reading opponents

[shs101]

Looking for any general concepts or tips on reading/figuring out your opponent early on? Not just for competition purpose but even for your everyday sparring.

What are some things to figure out what they want to do,their mistakes,and so on...... I know you'd have to have a person infront of you making these actions but im talking concepts/principles and anything more advanced you do to read your opponents.

[mconstantine]

Do they like to move forward and be aggressive or hang back and look to counter?

How do they react to feints?

Do they typically throw single punches or combinations?

How does my reach fare against theirs? (literally measuring your opponent)

How fast are they?

How easy can you see their punches coming?

Where are the holes in their defense/stance?

How powerful are they? (may want to block a punch or two in a way you feel their power through the block to measure their power)

How do they respond to pressure? (can they counter? Run? or do they shell up?)


Depending on your style of fighting or game plan, any # of these things may be important to you.

Be careful tho, sophisticated fighters don't show everything in the early part of the fight so the style you observe early could change as the fight progresses.

[AlexKid]

Looking for any general concepts or tips on reading/figuring out your opponent early on? Not just for competition purpose but even for your everyday sparring.

What are some things to figure out what they want to do,their mistakes,and so on...... I know you'd have to have a person infront of you making these actions but im talking concepts/principles and anything more advanced you do to read your opponents.

All I know is watch the shoulders from boxing class, I think all punches even the jab require telegraphic shoulder movement.

Or watch nothing but everything from martial arts class. (so rely on periferal vision only and have your eyes focussed on nothing, that way you can see everything from their feet to their shoulders)

Chin down shoulders up while looking of course.

[Ray Corso]

If you bring anything "martial arts" into boxing your going to get beat up!
Anything to do with "kicks in your thought" will get you hurt in boxing because your starting out with bad balance!
Heres a simple starting point, take an opponents jab away! Key on his head movement as he jabs, does he nod, tilt, raise up? Does he start his elbow Out as the jab is released?
If you can take a jab away by recognizing it from the start and counter it with combination punches your going to take away most fighter primary weapon.
Thats why you spend time IN the Mirror shadowing to check that YOUR not giving your jab or anything else away! Also a shadow partner that can move with you and relate what your doing well (not giving away motions) or what your giving up. Most people here don't know what the primary reason to shadowing is all about. They think its only loosening up!!! Hahahaha!! Ray.

[Barn]

1. Work out their hardest/most effective/most frequent punch, circle away from this. I used to spar a guy 5kg heavier and 6 years older, and by simply moving away from his right hand (he was a Mayweather fan, so loved to throw it) and the spars were made a lot more competitive than they should have been.

2. Look for patterns in their combinations. I used to spar a guy who would throw a straight right after every double jab without fail. Easy work to just take a step back from the right or throw a left hook as he fires his right.

3. Throw feints! See how they react to feints and use this to your advantage. If you feint a right hand and they lift their hands and expose their body. Feint with a right hand again and throw the body shot. People react to feints in many different ways so just test them out.