6 Basic Boxing Combinations You Should Know [And Use]

In boxing, as in any other combat sports, one combination can win you the fight.

The hard thing is making fast and slick combinations in a fight when the adrenaline rush is at its peak. That’s why it is extremely important to drill some basic combinations which are more than enough to win you a fight.

You should be able to do these combos even if you are just getting out of bed even if you are tired, sick, etc.

In this article, we compiled a list of the best basic boxing combinations so continue reading.

Table of Contents

Basic Combinations

Jab – Right Cross (1-2)

This one is probably the first combination that you are going to learn when you go to a boxing gym. Why? Because it is:

Simple
Effective
Can be applied to many different situations

Mastering the jab – right cross combo could be enough to win you some fights. Also, it is often used as a base of your fighting style. After all, the jab can be used to set up pretty much anything so it is important to learn how to have a great jab and a great 1-2.

Jab – Right Cross – Left Hook (1-2-3)

This is another beautiful combination that is very basic but also very effective. The shift of your body weight when throwing the right cross naturally sets up a powerful left hook.

You can do different variations of this combination. For example:

Jab and cross to the head followed by a left hook to the body
Jab to the head, cross to the body followed by a hook to the head. Here you are setting up the last punch and it should be the hardest one.
Jab to the body, right cross, and a left hook to the head

You can also try switching up the power on the punches. Sometimes you can throw a light right cross and a hard left hook or the other way around so you can keep your opponent guessing.

Jab – Jab – Right Cross (1-1-2)

Doubling on the jab is a great way to confuse your opponent especially if he is expecting a clean 1-2. You will quickly see how the 2nd jab will be pretty surprising to your opponents.

Another good thing about this combination is that you can throw if from a very long range. The first jab doesn’t necessarily have to hit the target, it is often enough to just touch his gloves to distract him from your movement and then land the other 2 punches.

You can also throw a jab to the head, jab to the head, cross to the body. This is extremely powerful as you’ll notice that after the 2 jabs your opponents will raise their guard more often than not. Then comes the powerful right cross to the body completely unexpected.

Jab – Right Uppercut – Left Hook (1-6-3)

This is a combination that is used more rarely than the previous we looked at. However, it can be applied very effectively if the situation is right. For example, if you are throwing 1-2 often your opponent might try to slip the right cross one in a while.

If you catch him with the right uppercut while he is slipping and then finish off with a powerful left hook it could be game over for him.

Jab – Right Cross – Left Hook – Right Cross (1-2-3-2)

This is one of the best 4 punch combos out there. The jab is great for setting up the cross, then the left hook follows naturally and you finish strong with a hard cross again. Beautiful.

The power should be mostly focused on the last two punches while the first two should be faster. When you start practicing it you will adjust it to your fighting style and make it more natural for you.

Right Cross – Left Hook – Right Cross (2-3-2)

It is best to use this combination when your opponent is being aggressive and/or charging at you. The combo is a short-range one and all punches should be thrown with power.

If you catch your opponents with that combo while he is coming to you’ll hurt him for sure.

How to Learn More Boxing Combos?

The thing is – we can list combinations here all day. But even then we wouldn’t be able to say that these are all the boxing combinations out there.

Why? Because every combo can be thrown differently. Here are some tricks that you can use to mix your combinations and confuse your opponent.

Fakes and Feints

Remember that almost all of the basic boxing combinations we listed here started with a jab? That is not a coincidence. The jab is used to mask your movement, get your opponent to react, and set up the following punches.

However, you will realize that you don’t always need to throw punches to make your opponent react. You can throw fake punches or feints.

A fake can be a movement that imitates the beginning of the punch or a half punch. This makes your opponent react and you hit him with a powerful shot.

A feint can be you pretending to go to the body but hit your opponent in the head.

They work very well and it helps you step up your boxing game.

Lighter and Faster Punches

We already slightly mention that part when we were talking about combinations. Not all punches should be thrown with power.

Ease up on some punches and instead make and faster and lighter.

There are a lot of benefits to doing this:

Saves you energy and power
Disrupts your opponent’s rhythm
Makes your opponent work on his defense more resulting in a bigger chance of you landing the hard punch

Hit the Body

Going always for the head becomes too predictable after a while. The body is a far bigger target and a well-placed hard punch to the body hurts just as bad as to the head.

The added benefit is that punches to the body can accumulate in the fight and make your opponent tired in the later rounds. Make sure to mix it up well and don’t forget to work the body.

Double up the Jab

Throwing double or even triple jabs is a great thing to do once in a while. Even the beginners learn how to block simple 1-2s all day. Don’t make yourself predictable and double up on that jab. You’ll be surprised how well that works.

Conclusion

We all have only two hands and two legs. All the professional boxers throw pretty much the same combinations. The difference comes from perfecting your punches and delivering them to the target.

So make sure to drill all of the above combinations and train safely.