Should I pivot my feet when punching? Instagram Debate | Boxing Secrets 

My pops told me to exaggerate the movements during traing/drills because in sparring or in the fight everything is gonna shorten up.

Don't sweat it coach. Quality over quantity!

coach anthony is back!

agreed, I was taught to pivot with my punches but without being told by my coach I realized its unrealistic to throw 3 or 4 quick punches while pivoting with every punch without being off balance. I problem solved through trial and error and found I can only load up and turn my foot in on the last punch of the combo, tap tap tap then load up and step in. Turning in the knee slightly still produces force from the legs and hips, i think thats what canelo does slight little knee turn ins. Thanks for this video PS where can I buy tevon farmer tshirts ? im in australia and massive fan

One whoooole year of questionning myself and my different coachs (sometime contradicting themselfs), summarised in 10 min... the teacher appears when the student is ready, they says 😊

You the real MVP Coach, I've learnt so much just from your videos mate, everything you release is just gold, much love from down under 👍

In my utmost humble opinion. “ Nothing more rewarding than getting ones thesis validated by those who exceeds oneself in excellence” “ Fighting is relativity in motion, never expect only respond as it one’s opponent within context that dictates tactics” “ Advanced are basics done correct” “ learn the form, seek the formless” Couldn’t agree with you more sir, and I teach the same to my students as well. Appreciations for sharing your insights with all of us, an honor to be able to learn from someone who is as skilled as yourself. Sincere regards. Fellow martial artist. Tom Framnes. Norway.

Highly underrated content right here.. The breakdown of the difference between the preparing for action and the actual fight was invaluable.. Perfectly explained.. Once again Coach A. great job and keep me coming..

I love this because I believe in these same principles. It’s refreshing hearing it from a coach of your caliber.

I think it's a great idea to exaggerate the fundamentals like "putting the cigarette out" on crosses and hooks and "pouring out the glass of milk" on the jab and piston retracting it back to your ear. But in real action especially when the opponent is strong too in the 1st half of a fight or sparring, these movements have to be shored up. But if you find yourself walking the opponent down, then I think you can really pivot more and sit down further on those shots to take them out.

Thank you for taking the time to put out another amazing video.

It’s so nice to listen to such rational explanations for what fighters do instinctively. This truly is the teacher’s job. At the end of the day this is a matter of transferring torque from your lower body to your higher body. Depending on the speed, power and reach you want to apply to your punch(es) you might need to twist a lot, a bit or nothing at all. And of course you always need to maintain balance.

Great explanation Coach Anthony. Thank you! So good to see you back on top form. X

This is some of the most useful pieces of information on boxing I've ever heard.

You always drop the best videos on boxing u always break it down perfectly 😍😍😍

Awesome video;this was extremely helpful!!Thank you for posting!!

I completely agree. It is important to pivot but not during each punch in the sequence. Also, it’s important to understand that pro fighters have developed twitch fibers and muscle memory that may not require them to pivot AS MUCH to deliver the same output as an inexperienced fighter. Great video coach. Welcome back and congrats on the TF win!

Mamamia!!!! I never heard someone as good as coach anthony!what a training coach! Hope i see you in person. I want to train my son the way you train your boxers.. Nice one coach!! Keep on teaching, GOD BLESS!!!

I know what I'm doing for a warm up tomorrow, much love dude.

Wonderful video once again! 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

Perfect Explanation Coach! 🎉

Perfect timing just learnt pivoting on my shots the other day.love your stuff mate

I agree. I've always taught people that, ideally, they should pivot. I do have a habit of just turning my knee in during faster paced sparring though. The fact remains that the upper and lower body both twist though. Good stuff sir.

Welcome back mate! I've been doing boxing for a couple of years now, and I've been taught not only to pivot when throwing a cross, but also to straighten my leg too so as to extend as much as possible. But not overextend my whole body over my front foot, so as not to be thrown off balance.

Love your videos, coach. I like a quality video more than anything on boxing.

Cracking vid Coach, glad you’re back.

Excellent tutorial , I always thought you had to pivot fully on every shot , but this clears up a lot of things

Great video as always. I have to say the pivot has really helped my lead hook as a rookie. Tended to be a total arm punch, but just working it in shadow boxing my hook has gone from comical to bad to middling. I'm going to keep training so keep up the videos.

Amazing as always, Coach Ant! Returning and undisputed on the internet 100%!

