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How to Land Body Shots by Stepping to the Side

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A common problem people encounter in Boxing or Kickboxing is not being able to land a solid body shot. Striking Coach Vince Salvador breaks down why this can happen and shows how stepping to the side can greatly increase your chances of landing the punch.

VIDEO TRANSCRIPT:

Jamarr Coleman:
Hey, what’s up everybody? This is Jamarr, the sales director here at The Arena. I’m here with Coach Vince, striking coach here, and I’ve got a question for you. I’ve been getting back in the ring, been sparring, and it seems like I can never connect with a body shot. Do you got any tips or any details that can help me connect with my body shot?

 

Coach Vince Salvador:
Yeah. Show me how you’re doing it.

 

Jamarr Coleman:
Okay, so I’m right here and I’m bending down, and I’m just throwing the body shot. But it seems like they’re catching with the elbow all the time.

 

Coach Vince Salvador:
Okay. One of the things that happens when you’re 50/50 in a 50 stance and we have an equal angle, when I go to the body, you could do the exact same thing for me. You can hit me right in the body, or you could throw that upper cut just like that. And it all works because I’m right in front of you. One of the things I like to do when I set up the body shot, is I’ll throw something up top to bring the elbow up. So maybe a jab or a hook?

 

It depends on the situation, but if I’m this close, I would throw the hook up top. When his elbow comes up, I’ll use that to push off to the corner here and it gets me in a better angle to hit the liver. And when I get into that angle, I’m not really susceptible to any shots. So when I get to that angle, I want you to try to hit me with an uppercut. So when I get to here and you throw that uppercut, I’m already offline. I have a good body shot, and I’ve stepped offline with just using a punch.


Another way I can do that is I can use a jab the same way. I can jam up the middle. Usually what they’ll do is they’ll pair you up, step up top, get off to the line here, and I’ll throw a body shot. What I don’t want to do is just try to go to the body without setting it up because then he’ll see it coming. If I just go to the body from here, you can lean down, block that, kick me with the uppercut, finish the fight, knock me out. I’d rather go to the body, not get hit. So when I hit him up top, I go to the quarter, hit him in that liver. It’s over, making him pee some blood.

 

Jamarr Coleman:
And there you have it. Tip of the week.

 

Coach Vince Salvador:
Just the tip.

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