Do Professional Boxers Have Bad Form?

If you've done any type of boxing training - even for just a couple months or so - and then watched a professional fight, you will likely notice something kind of odd. Sometimes, maybe even oftentimes, the fighters aren't necessarily throwing punches and moving in the way you were taught. Particularly in the heavier weight classes and particularly when it comes to a Golden Rule of Boxing itself, which is to keeping your hands up at all times. Coaches repeat this endlessly but then you turn on the TV and see both fighters with their hands down. So what gives? Do these rules just not apply to the pros? Or do some of these so-called pros actually have good form?

The answer is multi-faceted and before I go on, I do want to say that plenty of professional boxers don't have these issues. Their technique is clean their form is precise, and they put on a boxing clinic every time they fight. Canelo, Lomachenko and Naoya Inoue are certainly a great examples here but there are plenty more. Here are some of the reasons though, why others may not box the way your coach teaches you to box.

1) Styles/Good Enough to Break the Rules

Muhammad Ali crossed his feet constantly. Floyd Mayweather Jr. keeps/kept his left hand down on purpose. Tyson sometimes got into a completely square stance. Roy Jones even put BOTH hands behind his back before knocking out James Toney. One thing these guys have in common is that they are some of the greatest fighters of all time. They were able to develop their own style that worked for them specifically. If others could simply emulate those styles and be as successful, they would! We'd have tons of people fighting just Ali, knocking people out with their legs crossed but as it happens, we only have the one guy who did this stuff at a high level. In the case of Floyd Mayweather Jr, there are actually many others who use a similar "Philly Shell" defense (before and after him) that Floyd uses. And plenty of them win high-profile fights too but it still represents a tremendous risk and requires lightning-quick reflexes as well as a certain mental aptitude to pull it off. If you just do a cursory YouTube search for boxing knockouts, you will notice that 99% show the guy being knocked out with his hand(s) down. Plus, in many cases, it is imperative for someone training in boxing to master the basics first before thinking about adopting a different style.

You will also see some boxers exhibit bad form or a lack of technique but they are so good, they can get away with it and still win. Having a lot of natural punching power can sometimes be like an eraser, making up for little mistakes. But this is does not mean YOU will be able to get away with it. Or even the other person be able to get away with it forever. The better boxer generally wins out and learning the proper skills will only help someone with their craft and as I have said a million times before, even just their workout.

2) Keys to the Door

Punching another person who does have their hands up, protecting themselves, as well as moving around means that if I just throw a perfectly straight jab, I could be punching right into their glove. Now sometimes I will do that on purpose but let's say in this case, I really want to punch them in the face. To do that, I may alter the angle and form of my jab so that I punch around/underneath/etc. their glove. Thus, my jab looks a little awkward now. Think of it like fitting a key into a keyhole. Or fitting in a puzzle piece. I have to adjust my strike so it fits in just right. This doesn't necessarily equal bad form though. Not at all. But it can lead to my punches appearing a little less than textbook perfection.

This can be even more true for hitting a moving target. What starts as a beautiful cross may turn into a dipping, half-assed looking overhand if my opponent starts to drop their head while my hand is in flight. With boxing in general, you kind of have to take what's there, what is open, and the structure isn't always as critical as landing a shot is, in the heat of the moment.

Does this mean we shouldn't train with such a rigid structure? Not at all. The better you get at throwing punches and moving properly, the better you will get at throwing slight variations of those punches and moves when things go live and situations present themselves. If boxing is something that really interests you, read that sentence again. My slightly off-form hook will be stronger as well as more efficient and effective, the more I practice throwing hooks the proper way, using every muscle in my body. If boxing doesn't interest you as much, know that once again, throwing punches the proper way will get you a better, safer workout than just going willy nilly.

3.) Feints

Feints are something you will see in the ring constantly. A fighter fakes doing something - stepping a certain way, throwing a punch, etc. - and then quickly does something else. Sometimes they aren't even totally planned either. I start to step in but then I instantly think better of it and step away. Much of the time they are intentional though, designed to set up the opponent. For example, I pretend that I am going to step forward in an attempt to draw my opponent out, have them throw a strike intended to catch me on the way in, but since I never did come all the way in, their strike misses and then I am now ready to pounce. You see this with punches, head movement, everything. 

