Defensive Focus - Slips and Parries

Mobilisation (5 minutes)

• Neck rolls: 8 each direction (particularly important for a defensive session)
• Shoulder circles: 10 forward, 10 back
• Hip circles: 10 each direction
• Thoracic rotation with arms extended: 10 each side
• Knee circles: 10 each direction (slipping loads the knees)
• Bodyweight squats: 10 reps, slow and deep

Warm-Up Drills (10 minutes)

Defensive shadow boxing (5 mins)

2 x 2-minute rounds. No punching. Focus on defensive movement only.

• Round 1: slip left, slip right, roll under. Repeat the sequence continuously. Stay in stance.
• Round 2: add footwork. Slip left then step left. Slip right then step right. Roll under then pivot to a new angle.

Slip bag warm-up (5 mins)

Everyone gets 2 minutes on the slip bag. Bag swings, member slips underneath with proper form:

• Bend at the knees, not the waist
• Keep eyes on an imaginary opponent's chest (not the floor)
• Hands stay at the cheekbones throughout
• Small movements. The bag should barely clear your head.

Main Session (35 minutes)

Slip Mechanics Breakdown (8 mins)

Mirror drill. Face the mirrors. Coach demonstrates:

Outside slip (slipping a jab):
- Weight shifts to the rear leg
- Head moves outside the line of the shoulder
- Knees bend slightly, do not just lean sideways
- Rear hand stays at the cheekbone, lead hand stays up
- Eyes stay on the opponent, chin stays down

Inside slip (slipping a cross):
- Weight shifts to the lead leg
- Head moves to the inside
- Same rules: bend knees, hands up, eyes forward

Practice: 10 outside slips, 10 inside slips, then alternate for 20 reps.

Common mistake: bending at the waist and looking at the floor. If someone does this, they will get hit with an uppercut. Correct immediately.

Parry Mechanics Breakdown (7 mins)

Mirror drill. Coach demonstrates:

Lead hand parry (deflecting a jab):
- Small movement with the rear hand, pushing the incoming punch across your body
- Do not reach for the punch. Let it come to you, then redirect.
- The parry is 3 inches of hand movement, not a big sweeping block.

Cross parry (deflecting a cross):
- Lead hand pushes the incoming cross across and away
- Weight shifts slightly to the rear foot as you parry
- Immediately after parrying, the hand returns to guard

Practice: partner stands in front (no contact). Partner extends their jab slowly. Worker parries with rear hand. 10 reps each side. Then partner extends cross, worker parries with lead hand.

Partner Drill - Slip and Parry Combinations (10 mins)

Pairs with pads. Pad holder feeds specific attacks, worker defends.

Round 1 (2 mins each): Pad holder extends lead pad slowly toward worker's head (simulating a jab). Worker slips outside. After 1 minute, pad holder extends rear pad (simulating cross). Worker slips inside. Swap.

Round 2 (2 mins each): Pad holder extends lead pad. Worker parries with rear hand. Pad holder extends rear pad. Worker parries with lead hand. Swap.

Round 3 (2 mins each): Pad holder feeds random jabs and crosses. Worker must choose: slip or parry. Either response is fine. The goal is reading what is coming and reacting, not freezing.

Defensive Footwork Exits (10 mins)

This is the most important part. Defence without an exit is incomplete.

Drill 1: Slip and step (3 mins)

Partner throws a slow jab. Worker slips outside and takes a lateral step to the right. Worker is now at an angle to the partner. This is where a counter would go, but today we just practise the exit.

10 reps, then swap. Then repeat slipping inside with a lateral step left.

Drill 2: Parry and pivot (3 mins)

Partner throws a slow cross. Worker parries with lead hand and pivots on the lead foot, ending at 45 degrees to the partner. The partner is now facing the wrong direction.

10 reps each side.

Drill 3: Defence chain (4 mins)

Partner throws jab-cross (slow). Worker slips the jab, parries the cross, then exits with a pivot. Full defensive sequence. 2-minute rounds, swap.

Coaching point: the exit is not optional. If you slip and stay in front of the opponent, you are still in the firing line. Always create an angle after defending.

Conditioning Finish (7 minutes)

Slip bag conditioning. Work the slip bag continuously:

• 30 seconds slipping only
• 30 seconds slip then throw a jab after each slip
• 30 seconds slip then throw 1-2 after each slip
• 30 seconds maximum speed slips (just get under it as fast as possible)
• 1 minute rest
• Repeat once more

Cool Down and Reflection (3 minutes)

Neck stretch (important after slipping work), shoulder stretch, quad stretch, calf stretch. 15 seconds each.

"Defence is the hardest thing to train because your instinct is to close your eyes and turn away. Today was about overriding that instinct. Keep your eyes open, make a small movement, and exit to an angle."

Coaching Notes

• Most beginners over-slip. They duck their whole upper body when 4 inches of head movement is enough. The cue "imagine a punch just missing your ear" helps.
• If someone keeps looking at the floor when they slip, have their partner hold a pad at chest height. Tell them "keep your eyes on the pad" while slipping.
• The footwork exits are what separate recreational boxing from fight-ready boxing. Spend extra time here if the group is getting it.
• For less experienced members: slow everything down. The partner feeds at 30% speed. Defence work at full speed before someone is ready builds flinching habits.
• For advanced members: have the partner add a third punch (hook) and require the worker to slip, parry, roll, then exit.
• Nobody enjoys pure defensive work at first. Acknowledge that. "This is the boring bit that makes you hard to hit."