fighting tall

[n4kapa]

I'm looking for any kind of tips on how to "fight tall". I'm 6 foot 7 inches and 235lbs but when I fight someone 6 foot it still isnt as easy as the klitschko brothers make it look. I train in italy with an all italian gym and the coach speaks NO english so I dont get alot of help.

During my sparring sessions I do pretty good with my jab and keeping my opponent at a distance. I think most of my sessions go just like klitschkos vs, imbragonov. not very exciting. any tips or do you guys know anything that may help. thanks

[bobweaver]

to fight tall as a heavyweight you want to have extroadanary foot work and ring movement, pump your jab as your main weapon hard and strong it has to be all day in their face. You will keep your height not bend at the waist at all because you lose your height, get your feetwork together and then dance circles around your opponent, at 6'7 you will be able to stay far away unless the guy is over 6'4, throw your jabs all at a distance, and when you feel it is the right time to throw a big right hand make sure you are at a good distance away and let it fly, the leverage should be insane and your height will give you great power if you use correct leverage and distance, you gotta learn the correct distance for you by sparring differant opponents. best of luck to you.

[n4kapa]

to fight tall as a heavyweight you want to have extroadanary foot work and ring movement, pump your jab as your main weapon hard and strong it has to be all day in their face. You will keep your height not bend at the waist at all because you lose your height, get your feetwork together and then dance circles around your opponent, at 6'7 you will be able to stay far away unless the guy is over 6'4, throw your jabs all at a distance, and when you feel it is the right time to throw a big right hand make sure you are at a good distance away and let it fly, the leverage should be insane and your height will give you great power if you use correct leverage and distance, you gotta learn the correct distance for you by sparring differant opponents. best of luck to you.

I have been trying to do exactly what you said but I often forget the footwork. Usually when the other guy throws I end up just stepping back and they never land anything. So that seems to work good for avoiding punches but I think I miss alot of counters I could be making. I also have a hard time landing body shots. I've noticed alot of tall guys NEVER go to the body. any tips there?

[VBoxer]

establish that JAB! keep our opponent on the outside and set up power shots. being that tall, no one should be able to get to you.

[Rob Pilger]

Work on a lot of lateral movement and pivoting. You are tall and an obviously BIG target. This is what boxing is after all, to hit and not be hit by eluding a punch while still in position to land/counter. Set body shots up with your jab, mix up the jab with fast hard 2-3 jabs then drop left hook to the body. If you use your jab right the other sparring partner won't see the left to the body coming. Be confident with your jab and feared with it.

Lateral movement will help you create openings to the body and head too.

Yes, if you keep moving back it's like telling the other fighte, ok come get me its your turn now, move side to side, again create openings, to counter.

Focus on your foot work and lateral movement more than anything else now. Boxing does begin from the ground up, work on it, ingrain lateral side to side movement while fighting tall on the outside, then you can drop body shots while turning the fighter. There's a lot of different scenarios you can create and traps to lay. But first go back to the basics of foot work and angles.

Rob Pilger
http://www.boxingperformance.com
http://www.theultimateboxingworkout.com/fighters.html

[n4kapa]

most of these guys I spar with wont chase me as I drop back to avoid a punch. oddly enough the most inexperianced guy I ever sparred with would come back at me with an ass load of punches every time I threw a jab. That really seemed to throw me off knowing that for every punch I throw at him he comes at me with 5 of his own. most wouldnt land but it still threw my rythm off.


I seen a video the other day about how to counter punches and I've had some success using some of those tips the last couple days at the gym. mainly countering with the right over my opponents jab. The video seems to be geared towards smallers guy I think... alot if IN fighting. being my height obviously fighting inside isnt the best place to be... eat alot of body shots on the inside.

the only body shots I seem to land are straight rights. I can counter the jab with combo and the final punch is a straight right to the body. The left hook seems to be very hard to find openings though. mainly cause I have to get too close for comfort I think. Maybe this will all just come with time and experiance.