Hey guys, I'm still dropping my right hand... is there anything I can do so it'll stay up automatically without me having to explicitly think about it? Or is the only way to go about it by getting smacked in the head until I remember to keep it up?
Getting smacked in the head until you remember to keep it up is a very productive way Try shadowboxing in the mirror.
I also have this problem, dropping my hand. In class, every time I do it, I get a smack, because people can tell I'm going to do it eventually. This doesn't happen so much in competiton, but it doesn't take them long to work out whats going on. Keep it in your mind while you spar to keep your hand up... eventually it'll stick! Otherwise, invest in a good headguard
Yeah, I do this sometimes. punching yourself lightly on the forehead to remind yourself to keep your guard up works, apparently. Basically, just practice, I think.
try a couple of things, when working the pads or bag, touch both sides of your chin with something at all times, either the glove when your punch is retracted or your shoulder when you punch. Also as well as shadow boxing in the mirror to keep an eye on your pesky right hand, tie a piece of string beween 2 walls at about shoulder height, when in fighting stance. practice your bob and weave under it, moving forward and back, getting used to movement whilst keeping your hands up. if youve got accessto a ring, tie it from opposite corner to opposite corner. and the same from the other corners. so you end up with an x in the ring. practice the bob and weave and your foot work while maintaing a tight guard. If you tend to keep your right low, work on dropping your chin more so it sits below the shoulders. this also gives a downward angled target to the front, allegedly minimising the force of the punches as they slide off your face instead of knocking it straight back!!
Takes a lot of practice to keep that hands up, because its not a natural thing to walk round with your hand up high! Just keep thinking about technique, try some overexagerated high guard boxing styles, you'll do it without thinking in a few years
On top of some of the good advice already here, I'd recommend slow training. Work the mits or a bag with very slow precise movements. Pay special attention to keeping your hands up the whole time - when you fire a shot, it comes directly back to your "guard" position. But also pay attention to your body mechanics, footwork, and positioning. All of this can be helped dramatically with slow motion training. The slow motion training will help ingrain the motions into your "muscle memory" so that when you speed up, your body will still do it without you having to consciously think about it. After that aspect is developed, then speed up. You should find that you have more efficiency and economy in your motion (and, by extension, more "speed") and, since your body mechanics should improve, you should have more power, too. When you spar, you'll be able to focus more attention on developing your timing and other such dynamic aspects. But, IMHO, for simple body mechanics related stuff (i.e.: keeping your hands up), slow motion training is a very good way to develop it - and it should develop in a relatively short amount of time with a relative minimum of frustration. Mike
Tie a sharp spike to your tricep, pointing downwards, so that every time you drop your hand / arm you stab yourself in the side
Have somebody stand behind you while you are doing whatever it is you are doing. This person gets to whack you in the side of the head with a foam bat everytime your hand drops Or just make a concsious effort to keep it in contact with your face when it is not punching. You will have to think about it for a while, then it will become automatic, same as anything else.
listen to Yoda, that last little bit particularly you can't shadow box enough in the mirror with that hand glued to your head. if you practice never to drop it the action will become natural... peace
As previously mentioned in the above posts, shadowboxing in front of a mirror worked for me. I had to start off slow making sure I had my points of cover. As time went on, it became natural to keep the hands up. And of course the hook helped reassure that your hands stayed up.
Just work defence when sparring. Walk towards your opponant and don't throw anything. Focus on keeping your hands up, blocking, evading, stepping around them, etc. Let them get you on the ropes and work defence from there. Make sure you're in a bit of a crouch too, your elbows should be able to rest on your ribs while your hands are up protecting your face. You need to round your back a little and get your chin down on your chest to do this. Crouching a little makes it alot easier to keep your hands up and protects your targets better.
