Stance and breathing
Foundations / Rhythm / Shadow
Hold the guard for a round and let it breathe. The stance is the thing every other study returns to.
A guard you can hold
- Feet a stride apart, lead foot forward and turned in, rear heel light.
- Both gloves at the cheekbones, elbows in front of the ribs, chin down.
- Breathe through the nose and let the knees stay soft for the whole round.
Foundations / Foundation / Shadow
Why it matters
Every punch, slip and step in this app starts and finishes here. A guard that is comfortable to hold for three minutes is worth more than a good punch thrown from a bad one, because it is the position you spend most of a round in.
Walk through it
- Set the feetShoulder width and a stride apart, weight on the balls of the feet
- Hands homeGloves at the cheekbones, lead a little forward of the rear
- Chin downLooking out over the gloves, not level
- BreatheThe chest moves, the hands do not
Common faults
- Feet on one lineFrom the Above camera, the heels should not be on one tightrope
- Elbows outIf you can see daylight between the elbow and the ribs from the front, they are flared
- Chin upCompare the eye line with the phase-one frame; the chin should sit behind the lead shoulder
Drill
2 rounds of 3 min, 1 min rest. Hold the stance for the round. Every 20 seconds, check feet, elbows and chin in that order.
Solo study: no partner, no contact, not verified by a coach. Rehearse a movement your coach has already shown you.
The movements inside it
- Boxing guard: Set the feet, Hands home, Check balance, Ready. Watch for: Avoid bringing the feet onto one tightrope.
Where it sits
Foundations: The stance, the jab and the feet. Everything else in the room returns to these six.
Other studies in this tier: Jab / return to guard, Jab / step back, Step in, Step out, Rhythm bounce.
Rehearse, then reflect
Open the visual study to see the movement from four cameras. Start slowly using the movement taught by your coach, pause between repetitions and keep the range comfortable. Add the study to a session when you want a timed block, and record one useful observation afterward.
Open the visual study ↗How to use the studio · Glossary · What this app is not · Method and limits