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How to Block Punches in Boxing: Guards, Technique, and What to Do After
- Simmy
- Jun 17
- 3 min read
Updated: 5 days ago
Blocking is the most basic form of defense in boxing, and most beginners do it wrong. They hold their hands up and take the shot. Real blocking is active. You move to absorb, redirect, or cover and immediately create offense from it.
What Blocking Actually Is
A block stops or deflects an incoming punch using your gloves, forearms, or elbows. It is not the same as covering up and waiting. Every block should have a purpose and a follow-up.
There are two types of blocks you need to know early: the high guard block and the body block.
The High Guard Block
Your hands are up near your temples, elbows in, chin down. When a jab or cross comes at your head, you do not simply hold your guard up. You tighten the guard and use the glove or forearm to absorb the shot. The punch lands on padding, not your jaw.
Elbows tight: An open elbow creates a gap. Keep them close to your body or your ribs take shots.
Chin tucked: If your chin is up and your guard absorbs a punch, the force still travels to your neck and head. Keep it down.
Eyes open: New fighters close their eyes when they block. You cannot counter what you cannot see.
The Body Block
When hooks come at your ribs, you block with your elbow dropped down tight to your side. The punch hits the elbow and forearm, not the liver or kidneys.
The body block is not about moving away. It is about angling your body slightly and tightening the elbow so the shot has nothing soft to land on.
What to Do After a Block
This is where most people waste the defense. You blocked a punch. Now what? A block is not a finish line.
After blocking a jab, return your own jab or throw a jab-cross.
After blocking a cross, your opponent is momentarily open on the left side. Throw a hook.
After a body block on a hook, pivot or step out and fire back.
Every block creates an angle or a timing window. Train yourself to think of defense and offense as one motion, not two separate things.
Common Mistakes
Passive guard: Hands up but no purpose behind it. You are just absorbing punishment.
Blocking with your face: Your gloves need to be in front of your face, not beside your head.
No return: Blocking and then standing still is a habit that will get you hurt at any level.
Blocking vs Other Defenses
Blocking is the right choice when you are caught in a corner, when you do not have the angle to slip, or when a combination is coming too fast to move away from. In those moments, a tight guard and active blocking is what keeps you in the fight.
Slipping, rolling, and parrying are more advanced tools. Learn blocking first so you have a foundation to fall back on when the other options are not available.
Good blocking technique alone will make you harder to hurt. Combine it with smart counters and your defense starts generating offense.
Simeon Hardy is a boxing coach, former World Ranked professional boxer, and former WBC welterweight champion based in New York. He trains fighters and fitness enthusiasts of all levels at BOXwithSimmy NYC. Follow along on YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook.
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