So is that bad form? Not at all again! Feints are a huge, critical part of boxing, especially when fighting against counterpunchers, but because they are seemingly an incomplete motion, it is possible that they might appear strange to a relatively new viewer. Sometimes, feints will also go further outside of the box, appearing even stranger. You might see someone raise their hand straight up in the air in an attempt to draw the opponents eyes up or away from the intended target. Watch highlights of Prince Naseem Hamad or Emanual Augustus for some crazy examples.

4) They're Tired and/or Hurt

This is a big one with the bigger fighters. You will almost never see two heavyweights fight more than a few rounds and not obviously appear a little fatigued. Once you get tired, the first things that will happen are that you become flat-footed (no longer bouncing on your toes), head movement slows down and the hands drop. Punches then become sloppier too. It's not just because the hands are heavy and keeping them up requires energy, it is also just the mental part as well. Staying sharp mentally when you're exhausted becomes harder and harder so remembering all the million things you are supposed to do while boxing becomes harder as well.

You can multiply this by an exponentially higher number when a boxer is hurt. Mental and physical capacity drop dramatically and they go into survival mode. Great boxers have learned how to just coast on muscle memory here but punches are going to get extra sloppy, once balance and pain thresholds are compromised. 

Even if a punch doesn't hurt, it is also common in boxing for the fighters to both land punches around the same time. It's probably beyond obvious to say that if you are trying to throw a punch and get hit while doing it, that punch may not turn out as well as it normally would. At the very least, your body is being moved and jostled, affecting your balance, rhythm, timing and attention.

5) Some Fighters Are Just Kind of Sloppy

George Foreman was another one of the all-time greats. Don't tell him that I said this but he wasn't the most technical fighter, by any stretch. He was extremely powerful (maybe the most relatively powerful puncher ever), good at cutting off the ring, and used his strong jab pretty well but his signature power punches were also big, slow and looping. The only reason that Ali was able to beat him in the famous Rumble in the Jungle fight, using the "rope-a-dope" technique was because Foreman was a little sloppy. Had he tightened up his punches like coaches generally teach, he would have likely run over Ali as predicted. Just like I talked about in point #1, George could get away with his less-than-elite boxing skills because of his other talents

And there are plenty of boxers who are far less sharp. Not to pick on the big guys again but this is usually where you will see it. There is also a conversion process that happens when you go from practice into the ring. I'd estimate the average person is 20% wilder in a real fight than they are in the gym. Some even more so. Thus, what you see on TV will not be a perfect representation of what you and the fighters are coached to do. Plus, now we have all these "celebrity boxers" who may indeed get some good training but just don't have the experience and ring IQ to really showcase the sweet science. 

Oftentimes though, when you are watching some of the best coached, highest-level fighters, there is a very solid translation between training and fighting. You can even find footage of people like Canelo and Tyson practicing drills that played out perfectly in their fights. This is the ideal scenario and something to strive for.

So I guess the answer to the initial question isn't a simple Yes/No but boxing is also an incredibly complex sport with many variables and not a lot of easy answers. That is one of the things I love about it! But I will leave you with one simple truth that I have already said several times and will say over and over again: the better you learn the rules and box with best, most textbook form you can, the better everything else will get. Even if you eventually develop your own style, break the rules, when you have to adapt and when you get tired or hurt, you will be better for having mastered the basics first. Good form and technique will also get you a better workout with less chance of injury and more chance of being able to develop more skills. I've said this one before too - technique is everything!!!

Should My Hand and/or Wrist Hurt While Punching the Heavy Bag?

Provided your hands are wrapped properly and you are using adequate boxing gloves, your hands, wrists and knuckles should not hurt when punching a heavy bag, even when hitting that bag with a lot of force over and over again. It is NOT just a part of boxing training.