Totally agree! We have fundamentals to build off of, this is the core. In a fight things change and we adapt, but we should still have these core fundamentals.

I agree with you , must pivot and sometimes the "step and pivot in the last shot" is equally important

Hey Coach Athony, definitely agreeing with you. Pivot is to also maximize power with twisting the hips for a more controlled hook uppercut or a straight right. Plus it feels more natural to bob and weave after a punch or a punch combo. 👍

God bless you Coach A. You are a bad ass at what you teach !!!

THX Coach!

thanks.awaiting for the comeback.

Thx excellent info

I saw u last saturday on Ortiz corner. Man u r everywhere, u r Amazing!

Coach Ant is the best analytically and fundamentally, that's why I deal with him.

When I first started boxing I was taught to pivot on the left hook, but my coach explained that it was just to make it easier for my body mechanics to learn to shift my weight and turn my waist with my punches, same as Anthony explains here. Once you get that body motion down, you don’t need to still pivot for the left hook so long as the waist and trunk goes with the motion of it. On the right hand though, I couldn’t imagine not pivoting on it, happens naturally when you throw it correctly. The only time your right hand shouldn’t have a pivot is if you’re throwing a pop shot

What I’m basically hearing here is pivot for power... more power, more pivot. This was a fun video. You did well pulling it all together....

Sharing gold again coach, thsnk u

Appreciate the video coach.

thank you coach

This is a great vid, Coach A!

I was going over this with my coach when we were talking about using phases and he mirrored what coach Anthony said!

Great video. I teach knees aligned [with hip engagement]. If you line your knee toward your target your power is magnified and hips are naturally engaged. So the pivot makes sense to teach how to rotate. Spine rotation can also add a lot of force [particularly for close hooks]. I'm not a fan of the "heel out" method as I find people miss the point and get stuck in glue or they over rotate. At higher levels things get smaller and more compact while retaining power, but the principle is still in effect. Thanks again.

Amazing coach. Thankyou.

Thanks coach

Great informative vid family, I learned alot in this one.

Great video.👍🏻

Teach the pivot....train perfect to leave room for natural regression.....you dont train the regression !...ur explanation was great !

Thanks Coach Anthony. Good stuff. I use both. Yet almost always pivot punching with the right hand. The left hood can be different with the weight being on the front leg. Yet definitely more power when you pivot and transfer the weight from leg to leg! Great instructional video! I wish your gym wasn’t so far from me. I would love to have a trainer like you.

I say both!!! Plant on 3 or more punch combinations. Pivot on 2 punch combinations.

Hey coach! I just wanted to make known, I’ve been told both, but I got in the habit of not pivoting and had been arm punching the whole time. I had a lapse in training, and tried to get back into boxing over a year and half ago and ended up throwing my back out. I’m still suffering with back issues today having to wear a back brace every time I go somewhere, I’ve been to multiple chiropractors. I just want to say thank you for making this video and to advanced and beginners start out using the pivot till your body is fully strong. Just remember yes we punch using the upper body, but boxing is a leg sport. And just hitting with arm punches affects your back and in not a good way so be careful.

This video is gold

Your videos are amazing big homie

I believe the other coach you were referring to is coach Tom Yankello and he's absolutely right. He has a whole instagram series based on common misconceptions about how the body's kinetic chain works in Boxing. Academic scrutiny at this level is desperately needed in the sport. Great video.

Thanks very much coach, great video... myself being quite a beginner at punching, i was having so much pain on my wrist punching crosses, that i even thought i have a weak wrist but thats not actually the case... later on discover a little trick of pulling my left hip back, automatically sends the right hip forward giving the exact same effect as pivoting... punching with proper body positioning, less injury...

Hey coach Anthony I stumbled across your videos a month nack and it's been helping me out a lot and I'm impressed by how you explain things and take the time to make everything clear and easy to understand, anyway I've recently sighned up for a charity fight which will be my first fight and wanted your opinion on drills I could do to improve. Thanks a tone Matt

Just found this channel. Subscribed. I just hit the bag for some extra cardio. Hate doing cardio on machines. Trying to get better foot movement

Ive always taught and been taught to pivot but I definitely remind people that its not ALWAYS necessary. Sometimes it just wont happen(especially under duress). But I absolutely prefer the step-pivot like you showed in the end(primarily when trying to set up a certain shot thats going to be the one landed with max power/effort)

I agree. I pivot more on the back leg but step more on the front. I rarely just turn my knees but im gonna give it a try.

