To get good at throwing boxing combinations you need to incorporate boxing combinations drills in your boxing training session.

Forgive me for stating the bleeding obvious, but it appears to me that too many people feel that they have either a) a God given right to throw blinding combinations without any real practice or b) they can use some Internet-discovered gimmicky hoodoo to bestow upon them the magical art of boxing combinations.

I find both of these scenarios disappointing at best, downright irritating at worst! I have produced this article to provide you with some sensible structure and rigour for you to apply during your training. This will give you benefits whether you are using boxing training purely for fitness or if your goals lie within the ring in competition.

After working through this article, you will be able to:

• Use 5 boxing combinations drills that will enable you to practice simple but very effective boxing combinations.

Each of the following 5 boxing combinations will consist of only 2 punches and will not incorporate other skills as described above (I want to keep things simple here). Each of these combinations assumes that you are at close or mid-range. Range is an incredibly important aspect of boxing and therefore is a vital component within the MyBoxingCoach training regime. After you have worked through this article, check out . It’s a detailed breakdown of the 5 ranges in boxing. These boxing combinations are isolated. That is, there is no coverage of getting into range and then getting out of range. Focus on getting the technique of the individual punches right. If each shot within the combination is thrown with technical precision then the entire combination will work.

Point 4 above is particularly important. If a boxing combination fails, that is the boxer cannot progress beyond a couple of shots without losing balance, this is absolutely the result of the individual skills within the combination not being executed properly. If you throw a 2 punch combination with technical excellence then there is no reason why you can’t throw a 22 punch combination. Keep this in mind and you will get the most from these drills.

The 5 Super-Simple Boxing Combinations

Below are the 5 boxing combinations that we are going to work on and then I’ll give you some tips on next steps.

Boxing Combinations #1 – Double Left Hook to the Head

‘Doubling up’ on punches is very common in boxing. It a very effective basis for a combination for 2 main reasons. Firstly, the first shot can ‘open up’ the defences of the opponent when it lands leaving an opportunity for the follow up shot to land. The second reason is based purely upon the logic that if the first one lands, why should the second one!

When doubling up on the same shot delivered to the same target area, put the power into the second shot. You can achieve additional power on the second left hook by incorporating an before it. Basically you use the first shot as the ‘pathfinder’ and you deliver the bang with the second shot.

One more thing, you can use a mid range left hook for the second shot as this offers a nice variation of angle.

Short Left Hook Head:

Mid Range Left Hook Head:

Boxing Combinations #2 – Left Hook (Body)/Left Hook (Head)

Our first combination in which we ‘switch attack’ from one target area to another, in this case from body to head. I often refer to this as ‘channel shift’ as you are changing the channel of attack. Incorporating channel shift into boxing combinations is highly effective. By striking with the body shot first, the opponent’s defensive focus is switched to that area and in some instances away from the head area. Maybe the elbow will drop and the body will lean into the incoming shot. The opponent’s response to the first shot not only causes an opening for the second shot, but by the opponent shifting weight toward that second shot it’s power will be increased.

Left Hook to the Body:

Boxing Combinations #3 – Right Uppercut (Head)/Left Hook (Head)

Following an uppercut with a hook is a very natural thing to do. I mentioned earlier that in great boxing combinations the punches complement each other. Well, this combination captures that perfectly. The right uppercut is a shot that require a significant range of movement to land it correctly. However once the shot has landed, the position of your body (following major rotation of the hips) provides perfect torque for that follow up left hook to land with great power. Great boxing combinations that each punch is complementary and that openings will be created and exploited.

Another reason that the hook following the uppercut works well is a little more obvious. When the uppercut lands, it is very likely to lift the head of the opponent up and away from the guarding arms. This means that the head is very vulnerable to attack from a shot like the left hook. Hook after an uppercut goes like a sleep after a big meal

Right Uppercut to the Head:

Boxing Combinations #4 – Left Uppercut (Body)/Left Hook (Body)