That being said, people have certainly reported feeling some discomfort at times. The good news is that if someone does experience any pain or hand issues at all from the heavy bag, there is always a solution (so long as there aren't any underlying problems that would lead to making heavy bag boxing unsafe). The solution of course, depends on the problem, and I am going to go through a list of the most common issues I hear accompanied by the cause and specific solution(s) for that issue.

First and foremost, for just about all of these potential issues, there are 2 important things you can do to prevent them from ever happening. The first is warming up your wrists and hands before hitting the bag. The idea of the warm-up is to get some some flexion, extension and blood flow happening. Here are 3 exercises I demonstrated in a video last year -   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x141CXJdI6U&list=PLN0PPf0o8X6X1Te2zEgHrqy-BtyI-RAg3&index=38  - and even when you do start punching, take that first round or so a little lighter to get your hands used to that contact.

The other thing you can do is strengthen your hands and wrist. The stronger they are, the less likely injury could potentially happen. Things like push-ups on your knuckles and bottoms-up kettlebell presses will really help you keep your wrists straight and stable and any exercise you can do to overall improve your grip strength will help for delivering tighter, more solid punches. There are a lot of little muscles in the hands and forearms and all of them are forced to stabilize when your punches land. You don't need to spend a ton of time on this training and it is very possible to do other lifting work at the same time. Even something like pull-ups, where the hands and wrists aren't targeted at all, can do wonders for your grip strength, especially with a fatter/thicker bar.

Before I finally get to the issues, I also wanted to say one thing about hand-wrapping. It is critical to wrap your hands before putting on the gloves and hitting the bag and it is also critical that they are wrapped correctly. There is no one, unified way to wrap and many different variations but as long as it...

1) Is tight enough that it doesn't become unraveled

2) But not so tight that you cannot feel your hands and get good circulation to them

3) Allows you to make a tight fist and fully close your hand

4) Doesn't bind any of your fingers together

5) Provides some padding for the knuckle

6) Provides some wrist support

...then your hands are wrapped properly. Once again, here is a video I made showing a couple different ways to wrap - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HZM6OXoCSfg -  If all of these things are true and/or we wrap your hands for you at our club, any hand or wrist issues are likely NOT due to the wraps. I say this because it is often the first thing people wonder if they encounter pain. Maybe I'm just not wrapping correctly? Or not wrapping tight enough? Usually though, this is not the case and in fact, wrapping too tight can probably cause worse problems because if you do lose circulation and can't feel your hands or wrist, you won't be fully aware of what they are doing and where they are when they hit the bag. And that is the most important thing of all! Speaking of which, here are the more likely culprits and how to fix them:

Abrasion

Problem 1 - You have blisters on your front 2 knuckles (index and middle finger knuckles)

Solution a - This could be simply due to newness. You just started hitting the bag and/or have brand new gloves and/or a brand new heavy bag and your hands simply aren't used to it. As you get more used to it, these scrapes and blisters will go away. But punching a bag with blistered hands hurts, even if just in the interim while you heal. You can go with regular band-aids (replacing at least every time you box) or better yet, moleskin bandages for more padding and wrapping.

Solution b - You are not landing the knuckles flush and are instead, sliding off the bag on contact, pulling on the skin. You never want to skim or partially hit the bag and if you find that happening, slow things down a little. 

Problem 2 - You have blisters on the other 2 knuckles (ring finger and pinkie knuckles) and/or the inside, door-knocker knuckles.

Solution a - You are hitting with the wrong knuckles! All contact should happen with the front, outside big knuckles where you index finger and middle finger begin in the hand. If you are hitting with the smaller knuckles or worse, the "door-knocker" knuckles that are right in the middle of your finger tips and hand knuckles. You will likely have other issues if you continue to punch this way so the abrasion blisters are actually a useful warning sign! Just like the issue above though, you are going to need some kind of bandage until the blisters heal.

Knuckle Pain

Problem 1 - Your knuckles hurt when you hit the bag. Generally in both hands but more so on the dominant hand and generally, when throwing all the punches though again, some hurt a little more than others.

