By Roberto Mattos:
Just roll with it baby!

In a recent video a true legend of the fight world, Freddie Roach, took some time out of his eventful schedule to teach us mere mortals how to take a punch.

Roach breaks it down into three easier said than done steps. The first step according to Roach is,

“… to roll with the shot. The punch comes at you and what I mean by roll with it is you take the sting away when it comes toward your face; you roll with it and kinda ride the storm out. And it’s the best way to take a punch. “

Roach then moves on to the body, where rolling with a punch isn’t exactly an option. Instead Roach says, “…you have to tighten the muscles in your abdomen. So when you do that- you breathe out really hard so the effects aren’t as bad.”

The third and final step is the block what according to Roach, is “the most effective punch in boxing”, the left hook.

“Step three is the left hook and the best way to block that is having your hands out. If the hands are out- you protect yourself that way. But he also points out that this isn’t always easy due to the direction the punch is coming from.”

Master these three steps and you’ll be able to take a punch like a true professional. Just don’t go trying it out at the bar any time soon.

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