adjusting fighting stance

[Carter86]

okay, i go to do jang about 3 times a week and i workout 2-3 times at LA fitness for my strength/conditioning and heavy bag workout. I used to do muay thai so i throw combination of punches, shin kicks, knees and elbows on a heavy bag.

Boxing is something I lack the most so i usually do 'hands only' round. But sometimes I totally forget about keeping my guards up. I think this is a bad habit. A guy who saw me doing heavy bag workout told me that I should keep my hands at my cheekbone level. [boxing style] but then im worried about take downs and body kicks. So I usually keep my hands around my chin level.

Any advice?

 

[jks9199]

okay, i go to do jang about 3 times a week and i workout 2-3 times at LA fitness for my strength/conditioning and heavy bag workout. I used to do muay thai so i throw combination of punches, shin kicks, knees and elbows on a heavy bag.

Boxing is something I lack the most so i usually do 'hands only' round. But sometimes I totally forget about keeping my guards up. I think this is a bad habit. A guy who saw me doing heavy bag workout told me that I should keep my hands at my cheekbone level. [boxing style] but then im worried about take downs and body kicks. So I usually keep my hands around my chin level.

Any advice?

A boxer's guard stance is designed for a fight with rules that prohibit strikes to the back of the head and below the belt. It's good for that -- but not so good in a situation where you might be attacked in other areas of the body. If you're doing pure boxing -- you can keep your hands up like that. Take a look at MMA fighters; they rarely adopt a modern boxer's guard; the stance more and more of them are ending up in is much more like a classical boxer's stance or many more traditional martial arts stances, where their hands are positioned a bit lower, allowing more perception and more options for defense and attack.

Your instructors should be shaping your stance according to your system's principles and guidelines.

 

[Carter86]

i see thanks. my instructor told me i have a good fighting stance. i usually keep my hands around my chin level or neck level. As you mentioned, i have to defend myself from various attacks. i thought modern boxing stance is not so useful in hapkido or MMA sparrings.

 

[matt.m]

A good sparring stance would be standing sideways in a stance. Be sure to keep up with what I like to call a gunsight hand position for protection. Front hand under nose and back hand by ear.

Of course your hands are away from your face but they are in the general area.