How to Master Defensive Boxing Moves With Litesport

Without a strong defense, your fight in the ring will end pretty quickly. That’s why we duck, slip, and roll with Litesport so you can get a feel for both the power of hard-hitting punches and the protection of quick defensive moves.

Even if you never plan on sparring with a boxing partner, mastering those defensive moves keeps you light on your feet, making your power and accuracy that much stronger.

To help you stay light on your feet, we’re breaking down the three basic defensive moves and how you can practice them in your next Litesport workout. 

Start With Your Boxing Stance

Before you start blocking punches you need to master your boxing stance. Consider this your “default” position in the ring. Every pivot, extension, and rotation comes from this foundation. After throwing a punch, always snap right back to this stance as quickly as you can. 

Getting into the habit of returning to this stance is your first line of defense in a boxing match-up. This keeps your body protected and enables you to move with greater speed, power, and precision as you line up your next hit.

How to get in your boxing stance:

1. Start by facing the Liteshield with your feet shoulder-width apart. 
2. Take a big step back with your dominant foot, about 90 degrees. Your front toes should line up with the heel of your back foot and you should have a slight turnout in that rear foot.
3. Stagger your stance at about hip-width distance so you’re always balanced and your weight is distributed evenly. 
4. Keep that back heel elevated and your weight in your toes as you maintain a slight bend in your knees. 
5. Bring your hands up by your cheekbones and tuck your chin slightly down, keeping your elbows pinched into your rib cage in your guard position.
6. Push off the ball of your foot to move while in your boxer’s stance. Keep a bounce to your body, ready to pivot, slip, or throw a punch at any moment.

Orthodox vs. Southpaw

If you’re right-handed (an Orthodox boxer) you’ll start with your left foot forward and your right foot back. If you’re left-handed (Southpaw boxer) you’ll start with your right foot forward and your left foot back. This stance positions your dominant hand farther back from the Liteshield so you can line up a punch with maximal power. 

The default stance in your Litesport app is Orthodox so make sure to switch this in your settings if you’re Southpaw! 

How to move in your boxer’s stance

When you’re moving towards the Liteshield lead with your front leg and let your back leg follow. When moving away from the Liteshield, do the opposite, letting your back leg lead and your front leg follow. This keeps your weight balanced whenever you move so you never get thrown off guard.

Defensive Moves with Litesport

The top light on your Liteshield will indicate when it’s time to get into a defensive position. When that light flashes, here’s how you can master those defensive moves:

Ducks

In your boxing stance keep your hands nice and tight in your guard position pressed against your rib cage. Move straight down into a squat position, with a soft bend in your knees. This move gets you out of harm’s way from your opponent’s incoming jabs and crosses.

Slips

Slips involve slight movements of your shoulder and head so that your opponent’s punches “slip” past you without impact. To slip back, move your front shoulder towards the Liteshield as you bend your knees. To slip forward, move your back shoulder towards the Liteshield. 

Rolls

Rolls, or bobbing and weaving, are like ducks only they involve a slight weight transfer from one foot to another. After you get into your duck position, transfer your weight between your right and left foot imagining that you’re avoiding punches from your opponent. 

Defensive pro tip

As you’re practicing your defensive moves it’s sometimes helpful to imagine that there is a string coming out of the center of your Liteshield extending to the back of your room. Every time you duck or roll imagine yourself going under that string. Every time you slip, imagine yourself moving out of the way of the string. Sometimes visualization can give your body a better sense of how to move in the ring.

How to Practice Your Defensive Moves

Ready to give those defensive moves a try? Here are the best Trainer Classes to help you drill down on your boxing defensive moves while perfecting your six signature punches:  

Chris’s 15-minute Hip Hop First Time Beginner Workout

For fighters stepping into the ring and hitting the Liteshield for the very first time, we recommend starting with Chris’s 15-minute Hip Hop First Time Beginner workout. 

In this entry-level class, Chris breaks everything down nice and slow and talks through how to follow the runway lights and where to throw every punch. This class incorporates the perfect amount of boxing basics and strength training, including a breakdown of your core defensive moves.

10-minute Dancehall FOCUS: Slips with Mary

Our FOCUS classes are all about improving your boxing form by developing one fundamental boxing skill per class. Whether it’s speed, power punches, defensive moves, strength, or boxing combinations, these specialized classes dedicate time to helping you grow your boxing skills with Litesport, all while getting in a great workout that’ll leave you sweating. 

In this 10-minute class with Mary, you’ll be focusing on slips, one of the fundamental defensive boxing moves. You’ll also spend a lot of time practicing boxing combinations while getting a feel for defensive moves in this FOCUS Trainer Class. 

30 Minute Mixtape Trainer Led with Dillon from 5/16/21

In this 30-minute fight, you’ll start and end with your boxing basics (with a whole lot of fun on and off the platform in between). Dillon challenges you to two different strength conditioning rounds, working both your arms and your legs. 

While on the platform, expect a big focus on mastering those defensive moves as you box it out to everything from Marvin Gaye to Fall Out Boy to Kanye West. This class has it all, making it the perfect workout to practice all your moves in the ring, including all-important defensive skills.

20 Minute Advanced Hip Hop with GW

Your fists will be flying in no time to this 20-minute Advanced Hip Hop-inspired workout with GW. Throughout the class, you’ll practice using those legs, resetting to your boxer stance, and staying on the beat as you work your offensive and defensive moves. 

GW also challenges you with some pushups, squats, burpees, and butt kickers between rounds. Although it’s an advanced class, you control the fight and the intensity so do your best to keep up with GW as he leads you through every combo. 

10 Min Express Mixtape with Mary from 2/11/21

Mary’s here to fight in this 10-minute Express workout. With each track, the combos get a little bit faster as Mary keeps you focused on form and technique. You’ll practice some defensive moves like ducks and bobbing and weaving in addition to some power punches that keep you moving on the platform for the full ten minutes. 

This workout even has Mary on the floor by the end, which is how you know it’s a tough one! With artists including Jeremih, Mike WiLL Made-It, A$AP Rocky, Nicki Minaj, and Jonas Blue this is just what you need to power through your day.

Find these classes and more with a Litesport Membership. Need more help with your boxing form? Join our Facebook community and upload a video of you boxing to the group. Our instructors will help break down your form and offer pro tips and suggestions so you can get the most from your workout.