When it comes to boxing, the argument of headshots vs. body shots is as old as the combat sport itself. Some swear by headshots because of their ability to deliver a quick knockout; others prefer body shots because they are easier to use to score points. Good boxers know that it is important to mix both headshots and body shots in a fight.
Effectively throwing a body shot requires you to move your body and generate some momentum, fighting on the inside, and lastly, being unpredictable. There is a lot more to boxing than just throwing punches. Body shots are usually harder to throw, requiring excellent timing and caution on the fighter’s part not to leave themselves open to a knockout punch.
Here is a guide to help you perfect this art.
How to Throw Body Shots
Throwing an effective body shot requires practice and technique. Here are a few pointers to help you land downstairs in your next fight.
- Move Your Body
To give body shots weight, the force of the blow should come from your whole body rotating and leaning into the punch. Rotate your trunk as you punch. It will put maximum pressure on the impact. Understand powerful punches are heavy punches, not fast punches. After all, power is defined as acceleration multiplied by the mass. It means there must be some weight behind your body punches for them to be effective—swing with your whole body, not just your arms.
- Generate Momentum
Along with leaning into the punch, you should also generate momentum from your legs. Remember that your legs have some of the biggest and strongest muscles in your body. Plant your feet firmly, drive the tension up through your hips and into your upper body as you swing. The more reliable your footing is, the more powerful your body punch will be.
- Fight on the Inside
As a taller boxer, you are probably accustomed to fighting on the outside. This is where you have a natural advantage in range and height. However, body shots require an up-close and personal approach to be used effectively. Fighting on the inside allows you to control the distance between you and your opponent. The closer you are to them, the better positioned you are to land a devastating liver shot.
- Be Unpredictable
The most important aspect of body shots is to be unpredictable. Don’t telegraph your punches. It shouldn’t be obvious where and when you’re going to strike. Don’t just swing at your opponent’s stomach and ribs. Utilize combos and mix it up. Use jabs and straights for the head, then hooks and uppercuts to the body. Always keep your opponents guessing about your next target.
- Why Body Shots Are Better
Despite their effectiveness, body shots are underutilized by most boxers, especially taller boxers, who prefer to go for their opponent’s head. Yet body shots can be even more devastating than headshots. Fighters like Mike Tyson and Bas Rutten were known for their brutal punches to the gut and ribs. Here’s why you should use body shots more often in the ring.
- Cripple Your Opponents
A headshot might stun your opponent momentarily or knock them down if it connects, but a clean body shot will have his knees wobbling and lungs gasping for air. If you’ve ever taken a punch to the liver, then you know the pain of a well-placed punch to the body and how it can leave you crumpled on the floor gasping. Even a fairly weak punch to the solar plexus will knock the breath right out of your opponent’s body and leave them totally disoriented.
- Slow Down the Opposition
The best way to impair an elusive opponent’s mobility is with a flurry of body punches. A good body shot will knock the air out of your opponent. This will cause them to breathe heavily and raggedly, which in turn affects their movement. They become slow and cautious, each blow making them shrink further away from you. This neutralizes their offense and makes their movements sluggish.
- They are Much Harder to Block
The head is a very small target, a target that your opponent will bob and weave almost non-stop to prevent you from striking it. The body is a much larger target, one that is not so easily moved out of the way. All you have to do is get on the inside and hammer away at the chest, gut, and ribs. Your opponent can try to roll with the punches or back up to get some breathing room, but they won’t be able to do much about you constantly hitting them all over. Body shots are a great offensive tool for aggressive boxers. Your constant assault will wear down their energy and prevent them from coming at you.
- Body Shots Hurt
Effective headshots produce knockdowns and knockouts, but they rarely hurt because your opponent is too busy being unconscious to feel anything. This is why seemingly miraculous recoveries are so common in the ring. You knocked your opponent out, but they didn’t feel any pain. They don’t fear you as much. They get right back up as if nothing happened. Body shots, on the other hand, leave their mark. It’s not common for a body shot to drop your opponent, but when they do, you can be sure they’ll remember it. A liver shot causes sharp, debilitating pain that will stay with your opponent for the duration of the fight and long afterward. Bernard Hopkins knocked out Oscar De La Hoya with a clean liver shot.
- Body Shots set up Headshots
The sweet irony of body shots is that they set your opponent up for headshots. How is this possible? It’s quite a simple strategy. The more you attack his body, the more his arms drop to protect themselves, leaving his head exposed and vulnerable.
Common Mistakes when throwing Body Shots
In every shot in the boxing manual, throwing body shots also comes with their fair share of risk. Here are common mistakes fighters make when trying to land the perfect body shot.
- Looking Down
It’s human nature to look directly at our objective. In boxing, looking right at your intended target is a dead giveaway even to an inexperienced opponent. Always maintain eye contact with your opponent and mix up your strikes so they can’t guess your next move.
- Ducking
Especially for taller fighters, the temptation to lean into their opponent while delivering body shots is strong. However, this strategy can be counterproductive. The moment you approach with a ducking stance, your opponent instinctively covers their body. Stand tall and approach your opponent as you normally would. Remember, your motives should not be obvious to them.
- Being Too Rigid
You need to be loose and relaxed to throw body shots effectively. If you are too stiff or tight, your punches will be slow and disjointed. They will hit their target but not with maximum force. You may as well just push your opponent around the ring.
- Reaching
Also known as over-extending, reaching leaves you open to counterpunches and also makes you lose balance. Better to maintain your balance and throw several punches than over-commit to a single punch and leave yourself open to counters.
- Dropping Hands
Focusing too much on hitting your opponent’s body can make you drop your hands, which in turn leaves your head and body vulnerable to attacks. Don’t lose sight of the forest for the trees. Keep your hands up at all times, no matter what part of your opponent’s body you want to hit.
Land the Perfect Body Shot
Body punches, without a doubt, are some of the deadliest weapons in your arsenal when it comes to boxing. Many great fighters such as Miguel Cotto, Mike Tyson, Bas Rutten, Saul Alvarez, and Bernard Hopkins were known for being masters of “body snatching.” They knew that wearing down an opponent and causing them pain would be far more effective than only knocking them down time after time.
As a taller boxer, you might have superior height and range, but you won’t always have the advantage in a fight. The opponent might have a firm chin that can take your most potent punches or perfect head movements that keep slipping past your blows. In such a scenario, you don’t want to be stuck with just one tool in the toolbox. You’ll have to go for the body.
All fighters should be proficient in using body shots to defeat their opponents. In limiting their skillset, fighters often leave themselves vulnerable to the very thing they neglected working on. They allow you to throw a variety of punches, from jabs and hooks to straights and uppercuts, which means you can vary the angles of attack as well as areas of attack. The right body shot can end a fight decisively or leave your opponent in such great pain that they are unable to fight you in the way that they wanted. Many bouts have been won with just one liver shot.