Slip Lead
Defence · Lead side (Orthodox left, Southpaw right)
Slip the head to your lead side, outside their jab.
How to throw it
Bend at the waist and knees to move your head to your lead side, slipping just outside the line of their jab. Keep your eyes on the opponent and your weight loaded so you can spring back, and travel only far enough to let the punch pass. Your hands stay high throughout so the slip is pure head movement, not a lean.
When to use it
Slip to your lead side to take yourself outside a jab and off its line, avoiding the shot without giving ground. From outside their lead hand you are positioned to counter or angle off around their guard.
Common mistakes
- Slipping the wrong way, into the punch rather than outside it, so the jab follows your head
- Dipping too low or too far and stranding your weight where you cannot recover balance
- Dropping the hands while slipping, treating head movement as a substitute for the guard instead of an addition to it