Bobbing and Weaving is NOT ducking and squatting

Bobbing and weaving is not ducking and squatting. To bob and weave is do two things: level change vertically and angle change horizontally. This involves hinging at the hip in a short bowing motion as taught by former heavyweight boxing champion and legend Jack Dempsey in his excellent book “Championship Fighting: Explosive Punching and Aggressive Defense”.

But many boxing enthusiasts attempt to bob and weave by level changing with a squat. This has the unfortunate side effect of (1) being far too slow to be practical and (2) locking the fighter in place so they will not be able to improve their position while their opponent can simply continue punching from an advantageous angle.

Additionally, some popular martial arts youtubers have gone on to erroneously teach that bobbing and weaving is the same as broken posture that will result in giving up control to your opponent should he choose to initiate a clinch. This nonsense is based on a fundamental misunderstanding of what bobbing and weaving actually is.

In this video I will teach you to keep your posture unbroken, and use your footwork and level changes to create angles that cannot be countered with a collar tie or a snap down. Why? Because you won’t even be there to be grabbed in the first place!

Let’s analyze the infamous “Dempsey Roll” as demonstrated by Jack Dempsey in the 1919 boxing heavyweight championship when Dempsey knocked down Jess Willard with the eponymous technique. What did Dempsey do 103 years ago that modern combat sports athletes can learn from today in boxing, kickboxing, and MMA? A great deal.

It’s an incredibly simple concept, but a widely misunderstood one. Let’s dispel the myths and get to the truth of the matter.

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Ramsey Dewey is an MMA coach and fight commentator, and occasional musician based in Shanghai, China.

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This video features original music by Ramsey Dewey

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