Numbered combinations are a teaching shorthand, not a fighting plan. What makes a combination land is that each punch creates the opening for the next: a jab occupies the lead hand, a body shot pulls the guard down, a hook moves the head into the path of the cross. Good combinations also account for the exit — a three-punch sequence that ends with you standing in front of the opponent has completed only half the job.
Key points
- Start every combination with a punch that establishes range, usually the jab, before committing power.
- Alternate levels — head, body, head — because a guard cannot cover both at once.
- Change angle mid-combination with a small pivot so the last punch arrives from somewhere unexpected.
- Keep sequences to three or four punches; longer strings drain the gas tank and invite counters.
- Plan the exit: a pivot, a step back, or a clinch should be the final beat of every combination.
Common mistakes
- Throwing memorised numbers regardless of what the opponent is doing or where they are standing.
- Ending combinations standing still in punching range, which is the most likely moment to be countered.
- Loading every punch to maximum power, which slows the sequence and makes each shot visible.
Put it into practice
Exit-first combinations
- Pick three combinations and assign each one a specific exit — pivot left, step back, or roll under.
- On the bag, throw each combination fifteen times and count the exit as part of the repetition.
- Have a partner call out a level change mid-combination so the sequence has to adapt.
- Shadow box two rounds where no combination is allowed to repeat consecutively.
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