Where do boxers see to avoid punches?

[Sugar Ram]

HI all im confused as to how boxers avoid punches??

especially slick ones who make it look so easy.

do they see the eyes??

or Shoulders?

or arms??

or all of the above??

anyone who box or at least knows boxing care to elaborate??

[EzzardFan]

You have two types of vision. Focused vision and peripheral vision. Focused vision is when you stare at something directly. Peripheral vision is when you see it out of the corner of your eye.

When you focus on something you start thinking about it. When you see something in the periphery you react to it. For instance if you are staring at my hand as I throw a punch then you'll immediately start thinking things like:

Oh no he's going to punch me
What type of punch is that
Where is that punch likely to land
Will it hurt
How fast is his arm moving
Is it a real punch or a... BAMM!

Oops you just got hit.

However if you see something happen out of the corner of your eye, perhaps it's me tensing, or setting my feet, or my shoulder starts to twitch, or my elbow lifts... whatever, your instinctive reactions will probably either get you out of the way or succeed in blocking, or intercepting it. This wont happen immediately the reflexes just develop with lots of sparring.

To make this work it's best to focus on somewhere that lets your eyes take in everything from the face and the shoulders right down to the feet. You also need to focus on something that your opponent isn't likely to hit you with, personally I stare at his throat. Nobody has ever tried to hit me with their throat, and from there I can see most of the rest of him. If it's someone a lot taller than me then I might stare a little lower like his cardiac plexus.

Hope this helps.

[mightymouse2k]

HI all im confused as to how boxers avoid punches??

especially slick ones who make it look so easy.

do they see the eyes??

or Shoulders?

or arms??

or all of the above??

anyone who box or at least knows boxing care to elaborate??

For me, i see my whole opponent.... it not so much a conscious decision making process in avoiding punches, but a natural reaction. Yes, i watch the punches come in and im very much aware of them, but i just seem to know when there coming and how to counter accordingly. Thats not to say i don't get hit alot though. I think a large part of this is confidence and being comfortable in a sparring/fight environment.
Sorry i can't give a concise answer, but i think its just down to experience and practicing drills that work for you.

[The Surgeon]

I heard Cus used to have Mike Tyson watch their chest....

[Tsukiyomi]

Well besides the eyes alone, there is the predictability of repetition. After so much time, you get familiar with the punches and combos being thrown. That is why at high levels, fighters really need a creative offense to land good punches.

I like EzzardFan's post. You only need a peripheral cue to react in a trained, to the point of second nature, response. I like to focus at the chest/shoulder area, it is a good center.

[Suckmedry]

I just look at them, not at any part of their body, but at their whole body, chest, eyes etc

[F l i c k e r]

HI all im confused as to how boxers avoid punches??

especially slick ones who make it look so easy.

do they see the eyes??

or Shoulders?

or arms??

or all of the above??

anyone who box or at least knows boxing care to elaborate??

Hmmm, well. It's hard to explain. Personally, I look at the face. Because it's where I want to jab. Then I guess you use your out of focus vision to watch everything else that happens.

Think of it like a camera. It focuses on something and you can still see everything happening in the background... Well, I focus on the face but still see every part of his body even though i'm not "looking" at it.

Hope that answers your question... Oh yeah, great reflexes are a plus too.

[Sugar Ram]

You have two types of vision. Focused vision and peripheral vision. Focused vision is when you stare at something directly. Peripheral vision is when you see it out of the corner of your eye.

When you focus on something you start thinking about it. When you see something in the periphery you react to it. For instance if you are staring at my hand as I throw a punch then you'll immediately start thinking things like:

Oh no he's going to punch me
What type of punch is that
Where is that punch likely to land
Will it hurt
How fast is his arm moving
Is it a real punch or a... BAMM!

Oops you just got hit.

However if you see something happen out of the corner of your eye, perhaps it's me tensing, or setting my feet, or my shoulder starts to twitch, or my elbow lifts... whatever, your instinctive reactions will probably either get you out of the way or succeed in blocking, or intercepting it. This wont happen immediately the reflexes just develop with lots of sparring.

To make this work it's best to focus on somewhere that lets your eyes take in everything from the face and the shoulders right down to the feet. You also need to focus on something that your opponent isn't likely to hit you with, personally I stare at his throat. Nobody has ever tried to hit me with their throat, and from there I can see most of the rest of him. If it's someone a lot taller than me then I might stare a little lower like his cardiac plexus.

Hope this helps.

thanks alot man!

[Sugar Ram]

Thanks alot all...it helped me alot!

[cameronpaul]

where would you look if you was fighting that girl in the picture flicker?