Using Your Feet To Get Out Of Range With Teddy Atlas
Get in and get out without getting caught. We aren’t talking about bank robbery. It is the sweet science. Hitting without getting hit is the highest expression of boxing. Fighters have expressed this concept in myriad ways. Long, lanky fighters like Lennox Lewis utilized their length and sat behind the jab. Supreme athletes like Roy Jones Jr. leveraged his unbelievable speed and unconventionality. Crafty veterans like Floyd Mayweather Jr. applied a mixture of shoulder rolling and clinching.
Although it should be criminal, one fighter not commonly thought of as an expert of this ideal is Mike Tyson. Tyson was and is a master of the peek-a-boo style of boxing taught by the late, great Cus D’Amato and our own Teddy Atlas. Under their tutelage, Tyson learned to safely move in and out of striking range, a skill absolutely critical for a 5’10” heavyweight. In the video below, taken from Teddy Atlas’ instructional “The Peek-A-Boo Style of Boxing, Teddy Atlas teaches how to exit the pocket without being clipped on the way out.
Staying Safe While Exiting The Pocket
First, Teddy explains that there are many ways to exit the pocket, each of which can be learned in his Peek-A-Boo Style instructional. He limits his focus in this video to using the legs to regain your range. After throwing your combination in the pocket, you will want to exit striking range to safety. In this video, Teddy’s athlete moves backwards in a straight line. While this is not commonly taught in boxing, Teddy highlights a detail that will allow you to move back safely. Move your head. After throwing your shots in the pocket, make yourself small by changing your level and lowering your head. If you move in a straight line with your head tall, an adept opponent will catch you with heavy shots such as the lead hook shown by Teddy.
Stay Safe But Stay Offensive
Although we are focused on being defensively sound as we get out of range, Teddy stays vigilant that we don’t lose sight of the hitting part of “hit and don’t get hit.” Here, he teaches to move back only far enough to avoid their return shots. If you exit too far, you will find yourself at too great of a distance to reengage and land your shots.
Where To Learn More
When it comes to the Peek-A-Boo style, Teddy Atlas learned from the source, Cus D’Amato. Because of this, he teaches the intricacies of the style as no one alive can. If you want to learn how to effectively use the Peek-A-Boo system to win fights, check out his instructional here!