Hello Anthony I watched recently dozens of Mike Tyson videos and sparrings. And the way I see it he only rotates the foot on the right hand rest of the times he just rotates the hips as you explain. And I tried it, it's wonderfull because it saves you a lot of time.

I agree 100%. Greetings from Germany

Coach Anthony, my blessings on your exceptional knowledge in the Art of Boxing. From my experience it's a 50/50 situation with pivoting the heels when throwing out the punches. If you are sparring, there are some opponents who are good at reading your technique. Then there are fighters who can't see what happens when you pivot and punch... For mobility training I always consider hip and foot movement to create fluidity and flow... End of the day, if you are a pro fighter, you will have adaptation and apply tactical movement to beat your opponent. Training is training. Explore, learn, experience, fail and then succeed

Amazing video !

Exaggerated movements in all sports is a great tool to help remind young or older student athletes to remember. As those reminds become less and less as they improve as coaches we no longer need and they athlete no longer need to Exaggerate ....

Thanks, Coach Ant ! #BoxingIsAGameOfInches #Technician #BoxingLife

Coach I saw a powerful puncher only slightly rotate his feet when I first joined my gym. Thanks for posting this and answering a question I've had for months. Subscribed

Its seems like pivoting helps you to get in tune with delivering that added power.

I feel pivoting fully transfer the punch in and even sets up the next move ,making it flow more fluid

Hey coach, can you do a continuation to that vid covering how fighters such as Canelo sit down on their punches?

This is good stuff coach

I’m training to be a boxer i have done for 3 years so far and have a shot at the Scottish title and I watch your videos religiously keep the great content man

6:58 this is what my kick-boxing coach teaches us. He’s always emphasising the pivot and when sparring or doing drills, it feels so unnatural and puts me off balance especially when going for the 1-2-3 and pivoting on the cross and hook, I don’t generate power, as well. Great video, subscribed!

This explanation was incredibly helpful. My first coach was a legit boxer. Old school Russian coach who trains Olympic athletes. He says you don't need to pivot as the step is enough if you're doing it right. However,y new coaches are telling me to pivot and it got me wondering about this disconnect of information. Thanks so much for clarifying.

Good stuff as always! What's your take on sliping vs parrying punches for counters?

Good video. This reminds me of how in karate you're taught to pull your non-punching hand all the way back to the hip. That's just IMO a training tool to teach them to turn the hips and hit with power. Eventually you get he same feel while actually keeping the off hand in front of you like in boxing.

Hip rotation is a must....which usually results in a pivot. Also, drawing force from the ground through the leverage created in the pivot adds punching power without much additional strain or effort. As for the balance issue, a "kickstand" balance rooting one foot while pivoting the other is important. That's why practicing slow and relaxed is necessary to develop "feel" and proper mechanics before speeding things up. Good video Coach!

Pivot pivot. Coach i got it...pivoting shifts the weight of your body to Maximize punching power sounds logical Y'all will do Thanks Coach here a year late but still present Keep the knowledge coming...

before I started boxing I use to do that automatically its feels better I haven't box in years but I box over 10yrs when I was younger and that's correct coach

Great Video

I was told to but I’ve found out that the pivot is only a que to remember to turn your body into your shot, so I don’t see it as what you have to do but it does help the less experienced boxer remember what to do.

Agree coach! The transfer of weight to the opposite leg of the arm you are punching with is what creates power in a punch. This is biomechanics. Look att baseball, and spear throwing, and all the throw based disciplines in the olympics. Everybody transfers the weight from the opposite foot of the hand holding the spear, ball and so on to the other foot. To do that you have to pivot your feet to create rotation in your hips witch leads to rotation in your upper body and turns the shoulders. To do that you have to pivot.

I've been wondering about this for awhile because most pro boxers don't do a lot of pivoting in their fights. It seems like it slows down your punches to pivot on every punch.

Awesome. The other day i had someone ask me to give them some pointers on pivoting... i told them don't worry about it too much, and not to give it too much emphasis. I told him focus on shifting the hips forward or back. This includes repositioning the knee, like you said, and the pivot should happen naturally. In the fight situation, worrying about if youre pivoting haha is a setup to slow you down. When you're throwing fast combos you are just not completing a full pivot, because you mad decide you want to evade a certain way, the foot positioning plays a critical role in that.

