Boxing Stance: Boxing technique, drills and fixes

Your stance is the position you start from, move in and come back to after every punch. Coaching manuals from AIBA, USA Boxing and Boxing Canada describe the same basics: stand side-on at about 45°, feet shoulder-width, weight even, knees slightly bent, rear heel slightly raised, hands up and chin down behind the lead shoulder. The goal is to stay balanced so you can attack, defend and move at any moment. (This and all boxing lessons are for training: shadowboxing, bag and pads, not sparring.)

Set the feet

Turn side-on, at about 45° to your target. Orthodox (usually right-handed): left foot and left hand forward. Southpaw (usually left-handed): right foot and right hand forward. Everything below is the same for both, just mirrored.

your lead shoulder points toward the target, not your chest.

Place your feet about shoulder-width apart, lead foot ahead and rear foot back on a diagonal. Point the lead toes slightly inward and the rear toes forward.

a base wide enough to be stable, narrow enough to step quickly.

Weight and knees

Spread your weight evenly over both feet, centred between them, not leaning forward or sitting back.

you could step forward or back without shifting first.

Bend both knees slightly, the rear knee a little more than the front. Don't lock either leg.

springy, not sitting in a squat.

Raise your rear heel slightly so you're on the ball of the rear foot. The lead foot stays flat.

ready to push off the back foot.

Blade the body

Turn your trunk in with your feet and keep it as upright as you can. Don't stand tall and square, and don't lean forward over the lead knee.

compact and side-on, head over your base.

Hands and chin

Hold your lead hand up between shoulder and eye height, fist loosely closed and turned slightly in, wrist straight.

the lead hand can jab straight out from where it sits.

Keep your rear fist up by your chin, with the rear elbow pulled in so it nearly touches your ribs. Tuck the lead elbow in too.

elbows cover the ribs, rear glove guards the jaw.

Keep your chin down, tucked behind a slightly raised lead shoulder, and look out "through your eyebrows" rather than lifting your head to see.

chin tucked, eyes still forward.

Feel it

Balanced and ready: weight even, knees soft, rear heel just off the floor, hands up, chin down. You should be able to step in any direction and punch without first adjusting your feet. Coaches judge a stance by whether you can stay balanced while attacking, defending and moving. The app reads your body position, not an opponent.

Fix-its

Feet too wide or too narrow Too wide slows your movement; too narrow costs balance. Reset to about shoulder-width on the diagonal.
Both heels flat Lift the rear heel slightly. Flat feet make it harder to move smoothly.
Standing straight up and square Bend the knees slightly, turn side-on to about 45° and keep the trunk turned in. Standing tall gives a bigger target.
Chin lifted Drop the chin behind the lead shoulder and look through your eyebrows. A raised chin is easier to hit.
Hands low or elbows flared Rear fist back by the chin, lead hand between shoulder and eye height, elbows in against the ribs.

Drill

Mirror check: set your stance in front of a full-length mirror and go through the list: 45° side-on, shoulder-width feet, even weight, soft knees, rear heel up, hands up, chin down.
Hold and reset: hold the stance for a few breaths, relax, walk around, then set it again. Repeat until it lands the same way each time.
Step and keep it: take single steps forward, back and to each side, moving the foot nearest the direction first, and check the stance is unchanged after each step.
Slow shadowboxing in the mirror: throw easy jabs and straight punches and check your hands and stance come back to the same position after each one.
Film yourself from the front or at 45° and compare your foot width to your shoulders, your knee bend, and where your hands sit compared with your chin.

Sources

Last checked 2026-10-26.