Using The Blinder Jab

Cunning Trumps Force

All too often in boxing, spectators get too caught up in the spectacle of boxing, focusing purely on the knockouts and the power punches, rather than the mechanics and the small fine details that actually dominates fights and set up knockouts. The art of deception is an art that not many master, but for those that desire to be a champion, it is definitely an art you should dedicate time to learning in your training. One such fine detail a fighter should add to his bag of tricks and master in training, is the ability to blind your opponent, in order to set up punches. Every credible boxing expert would tell you, it’s the punch you don’t see coming that will knock a guy out.

Legendary boxing champions, such as Floyd Mayweather Jr. or Thomas ‘The Hit-Man’ Hearns, tend to use techniques such as this. When I was 12 and started watching the great fighters of the past, I often found they made simple combinations look spectacular. They would knock opponents out with simple 1-2’s, yet when I would go to boxing gym and do it myself in sparring, for some reason it would never be the same outcome! This is because I didn’t understand the function, or the aim of what they were doing. I only saw the knockout punch but I was without setting up a knockout, it will rarely come.

Executing

One such deceptive method to set up a clear path for a right hand, is by occupying your opponent’s field of vision so that your following punch can be thrown with bad intentions and with no interruption. The most basic combination which you can apply this to, is the 1-2. When in training, practice sticking your lead hand out, and then firing your right hand at a much quicker tempo. When you stick out your lead, preferably you want to do it a slow pace so that your opponent will not be alerted or suspect anything to get him in a defensive mode. When doing this, the change of pace in the quickly-thrown right hand can catch your opponent by surprise.

When you start practising the sequence in training, specifically sparring, what you may notice is that placement or the angle of the jab/ lead hand can make a huge difference. This is because, the further away the lead hand is thrown from where the following punch is coming from, it is easier to see because your opponent will likely move himself to get back a full field of vision. The remedy for this, is to throw the lead hand towards the right side, so across your body. This allows you to load up weight on your right side that you can shoot through with your right hand, and your opponent may be lulled in to thinking that when you shift your body back, you’re simply re-adjusting back into your normal position. However of course, you will be concealing your right hand so that your opponent is less likely to see it, and cannot mentally prepare for it. Repeatedly practice this while you’re in the gym training, and you’ll notice that you will land your right hands will soon start landing more frequently as time goes on.

Effectiveness

For some opponents, often the brawler types, a slow lead can actually alleviate their worries, which is useful to our aim of catching him by surprise. Sticking out your lead hand softly to blind will have him thinking you do not have bad intentions, but of course the aim of the lead hand is to blind him momentarily and conceal a devastating uppercut. However, against some smart fighters, they may sense what you’re doing and will often try to move out of the way instantly. If they evade in the exact same pattern, then you’ll be able to prepare an effective counter. Against smart counter punchers, these particular opponents may even try to counter you because of the space you leave in your defence when you stick your hand out to obstruct his vision.

Variation

Another variation is to push out the lead hand to the lowest point of his face (at the nose or chin area), and then shoot a right uppercut. Any higher and you risk your opponent noticing the punch coming. This can be particularly useful on the ropes if your opponent likes to dip down to get away from your lead hand and move into the path of your uppercut.  When throwing a powerful uppercut, you shift weight onto your right side then throw the uppercut. But when doing this sequence, I recommend shifting weight over to your right side at the same time as you use your lead hand, and then throw the uppercut using the weight that is now already on your right side. Even better, you can shift or lean your weight over to the right side before you jab. This will act as a feint in itself if you execute it quickly, and your opponent will have his mind distracted by this movement. Then slowly put out your lead hand.

Understanding The Function

When it comes down to it, the specific combination you choose to throw in a fight isn’t really the crucial part. The most crucial part is that you understand the deeper functions of specific actions and why you’re throwing it, as opposed to how. When you understand why  you’re throwing a particular sequence in training or in a boxing match, you can manipulate it to make it more efficient in different situations. For example, if you need to, you can use your right hand to blind a opponent on the ropes, and then throw a left hook. Or when you get really good, you’ll even use different parts of your body, other than your gloves, to blind your opponent and conceal your next punch. For example, when in close you can use your lead forearm to conceal the sight of a rear uppercut.

Practice varying the speed of your offence to unlock your opponent’s defence. Throw the first blinding hand slowly and then be swift and decisive with your following punches. Changing the tempo quickly will add an element of surprise. Be intelligent, and think about how the angle of the next punch will affect how easy, or hard, it will be for your opponent to see. This article is written under the assumption that you’re orthodox, but if you’re southpaw, then as I said before, it’s not how you do it, it’s why you do it, so of course the same concepts apply.

Final Note

Keep in mind, the most simple of sequences can be broken down into deeper detail and often it is mastery of the simple, that can help you navigate your way out of complex situations. After watching thousands of hours of the greats, I’ve found that the most seemingly straightforward of punches, can be the most effective when used right. When training, focus on how you can manipulate tempo, blinders and punch positioning, to add the element of surprise to your fight game. This is the real stuff that will allow you to put your opponent out. Most fighters neglect this aspect of boxing, but as a champion-in-training, you can’t afford to do this because a champion does what the others do not. That is where the separations is made.