Violets are blue, roses are red, my Valentine was a punch to head

No Valentines for me last night, only punches to the head. Don’t get me wrong, I was happy to have ‘em because it meant that I made it to boxing class after missing it for two weeks.

We worked on blocking and countering from the block for most of the class. This meant that my partner would swing at my head and I would absorb the hit with a block. The proper form for this type of blocking is to have your glove held to your forehead, your elbow tucked against your ribs and then you lean into the oncoming punch. Wikipedia defines blocking this way: Parry/block – Parrying or blocking uses the boxer's shoulder, hands or arms as defensive tools to protect against incoming attacks. A block generally receives a punch while a parry tends to deflect it. A "palm" or "cuff" is a block which intentionally takes the incoming punch on that portion of the defender's glove.

Boxer B is blocking Boxer A's left jab.

An important aspect of blocking is leaning into the punch. Yes, lean in to it. It might sound counterintuitive but leaning into it allows you to absorb it better and by leaning you shift your weight and this allows for quick counterpunches. If my partner throws a right punch it’s coming to my left, I bring my glove up to my eye, elbow held close to the body and shift my weight to my left leg. Once I feel the blow, I counter with a left 45-degree punch or a hook and then a straight right.

This type of drill is work for the coach (the guy throwing punches to the head) and for the boxer. In these drills, where the coach is throwing punches and then getting his hands up as targets, the movements - when done right – become a well-choreographed dance of arms.  In order for the drill to be effective, the coach has to be quicker than the boxer. The coach’s hands are the target and the target needs to be there before the boxer can punch it. It didn’t really work that way last night. I was partnered with a guy I like training with. We’re close in height and weight and he brings a good intensity to the training. But last night, by his own admission, his mind wasn’t in it because of work-related stress. This meant that there were moments where I was waiting for him to display the target or he was displaying the wrong target or mixing up the order.