About Rolling Punches/The Bob and Weave
It doesn’t come much better than slipping punches by ‘rolling with them’ (also referred to as ‘bob and weave’.) It is one of the boxing techniques that opens many doors, either during infighting, on the attack or on the retreat at long range. It’s very satisfying as a boxer to successfully execute the roll as it usually means that you have control of the opponent. When using the roll, it’s very possible to evade multiple shots during a single execution. The fact that the head is moving in a non-linear way means that it’s extremely difficult for an opponent to judge where to throw shots. Add into the mix that at the end of a roll you can unleash big, big shots, and you must agree by now that it’s a boxing technique that really does open doors!
This article covers both rolls; the Inside Roll and the Outside Roll. The inside/outside bit relates to the fact that if the opponent threw a jab, we would end up the move on the inside (to your left) of the jab or the outside (to your right) of the jab. Watch the video, then check out the mechanics and faults to make sure that you consider the right way and the wrong way to do the move! Think also about what shots would feel good to throw at the end of the move.
Mechanics of Rolling Punches
Inside Roll
- From the boxing stance, the first action is a push from the front foot. The push or ‘thrust’ provides the force necessary to rotate the body in a clockwise direction around the central axis. You may recognize this, it is actually the skill slipping punches outside.
- The back leg pushes back and the front leg flexes to allow the body to ‘weave’ underneath incoming shots. The upper body moves from right to left in a gentle arc, ending up back at the boxing stance. It is vital that the legs remain relaxed and flexible.
Outside Roll
- From the boxing stance, the first action is a push from the back foot. The push or ‘thrust’ provides the force necessary to rotate the body in an anti-clockwise direction around the central axis. You may recognize this, it is actually the skill slipping punches inside.
- There is a push from the front leg and the back leg flexes to accommodate a gentle arc from left to right underneath incoming shots, with the move ending up back at the boxing stance.
Common Faults When Rolling Punches
The following problems can occur when rolling punches:
- The boxer’s arms become to ‘loose’. By this I mean that when slipping left for example (at the start of the outside roll), the right hand will drop, and vice versa for the inside roll. Remember that this move is completed within range, so any major gaps in your defense will be found out at some point!
- The roll is facilitated by bending at the waist. As always, the legs do the work! If the body bends at the waist, the boxer is unable to see incoming shots and is unable to throw any worthwhile outgoing shots. The likelihood of being banged with an uppercut to the head is very significant when bending at the waist, so avoid doing it!
Whether you say ‘roll with the punches’ or ‘bob and weave’, as long as you do it right it’s a boxing technique that will pay dividends. When we combine this with footwork and punching skills it really does deliver the complete package.
Cheers
Fran
{ 14 comments… read them below or add one }
For myself, the key thing is to keep that back straight and let the legs do the work. Like all beginners I have a tendency to bend at the waist and rotate around without getting my legs involved. I’m trying to correct this common fault because it ties into another fault I have. Namely – not watching my opponent!
When you do this maneuver Fran, I see that your head remains nicely vertical along with your spine. You can comfortably watch what’s in front of you. Bending at the waist will tilt your head to the floor and you have to peer upwards. This is my bad habit. I’ve done it in super slow motion just to prove to myself why it’s bad. Sure enough, when you bend at the waist the guys head and shoulders go into your blind spot. You’ve lost sight of him and that’s always dangerous. You tend to pop up out of your weave and right into a fist. Bending at the waist is an invitation to stop paying attention.
Further to that. I notice myself losing concentration lots of times. Even just jabbing or circling. My coach has already addressed this, and he’s going to go into more detail as I progress. For now, he just tells me to avoid staring at any one thing (especially eyes) and don’t zone out. He’s always saying “it’s not about you – it’s about your opponent”. So I have to strive to be constantly receptive to the information my opponent is giving me, by watching him and paying attention. Doing the bob-and-weave properly allows you to do that, WHILE you avoid punches.
Hey Karl
Some real good points there. This thing about what you look at, that’s particularly interesting. Myself, and a number of (much more talented and capable than myself) boxers who I have been involved with over the years focus most of the time on the chest of the opponent. I don’t know why, maybe it’s a sub-conscious thing, or maybe it’s experience in that you can understand subtle changes in your opponent’s body movements, I don’t know for sure.
On the vision issue, I used to watch quite a lot of war movies, and always remember seeing WWII tank commanders looking out the top of the turret. They could have been tucked away safe inside away from those nasty bullets, but then they wouldn’t have been able to see what’s going on around them. Moral of the story, seeing the threat is vital!
Cheers Karl
Usually when practicing this move, we’ve just done the Bob/Dip and Weave. But I like how you incorporate the Slip first. One thing you can mention in a future post is stepping off the weave and gaining a better angle on your opponent.
You read my mind Lawrence. Keep an eye out for the upcoming articles on diagonal foot movements. Combining the roll with footwork, especially diagonal movement, is pure gold!
the point of looking at the lower chest(at least in kickboxing) is that all the striking points are in the peripheral field of vision.. that is,, though they are not clear, the hands, feet,knees,elbows are all visible,, and hence can be read as soon as they start.. if we look at the hands or the eyes, the foot gets into the visual field just when it about 10 cm from the head,, it would be too late to respond. when the central vision is fixed on the chest, BOTH the hands will be visible at all times.
nice video. you explain things very well.
Thanks Patrick
What a great drill, I have just spent the afternoon practising at my gym( ordinary fitness gym) in front of the studio mirror. I really nailed it after a while! It felt great, I came up up with a little practice tool, a bar with a boxing glove on end, I fixed the other end so that the glove was at head height pointing at me
it worked great as a solo training tool! I practised slipping, rolling both sides, I also practised the back hand block, using my legs instead of just my hand. It took a while but by the end of the session it was nicely in my nervous system! Iknow the glove does not hit back but just as a training tool it worked a treat. I also after a while found myself stepping of at angels naturally after the roll. I have a back ground in martial arts so am fairly decent at picking up movements and mimicking them. I honestly love your site! Such a great source of QUALITY information! I really appreciate the fact that you make it so simple and point out the common faults. Fran you really are my boxing coach 
Cheers
Thanks very much Andy. Keep up with the kind of commitment that you describe there and you’ll get real improvements. I notice that you are signed up for the mobility drills. These will help no end. Keep it up mate.
Gread information, imformative, and broken down well, so that it is easy to understand. Thanks!
Thank you Mike.
Wait, isn’t “rolling” with a punch when you take a hit, but move away from it to reduce the impact? Like if you’re about to get hit in the left side of the head and can’t avoid it, so you turn your head to the right as it hits you.
I say this because it’s really confusing to refer to bobbing and weaving as “rolling”, when rolling is something completely different.
Hey Zack
I think I’ll stick with bobbing and weaving and rolling, using them interchangeably. What you describe for me is simply taking the sting out of a shot. My own view is that most experienced boxers do this instinctively if they see the shot coming; it’s a natural reaction to pull your head away from the punch. So, fighters with fast reactions will be better at it than those without. Would I coach boxers to do this? Only by virtue of of the ‘roll’ that comes by way of bobbing and weaving, slipping or laying back. In amateur boxing, remember also that if the shot lands then I’ve lost a point.
Cheers and thanks for the comment