Your selections and practice sounds really good, especially with counters and lower body attacks within it.