Stop a Tank – Right Cross to the Body

You have an aggressive opponent who likes to commit to the attack, what are your options? Well there’s all kinds of things you can do, but a fantastic way to use their weight against them is to go with the right cross to the body.

What matters when using the right cross to the body is that we get 3 things right – technique, target and time.

The ideal technique for the right cross to the body involves combining 2 skills; the right cross and the duck.

With the right cross it’s important that we begin the execution of the punch with the drive from the back foot. This back foot drive enables a rotation of the upper body through the hips. The rotation is around the centre axis and we must avoid under-rotating or leaning forward with the punch.

The duck is the most simple body movement that a boxer does; straight back and bend at the knees. By combining the right cross with the duck we get the perfect right cross to the body.

The 2nd ‘T’ is the target. The right cross to the body is about targeting the vital organs just below the lower rib. So, take 3 fingers below the sternum and an inverted ‘V’ gives us the target area. When using the right cross to the body, don’t aim for the abdominal muscles, you need to be precise.

The final ‘T’ is timing – we want to use the right cross to the body ideally against an advancing opponent (so that we can use their body weight against them) or at least against a static opponent. The right cross to the body is not very effective against a retreating opponent.

When we have landed the right cross to the body (or not), think about what comes next. You can press home the attack with the left hook, double-down on your attack. Alternatively you can push away laterally or diagonally or even cover up and duck into close range. In any scenario, make sure you think about ‘what comes next’ after you’ve landed your right cross to the body.

Would love to hear your thoughts.

Cheers

Fran

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