Solution a - You do not have a tight fist upon impact. And sometimes this is a little tougher wearing wraps and gloves but you really have to make sure those fists are as tight as possible. Don't squeeze all the time though, or you'll burn out your forearms, but from the moment you decide to throw that punch, squeeze those fists tight. There are schools of thought that preach not making that tight fist up until the exact point of impact, which is certainly logical but could cause an injury if you are even slightly wrong about the timing of that point of impact. i.e. if the bag is moving and you connect a little before you expect.

Solution b - You may need new gloves. If your gloves are older and the padding has started to wear, it is time for new ones. How long does this take? I have found that it totally depends on the glove and how hard you hit. Sometimes, expensive gloves are more economically smart, as well as safer, because they won't wear down as quickly. You just have to make sure you get the right ones. If you are a heavy hitter, you are going to likely need heavier gloves. 14-ounce may be okay but 16-ouncers are often better. Some brands are definitely better than others and some styles are too. For the TITLE Brand, I have said many times that the World Bag Gel 2.0 gloves are better for hitting the heavy bag than any other TITLE style, even those which are more expensive. 

Additional Note About Gloves: In all the time I have punched a heavy bag, I have only hurt my knuckles one time. I was trying out some weighted gloves and my fingers were too crammed together so the tendon pulled a little bit upon impact. This was kind of an edge case scenario but my point is just that if you do buy or try new gloves and something doesn't feel quite right, those are not the gloves for you! New gloves should always feel pretty good. Maybe a little stiff at first, slightly tight but if the hand feels wrong or very uncomfortable, try something else.

Problem 2 - Your knuckles hurt only on one hand but not so much, the other.

Solution a - You had a specific, acute injury. Maybe a punch landed wrong (not a tight enough fist, wrong knuckles, not wrapped properly, using old gloves, etc.) and created an injury that now leads to pain. If it's really bad, get it checked but most of the time, it just needs to heal in these cases. You can still box during this time but I would recommend a couple things- just not going so hard for a little bit and/or use to something to help absorb some of the shock from your knuckles. A few different things can work. The first is a toe separator used primarily for drying painted toenails. But if you put it over your knuckles when you wrap, it will provide some padding and made all the difference for me that first and only time I hurt my hand while boxing. If it doesn't help you, the next step is to try something a little better. I have found that Silipos hand pads provide plenty of shock absorption. Just like the toe separators, you place them over the top knuckles and then wrap over them. There are also knuckle shields made specifically for boxing that you can use too.

Solution b - Your punch is not landing properly on that hand. Likely it is your power side so while you might have the same technical issue on your non-dominant hand, the issue isn't as prevalent as you don't hit as hard on that side. Take more time to see how your hand is landing and make sure you are hitting with A) a straight wrist, B) a tight fist and C) making contact with the top two, big, hand knuckles only. The ones your index finger and middle finger attach to. To find out for sure, throw each punch on that hand and freeze so that you can see exactly where where you're making contact. Then make some adjustments and quickly get out of this habit of freezing at the end of your punches.

Problem 3 - Your knuckles hurt specifically on particular punch.

Solution a - This means you are almost definitely not throwing and landing that particular punch properly. Just like above, practice throwing it, freezing on impact, and checking to make sure that A, B and C are true. If you're not sure, have someone else look at it. Just remember that even when you fix it, there may still be some residual pain as the initial injury heals. You can also take the steps in “Problem 2, Solution” a while it does.

Wrist Pain

Problem 1 - Your wrist hurts when you punch the bag.

Solution a - Your wrist is not straight upon impact. It is bent forward or backward, which puts immense pressure on those wrists, the harder you hit. You may not even realize that this is happening. Before even throwing a punch, try straightening your wrist and see what it looks like. Then throw a slowed-down punch and take a close look.

Solution b - Your wrist bends upon impact. Maybe it's straight coming in but bends once it hits the bag. Oftentimes, this is because either the fist is not tight enough on impact or the elbow is not behind the punch. Or both! We've talked about keeping a tight fist but the elbow is really important too, not just for your wrist but your shoulder is well. We see this a lot on hook punches. A good rule of thumb is to make sure your elbow is never below your fist on hooks.

