Boxing Clinch Notes

There is much written about the clinch and mixed martial arts. This is understandable. Whenever you watch such a fight on pay per view, you'll see a great deal of clinch work. The reason for this is obvious. Striking and wrestling in the clinch is completely legal in a mixed martial arts bout. In boxing, it is illegal to strike or throw in the clinch. The clinch is more often used as a defensive posture. This is, a boxer will clinch his opponent in order to stop him from being able to strike. When this occurs, the referree steps in and breaks the clinch. The fighters then return to a neutral position. From this, there is some good information present. Mainly, a student of the game can learn how to nullify punches by effectively clinching an opponent. The key words here is "effectively". Any haphazzard clinching would be the equivalent to reaching or pawing. This is not a good idea since it can get you knocked out. However, knowing the proper way to clinch a striking opponent can be a true lifesaver.

However, outside of a boxing ring, there is no referee to save you when you clinch. That is why it is also important to know how to hit in the clinch. This topic will be touched in our next entry.