Top 5 Boxing Guards You Should Know As A Boxer

Boxing is one of the most-watched sports today. There are fans around the world who are very excited to watch their favorite players box. Compared to other martial arts, boxing is a very simple martial art. Being simple means that it does not have very complex moves and techniques. Similar to the offensive moves, the defensive strategies in boxing are also very limited and easy to remember and execute. Whether you are a fan of boxing or a boxer who has just started, you should know the defensive strategies in boxing. The article is focused on the top five boxing guards you should know as a boxer or a boxing fan.

The following are the best boxing guards used by top players in history, proving their effectiveness:

The traditional boxing guard is also known as the traditional boxing stance. It is a stance in boxing in which a boxer has both his hands and forearms on his face.

• In a professional boxing match, when your opponent starts punching you, you should move both your hands upward and in front of your face. 
• The hands should not be too high that even your upper chest is not safe from shots from your opponent. Also, they should not be too low, so that your face is not completely covered.

The traditional boxing stance is the oldest and most common boxing guard in boxing history. But yes, it is still effective, but not as competent as other boxing guards. The reason is that it is most common, and others know how to deal with that.

Boxing high guard is a type of guard in which the boxer has his hands upwards near the temple/ears or head.

For doing the boxing high guard, you need to move both hands up and bring them closer to your temple. Your knees must be tucked in. Keep your hands at the temple, not on the face.

Yes, boxing high guard is effective, but it comes with cons. This guard is usually done when you need to protect your head and face from straight punches from your opponent. When you parry the straight punch, you need to quickly follow this defense with a counter punch. It has some cons, like your body is highly exposed. Your opponent can punch your body easily with no resistance. The high guard is still effective if you do it only to parry a straight punch.

A boxing cross guard is a type of guard in which you have your arms crossed in front of your head, face, and neck. There is no exact position of the cross guard because you are typically moving the crossed hands above and down according to the punches coming in.

• The boxing cross guard is very simple, as its name suggests. You just have to move your hands upward and in the opposite direction. Make the shape of a cross (X) with your hands and keep them in front of your face. 
• Now, keep looking for the position of punches coming from your opponent. If they are coming towards your face, move the cross in front of your face. 
• If they are coming to your chest, move the cross in front of your chest and vice versa. So the position of your crossed hands varies with the position of your opponent’s punches.

• Yes, the boxing cross guard is more effective than both high guard and traditional stance. It is flexible and mobile, allowing you to continuously move your defensive hands according to the position and direction of your punches. 
• But it has some cons, but fewer compared to previous guards. The downside is that your liver and abdomen are exposed very badly to your opponent’s punches. You won't be able to do anything in this case if your opponent punishes you at your liver. 
• Another downside is that with a cross guard, it is difficult for you to throw counter punches at your opponent. Despite all these cons, it is still a better option than the previous guards.

The Peekaboo boxing guard, or Peek-a-boo boxing style, was made famous by Iron Mike Tyson. He won many matches due to this boxing stance. We cannot doubt the effectiveness of this style, as this style helped Mike, one of the greatest boxers in boxing history.

For doing the peekaboo boxing guard, move your hands upward and bring them closer to your chin. Your hands will protect your chin against your op ponent’s punches. Your elbows will be defending your chest against your opponent’s punches. Keep your toes pointing forward as you move. Continuously move your head while fighting, just like Tyson.

Yes, the peekaboo boxing stance is very effective, particularly for fighters of short height. This is the best stance for short-heighted fighters for combat against tall fighters, as proven by Mike Tyson. But you have to make two things very accurate: your timing to defend and make punches, and your reflexes for judging the opponent’s punches.

The Philly shell boxing guards are considered the best defense against opponents in the current era, and this has been proven by the undefeated boxing legend Floyd Mayweather. He was so perfect at using this stone that no one was able to defeat him. His 50-0 boxing stats are the true example of Philly Shell being the best boxing guard.

Philly's shell boxing guard is very different from all other guards. Unlike all other guards, you are not moving your hands upwards in front of your face. Instead, you have to keep your lead hand in front of your abdomen and your other hand in front of your chin. This protects you from body and head shots from your opponent. Moreover, you have to keep your shoulder a little bit higher to give more protection to your chin. This defense is the ultimate defense you can use against any punch. 

This defense is the ultimate defense you can use against any punch. But it has one downside as well, and that is you need to put a lot of effort into mastering this defensive stance because it is very difficult to learn and implement in your game. It is very effective. Leading hand at your stomach makes it easy for you to throw punches at your opponent, and your opponent will have difficulty seeing your punches. So you are in a stance ready to defend and attack.

These were some of the best boxing guards you can master. In these guards, you should start with the Philly shell boxing defense because this is currently the best guard against all punches. But it is difficult, so you can start with the easier one, such as the traditional boxing stance, and then go on learning the difficult Philly shell guard. Every guard has its own pros and cons, but make sure any guard you choose to learn master so well that no one can break your guard.