the flinch reflex in boxing – tips to make it work for you.pdf

HomeBoxing Training

Boxing Training RoutinesBoxing Training Equipment

Boxing SkillsFootworkPunching HeadPunching BodyBody MovementDefenseAnalysis

FoundationRecentMembersAboutSubscribe

The Flinch Reflex 5 Tips for Making it Work!by Fran on February 5, 2015

Flinch Oxford English Dictionary DefinitionMake a quick, nervous movement of the face or body as an instinctive reaction to fear or pain.

I remember a few years ago watching a documentary about an amazing man. This mans name was HarryPatch and he ended up being the oldest survivor of the horror of the trenches of the Great War. Harry lived tothe ripe old age of 111, obviously none the worse physically for his experiences.

As you would expect of a man like Harry, he had a host of evocative tales to tell. In my capacity as a boxingcoach there was one story in particular that really struck home, and it ties in to the flinch reflex.

In the years after The Great War, Harry observed that it was always straightforward to identify a veteranof the trenches. When walking down the street, the all-to-regular event of a car backfiring caused yourAverage Joe to jump with fright literally. They would instantly become upright and rigid, scanning theimmediate area for the source of their rude awakening.

In veterans though the sound drew a very different response. A former soldier would instinctively duck tothe ground with his arms cupped around his head. This is easy to understand. If in the trenches a soldierjumped every time he heard a loud bang then it would not be long before that soldier became the subject of agrim telegram home.

As well as all of the horrific memories that these amazing men had to endure in the years after, this responseor reflex was so ingrained that it was performed without thinking. Instant, natural and entirely borne ofthe instinct of self-preservation.

This was the result of the soldiers environment training him over time (Im guessing a fairly short time) todo the right thing in response to that particular stimulus. In the environment of a boxing ring the very samemechanism is in play.

When a novice boxer is faced with an incoming punch (one that they see anyway), the natural reaction is to

The Flinch Reflex in Boxing Tips to Make it Work for You http://www.myboxingcoach.com/boxing-flinch-reflex/

1 of 9 18/02/2015 2:46 a.m.

close their eyes, or turn their head away or even pull their head upwards like those civilians of whom Harryspoke during the automobile malfunction.

These reactions to the threat of a punch to the head, whilst entirely understandable, are something that allboxers must curb at the earliest opportunity. There are a number of ways to achieve this and in this articlewe are going to look in some detail at the flinch reflex and learn how we can make it work in the rightway for you.

The Flinch Reflex and Boxing

Boxing is very much a business of reflexes. This can be amply demonstrated when considering the man whomany consider to be the greatest of them all Muhammad Ali.

Alis ability to see punches coming and use his body and feet to avoid those punches was at times breathtaking. In his early days he was about as difficult to hit as it gets. His whole style was dependent upon hisreflexes. Even as he grew older, he still relied greatly on his reflexes, choosing to block shots as much asevade them or pull his head away so that the sting was taken out of any shot that struck home.

It was when Alis Doctor, Ferdie Pacheco, recognised a range of physical problems with Ali in 1977 that thetwo parted company Pacheco urging Ali to retire, the Champ deciding otherwise. Many would suggest thatAlis reflexes were dimmed much earlier than 1977 but thats another story. It was the decline in Alisreflexes that troubled The Fight Doctor as much as the problems with his speech and liver and kidneyfunctions.

Whilst we may not be blessed with the capabilities of The Greatest, we can and must take advantage of theflinch reflex, the importance of this cannot be overstated. Developing that initial desire to close your eyes,turn away or crane your neck into something that is fundamentally useful is the first major step to becoming aseasoned fighter. So, how exactly can we do this?

Tips to Manage Your Flinch Reflex

In order to successfully develop the flinch reflex into something helpful, there are two steps of conditioning toachieve:

Recognise the signs of an incoming punchControl your response to that punch

Each of the tips identified below will help you deal with the flinch reflex and banish the potentiallydamaging consequences into something that will contribute massively to your overall fighting style.

#1 Boxing Drills

Drills are quite simply the most important aspect of developing the appropriate response. Drills inboxing, as they are in any other sport or activity, are the systematic training of the body and mind by multiplerepetitions. Drills, when practised with discipline and regularity, enable automatic responses autopilotif you will.

Drills are not about shutting your eyes, but about executing a perfectly timed block. Drills are not aboutturning away but firing a head-jolting jab. Drills are not about lifting your head in shock but executing acontrolled push away so that you may live to fight another day.


2 of 9 18/02/2015 2:46 a.m.

So by practicing your drills in a disciplined way you will ensure that you have something genuinely useful touse as your controlled and instinctive response to threat.

#2 Remain Compact

This is about erring on the side of caution. If you have a loose and open guard then any threat of anincoming punch is likely to further expose an already porous defence.

