Peek-A-Boo Boxing with Teddy Atlas
Teddy Atlas is one of the few boxing personalities left from the days when boxing was King, not only in the sport fighting world, but in all of sports in general, Throughout his journey in the sweet science, Teddy Atlas has traversed the Atlas, picking up the best techniques and skill sets from the best coaches and fighters that boxing has to offer. When the words “best” and “boxing” appear in the same sentence, Mike Tyson is a fighter that comes to a lot of people's minds.
Even if Tyson is not your number one pound for pound pick, he is definitely up at the top of the list. As for the top coach, it goes without saying that the best fighter would have a coach of the same standards. Although Tyson had multiple coaches of top tier caliber, including Teddy Atlas, none were more prominent in his life and lucrative career in boxing than the late Cus D’Amato. Alongside Atlas, these two names are absolute staples in the world of boxing.
The fighter-coach pair is often referred to as the object of emulation from partners in various industries, when expressing their ideals to be the absolute best. Cus D’Amato created the so-called Peek-A-Boo style of boxing which he taught to various fighters that would later become champions. None were more dominant in their displays of this style of boxing than Mike Tyson. Having been mentored by Cus D’Amato as well as being a former coach of Mike Tyson, Teddy Atlas has a deep understanding of the instrumental Peek-A-Boo style that is still being used today. In his new instructional tape, Atlas looks at the Peek-A-Boo system in depth.
As Teddy explains in the video, the reason that the Peek-A-Boo style of boxing is so effective is its ability to let a fighter defend against oncoming punches while simultaneously preparing them to launch an attack. This allows the fighter to satisfy their defensive responsibilities while maintaining an offensive mindset. As Atlas begins discussing the technique, he starts by putting his chin down in a tucked position, placing his hands directly under each eye the classic defensive position for the Peek-A-Boo style.
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Atlas emphasizes the importance of not impeding your own vision with your hands when blocking. He explains that keeping the hands slightly below each eye allows for a fighter to use their peripheral vision in order to avoid oncoming hook punches. Atlas reviews a basic but crucial note, don’t expose your chin. Keep it protected by tucking it down and covering it with your arms. He continues by pointing out the little details that will make or break the Peek-A-Boo style, expressing the fighters need to keep their elbows in and their wrists straight so that punches don’t slide off the defending fighters wrist and nail them in the face. He also exclaims the importance of keeping a square stance rather than having a more bladed stance as used by many boxers.
He explains the idea behind the bladed stance is to give the opponent a pole, rather than a wall. This simply means to give your opponent a smaller target to hit. Atlas speaks about how Cus believed this bladed stance lacked the ability to maintain an aggressive offensive style in boxing. In order to maintain offensive pressure at all times, the Peek-A-Boo style uses a square stance which gives the fighter who utilizes this style better offensive abilities. At the same time, the fighter will be keeping their elbows in, chin tucked, in a shelled figure and use head movement with footwork to create a style that is as much defensive as it is offensive.
In many cases of this particular boxing style, the “defense carries the offense” as Teddy states in the clip. By using movement in the upper body and head while keeping the feet in a steady position at a controlled distance from the opponent, it gives a fighter the ability to be as evasive as possible while remaining in a prime offensive or counter position. The defensive premise of the Peek-A-Boo style being slipping straight punches, and weaving around hooks and uppercuts, the defensive ability of the Peek-A-Boo style puts the fighter in positions, where as Cus D’Amato had stated, you can hit the fighter, and they cannot hit you. The style’s defensive workings gives fighters the ability to get outside of the other fighters shoulder, in prime position to throw a fight ending punch.
Atlas has studied this style extensively and incorporated it in his decades of coaching fighters, helping him produce multiple world champions. Check out his instructional, available NOW!