Solution c - Just like with the knuckles, it is possible to generally maintain good form but on one particular punch, you manage to tweak your wrist. Or you have an unrelated injury that makes your punches hurt until that injury heals. A more nuclear option here is to take something like masking tape or duct tape and literally tape over your wrist after wrapping (and maybe down the wrist as well). I would not necessarily wrap the hand wraps tighter, as a loss of circulation will only compound the problem but taping over will add support as well as remind you that there is an injury, and not to go too crazy.

Problem 2 - Your wrist hurts particularly on hook punches.

Solution a - Besides not keeping a generally straight wrist, another very common problem we notice on hook punches are people hitting with those inside, smaller, "door-knocker" knuckles mentioned earlier, so the hook is delivered more like a slap. This could be due to being too far away from the bag when throwing the hook or a slap just feeling more natural. Open palm-style strikes (hitting with the hard part of the bottom of the hand) have their role in self-defense and MMA but when punching a heavy bag, particularly with boxing gloves on, this is a dangerous thing to do. You are putting a lot of pressure on that wrist and you are very likely losing power and speed to do it anyway. Hooks are compact, powerful punches that should be delivered quickly and with low probability of being successfully blocked. If this is you, try getting closer to the bag, maintaining a right-angle L-shape with your arm and throwing hooks, and slowing things down to make sure you're landing in the right spot.

Hitting Too Hard? No!

One final thing I want to say here is about hitting to hard. I have also heard some people report issues these hand or wrist issues and wonder if they are just punching too hard. Unless you have a pre-existing injury or aren't sufficiently warmed or wrapped up with proper gloves, it is impossible to hit too hard. If punches are causing pain and the harder you hit, the more pain you feel, it is because you are not hitting correctly, not too hard. Sure, you don't want to necessarily go all out when you first start boxing. It is better to start slow and learn the technique. And you generally don't want to go all out when you first begin a heavy bag session either but once you are warm and your hands are used to it and you're wrapped properly with appropriate gloves and you've got proper form, let loose!!! A great thing about the heavy bag in general is that it is the best way to really train your power. You don't have to worry about hurting your training partner and again, as long as you are smart about it, you don't have to worry about hurting yourself either!

Nervous To Try Out Boxing?

Starting anything new can be tough, especially when it's a boxing class with other people who have likely done it before and seemingly, already know what they are doing.  Just about every single person who comes to our club - regardless of age or fitness level - has been nervous for that first time. Even some who said they weren't nervous later told me that they really were!

I was just like them too. I've often told a story about how I started getting serious about combat sports. There was a Krav Maga gym that opened up in my old neighborhood in San Francisco. I was really interested in checking it out as I had done some Muay Thai and BJJ years ago, loved it, and really wanted to get back into that kind of a disciplined exercise program. Despite previous experience, I was still very nervous. The idea of me looking like a noob and not knowing what to do when everybody else did was daunting. I passed by the studio every day on my way to and from work and would always look in the window to see large dudes, many of them in local law enforcement and security, training there and looking totally intimidating. At the time, I was a 32 year-old-video game developer and not in the best of shape. There was no way I could compete with those other guys!

Plus, for me, there is always this fear of the unknown. I always want to know exactly what is going to happen and where everything is. Even if I have a reasonable idea and it doesn't really matter anyway, it is still important to me. Besides not knowing the content of the new training, I don't understand the structures and procedures either and that can make me just as uncomfortable.

So anyway, I finally mustered up the initiative/courage to do it BUT instead of stepping totally out of my comfort zone and join the regular boxing and kickboxing classes classes at the gym, I sort chickened out and bought 10 private training sessions with their head instructor first. That way, only one person, the trainer, would see me sucking and hopefully teach me how to not suck anymore. After my 10 sessions, I decided to finally try out a regular class. But I was STILL nervous about it! In fact when I went to the class and people asked if I had any previous experience, I pretty much lied. I said "No" and maybe mumbled something about working with Barney (my trainer) "a couple" of times. So if I still sucked, they would hopefully not judge me too harshly and if I did pretty well, would be extra impressed! 

