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The judge has three
options Red, Blue, or “W”. It does not take the brains
of Lloyd George to work out that the red button represents the boxer
in the red corner and the blue button the boxer in the blue corner,
however “W” is not so obvious, so just
for the record it does in fact stand for “Warning”.
Before I progress let’s just stop and think for a
moment.
The five judges
at ringside viewing a championship bout are linked via a single
computer. That computer processes a scoring point when 3 of the
5 judges press the same coloured button within ONE second of each
other.
You may now realise
why International bouts produce scores of 10-8 or less after 4 hard
rounds.
At a club show,
the judge has a handheld computer that isn't linked to the others
but uses the same principle of pressing RED or BLUE for each scoring
blow, so…..
What is a
scoring blow?
It is a punch landed
cleanly with the knuckle part of the glove with force on the target
area.
- "With Force"
- powder puffs and flicked jabs will not score.
- “Scoring
area” - The head and body above the trunk line (the abdomen-
see graphic above).
Also for a punch
to score you must not contravene the laying on or touching your
opponent rule.
Remember
this - because this is vitally important.
If any part of your
body is touching your opponent when you deliver your punches they
will not score! It looks great when you and your opponent are in
the middle of the ring going toe-to-toe, leaning in to each other
and hammering away like a couple of old pro's. But to me as a judge
all it does is "look great" - it achieves nothing for
either of you.
Like it or lump
it the way to win amateur bouts on points is by scoring shots -
to the head and body. If your opponent is taller this is not a reason
to be put off if you don't think you can win by RSC or KO. In my
opinion rear hands to the body are the easiest punches to pick up
points and one of the hardest to defend.
Remember the basics
- the jab, rear hand, shots to the body, without getting tangled
up with your opponent. Watch any international, and they will box
to the points system.
Be upright and keep
sticking the jab and rear hand/straight punches in your opponents
face.
Footwork has to
play a major part in this, so you are able to find your own vantage
points to outwit your opponent, consider moving from side to side
to land punches. .
Keep sticking out
and landing the single shots or two shot combinations to build them
points up and up and up.
I have sat near
a judge who told me he thought the blue corner had won but when
he viewed his calculator it was the red - this was because this
judge was scoring every red blow but the blue was trying to 'rough
up' and work inside - makes for good TV - not for the ABA!
It is often just
three of four properly scored punches that make the difference in
a bout - you can ensure you make the difference by knowing what
you are doing, however don’t settle for 3 or 4 and make it
20.
Rees Hopcraft
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