Most people learn to defend punches by reacting to them. The trouble is that reacting is slow. In this video lesson I cover principles that help you predict what kind of attack you are going to receive, swinging or straight, and a method of inviting the attack you want so you are more ready to deal with it.

It is useful in sport, and more importantly in self-defence. Murphy's Law still applies, nothing is guaranteed, but this is a very high percentage approach.

Swinging Versus Straight

Untrained people under stress tend to swing. The big haymaker comes round the outside, wide and heavy. Trained fighters tend to throw straighter shots, which are faster and harder to see. Each one needs a different answer.

  • Swinging punches come round the side. They are slower but carry a lot of weight. The answer is to cover and close the space, or to step inside the arc.
  • Straight punches come down the middle. They are fast and direct. The answer is to get off the centre line and deflect.

If you could know which one is coming, you would already be halfway to dealing with it.

Inviting The Attack

This is the clever part. Your position, your distance and what you show the other person all affect what they choose to throw. If you leave one route looking open and close the others, you make one kind of attack far more likely.

That does not mean making yourself an easy target. It means shaping the situation so the attack comes where you are ready for it. You are no longer guessing. You are expecting.

In Self-Defence

On the street the first priority is always to avoid the fight if you can. Walk away, talk, create distance. If you are attacked and have no choice, any force you use has to be reasonable for the threat you face. Good defence that stops you getting hurt and gives you the chance to get away is exactly what you want.

Your hands up in a natural, non-aggressive fence, at a sensible distance, does a lot of this work for you. It protects you and it influences what the other person is likely to throw.

How To Practise It

  • Work with a partner throwing slow, controlled swings and straights
  • Practise your defence against each separately before mixing them
  • Then change your position and notice how it changes what your partner tends to throw
  • Add speed gradually, always with control

Take It Further

To build a complete, practical self-defence system, have a look at the Pressure Point Self Defense Course. If you are older or less athletic and want simple methods that do not depend on strength, Fight Like An Old Man was made for you.