Writing this all out is pretty embarrassing as clearly, I had/have issues, but I guess the point is that I can definitely relate to being nervous about trying something new and to varying degrees, most all of us have these kind of social anxieties. And they are often irrational. But working through them can be well worth it! For me, it changed my life forever. Set me on a path of health and wellness and inspired me to get into helping others down that path. My confidence went up and my overall social anxieties went down. I became a transformed person in many ways and I liked the new me a lot better! Maybe it won't have such an extreme effect on you but I can pretty much guarantee you that you will be proud of yourself and feel good about yourself for surviving something you were nervous to try.

In our club, we truly do have people of all fitness levels, skill levels, backgrounds and ages. Everyone's on their own heavy bag and goes at their own pace. Every single one of them was new once too and will understand what you might be going through that first time.

I would say that a little more than half the people who sign up with us online to check out a  boxing class for free actually make it in. Getting through that door the first time really is the hardest part. But again, everybody who makes it is glad that they did. Whether you end up loving boxing and wanting to do it more or not, the experience will be positive. So if you're on the fence about taking the jump, now is a perfect time to  do it. And if you're already training, share this with someone who might be interested but is still, like ALL of us, a little nervous!

Most Important Muscle Group to Train in Boxing

It is somewhat odd that the largest, longest muscle group in the human body is also one of the most underappreciated- at least in terms of their most basic function. I am talking about the gluteal muscles and as it relates to boxing, these muscles could not be more important. In fact, I would say that if you could only train one muscle group for boxing, it should be those glutes.

But why? Don't you throw punches with your arms? Wouldn't things like the chest and shoulders be more important? I (and I am pretty sure anyone else with an understanding of boxing mechanics and human physiology) would say that while important, no muscles in the upper body are as important to train than your lower body. And in my opinion, it's not even close.

Every punch in boxing starts "below the belt." The first thing to activate once a punch is about to be thrown is in the lower body.  Either pushing off the ground, dipping at the knees, or turning of the hip. Once activation starts, the rest of the body follows in step.

Boxing isn't just about punching either. There is constant movement of the feet in all directions (even rotational) with maximum quickness and agility. Changing direction, moving in, moving out, faking one way and going the other way, all the while remaining on your toes and shifting your weight. In fact, you could also say that literally every movement in boxing - offense, defense, footwork, head movement, etc. - is about shifting your weight from one foot to the other when done properly.

So, if I take a step forward in a fighting stance, I push off of my back foot, lift my front foot up, step forward with that foot, and the weight shifts to my front foot as I step. If I throw a lead hook, I am transferring weight from that front foot to the back foot as I turn my hips into the punch. If I were to duck underneath a lead hook from my (orthodox) opponent, I would first dip down, then transfer the weight from my front foot to my back foot. Then I would likely throw my back hand - let's say a cross - where I once again transfer that weight that is currently on my back foot to my front foot as I rotate my hips and shoulders. I could go on and on.

To make these transitions possible, I need to use a lot of muscles in cooperation with each other. The quads get a lot of work, but they don't turn the hips. It is also important that I maintain balance and proper posture throughout. Transferring weight is one half generating the movement and the other half stopping the movement- "catching" the weight. Quads can help here too, especially with footwork, but again, they are generally missing the most important component of boxing, which is rotational. This is where the glutes and to a greater extent, the core, come in (Note that glutes should indeed be considered part of the core). The glutes are responsible for generating and stopping movement in all planes of motion, maintaining your balance in all situations.

Learning how to box properly will functionally train your glutes, but if you are looking for more strength training (and/or changing the appearance of your glutes), there are plenty of good exercises you can do. Squats are a simple, popular move but here are 5 more that I like a lot better:

1.            Step-ups (using a high enough step, like a park bench)

2.            Kettlebell or dumbbell swings

3.            Skater lunges or zig zag hops

4.            Single-leg glute bridges

5.            Donkey kicks

You can do everything but the swings without weight, but you can also add some weight to everything there too. These exercises- along with boxing itself- will definitely improve your athletic performance. It will also help your basic balance (standing or locomotion) and posture, as glutes are the primary muscle group for these jobs too. So, if you've never had a chance to think about how much they do for you, maybe now is the time to thank these functionally underappreciated muscles for their help as well as focus more on their training.