Sparring Stances

A boxer points his or her lead shoulder toward the opponent with hands up with the outside of the front knee pointing toward the opponent. This fighting position makes it difficult for another boxer to land a punch from the waist up but it exposes the front leg to a kick. The front edge of the leg offers more resistance to kicks than the sides or rear. Therefore, it is best to keep the lead knee and shoulder pointed at the opponent.

The overly wide stances and the leaning backward postures seen in tournaments may help prevent the opponent from scoring but they cause bad habits. Under other conditions, such as on the street, the habits expose you to leg kicks and expose the upper body due to the lowered guard.

Reliable Stance. Elbows in front, fists near cheekbones, palms inward, chin tucked. Stance wide enough for stability yet narrow enough for mobility. Torso angled enough to the side to present fewer targets yet not so much as to prevent use of the reverse/cross punch. Keep your knees bent for mobility and jumping.

Fighting Posture. A fighting posture, whether it is offensive or defensive, should radiate confidence and intimidate the opponent. Usually, fighters use a loosely based front stance with a slight bouncing motion while shifting weight forward and backward and using footwork to ensure distance between fighters is not fixed. Knees are bent and the stance is flexible. Fists guard the body and point toward the opponent ready to punch, snapping back to this position after each attack.