Instead you can resolve to keep a tight and compact guard when in range of an opponent. This does not meanthat you tense-up and become rigid. It means that you stick by the fundamentals of the boxing stance andguard. Arms up, chin down into your chest, elbows into your sides.

You can go one better. For extra safety bring into play the double arm block at the same time. Whilst you arenot particularly using the your flinch reflex in your favour you are certainly increasing the likelihood of yourflinch reflex simply tightening up your guard rather than creating the situation where your neck cranes, youreyes close, you turn your face away or towards the floor

#3 Learn to use your peripheral vision

Some fighters constantly look into the eyes of the opponent and some fighters look at the centre of mass of theopponent (that is the chest area). The fact is that given time and the right amount of exposure to differentopponents you will recognise the tell tale signs of an attack, and you achieve this by using your peripheralvision.

Peripheral vision will enable you to see the foot movement that brings an opponent into range. Peripheralvision will enable you to recognise a small flare of the elbow of the opponent before they throw a jab. Peripheral vision will enable you to identify a small drop in the hand before an opponent may throw a righthand.

This is not an overnight thing. It takes time and experience of being exposed to different boxers withdifferent styles. When you do tune in to your peripheral vision it will make you a much smarter and moreeffective defensive boxer, and take your counterpunching capability up a notch or two as well.

#4 Technical and Controlled Sparring

There are broadly speaking 3 types of sparring; technical sparring, controlled sparring and open sparring. The first 2 types create an environment where a boxer can have a level of expectation as to what is comingtheir way. But what does this mean? Well, lets take a specific scenario and it will become very clear.

You could set up a spar with an opponent where Boxer A (your opponent) throws a jab and Boxer B (you)blocks that jab. Do this repetitively. The more you do it the more you will come to recognise the signs of thejab coming. Its a very simple and very effective way of nailing both the technique of the block andconditioning yourself to recognise the signs of the incoming jab.#5 Open Sparring

Whilst you are working drills, undertaking technical and controlled sparring, the final step on the journeyahead of any fight is to test yourself in open sparring. Open sparring is basically a simulated contest, withfull speed, full movement and the full range of punches.


3 of 9 18/02/2015 2:46 a.m.

Boxers learn by doing. Open sparring is the ultimate way to really begin to hone your flinch reflex. Whilstopen spars can be tough, they certainly shouldnt involve punching with the kind of venom and intent that areused in a full fight.

When mistakes are made in sparring they should absolutely not result in heavy punishment being received. This means that new things can be tried and failure can enable genuine learning to take place.

A Final Word

Dont, whatever you do, fall into the habit of waiting to see what the opponent does. Of course this articleis about focusing on the flinch reflex and how to master it but this should not be taken as an overall fightstrategy! It is really important that you own the ring.

You put pressure on your opponent. Let him or her worry about what you are doing. Throw your punches,look to feint your opponent. Take the initiative and be assertive.

You see to my mind boxing is a pressure business as well as a reflex business. That means that if you arenot punching you should be feinting, and if you arent feinting you should be punching. So bear that inmind whilst developing your effective flinch reflex.

Cheers

Fran

Powered By PopUp Domination


4 of 9 18/02/2015 2:46 a.m.

by

{ 8 comments read them below or add one }

Tommy G February 9, 2015 at 5:49 am

Great article, thanks Fran. Here is something Id like to add to the discussion. Ive heard several peoplestate that one of the benefits of using a speedbag in training is that you get used to a fast moving objectcoming towards your head (or even just being very close to your head) and therefore you can learn tocontrol the flinch reflex.Other people have rubbished this notion. But to me there does seem at firstglance anyway to be alot of logic in it. And Im sure that the same thing would apply to the use of thedouble end bag. I know that when I started using the double end bag it used to smack me in the facequite alot but now that I have used it for a while it doesnt manage to hit me anymore!

So any views Fran on the speedbag/double end bag and contolling the flinch reflex? Thanks.

Reply

Ivan February 8, 2015 at 11:16 am

Hello Fran,You mean If you have to flinch, flinch the right way and in the right direction, flinch fast and accurately.Agreed.

As to sparring, there are degrees and phases a boxer has to go through and the most effective kind ofsparring the unrestricted real thing is actually a luxury and sometimes the only way to get it is tocompete. Being a contact sport, boxing does not allow total sparring too often for obvious reasons. Its aan inherent setback to boxers as it deprives them of their ultimate training tool its like telling a 100meter sprinter he can only run full speed once a week.This is the only reason I am still missing my wrestling stint (before amateur boxing) you could go at itevery day full throttle with anyone in the gym and you could have immediate rematches 5 minutes later.As a boxer Ive had to wait for weeks before I can lay a glove on a specific irritant, and still I could notdo it openly and honestly, with all the conditions, restriction and head-guards you had to go to the ribs ifyou wanted to send a message.

