How and Why You Need to Target The Solar plexus According to Teddy Atlas
Coaches all around the world yell instructions to their fighters "Go to the body" whether it's in a fight, sparring, on the bag, drilling, or shadowboxing. Especially when they feel their fighter is not having a good offense that day and are exclusively "headhunting"
It takes discipline to be able to train and drill body shots everyday. If the opponent did not put in the time to drill body shots and is not proficient in the body shots game as you are then that's an easy night for you
Here Teddy Atlas, one of the most well respected and famous boxing coaches and analysts out there is showing a setup on how to target the solar plexus where he calls it The Burp Punch. Because if you land there it's a sensitive spot and it will take the air out of you.
How To Throw The Two Types Of The Burp Punch
So as Teddy Atlas demonstrates there are two variations to the Burp punch to the solar plexus. One is an offense the other is a counter shot.
- The first one you set up by positioning yourself in an inside range. where the opponent cannot throw straight punches because there is no room for them to extend their elbow and snap at the end of a straight punch. So now the opponent is limited to either step back to make room or they will start throwing hooks and uppercuts. Round punches or "elbow bent" punches because of the lack of elbow extension. Just knowing that you took two weapons away you will give you a little bit of predictability in what might come from that inside position.Be ready to duck under something because the probability of the opponent now throwing a hook is higher. Once they throw a hook you duck under and draw a U to pass under their arms and have a better position. The punch comes at the Bottom of that U movement and you don't stop until you keep the movement and momentum going and you drop the punch at the same time. Traditionally fighters will roll under a punch and punch after getting their head up or completing the U. For this Burb punch it's the second you are coming up from your squat. Which serves two purposes: it will naturally add more power because you are forced to use your legs, and will make your counters seamless as you will get used to getting under punches.
- The second variation is an offensive set-up. If you have distance and space you jab their head and throw underneath now if the jab lands that's really good the follow up will still work. However if the jab doesn't land and the opponent defends it or covers up. You can either pop their head up position their body that their hips are high and open and you either throw a left or right body shot. Or of they do the earmuffs cover up the body will be automatically open
Why Is It Hard To Throw Body Shots?
Boxers instinctively feel you need more body shots to land in order to finish someone as opposed to head shots where you only need a few strikes to shut someone's lights out.
Another reason someone might not throw body punches is the feeling of being open to the head when changing levels and shooting for a body shot. So it does take a bit of courage to hit the body as well. Especially in a counter situation where the speed and randomness are picked up and is more dangerous than leading. Because of the speed there might be a hesitation to counter with body shots as opposed to head shot situations which is why fighters should drill bodyshots everyday.m with setups. If there is hesitation, it might be the difference in getting your counter being countered which is why it's more comfortable to counter to the head
It's very common to see fighters only work on countering to the head. Which is why you need to set it up by being a few steps ahead of your opponent and forcing their hand to throw something at you that you already know is coming. Just like the counter variation of the burp punch
Why You Should Drill Body Shots To Be Effective?
In Grappling arts the emergence of Leg-Locks came about when Dean Lister posed the question to Jon Danaher of "Why ignore 50% of the body?" and that ignited the DDS.
In Boxing or any striking based combat when you only headhunt you are ignoring way more than 50% of the body and only focusing on a very small and moving target.
Even in a self defense situation if you have to use a weapon. Whatever the weapon is, Your best bet against the assailant is to target the body not the head because you are most likely to miss to the head.
Coaches know this because some of the most high-level fights were won where the winner was predominantly more effective in throwing body shots and that includes countering to the body.
You have more surface to land. Everything is a target. Stomach, liver, spleen, ribs, chest, solar plexus, shoulder, arms, and collar bone. Once a fighter understands they can tire someone out and slowly deplete energy from your opponent's battery. Body shots will pay off big if you land them clean.
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