Omg man, I was just having this exact conversation with a friend of mine

You gotta have some pivot, turning of the lower half of the body, or angles when throwing punches. Especially power shots. The mechanics become instinctive when continually practiced. Nice Video Coach👍🏽👍🏽

Quality info. From personal experience, with rotating the leg inward and not pivoting, I developed some tendonitis issues on my trailing leg. I have to pivot. Not everyone does though.

I am the striking coach for Team Demon MMA and have created many champions. I am with Coach Anthony on this especially for a beginning fighter. Teaching a new fighter how to rotate the body for power can be challenging. I used to use the exact same words to describe the rotation of "putting out the cigarette" Though effective, the problem I ran into was what I like to call turning the foot for show. . Meaning no real friction between the foot and the floor is taking place, the fighter is simply just rotating on the foot because coach told him to. When really, when I am teaching this technique I am trying to teach the fighter how to use his hips into the punch and not so much the foot. What happens is the foot is just turning and no real power is added to the punch. I have since started getting my fighters to focus on the idea of feeling their hips.. If you are on the ball of your foot and you turn your hip, the foot will naturally rotate. If it is a power punch I always like to explode the hip first a moment before the punch. This in my opinion creates a more powerful punch. If you are a fighter or a coach you probably have run into this problem.. Teaching hips to a fighter can be one of the most challenging things to accomplish. On the other hand, after a fighter has learned to use his hips I begin to shorten the exaggeration of the hip and foot rotation unless it is a power punch. As Coach Anthony pointed out it can leave the fighter off balance. I also shorten the movements because the longer the exaggeration of the turn, the longer it takes to throw your next punch or get back to your base position. This can hurt your defense and footwork as well . Great debate and topic Coach Anthony, these types of tips are what Boxing is.. Being great is always in the small details.

Welcome back coach 👏

@Coach Anthony. Can you please do a video on jabbing/punching while moving. Kinda like a jab,pivot at the same time?

Coach, I don't see a lot on the inside game of boxing (is when your nearly face to face)... What to look for, how to defend, strategy's to dominate. That's a video I'd love to see.

I believe I know the guy who's being referenced here, we've chatted on the same martial arts forum. His style of coaching comes from the Soviet/Russian tradition, which looks at basics and movement apparently a little bit differently than the American one. Nevertheless, the no-pivot argument is essentially this: Your power leg for the front hook is your front leg, and you want to push off of it in order to shift your body behind the punch. However, in order to pivot, you must pre-emptively DE-load the power leg, so you are pushing off under less tension and power than if you had the leg heavy and firmly planted throughout the hook. You can try this by putting almost all of your weight to one leg (or even standing on one leg) and trying to make the pivot from there while keeping the weight over it - the sole of your foot will experience a lot of friction while trying to turn and your knee will almost cave in under you as you are not relieving your body weight to your rear leg. So instead of thinking pivot-knee-hip-shoulder, you only consider maximizing the weight transfer from your front leg to the punch without obsessing over individual body parts. The Soviet tradition actually begins training basic punches from a squared stance, and you learn the weight-shifting principles from that posture. Having learnt the basics in a symmetrical stance like that might actually contribute why Eastern European boxers are so proficient in switch-hitters.

should i pivot or no?just be in control.dont think like beginner-this is bad or this is good...just be in control,that's the answer to pivot or not to pivot

Coach Anthony...great knowledge of yours being on display. I do enjoy your break down and step by step coaching explanation for this beautiful sport. I do desire to become a coach one day. Could you please render some guidance on how to become a professional coach in boxing? I used to box Amateur...and at present teach new people what I've learnt...I do want to carry it on a certificate certified level. Please assist...much thanks.

I generally turn my knee in, but I remember reading that Joe Frazier trained his fighters not to pivot on the hook. A fighter should learn how to do everything. Good video.

No doubt. I teach it as a maximum and minimum movement in the technique. The maximum is the full turn, the minimum is a slight turn. In a fight anywhere in between is ok. The beginner goes to the maximum and the pro shortens them up. Great topic, thanks for sharing!

I think it depends on your personal biomechanics. Some people generate their power from their core. They keep their feet planted and twist their core. Some guys are leg dominate and generate power from pivoting. In my opinion you base your fighting style on YOUR physical attributes. Good informative video. Y’all doing good work with Tevin. I love watching dude fight.

Ihave trained with a coach that told me pivot on jabs (same like the hook) to get more distance !! Very effective.