Reply

Ralph Koch February 6, 2015 at 1:04 pm

Hi Fran, First thanks for all the awesome info. I have always been interested in the training for response(military, martial arts and boxing). I have written an article on my web page on the very subject. Itconcerns how we can train for an immediate response given a specific input, this can be a jab, crosshook, or even specific military threats. the article is at: http://www.martial-science.com/training-and-response.htmlI have written it as a technical article so most people on first read dont get it as there is a lot in there.Its meant to be accompanied by a video tutorial and used as a reference to go back to (using response to


5 of 9 18/02/2015 2:46 a.m.

jab cross etc as the foundation) but unfortunately there are only so many hours in a day. I advise a skimread to the section on Training for the Response: Non-cognitive Event Programming. Anyone interestedhave a read I think it can complement anyones training particularly boxers and gun fighters :).

Reply

Fran February 7, 2015 at 8:53 pm

Ralph

Thank you very much for posting a link to your article. Ive had a quick scan and would indeedrecommend others give it a read I will be reading and digesting at length in due course. Thankyou again Ralph, excellent additional learning for folks

Reply

Dave Waterman February 5, 2015 at 10:53 pm

Really liked your reference to Harry Patch, Fran. Albert Smiler Marshall, who prior to his death in2005, was the oldest surviving cavalryman from the Great War, lived near me. He told some prettyhorrific tales of the trenches of the Western Front too.

With regard to the flinch reflex, theres a no-bout young lad at our club who is great on the pads, got allthe moves and some nice power, in a technical or conditioned sparring environment is OK, but in opensparring just goes to pieces so he avoids that (totally his choice of course).I think theres possibly some credence in a nervous boxer overcoming the flinch reflex by beingexposed to punches in the face. Also discovering that 16oz gloves dont sting too much and a goodguard and riding the punches will take most debilitating effects out of a shot.

Reply


Hello Dave

Always difficult but all of us coaches have at least a couple of those kids in our care at any onetime. You are obviously showing patience and thats all we can do. Careful development throughconditioned sparring that almost imperceptibly becomes open sparring. Maybe hell click, maybehe wont, but guys like us invest the time anyway and are happy doing so!

Reply

Opspeculate February 5, 2015 at 10:25 pm

Great instruction as always FranThanks Man !!!


6 of 9 18/02/2015 2:46 a.m.

Going to send you some media of my home gym growing over the last few years via you are my onlinecoach.

Reply


OK, look forward to it.

Reply

Leave a Comment

Name

E-mail

Website

Previous post: Advanced Boxing Footwork The Stance Switch

Next post: Head Guards Ditched to IMPROVE Safety?

Membership Login

Username:

Password:

forgot password?

Remember Me

Recent Posts:

Head Guards Ditched to IMPROVE Safety?The Flinch Reflex 5 Tips for Making it Work!Advanced Boxing Footwork The Stance SwitchOld Man as a Young Man


7 of 9 18/02/2015 2:46 a.m.

Great Fighter, Great Combination!

Search the Site:

Categories

Book Review (1)Boxing Coaching (11)Boxing Psychology (6)Boxing Skills (108)

Body Movement (4)Boxing Combinations (26)Defensive Actions (8)Fight Tactics (11)Fighter Analysis (24)Footwork (8)Punching (30)

Best Knockouts (6)Body Shots (2)Hook Shots (8)Punching Power (2)Straight shots (3)Uppercuts (8)

Stance (2)Boxing Training (34)

Activities (17)Equipment (16)

Boxing Gloves (5)Punch Bags (3)Punch Pads (6)

Nutrition (1)General Discussion (25)Site News (6)Uncategorized (6)

Archives

February 2015 (2)December 2014 (1)November 2014 (1)July 2014 (1)June 2014 (1)May 2014 (2)March 2014 (2)December 2013 (3)November 2013 (2)August 2013 (2)July 2013 (1)


8 of 9 18/02/2015 2:46 a.m.

March 2013 (3)February 2013 (1)January 2013 (2)December 2012 (2)October 2012 (2)September 2012 (1)August 2012 (3)July 2012 (1)June 2012 (6)May 2012 (3)April 2012 (5)March 2012 (4)February 2012 (3)January 2012 (3)December 2011 (3)November 2011 (3)October 2011 (3)September 2011 (5)July 2011 (6)June 2011 (1)May 2011 (1)April 2011 (5)March 2011 (6)February 2011 (4)January 2011 (7)December 2010 (4)November 2010 (3)October 2010 (7)September 2010 (6)August 2010 (15)July 2010 (15)June 2010 (17)May 2010 (4)April 2010 (5)March 2010 (4)February 2010 (5)January 2010 (2)

Other Stuff

Privacy PolicyContact UsLinks Page

Get smart with the Thesis WordPress Theme from DIYthemes.

WordPress Admin


9 of 9 18/02/2015 2:46 a.m.

the flinch reflex in boxing – tips to make it work for you.pdf

Documents