The bob and weave is a defence against hooks: you bend your knees to drop your head under the punch, move it across under the arm, and come up on the other side ready to counter. The coaching manuals put the work in the legs. Your knees drop you, your upper body leans forward only very slightly, and your eyes and guard stay on the opponent. The app reads your own movement, not an opponent's punches.
Bend knees, drop level
Start from your normal boxing stance: hands up, chin down, eyes on your opponent.
set and relaxed, not braced.
Bend both knees, down and slightly inward, to lower your head below the line of the hook. Your upper body leans forward only very slightly from the hips. The drop comes from your legs, not from folding at the waist.
sitting down into your legs with your chest still facing the opponent.
Keep your gloves high against your cheekbones and your forearms and elbows covering your body as you go down.
a tight shell that travels with you.
Trace the U under
As your knees bend, step toward the side the punch is coming from and carry your head under the punching arm. Move against the way the punch is travelling, never along with it.
going under the arm, not running away with the punch.
Go only as low as you need: your head just below the punch. Never drop your head below your opponent's belt line. That is too low to recover from and is a foul in amateur boxing.
low enough to clear, high enough to fire back.
Keep your eyes on your opponent the whole way under, so you can see their other hand.
watching the chest, not the floor.
Rise loaded, reset guard
Come up on the other side of the punch, turning your waist to load a counter. Drive up from your legs into the punch, for example a lead hook, with your rear hand still high.
the rise and the counter as one move from the legs.
Return to your boxing stance straight away, guard up, ready for the next punch.
back to base, not stuck low.
Feel it
Your legs do the dropping and lifting while your chest stays nearly upright and your eyes stay on the opponent. Your head travels under the arm in a smooth U and you rise already turned to counter, guard still up. If you feel your eyes go to the floor or your weight tip over your toes, you are bending at the waist. If you have to struggle to come back up, you went too low. The app reads your knee bend, the U of your head and your guard, not the punch you are avoiding.
Fix-its
- You bend at the waist Drop by bending your knees and keep the forward lean very slight. Folding at the waist takes your eyes off your opponent, unbalances you and leaves your head where an uppercut can meet it.
- You go too low Drop just enough for the punch to pass over you. Never put your head below your opponent's belt line: it is a foul, and it slows your return to stance and your counter.
- You move the same way as the punch Step and move your head toward the side the punch comes from, under the arm. Moving with the punch keeps you in its path and in line for the other hand.
- Your hands drop or your eyes leave the opponent Keep gloves at your cheekbones and forearms and elbows over your body, and watch your opponent through the whole move.
- You stay down or square up Come straight back to your stance after each weave. Stay side-on with one foot ahead; squaring up makes you a bigger target.
Drill
- Standing, on your own: from stance, bob and weave under an imagined hook from each side, slowly, returning to stance after each one. Break it into parts at first (knee bend, move under, rise), then join them. Use a mirror or film from the front.
- Rope drill: stretch a rope at about shoulder height and move along it, weaving under from one side to the other. After each pass, throw a straight punch, then weave back. Try not to touch the rope with your head or shoulders.
- Partner drill: a partner throws slow, light hooks at controlled speed and you weave under them, focusing on form, not contact. Wear gloves and a mouthguard (and a headguard if your gym uses them).
- Add the counter once the weave is solid: partner hooks, you weave and come up with one punch, such as a lead hook, then return to stance.
- Move with it: bob and weave while stepping forward and back. Speed up only as your form holds, and stop if your knees or back hurt.
How it's used
Against hooks: AIBA and USA Boxing list ducking as a defence against straight punches and hooks to the head, and Boxing Canada teaches dropping under the lead hook. Getting inside: Boxing Canada advises pressuring a persistent jabber by weaving to either side with the body low, getting under the jab and punching to the body. Counters: the manuals teach the counter after the defence itself is solid, then pair the weave with a punch.
Sources
- AIBA Coaches Commission — AIBA Coaches Manual: Common Mistakes in Basic Boxing Defense (p. 54), Ducking (p. 63), Bobbing and Weaving (p. 188) (2010)
- USA Boxing Grassroots Task Force — Training Manual v.01: Basic Defense mistakes, Ducking (p. 58), Bobbing and Weaving (p. 87), fouls incl. ducking below the belt (p. 108), Ducking and Sliding rope test (p. 162) (2014)
- Boxing Canada / Coaching Association of Canada — NCCP Club Coach Reference Material: ducking the lead hook (p. 43), ducking the jab (p. 55), duck and lead hook counter (p. 61), tactics vs a jabber (p. 73) (2016)
- Evolve MMA — How To Bob And Weave In Boxing: Step-By-Step Guide (common mistakes, rope drill)
Last checked 2026-10-26.