You probably have watched many boxing matches, just like me, but have you ever seen a boxer that jumps during a fight? Hardly ever? Never..?
But why is that? A boxer can use jumping to confuse his opponents or to focus their attention on his legs and then catch them off guard. Also, he can use his momentum, caused by the jump to increase the power of his punches. But why nobody uses such tricks?
Is jumping illegal, according to the rules of boxing or it’s just not so useful in a real boxing match? Technically jumping is legal in boxing because there isn’t a rule that says that you can’t jump while hitting your opponent. Of course, the rules can vary, depending on the different jurisdictions. There aren’t universal boxing rules and every country/state has its own set of rules. But in most cases, it is completely legal. And actually, some boxers take advantage of that. Let’s dive into the two ways through which the jumping can be applied in a boxing match:
Check out also: Can You Fake a Kick in Boxing?
Gazelle punch
The gazelle punch is usually a hopping lead hook or uppercut. Right before the punch, the boxer lowers his body and then pushes himself off the ground, generating a huge power. It’s very similar to a hopping gazelle, hence the name.
The power comes from the boxer’s leg muscles and the momentum that is generated. Such a punch can easily cause a knock out if it is correctly executed at the right time.
Besides, its power, such a technique can be very dangerous because it can confuse the opponent. When the boxer lowers his body, his rival might think that he is going to throw a body shot. Then he might unconsciously lower his hands to protect his body and his head might remain unprotected.
Most of the times, such a punch is aimed at the head, but a stomach or a liver shot can be also very painful.
Boxers who use it
Floyd Patterson popularized this technique in the middle of the last century. He was knock out artist, who used the gazelle punch with ruthless efficiency.
Joe Frazier – Smokin’ Joe often used the gazelle punch when he was throwing his powerful lead hook. Actually thus he dropped Muhammad Ali in the 15th round of their first fight.
Wladimir Klitschko – Unlike the other two boxers, which are infighters, Wladimir, who like to fight from a distance, also used the gazelle punch. You can see that in one of his last fights where he knocked Kubrat Pulev with exactly the same technique.
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How to execute it correctly
- Duck a little bit (like when throwing a jab to the body)
- Put the weight on both of your feets
- Load the hook/uppercut
- Jump towards your the other boxer while releasing the hook
It’s important to know that you don’t need to jump too high, but rather forward, so you can cover more distance.
The technique is very similar to the bobbing and weaving followed by a lead hook, but in this case, you just jump with the punch.
Situations where it can be applied
Such a technique can be very effective against out fighters (boxers who like to fight from a long distance – usually tall fighters). Because of the explosiveness and the unexpected speed with which you can close the distance, between you and your opponent, throwing that punch, you can catch him/her easily off guard.
Similarly, Joe Frazier knocked down Muhammad Ali, as I mentioned in the example above. Ali was thinking he is at a safe distance from Joe, so he dropped his hands – big mistake. Joe ducked as he was going to throw a body shot and then exploded with his powerful left hook (gazelle punch). The punch landed clean on the jaw of Muhammad and dropped him.
When not to use it
There are two (or more) situations where this technique can hurt more than help:
Counter punchers – If you are fighting against skilled counterpuncher, to jump towards him, unprotected may not be a great idea. Your opponent may catch you with a straight left or right before you land your gazelle punch. That’s because the straight punches will always land before the hooks or the uppercuts if both strikes are thrown at the same time, due to the shorter distance they travel.
If your rival lands a powerful straight, while you are throwing the gazelle punch, he can stun you or even knock you out. There are a lot of fighters that was knocked down in the same way.
For example in the world of MMA, at UFC 194, Conor McGregor knocked out his opponent Jose Aldo with a straight left counter, while Aldo tried to land a gazelle punch. Aldo faked right hand and then jumped with a left hook. But he left his chin unprotected while doing so and got knocked out.
Such “blitz” techniques are a very risky choice, especially against counterpunchers, like McGregor in the example.
If you are an out boxer, fighting against infighter (someone who likes to fight at a close distance), you rather may want to stay away from him then to jump towards him. If your style to fight from a distance, you need to keep that distance and throw mostly straight punches (especially the jab).
Also, what you need to know about the infighters is that they keep their guards up ALL the time. The chance to catch them off guard with a gazelle punch isn’t great. In most cases, they will just block the punch and then use the opportunity to start a close distance fight. And that’s not the best place to be, especially for an out boxer.
Superman punch
The difference between the gazelle punch and the superman punch is that the gazelle punch is jumping hook or uppercut while the superman punch is a jumping straight punch (cross or jab).
It’s like jumping forward while throwing a punch (it looks like Superman while he flyes, hence the name). Usually one (or both) of your feet leave the ground for less than a second while doing so.
Thus you can make your punch more powerful and hit your opponent from an angle from which he doesn’t expect. Also, the punch will travel much faster, because you jumped with it, so the other boxer might have a hard time dodging it.
Thes punch is rarely used in boxing, but it’s a common technique in sports such as Mixed Martial Arts, Muay Thai, and Kickboxing.
Boxers who use it
Despite being rarely used in boxing, still, there are some high-level boxers who use it.
Manny Pacquiao – Often when Pacquiao is blitzing his opponents, he lifts his back foot off the ground. Thus he makes his punches more powerful and fast. Also, due to his short reach, sometimes he has a hard time reaching his rivals. That’s why he likes the superman punch – he can cover much more distance using it.
Georges St-Pierre (Mixed Martial Artist) – The superman punch isn’t much popular in boxing, but in the MMA world you can see it quite often. A great example of a fighter that uses it is Georges St-Pierre or GSP. He is competing in the welterweight class and is considered to be one of the greatest mixed martial artists of all time.
The superman punch is working so great for him because when he lowers his body to execute it, his opponents often think that he is going for a takedown. They can never know if he is going to take them down or to punch them. Because of that, his rivals have a hard time protecting from his superman punch. Due to the takedown threat, this technique is much more effective in MMA, than in boxing.
How to execute it correctly
- Lower your body
- Put the weight on your back foot
- Load the punch and jump forward while lifting your back foot (or both feet) off the ground
- Release the punch
* You may want to use some of the other 2 variations of the superman punch:
- Superman jab – the less powerful, but faster version of the technique. Instead of a cross, you need to throw a jab. In this case, you need to lift your front foot off the ground instead of your back foot
- Superman elbow – almost the same technique as the superman punch, but instead of a punch, you throw an elbow. The superman elbow can cause a lot of damage and can be very painful. This technique is illegal in boxing.
Situations where it can be applied
The superman punch can be used by a short boxer, who fights against a taller opponent and wants to reach him from a longer distance. But because of the fact, that this punch is easier to see, compared to the gazelle punch, I recommend using it only in combinations. Here are some examples of boxing combinations where this technique can be applied:
- Jab – Jab – Superman cross
- Jab to the body (or fake Jab) – Superman cross to the head
- Superman jab to the head – Cross to the head
When not to use it
There aren’t many situations where the superman punch can be used in boxing (except, of course, the example above). Yes, it can give an extra power to your punch, but it’s also disrupting your balance (simply because you are hitting the other boxer while standing on one leg). And in a boxing match, if you aren’t stable, even a less powerful punch can put you on the ground.
Conclusion
The jumping is absolutely legal in boxing, but that doesn’t mean it’s useful in every situation. Some boxers, like Manny Pacquiao or Joe Frazier, used it with great efficiency, but for other fighters, it doesn’t work so well.
What do you think? Can the jumping be useful in a boxing match? Comment below!