The Best Boxing Style For Tall Fighters

Even though boxing has set weight categories, there are still a large variety of different reaches, heights, and body types within a single division. As you move towards the heavyweight category, you will find that height discrepancy increases. With that being said, you will still find both tall and short fighters in lower weight classes, both of which have different boxing styles from one another.

As a tall fighter, you will find that most of your opponents are shorter than yourself. If you have a long, skinny frame, there will be many shorter and stockier opponents who are the same weight. Although there will be small variations within the way short fighters box, they will still need to stick to fundamentally sound principles and fight in a similar way against a tall fighter.

Distance

It goes without saying that as a tall fighter, you are going to have a long reach. So it would be stupid not to use a long boxing reach to your advantage.

Using your superior height and reach, it is possible to keep a short fighter at a distance where you can hit them, but they cannot hit you.

This strategy revolves around having a strong jab that can be thrown non-stop throughout a fight. If you find that your arms and shoulders become too tired from jabbing, you either need to improve your cardio or be able to change your stance between orthodox or southpaw. This way you can distribute the workload evenly between right and left.

Hand Eye Co-Ordination

It is useless to throw jabs if none of them can land properly. Whilst you shouldn’t expect to land every single jab, you should be able to land and stop your opponent from scoring back.

A shorter opponent will generally bob from left to right before moving forwards in order to stop being hit on the way inside. It is your job to be able to move and strike whilst they are moving forwards. Nothing halts momentum like a stiff jab to the chin. If you can demoralize a shorter opponent by jabbing them consistently each time they try to come inside, they will stop doing it. This will essentially win you the fight.

Pattern Recognition

One point worth mentioning is pattern recognition. The majority of fighters do not move randomly and instead have patterns of bobbing and weaving. If you are able to recognize these patterns, you will find that you are able to land a lot more punches against small and elusive fighters.

Footwork & Angles

When putting together a fundamental gameplan of a tall fighting style, nothing is more important than footwork. You must not move backward, but instead move sideways and create angles.

Shorter fighters will try and get inside, which is relatively easy if you stand still. Walking backward may seem like a good idea, but you will run out of space quickly and end up on the ropes. As a tall fighter, being on the ropes is the last place you want to be.

By moving to the side when a smaller guy is approaching the inside position, you increase the distance between you and their body. In addition to this, creating an angle gives you a better position to land punches of your own. You already know which direction you are going to move, so your opponent must react to this after the movement has been made.

Anticipation & Reaction

Many smaller fighters will become frustrated and have to rely on rushing in recklessly. Recklessness is not a good thing but can catch you off guard if you don’t react properly.

This is why you must assume that a shorter opponent may try a reckless rush at any moment. By having this anticipation in advance, the shorter opponent’s rush should not take you by surprise. With no element of surprise, these rushes become somewhat useless and easy to pick off with a well timed jab, or uppercut if they are close enough.

Staying Away From The Ropes

Keeping your back off the ropes is a staple of boxing. It could not be more true for a tall boxer. Whilst being on the ropes is never a good thing, smaller fighters are able to ball up and explode with uppercuts and hooks. Tall fighters cannot do this as easily since their movements are a lot slower. Not only this, but they have a longer torso to protect from body shots.

Being on the ropes means that your reach advantage has been completely nullified. Shorter opponents will not wait for you to recover and come off the ropes, they will immediately close the distance and unload as many high quality punches as they can.

Being Comfortable Going Forwards

Unless the opposing boxer is significantly worse than yourself, you likely will not be able to stay on the back foot for the entire fight. Throughout history, there have been almost no boxing matches in which the taller fighter was able to keep an efficient striking distance 100% of the time. This is an ideal situation, but difficult to maintain over several rounds.

If you find that distance cannot be kept, instead you can move forwards by using your jab instead. This style of boxing is very demoralizing for a shorter fighter to be on the end of. By maintaining pressure, they will be more concerned about dodging jabs and making angles, rather than mounting any offense of their own.

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