5 Boxing Combos For Beginners
Boxing is essentially a game of chess, and our boxing combos are our 'moves'.
To the blind eye boxing appears to be a flurry of jabs, right hands and hooks thrown randomly... be it at a pair of focus mitts, a heavy bag or an opponent.
That's not quite the case.
Boxing combinations, a sequence of punch performed in a specific order are designed to catch your opponent off guard.
You won't land every shot, but boxing combos are designed to confuse and catch your opponent - they might block or slip the first punch or two but if their defense isn't perfect they'll get clipped with a power punch later in the combo... a costly mistake to say the least.
Below you'll find 5 beginner boxing combinations to get you started - get a buddy and perform them on focus mitts or work on them solo on a heavy bag, there's no right or wrong way to drill them.
It's also worth noting these are called 'beginner' combos because they're relatively short combos - they aren't long Mayweather style padwork drills... that said these combos are used to end fights at the highest level.
Boxing Combos
1 - Jab - Cross
The most basic and arguably the most effective combination in all of boxing,, the simple 1 - 2 (jab - cross).
The jab is thrown with the left hand (for orthodox) or right hand (for southpaw stance) and followed up with a powerful right hand (for orthodox, left for southpaw).
Many professional boxers have made millions just from perfecting their 1 - 2 punch combo, hooks and body shots are important without a doubt but the 1 - 2 combo can take you straight to the top if mastered.
Whether you're hitting a bag or mitts don't put too much power into your jab, in this combo the jab should be thrown in a fast and ' snapping' fashion, designed to get a reaction out of your opponent and hopefully leaving them open for the powerful right hand that follows it up.
2 - Double Jab - Cross
As mentioned above the 1 - 2 is the most common combo in all of boxing and as such your opponent is likely expecting it often - that's why we're adding an additional jab in there before throwing the right hand.
When performing the double jab don't return your left hand all the way back to your guard after throwing the first jab, opt to bring it about half way back to your chin before pumping it out again to your opponent/mitts/heavy bag.
Once you've fired the second jab and have returned your left hand to your chin (to protect yourself incase a counter is coming your way) it's time to throw the right hand.
If you've watched a professional boxing bout before you've likely seen how many boxers will fire out anywhere from 2 to 10 jabs in a row with the intention of getting their opponent to overreact or commit to a counter before they throw the right hand (cross) that they have loaded up and waiting.
When working on this combo mix it up a bit too and aim to throw three or four jabs in a row before firing the cross too.
3 - Jab - Left Shovel Hook
This always has and always will be my go-to combo, it's extremely simple and only utilizes your front (left) hand but when performed correctly (by loading up the hips) it packs some serious power and can be the downfall of your opponent if it lands flush.
Begin by firing a jab as per normal, no need to put any crazy power behind it, once again we're merely using the jab as as probe, to try and get an overreaction or counter out of your opponent - this combo is great as the second we're thrown the jab we're actually out of the way from their counter while we load up the power for our left shovel hook.
Once you've fired off the jab rotate your hips to the left while also slipping your head slightly to the left - this is not only a defensive position to get out of the way of any jabs/crosses that're coming our way but it's also the correct way to load up our hips to fire the left shovel hook with bad intentions.
Once loaded up to the left rotate your hips back to the right while aiming your left shovel hook on a 45 degree angle at your opponents midsection (the punch comes at an angle between a traditional hook and a traditiona uppercut).
4 - Jab - Cross - Left Hook
An extension on our basic jab - cross combination.
If your straight punches (jab and cross) miss your opponent there's still a world of pain coming their way if they don't anticipate or get out of the way of the left hook that's following up your right cross.
Much like the shovel hook combination explained above once we've thrown the right hand our hips will automatically be loaded to the left, placing us in the perfect position to swing our hips around to the right again (which generates some serious power) while throwing the left hook at the chin of our opponent.
The left hook is in my eyes the #1 fight ending punch - it doesn't matter how tough or skilled your opponent is... a left hook landed flush on the jaw will turn the lights off for 99% of people.
5 - Cross - Left Hook - Cross
The majority of combinations we've delved into thus far are all performed from somewhat of a distance, you can't really extend your jab when your opponent is right up in your face... you can use this combination on the other hand to make them pay for entering such close range.
This is a power oriented combo, all other combos have started with a jab as somewhat of a test to get a reaction... that's where this boxing combination differs - each punch is to be thrown with bad intentions.
Keep your left hand up to guard your chin, assuming a counter is coming your way while you throw a powerful right cross, from here you'll be in the correct position with your hips loaded up to throw a left hook to the jaw of your opponent (ensure your right hand is glued to your chin as protection while throwing the hook) and once again you'll find your hips are loaded in position from the left hook to twist them back to the left and blast another powerful right hand.
As mentioned this is not a great combination to throw from a distance as you'll likely get clipped by a counter if there's a decent amount of distance between yourself and your opponent, this is ideal for the opponent (or pad holder!) that keeps marching forward towards you and not respecting your space or punches.
Need A Primer On How To Throw These Punches?
Check out my articles on how to throw each of the punches mentioned in these boxing combos correctly...
